Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2016 i Country Walking

I used to think it was odd the financial year started in April. In as much as I ever thought about it at all, I considered it one of those grown-up mysteries I would only one day understand, like marzipan or The Archers. But now I’m old enough to feel time going by at a clip rather than a crawl, I can understand why spring marks the start of adult ambition’s sometimes all too brief flowering season. (The best advert for a travel agent I ever saw was a photo of two old folk and one saying to the other ‘Do you remember the time we almost went to Turkey?’) You just can’t fail to be swept along by the example being set outside your window – the utterly unjaded…

Episode 1: Anglesey Julia traces the Menai Strait, seeking out the lost prototype of the first Land Rover which locals believe may be buried in the dunes where its inventor tested it 70 years ago, and discovers why Prince William and Kate have a soft spot for Llanddwyn Island. Episode 2: The Cotswolds Starting in Winchcombe, ‘the jewel in the Cotswold Crown’, Julia takes up the many walking trails on offer to discover an ancient burial mound, historic castle and spectacular views from the top of Cleeve Hill – the highest point in Gloucestershire. Episode 3: Dorset From the village of Symondsbury, Julia follows an ancient drovers’ route, including a climb up the iconic and ever popular Colmer’s Hill. The walk culminates with a climb to the highest point on…

“We’d been to places where you were miles from anywhere and you could hear a pin drop. Where there was no pollution of any type.” MARTIN AND MAUREEN SHIPLEY had only been walking a week, when they decided in 2004 they’d try doing the Coast to Coast . It was the start of a love affair that will see them set off in May to complete an extraordinary – and possibly unique – achievement: to walk the length of the kingdom in both the longest directions: north-east to southwest (John O’Groats to Land’s End) and now north-west to south-east (Cape Wrath to Dover). And yet, they insist, they are nothing out of the ordinary – and anyone could, and should, follow in their bootsteps. Their latest challenge will see the…

Jo Barton I’m doing it for my Dad. He loved walking and that’s where I get it. In his 80s he was still marching to the shop for his paper. On wet days I’d suggest he took the car, but he’d say: “If I don’t do it every day, then one day I won’t be able to do it.” It was a sad day when he couldn’t do it any more. Now he’s gone, but I know he’s looking down on me. I’m still walking with you, Dad, until the day I can’t do it any more. Dave Kenyon-Woodruff I’ve just had spinal surgery and I’m trying to get my life back. The physical side will slowly fall into place, but being 35 and finding something which has kept my…

In CW’s February issue our curious dog was exploring the mining heritage of beautiful Swaledale in Yorkshire on page 78. Congratulations to Sylvia Dominey from Hockliffe who spotted Millie and wins a load of goodies from Lifeventure worth £45. Spot Millie in this issue (not on this page!) and you could win some too! Email where you found her to: ifoundmillie@lfto.com by March 31st, 2016 putting ‘Millie Spring’ in the email subject line. Find full terms and conditions at winit.livefortheoutdoors.com…

“Your soul is fed on views of lakes and bumpy horizons. Your mind gets some vital nature therapy. Your backside gets a little curvier.” WITH WILD AND A Walk in the Woods both on the big screen recently, even Hollywood has belatedly realised a long-distance walk is about the best holiday you can have. Ever. Few things are more certain in this world than the simple fact that walking in green places is very brilliant. Your soul is fed on sightings of rabbits, butterflies and rainbows (possibly), melodramatic views of lakes and bumpy horizons. Your mind gets some vital nature therapy. Your backside gets a little bit curvier. You can legitimately feel a tiny bit smug about it all. And slurp a pint afterwards – and chomp on chocolate during…

A HANDFUL OF trails have reached A-list status – like Jennifer Lawrence and George Clooney, they’re much-admired and much-loved. Yet Britain is also home to mile upon mile of quirky, curious, fascinating and beautiful treks that never see the spotlight but could be exactly what you’re looking for. Here are 11 of the best to whet your appetite (numbers on map indicate the start of each trail), but there are over 1400 more. The Long Distance Walkers Association (www.ldwa.org) has a fantastic database of paths where you can search by location, distance, difficulty, terrain, interests, whether it’s on OS maps and waymarked – and find your perfect match for your spring adventure! 1 FOR ROCK FANS Gritstone Trail Disley, Cheshire to Kidsgrove, Staffs, 35 miles The perfectly named Gritstone Trail…

THE WOODLANDS AT Hothorpe Hall are offering one lucky winner and up to three guests a three-night self-catering break in a fabulous woodland Snug. The Woodlands – in the grounds of a Georgian manor house – is surrounded by stunning East Midlands countryside. The modern accommodation, with two en suite bedrooms, can sleep up to four adults and enjoys a comfortable lounge with all the mod cons and WiFi, combined with a bijou kitchenette and dining area. Relax with an al fresco breakfast on the Snug’s private decked area, listening to the sound of the River Welland running through the woodland, which is also perfect for a peaceful evening stroll. With a collection of five woodland snugs, guests can expect a quiet retreat at the end of a day’s walking.…

BEFORE YOU GO The Turkish Republic of North Cyprus is a self-declared state, independent from the Republic of Cyprus, but only recognised by Turkey. However, internationally Cyprus is still regarded as one country, and EU citizens can travel to the north without a visa. The official language is Turkish, but English is widely spoken, and though the official currency is the Turkish lira, sterling and euros are widely accepted. GETTING THERE Turkish Airlines (0844 800 6666, www.turkishairlines.com) operate regular services from Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh to Istanbul, from where you can transfer to Ercan Airport in North Cyprus. Alternatively, you can also cross the border by road from the south. GETTING AROUND It’s a 45-minute drive to Kyrenia from Ercan Airport. A one-way taxi is about £30, while car…

SOUTH WEST Upper Plym Valley, Devon Tread deep into the heart of Dartmoor, tracing the nascent River Plym upstream on walk that’s brimming with history. TURN TO WALK 1 SOUTH EAST White Horse Hill, Oxfordshire Clamber up onto the airy Wessex Downs and get up close to Britain’s oldest chalk horse. The views aren’t bad either. TURN TO WALK 7 MIDLANDS Bradgate Park, Leicestershire Discover an unexpected pocket of open hills and outcrops roamed by deer, just a stone’s throw away from the city. TURN TO WALK 11 EAST Lode Mill, Cambridgeshire Unwind in the famous flatlands of the Fens, along its waterways and field paths, beneath the vast open skies. TURN TO WALK 13 NORTH WEST High Tove/Blea Tarn, Cumbria Step into a wild and unassuming idyll, somehow hidden…

South Snowdonia is the unsung gem of Gwynedd. It’s quiet, unspoilt and simply magical, especially the Aran range – but I suppose I’m a bit biased, as I was brought up here. I love Cwm Cywarch – the crags there are absolutely breathtaking. Some days I’ll traverse the whole Aran ridge and finish up there. There are two or three aircraft crash sites to look out for on Aran Fawddwy too, and on a clear day, it’s reputed you can even see the Brecon Beacons from the summit. It’s an unusual mountain weather-wise, being that little bit more inland. On a weekday, you’re unlikely to meet anyone else up there. Bala itself is brilliant and the high street is very walker-friendly. Plas Yn Dre Ty Coffi is a great little…

Brocken spectre Here we have one of the truly magical moments of hillwalking. A Brocken spectre occurs when your shadow is projected onto the upper surface of a cloud beneath you, thanks to the sun being above and behind you. The spectre may also include a ‘glory’ – a rainbow-coloured halo caused by the sunlight passing through uniformly-sized water droplets. The name was first recorded in 1780 and comes from a peak in the Harz Mountains of Germany which is famous for providing them due to its low mists. This one is deputy editor Nick’s, who finally found his Brocken spectre on the summit of High Stile in the Lake District. Final eerie fact: you only ever see your own Brocken spectre. When Nick took this picture he was standing…

Outdoors apps tested by experts THIS MONTH: Geoflyer Europe 3D Maps is taken for a test flight by digital mapping geek and wannabe jet pilot Mark Sutcliffe… Geoflyer is part of a new generation of mapping apps that promise fun and clever functionality. Its key attraction is that it lets you view your maps in 3D ‘first person’ and ‘fly-through’ modes. Rather like having your own personal camera drone, the Gyropilot mode lets you fly through a virtual landscape like a pilot, which is a lot of fun. It’s great for exploring the the land immediately around you in the field, or seeing what’s to come – ideal for planning your route in advance as well as for your on-the-hoof route revisions. Your ‘flight’ is controlled by tilting and banking…

14 MEN AND 14 WOMEN will win one of these short-sleeved shirts worth £18 each. Made from a lightweight, fast-wicking pique fabric that draws moisture away from your skin, the Vitalise Base T-Shirt will keep you comfy all day – perfect for clocking up your miles on warm, sunny walks in spring and summer! They come in two colours – Aegean blue for women and spring yellow for men – and have a comfy crew-neck design. Wash and wear technology means they’re quick to rinse and dry – ideal for those trekking a long-distance path or out and about day after day! For your chance to win your Craghoppers Vitalise Base T-Shirt go to www.lfto.com/walk1000miles  and answer the following question: Who famously sang about walking 500…

LIKE MARK TWAIN, Oscar Wilde and Churchill, Confucius was one of those blokes who always said important, smart-sounding things. So many in fact that great swathes of the world still hang on every one of them. At the risk of making these people rather cross, it would seem to be that a lot of his utterances – “Respect yourself and others will respect you” – could have come out of a Christmas cracker. Others like “Have no friends not equal to yourself” just leave me saying “Eh?” But, more to our point, he did say “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. And mine was fairly unglamorous; the few paces from my front door across the road and through the woods to the golf club café.…

During a pilgrimage, Walsingham can fill up very quickly. National pilgrimages to the Catholic Shrine will take place on March 20th and 25th (Good Friday), 3rd April and 1st May. The main Anglican National Pilgrimage takes place on Monday May 30th. Check event details at www.walsingham.org.uk WALK HERE: See Walk 14 in this issue. STAY HERE: The Old Bakehouse B&B (01328 820454, www.oldbakehouse littlewalsingham.co.uk) in the High Street is a beautiful Georgian building offering doubles for around £180. A little further out, try the Longview B&B in Westgate (01328 820075, www.longview bandb.co.uk), which offers rooms from £70. EAT HERE: We must mention the fabulous Walsingham Farm Shop (01328 821877, with the slightly unusual-looking URL of www.walsingham.co), which is a real treasure trove of local produce from jams and chutneys to olive oils…

In pursuit of the picturesque, walkers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries would deliberately turn their back on the nation’s most beautiful vistas. Opening a small carrying case, they would lift a sepia-tinted, slightly convex mirror before them and use that to admire the landscape behind them. Known as a Claude Glass, after landscape painter Claude Lorrain, they transformed a large view into a neat one and as William Gilpin describes: ‘they give the object of nature a soft, mellow tinge like the colouring of that Master.’ They were also used to protect women from being overwhelmed by the raw power of nature: “A dramatic vista was thought to be too much for a woman,” explains Paul Kleian of the Wordsworth Trust, “so she would be blindfolded for…

“They’re all characters and it’s a real privilege to be outside walking with them every day... I’d feel weird if I was walking without dogs.” KIM HYLAND IS a professional dog walker. I meet her in a large London park in grey weather and she has six dogs, from pug to golden labrador in size, joined to her by a macramé of leads. She’s also pushing a wheeled canine-chariot carrying two elderly pekineses. A 2015 pet industry survey claimed that full-time dog walkers out-earned the average UK salary by a fifth. Assemble a pack of pooches from their grateful owners, the stats suggest, head to the park, throw a few balls, and – critical this – return the correct number of dogs to the right owners and you’re basically being…

OUR TESTERS Country Walking always tests products for both men and women. Our reviewers Nick Hallissey and Rachel Broomhead have notched up thousands of miles on foot, so they know the value of good kit at the right price. This test took them to Great Langdale, Axe Edge in the Peaks and the hilliest bits of the South Downs Way. Heading into spring and summer, we’re looking for lighter, stretchier trousers that are tough enough to manage those big walks you’ve been been dreaming of, without overheating while you do it. So the trousers in this test are light and airy, using blends of polyester, polyamide, nylon and elastane for a bit of stretch. But we’ve also included a few which use a soft shell finish for those who want…

Jenny Walters, Features Editor Miles walked this month: 107 The feature about long-distance walks (p30) got me thinking about my first multi-day hike, 20 years ago on a trip Down Under. It was on Queensland’s Hinchinbrook Island and I set off with optimism and zero preparation. On day one I got lost in the rainforest, tore the seat out of my only pair of trousers sliding down a cliff, gouged my leg on a rock crashing through leaf-litter, and when I ran into the sea to celebrate my unexpected survival I almost stood on a stingray. And yet, that four-day walk in the wilds is one of the best things I’ve ever done and it hooked me on trekking (and led to discovering that Britain has some of the world’s…

Love Britain’s trig points April will mark the 80th anniversary of these much-loved hilltop icons. Though now defunct, the triangulation column played a huge role in the mapping of modern Britain, so the Ordnance Survey is planning a raft of activities to celebrate it. OS luminaries are writing a series of walks to their favourite trigs, and the body is also encouraging walkers to ‘bag’ as many trigs as possible during April. More on this next issue, but for now, start looking for this symbol on your favourite maps so you’re ready for the challenge in April… Become The Voice of the Countryside It’s often said that those in power, and city-dwellers in general, have little knowledge of the countryside, the joys it brings and the pressures it is under.…

“You only have to go walking in some of our most popular spots and people from all over the world are coming to see our landscapes.” It’s been nine years since the first series of Wainwright Walks and 2016 sees the return of Britain’s most welcome walking evangelist, in ITV’s new Best Walks With a View with Julia Bradbury. In the five years since Canal Walks, Julia’s had three children – Zeph, four, and twins Xanthe and Zena who are one this month – and at 45 her passion for spreading the good news about walking remains undimmed. She’s launched a new website with sister Gina (theoutdoor guide.co.uk), and her new eight-part series focuses on Britain’s crown-jewel walks under ten miles. It debuted late last month in a prime-time slot and…

AS SPRING WARMS the air and the clocks go forward, you may be looking for a leg-stretching challenge and it’s never too late to join the 1000s of people walking 1000 miles in the next 12 months. There’s still heaps of time to enjoy those lovely miles on foot and if you need extra encouragement to sign up then read on to discover the incredible and inspiring reasons other walkers have taken the pledge! And the miles walked are already reaping rewards: you tell us you’re losing weight, sleeping better, and feeling happier (turn the page to see the great things #walk1000miles will do for your health). And best of all, you’re making lots of friends! There are over 1000 walkers in the Facebook group – set to clock up…

Bulletproof Walking is more than twice as effective as running at fighting off heart disease, and an hour a day cuts your risk of heart attack in your fifties and sixties in half; a 30-minute walk a day cuts the risk of a stroke by a third. Cancer fighter Walking is a powerful weapon against the disease, with 10,000 cases a year of breast and bowel cancer being preventable in Britain alone by an hour on foot a day, according to the World Cancer Research Fund. For those who already have one of the commonest forms, Macmillan says a daily walk can cut the risk of death by 40%-50%. Lean machine Insulin allows your body to absorb the energy in food – but it also encourages the long-term storage of…

What makes a spring walk extra special for you? The sound of a woodpecker drumming on a tree. Paula Fraser Hearing the first chiffchaff of spring! Liz Temperley The smell of wild garlic... The first LDP I ever walked was Offa’s Dyke Path and the thing I remember most was smelling wild garlic. Love it! Paula Rhodes That smell after a rain shower of fresh spring growth. Ian James When the sky is extra blue, clouds are especially white and the grass is spectacularly green. Daffodils are sunshine yellow and bluebells are a special kind of purple. Colour after the monochrome of winter. Kathryn Cox Lapwings nesting close to the Wulfrun Way. Won’t be long now. Colin Hattersley The song of a lone robin in a bush or tree as…

I LOVE LONG WALKS and I’ve missed them with my broken leg. But now it’s almost better (aside from a tendency to ache), I want to revive them. I’m back to my early morning walks, but they are never more than five miles. More is called for, and I know what it should be. One of my morning ‘loops’ is a circular walk leaving Cambridge past the new labs, graphene centre and vet school on the University’s West Cambridge site, over the M11 and into the quiet village of Coton, with its moated manor house and 12th-century church, before walking back across the fields to Newnham. I’ve long noticed the tantalising sign ‘Wimpole Way’ that welcomes me into Coton, but I’ve never followed it to its destination – the National…

Minehead to Poole 630 miles 40 days THE FACT THE South West Coast Path National Trail (SWCP) is a whopping 630 miles is both a positive and negative. The positive: we’re so lucky to have such a huge stretch of some of the most beautiful coastline in the world on the cusp of our little island. The negative: it’s 630 miles long which might make your feet a bit fed up.Indeed the average time to complete the trail is 40 days, which is a prohibitive amount of holiday allowance for most of us. But let’s start with the positives. If you like magnificent beaches, massive cliffs, unique geology, cliff-top castles (such as the unforgettable Tintagel), dramatic views and secret coves, this is the one for you. The SWCP has…

“For many, Walsingham has the same magnetism as Rome, Santiago de Compostela… or even Nazareth itself.” IT TURNS OUT, despite my romantic yearnings, that I’m a rubbish pilgrim. All that’s expected of me, to call myself a pilgrim to Walsingham, is to remove my boots and walk barefoot for a mile to reach the place they call ‘England’s Nazareth’. Gamely, nay, enthusiastically, I peel off my luxuriously padded Oboz boots, fling off the thick, cosy socks, and set out on the stony track that will take me from the Slipper Chapel to the Holy House. And look at me, I’m a pilgrim! Yeowch. Ow. Eek. Oof. Ooyah. Suddenly I’m making noises I normally only see in my daughter’s copy of The Beano. Every step has become murder. You can’t call…

WALK HERE Buy your map to the walks at the Hafod car park (£2) or purchase online (£2.20) at www.hafod.org GETTING THERE The car park is on the B4574 three miles south-east of Devil’s Bridge. Bus T22 runs from Aberystwyth via Devil’s Bridge station (on the Vale of Rheidol steam railway) to the hamlet of Cwmystwyth (Mon, Wed, Fri; book ahead) where you can pick up the Borth to Devil’s Bridge to Pontrhydfendigaid Trail west for a mile into the Hafod Estate. Bus T21 (Mon-Sat) runs from Aberystwyth to Pontrhydygroes (Mon-Sat), where you can follow the trail half a mile east into Hafod. WHERE TO STAY You can stay at Hafod itself at Hawthorn Cottage (01974 282568, www.hafod.org) an idyllic stone house with a pond outside and sweeping parkland vistas…

Route updates Twa Lads Moor, February 2016, Walk 14: The walk starts at grid reference SD651124. For a full list of 2015 walks, visit www.lfto.com/countrywalkingroutesindex  If you spot a route which needs updating, email cwroutes@bauermedia.co.uk How to use your routes WALK INFORMATION An estimate of how long the route will take, based on a pace of about two miles per hour, with allowances made for slower, hilly routes. OUR EXPERTS All our routes are written by experienced and knowledgeable walkers who are experts at finding the best walks in their area and describing them clearly. ABBREVIATIONS We have abbreviated left to L and right to R. GRADIENT PROFILE Check the ascent and descent (hilliness) of the route with a quick glance at this profile. TRAILZILLA ID…