Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2023 i Country Walking

This month I’ve been… YOU CAN LOOK at lists a couple of ways - the inventory-taking, clipboard-holding, no-nonsense kind of way, the kind that ends up with league tables and invoices; or you can look at lists as hopeful, rather dazed attempts to count the ways in which the world is abundant the kind that ends up with shaggy piles of Post-Its describing things we might do, and ever-growing bucket lists of things our bank balances will probably say we can’t do, at least not yet. We’re Post-It fillers not auditors here at CW, so don’t mistake this issue as a serious stock-taking or definitive survey. You might as well attempt to count every autumn leaf as it falls, or send a Christmas card to every earthworm, as try to…

1 Walkers have a new best chum Set deep in the Cheshire countryside, The Cholmondeley Arms has just won Pub of the Year at the Great British Pub Awards. Known fondly as The Chum, it sits in a Victorian schoolhouse with footpaths through local farmland, and the gorgeous Peckforton Hills and Beeston Castle (below) just a few miles away. Its large gardens are perfect for a summer G&T (choose from 366 kinds of gin); its open fires for warming up with a local ale after a winter walk. Food includes old school classics like jam roly-poly pudding, plus pies with steak and ale, or broccoli, leek and blue cheese. And you can stay too, with six rooms in the Headmaster’s House. See cholmondeleyarms.co.uk and for more top pubs visit greatbritishpubawards.co.uk…

BROUGHT TO YOU IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 2.74×365 - walk1000miles.co.uk JOIN THE SETT With our fastest seller ever, the famous Walk 1000 miles mascot £4.99 walk1000miles.co.uk/shop Tense & anxious It melts away ‘Once I joined Walk 1000 miles I realised how walking staves off tension and soothes anxiety. It melts it away! After a walk it all makes sense, followed by that enormous sense of gratefulness and wellbeing.’ Hilary Hatcher Always struggled Lost weight & positive ‘I’ve always struggled with my weight and I have trouble with low mood and low self esteem. But since taking up the challenge I’ve lost 2st 11lb and noticed a positive boost to my mood both during and after I finish my walk.’ Holly Cockbill Sofa Energy ‘I work nights, so the temptation to lie…

Spice up your miles with one of our quests, post the result in the Facebook group and our favourite 20 will win a Golden Badge! You have until 9 November for this crop. Got a suggestion for a challenge? Email us! walk1000miles@countrywalking.co.uk 51 RETRIEVE A STRAY BALLOON The glint of a helium balloon is a familiar sight on walks, poking out from under a hedgerow, stuck in the branches of a tree. It’s trash but it’s treasure for five lucky retrievers! 52 FIND A LONELY TREE Find a tree standing all on its lonesome, standing tall in all weathers - a lesson in resilience for us all. Thanks for this excellent suggestion from reader Linda Colman. (Got one? Email us!) 53 FORAGE ROSEHIPS Familiar sources of that itching-powder mystique, rosehips are packed…

DISCOVER Curious walking inspiration IMAGINE WALKING INTO a supermarket, ravenous, with the vague sense there’s family you need to feed during the next fortnight, but no shopping list. Disaster. That’s how it sometimes feels to have an itch in your feet and the whole shelfgroaning abundance of the British countryside before you. Where to begin? This issue is that list. In fact it’s a series of lists, designed to bring at least an impression of order where there was chaos, the prospect of an appetite gloriously fulfilled ahead, and perhaps most of all the realisation this is one crazy, cavernous megamart of possibility we inhabit - and life on foot’s going to be one heck of a trolley dash. ARE YOU READY? THEN LET THE LISTS BEGIN!…

Across the globe, the practice of ascribing sacred status to particular mountains often comes from the same root concept: axis mundi, or axis of the world. In ancient traditions stretching from Mexico to Greece to China, a ‘world axis’ was a tall feature - usually a mountain, but it could be a tree, a staircase, a pyramid or a totem - which was thought to connect the earthly and divine realms. Prominent examples include Kailash, Machapuchare and Annapurna in the Himalayas, Uluru in Australia, Olympus and Athos in Greece, Kunlun in China and Teide in Tenerife. A subtler form of world axis is a steep path or hewn staircase, resulting in many such features being christened Jacob’s Ladder, as they were thought to echo the staircase to heaven witnessed in…

WALK HERE Turn to Walk 17 in this issue. GETTING THERE Keswick is on the A66, 18 miles west of M6 and Penrith. Train station at Penrith: ×4/×5 bus runs to Keswick, or 555 runs Keswick to Lancaster. WHERE TO EAT Lots of places in Keswick: The Square Orange Cafe & Bar (thesquareorange.co.uk) is a CW favourite for its coffee, cake, local beer, tapas and pizzas, with live music some evenings. It’s bijou, so you might need to queue. Or tackle Pike o’ Pickle, Katsu Bells or Super Green Gable - just three of the options on the burger menu at The Round (fellpack.co.uk/venue/the-round). WHERE TO STAY Something for everyone in Keswick, including the youth hostel in a gorgeous spot by the river (double ensuite from £60 in October, yha.org.uk) and…

‘Champion lady walker of the world’ Ada Anderson always wanted to be famous, but her attempts to become an actress and a singer didn’t go to plan. Instead, she took to pedestrianism an extreme form of walkingthat involved huge distances in short timeframes. She proved to be indefatigable, training to achieve the physical stamina required and to cope with severe sleep deprivation. In Plymouth in 1877 she walked 1¼ miles for 1000 consecutive hours - aworld record for which she became known as the Champion Lady Walker of the World. The followingyear she sailed across the Atlantic to try and make her name in the US by walking 2700 quarter miles in 2700 quarter hours, getting no more than nine minutes’ sleep at a time over 28 days. She was…

YOUR COMPLETE BUYING GUIDE TO BASE LAYERS OUR TESTERS Country Walking ALWAYS tests products for both men and women. This test has taken our reviewers Matthew Pike and Lauren Baker to moor-topped hills in Mid Wales, valleys and forests in Shropshire and Worcestershire, and wildlife reserves in Lincolnshire, where they put each base layer through its paces. BASE LAYERS? ISN’T that fancy talk for T-shirts?” Well, partly. If you’re doing walks around your local neighbourhood, then the term does seem somewhat OTT, and any T-shirt in your wardrobe will probably be absolutely fine. But when it comes to traipsing through the hills or heading out for lengthy periods on cold days, the idea of layering up becomes crucial for comfort, and could even save your life. Having three layers to…

CUT-OUT AND-KEEP ROUTES OUR POCKET-SIZED ROUTE CARDS START ON PAGE 91 SOUTH WEST Warren House Inn, Devon Discover an old sailor’s route, medieval longhouses and a prehistoric stone row on this hike across Dartmoor. TURN TO WALK 1 EAST Darsham, Suffolk Enjoy peace and quiet on this jaunt through the Suffolk countryside… and say hello to this 26ft bronze giant. TURN TO WALK 13 WALES Carn Ingli, Pembrokeshire Commune with the angels on this legendary peak as you overlook Cardigan Bay and the Irish Sea. TURN TO WALK 21 SOUTH EAST Battle to Winchelsea, E Sussex Ever wanted to see Paul McCartney’s studio, Spike Milligan’s grave and some amazing sculptures all in one day? TURN TO WALK 6 NORTH WEST Sabden, Lancashire Open moors with panoramic views, and lush woodland…

HARRISON WARD IS recalling the time he told Mary Berry how to bake a cake. “That was pressure,” he laughs. “We’re out on a hillside; she’s stirring the mix, then she hands me the bowl. I’m looking at it thinking, ‘I want more liquid in that’ - but how on earth do you say that to the most famous chef in Britain? Thankfully we got round it. It was her first experience of cooking in the hills, and she loved it.” Cooking in the hills. It’s the simple concept that has transformed the life of Cumbria lad Harrison Ward and created the phenomenon of Fell Foodie. He’s now on a mission to show us all how a pot, a stove and some fresh ingredients can turn any walk into a…

THEY FOUND THE brain tumours first. I had a fit, was admitted to hospital and late that evening, a doctor told me “We’ve found a lesion in your brain.” It turned out to be three aggressively invasive metastases - and a 3.5cm tumour in my left lung, probably the primary cancer. Taking down my medical history, the doctor asked how far I could comfortably walk. We were doing the Hertfordshire Way in sections at the time and I replied: “Comfortably about 10 to 12 miles”. He looked at me astonished and said “People with your condition can’t usually walk to the end of the road without having a rest!” A week later my GP phoned to ask how I was doing, then told me she would be passing me on…

WIN 20 pairs of brilliant Bridgedale socks Bridgedale’s HIKE Midweight Merino Performance is THE defining highperformance, ultra-comfortable walking sock - the successor to the often copied, never equalled Trekker. For your chance to discover why Bridgedale wearers never go back to any other brand, enter our draw now at www.walk1000miles.co.uk/bridgedale-1 WIN 3 pairs of Trekmates mitts Mountain walkers will know there is no pleasure greater than plunging your hands into the warm, dry solace of a pair of gloves - and Trekmates’ Scafell GTX overmitts (£55) provide the ultimate bunker for your most treasured extremities. We’ve got three pairs to give away! Enter our draw now at www.walk1000miles.co.uk/trekmates-2 WIN £500 of Jack Wolfskin gear + a Kendal weekend Scan here for your chance to win a fab kit bundle and…

EMAIL: editorial@countrywalking.co.uk FACEBOOK: facebook.com/countrywalking TWITTER/X: x.com/countrywalking WRITE TO US AT: Country Walking, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA It pays to persevere Great memories flow every time I see these pictures. A weekend in Assynt with big plans almost ruined by high winds snapping our tent poles. The campsite was a cracker. Right on the beach, and really well organised. With strong winds that saw a few others off the site, my wife and I persevered until disaster struck. But on seeing our situation the campsite owner, without asking, very kindly refunded our fees and even used a contact to get us set up in a bunkhouse in Lochinver. Safely ensconced in our digs, our walk the following day involved an ascent of the three Corbetts of Quinag, surely…

WALK HERE Follow Walk 21 in this issue. GETTING THERE Newport is on the A487 between Cardigan and Fishguard. WHERE TO EAT, DRINK & STAY Newport has plenty of options. The Castle Inn (01239 820742, castleinnpembs.co.uk) has doubles from £117 and main meals such as Welsh gammon steak for around £18. The Golden Lion (01239 820321, goldenlionpembrokeshire.co.uk) has doubles from £130 and mains like Preseli lamb chops with butternut puree for £21. Cnapan B&B (01239 820575 cnapan.co.uk) has doubles around £100. MORE INFORMATION For general tourist information go to visitpembrokeshire.com and visitwales.com. Newport also has its own website full of useful information: newportpembs.co.uk…

I have absolutely no idea if this is the right direction I’m not at all confident about those cows I’ll pronounce that hill name quickly in case someone hears me Oh god, a person! You’re making heavy weather of that gate Am I too old to bum-slide? Would anyone notice if I guffed right now? Please let me be the one who drinks from the bottle first Your husband looks silly in that hat Has a sheep ever attacked? Sod the job, the house, the commitments, let’s jack it all in and do this forever…

FLASK COFFEE ‘Coffee from a flask tastes odd - maybe it’s the plastic cup? - but outdoors on a walk, it’s lovely!’ says Kathryn Woods. PEPERAMI Disgraceful, indefensible, clammy and irresistible, according to Maria Hutchings. SCOTCH EGGS A protein depthcharge impossible to eat nicely. But who cares! JAM SANDWICHES ‘Nothing hits the mark like a squashed jam sarnie after a few miles,’ asserts Paul Crisp. KENDAL MINT CAKE ‘But only on a very long walk. Any other time I try it it’s far too sweet!’ says reader Lyn Gale. RAW JELLY ‘Good for a sugar boost. Well that’s my excuse,’ says Martin Barnes. FRUIT LOAF ‘Only time I can justify all those calories, plus it tends to have an anti-social gut effect that’s OK out in the fresh air,’ confesses…

Camas Sgiotaig, Isle of Eigg Walk across this Hebridean beach and listen to the sand sing at your feet. It takes grains of just the right size (0.1 to 0.5mm) and just the right shape (highly spherical) to make a tune as you tread, and they must contain silica and be free of dust and pollution. Damp is also a factor: too wet and the sand clumps, but a bit of moisture can amplify the noise. ‘Singing’ is something of a loose term, though. Some describe it as more of a squeak and in 1844 geologist Hugh Miller wrote of its ‘shrill sonorous note, somewhat resembling that produced by a waxed thread, when tightened between the teeth and the hand, and tipped by the nail of the forefinger’. Even without…

WALK HERE Turn to Walk 25 in this issue. GETTING THERE Ben Lui is 5 miles south west of Tyndrum, accessed from Dalrigh on the A82 or from the A85 through Glen Lochy. Two rail stations in Tyndrum, plus regular buses along both roads. See travelinescotland.com WHERE TO STAY You can walk Ben Lui from the door of Glengarry House (01838 400224, glengarryhouse.com) just south of Tyndrum, with another 36 Munros within 15 miles. Double ensuite from £100pn, including breakfasts with locally made sausages, and eggs from the owners’ chickens. There’s also a lodge if you want to self cater, from £450pw. Or By the Way (01838 400333, tyndrumbytheway.com) offers a host of options: hostel, pods, chalets, camping (closed for winter, reopens April). WHERE TO EAT Tyndrum’s Real Food Cafe (01838…

South Stack, Anglesey With 400 steps coiling down the cliff, this staircase at the north-west corner of Wales offers a tumble of incredible coastal views: closeups of rock layered and faulted into what looks like well-browned puff pastry; ledges squawking with nesting seabirds in summer or rare redbeaked, red-legged choughs in winter; seas churning around the lighthouse-capped islet of Ynys Lawd. Spare a thought for the keeper off to work though, who had to cross to the skerry on a shaky bridge, or a basket on a rope, then climb 108 steps up to the lantern. Or the postie: one estimated he climbed up and down 1½ million steps in six years of deliveries to South Stack. WALK HERE: Download South Stack & Holyhead Mountain at walk1000miles.co.uk/bonusroutes Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion…

PONTYPOOL TOWER, SOUTH WALES Grid reference SO295025 Built in 1765 to help a local hill reach 1000ft, but demolished in 1940 for fear of it acting as a landmark for German planes. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1994, and is now one of many highlights of the Cambrian Way. NORE FOLLY, WEST SUSSEX Grid reference SU955095 A gateway to nowhere in the midst of the South Downs near Slindon, it was built in 1814 as a pretty backdrop for Countess Newburgh’s picnic parties a function it can still perform admirably for you to this day. BROADWAY TOWER, WORCESTERSHIRE Grid reference SP113362 Lady Coventry wondered whether a beacon on the hill where this mega-folly now stands could be seen from her house in Worcester about 22 miles, and paid for…

Sugar Loaf Rio de Janeiro’s Sugarloaf Mountain is one of the world’s most iconic peaks, its summit views 1299 feet above the Atlantic waves enjoyed by more than a million people every year. But there’s a Sugar Loaf in Monmouthshire which is both 50% bigger (1955 feet) and you can conquer without the climbing ropes or cable car ticket essential in Brazil. Both hills are named for their resemblance to the solid cones the sweet stuff used to come in, but for those of us more used to sugar granulated in bags, the Welsh one compares more readily to a volcano. (It’s not; the sandstone is sedimentary.) Paths spider up it from every direction to views that can run from Shropshire to Somerset, but more often dance across the surrounding…

How does wicking actually work? Think of a candle wick drawing up wax to burn, and you have a visual for how wicking works in clothing. Hydrophilic (‘water loving’) material draws water away from your skin to the outer surface, which tends to be smoother and thus has a larger surface area. This outer surface is made from hydrophobic (‘water hating’) fibres from which water evaporates. The process is often called ‘capillary action’, and is inspired by how plants absorb water from the ground. Layer after layer It’s recommended that you take three layers with you on a hike to help you regulate your temperature. You can then mix and match as needed. But if a base layer’s (1) key job is to remove moisture, what are the others for?…

VIEW FINDER Most haunted? It looks bucolic in its autumn colours, all Keatsian mists and mellow fruitfulness, but The Guinness Book of Records nominated this Kentish village as the most haunted in England. Pluckley is home to at least a dozen ‘spiritous inhabitants’ including a Red Lady and a White at St Nicholas Church, the latter said to have been buried inside seven lead-lined coffins. A highwayman is pinned by a sword to an oak tree at Fright Corner; a Screaming Man wails at the old brickworks; a monk drifts through the trees beside the old rectory; a colonel marches through Park Wood in full military uniform; a miller haunts the lightning-struck windmill; and a spectral coach and horses gallops up Maltman’s Hill. It’s a hair-raising spot for a Halloween…

EQUIPMENT: Stove, fuel, frying pan, bowl, whisk, spatula. INGREDIENTS: 150g plain flour, 2 eggs, 100ml milk, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp sugar, salt, butter, blueberries, honey. Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl (no need to sieve - this is the outdoors!). In a separate container, or reusing your cup, add a cup of milk and crack 2 eggs into it. Lightly mix and slowly add to the mixture whilst whisking. Once combined, continue to whisk until no lumps are left. Heat pan and add butter, allowing it to melt without letting it burn. Pour a small amount of the mixture into the pan so it forms a circle. Wait until bubbles appear on the surface then flip with spatula. Cook for a further 30…

New research from the University of Southern Denmark identifies the key drivers of long-distance walking’s positive effect on personal growth. Their familiarity suggests 1000-milers might be on a long-distance journey as profound as any pilgrimage: Attention restoration - Walking clears the mind, allowing concerns, worries and preoccupations to fade, not least by taking us literally away from the environment that is draining our energy; meanwhile exposure to nature improves our focus and ability to concentrate. A state of openness - Walking provides an environment where what to think about, and what feelings to feel are more unplanned and unguided - a restorative, therapeutic flow state, and a vantage point for achieving enhanced perspective. Self-actualisation - To become fully human we have to achieve identity (become aware of ourselves) and independence…

The View THE STRETCH OF train line between Leeds and Manchester is more scenic than you might think. Moors and hills rise up between the mill-crowded valleys. Sudden wild vistas open around bends. Scattered sheets of lonely water catch the intermittent sun. Presuming the Pennine murk isn’t down like curtains (or your train isn’t cancelled) take a look out of the eastward window as you pass Rochdale and Littleborough, and there’s a building there that will catch your eye, bone grey and stark against the green of the hills that rise beyond it. It must have been a home once, and a fine one. But though it’s not a ruin, it feels abandoned, exuding a kind of melancholy and desolation. Two events conspired to fire my curiosity more. Firstly, on…

Brynach lived in the late 5th and 6th century but most of what we hear about him comes from a 12th century ‘biography’, The Life of St Brynach. For this reason, a lot of the story is debated, but the gist is that he was an Irishman who, after a rebellious youth, saw the light and toured Europe, preaching the word of God. After a period in Brittany, he allegedly floated over the sea on a stone to Wales, landing near Milford Haven and later founding an ecclesiastical community at Nevern. He was a healer and a visionary, but he didn’t just rely on miracles: he taught farming and medicinal skills, and showed the impoverished communities of West Wales how to plant crops that could survive the harsh, wet climate.…

FIND ROUTES FOR ALL SIX OF THESE SITES AT WALK1000MILES.CO.UK/ BONUS ROUTES HOLY ISLAND/ LINDISFARNE Northumberland Three miles off the Northumberland coast, tethered by a causeway that floods twice a day, Lindisfarne is one of the cradles of Celtic Christianity. The monk who would become St Aidan founded an abbey here in 634AD, and the island became a hub of learning and prayer. The tradition continued for 200 years under subsequent bishops including St Cuthbert, who gives his name to a fine long-distance path which ends here. With the coming of the Danes in the 9th century, the monastery was abandoned. Thankfully, the island remains a spiritual lodestone for many pilgrims (assuming they get the tide times right), and its statues of Aidan and Cuthbert hark back to a time when…

MANY OF THESE CAN BE READ FOR FREE AT THE BRILLIANT INTERNET ARCHIVE: ARCHIVE.ORG HILL AND VALLEY, OR HOURS IN ENGLAND AND WALES (1837) Catherine Sinclair Written as a series of letters to her dear cousin, this travelogue is frank, funny and hugely entertaining. Pre-trip research was intense - ‘four months occurred in our plans between going and gone’ - before Sinclair left Edinburgh to tour through England and Wales. She recounts ‘bracing promenades’ in the Lake District; hills in Snowdonia where ‘a goat would find some difficulty in standing’; soggy walks in South Wales where ‘the ground became so marshy, that every step might be heard’; a starlit stroll at Gloucester admiring ‘the calm serene magnificence of worlds unknown’. She soon published two further books on travels in Scotland,…

SEATED KNEE LIFT A really easy way to keep your knees in good nick. Sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor, legs hip-width apart. Lift the lower left leg until it points straight out, and hold for 3 seconds. Relax and return it slowly to the floor. Repeat 6-8 times with each leg. HIP BRIDGE WITH EXTENSION This one is great for the hips, glutes and thighs as well as strengthening your knees. Lie on the floor and lift your lower back and pelvis into the air. Then slowly extend the foreleg so it points into the air in line with your torso. Hold for three seconds and slowly return. Repeat 5-7 times or as comfortable. THE CLAMSHELL A number of accessories can help with knee-strengthening,…

KENDAL MINT CAKE These sugary bars have fuelled thousands of miles on foot, including Shackleton in the Antarctic and Hillary and Norgay to the top of Everest, and it all began in 1869 when Joseph Wiper overcooked a batch of glacier mints in his Lakeland factory. MATCHES In 1826 pharmacist John Walker stirred some chemicals with a wooden splint and then accidentally dragged one end across a hearth. It burst into flames, the friction match was born, and 200 years later you can light your campfire without having to rub two twigs together. RUBBER Charles Goodyear spent many years trying to make rubber harder and less sticky, but the breakthrough came when he bungled some mixed with sulphur onto a hot stove in 1839 - creating a vulcanised rubber that…

SALEWA Lavaredo Hemp Long Sleeve Tee £70 If your love for soft, strong and absorbent goes well beyond toilet paper, then you’ll adore this top. Salewa love using hemp in their products because it continues to get softer as you use it. It’s also a durable material and has a low environmental impact, needing very little water and no fertilisers or pesticides when being cultivated. salewa.com CAMBIA Long Sleeve Zip Neck £60 Here’s a base layer that’s so good you can wear it twice. The Cambia is reversible, with smoother fabric on one side for warmer conditions, and a more textured side for cooler conditions. The zipped neck gives added ventilation, and the top provides UV protection of SPF 25+ equivalent. paramo-clothing.com FINDRA Fern Stripe £90 The body of this…