Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2025 i Country Walking

Bickerton Hill is on the Ordnance Survey Explorer map not once, not twice, but three times – all within a single mile of a farm also called Bickerton in Cheshire. It's thought the name may derive from bee-keeping, although why it swarms across the map just here is a mystery. If you want to be more precise about where you're walking, the Bickerton Hill to the north (745ft) also goes by the name Raw Head, while parts of the lower Bickerton Hill to the west go by Larkton Hill, and you can link the two by the scenic Sandstone Trail. The map also shows an ancient hillfort at Maiden Castle and a place called Mad Allen's Hole; a two-storey cave where said hermit once lived. The red rock here is…

FOR ARTIST AND guidebook writer John Hassell, Westerham was an anticlimax. Writing in 1818, he likened its picturesque environs to ‘many Welch towns’ but added, ‘the traveller is led to expect on rising its hill something of importance, but which anticipation is very short of reality’. Two centuries on, the good burghers of Westerham still haven't got around to building a grand piazza, or whatever it was Hassell was expecting to find there, but the countryside on its doorstep is as lovely as ever. This quaint market town at Kent's western limits sits at the chalky feet of the North Downs and is bounded to the south by the wooded Greensand Ridge. Each escarpment offers wonderfully different walks – and all within a short distance of the M25 and south-east…

A SEA MIST HAS settled over the Dorset coast, scotching what was meant to be an absolute scorcher of a spring day. Tom and I are grumpy about it, because it means the photos are going to be murky. On the other hand, the weird, close, claggy fog is apt for our story, because the figure we're tailing would have been very glad of this hazy peasouper. The figure is King Charles II. And he was on the run. The flight of Charles II in 1651 is the stuff of legend, so much so that it has spawned its very own long-distance walk. The 600-odd mile Monarch's Way (opinions on its length differ) traces the six-week journey of the fugitive king from Worcester to Shoreham along a madly circuitous route…

DIMMET, EVENGLOME, DUSK, tweenlight, dimpsey, gloaming, twilight: the witching time between sunset and night goes by many evocative names. It's long been one of my favourite times to walk, not only for its magical light – prized by artists and photographers as the ‘blue hour’ – but for its peace. By evening on a summer's day, most walkers are celebrating the day's miles with a cold pint at the pub. Far fewer are just setting out. I discovered how few by accident. A few years ago, I was headed for Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) but long traffic jams meant I didn't arrive at Pen y Pass until 5pm. It was a glorious June day and the sun wouldn't set for nearly five hours, so rather than abandon my plan I decided…

Scotland The Scots enjoy a more liberal right to roam than the rest of the UK. Prior to 2003, this was thanks to ‘custom and tradition’ – a social expectation, rather than a legal right – that you could walk almost anywhere so long as you weren't damaging anything. The Land Reform Act 2003 put this into law, so now you can walk on nearly all land (except gardens, building sites and so on), so long as you're responsible and you respect the environment and other people. Northern Ireland Conversely, the general right to roam doesn't exist in Northern Ireland. Apart from the likes of country parks and forest parks where land is publicly owned, access is only permitted on public rights of way, though some landowners do tolerate access…

WALK HERE: Download a free route guide at walk1000miles.co.uk/bonusroutes The tallest peak in the Mourne Mountains and all of Northern Ireland, Slieve Donard's 2789ft summit is topped by two prehistoric cairns. The Great Cairn stretches over 100 feet across and was built as a passage tomb 5000 years ago: the highest yet discovered in the British Isles. The mountain is named after St Domhanghart (anglicised to Donard), a follower of St Patrick, who converted the cairns into a hermitage and oratory and lived up here until his death in 506AD. Its summit became a place of pilgrimage; the first one documented was in 1645. Like Croagh Patrick on Ireland's west coast, it was often climbed on the last Sunday of July as part of the Lughnasadh festival to mark the…

Kent's county top, Betsom's Hill (823ft/251m), tops out a mile and a half to the north of Westerham – alas, on private land. There are, however, splendid views from the nearby North Downs Way National Trail. Nearby Titsey Place offers guided tours of its country house, or you can explore its surrounding gardens and woodland walks. Check opening/tour times. Admission £10 house and gardens, £7.50 gardens only (titsey.org). En-suite double and twin rooms at Westerham's historic Kings Arms (01959 562990) start from £85.50 a night. Ritzier digs at the George & Dragon (01959 928414) cost around £150. Westerham has its very own brewery on Beggars Lane, with ales and craft beers on pump in local pubs. Or you can stock up in the tap room and shop, where coffee and…

We can't talk about the flight of Charles II without mentioning the time he hid in an oak tree. Earlier in his journey, on 6th September, Charles was in hiding out at Boscobel House in Shropshire, home of the Royalist Giffard family. The house was subject to searches by Parliamentarian forces, so after spotting an approaching posse, Charles and another ally, William Careless, fled into the woods and scrambled up an oak tree. Here they sat, frozen in fear, as the troops searched the wood; Charles later told the diarist Samuel Pepys that one Roundhead soldier passed directly beneath them. An exhausted Charles later fell asleep, which forced Careless to hold his weight to keep him from falling out of the tree. (Not so Careless after all, as it turns…

FOR MOST OF my life I've lived in a world with two poles: city and country. Country the north to which my compass needle points; city the abysmal south from which escape is vital but to which modern life urges constant backsliding. Country, a noble frontier of crisp horizons against which an individual stands proud as a Scots pine; city an anonymising wasteland that aggregates human aspirations into an apocalyptic doom loop of toil and consumption. Country a paradise rooted in Eden; city a cheese grater for the soul. As so often, as well as being tragically overwrought, I was completely wrong – my reckoning founded on insufficient data and an adolescent urge to oversimplify life. I'm still in recovery, but it's a process that's being helped enormously by a…

THE HOLLOW MOUNTAIN, Southern Highlands In September 1825, 40,000 people gathered to see a train. Designed by George and Robert Stephenson, Locomotion No. 1 puffed 400 passengers 26 miles through County Durham on the Stockton and Darlington Railway – the world's first public steam railway. After that short line, tracks webbed across Britain and made travel into the countryside accessible to millions. Two centuries later, trains still offer one of the finest ways to reach the wilds and it's no surprise Britain's remotest and highest mainline station is in Scotland. Corrour lies 1340 feet above sea-level and seven miles from the nearest road on Rannoch Moor, and it's where Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Tommy got off to climb Leum Uilleim in Trainspotting. But Scotland's trainlines call at the foot…

Walking wordsearch 10 beautiful British butterflies to spot… JUST FOR FUN • BRIMSTONE • COMMA • GATEKEEPER • ADONIS BLUE • PEACOCK • RINGLET • SWALLOWTAIL • PAINTED LADY • RED ADMIRAL • PURPLE EMPEROR Last month's answers WHERE IS THIS? Quiraing, Isle of Skye, Highland, Scotland PRIZE CROSSWORD Win Cicerone guidebooks Three lucky winners will each get to select two guidebooks from Cicerone's range, including The National Trails of England, Scotland and Wales and Walking in Arran. For more details, Tel. 01539 562069 or visit www.cicerone.co.uk EMAIL COMPLETED PUZZLES TO: cwcrossword@bauermedia.co.uk Closing date: 15 August 2025 JULY ANSWERS JUNE WINNERS Julie Bunce, Anglesey Craig Boonton, East Kirby Kenny Kelly, Errol July issue winners will be published next month ▶Full terms and conditions can be found at greatcompetitions.co.uk WIN Bauer Media Group…

ONE OF THE most common recurring dreams people have is of being naked in a public place. Ask a psychologist why you're having this dream and they might tell you it's to do with feeling vulnerable, anxious or worried about how others perceive you. For most, it's an uncomfortable dream. But some walkers make public nudity a reality, and their experiences of it couldn't be more contrary. “You feel like you're on top of the world. You're just there with the sun and the wind on your skin – you've got to try it to totally appreciate it.” Peter Whiston is the chairman of Naturist Ramblers, a group of like-minded souls who walk regularly throughout southern England. “I've always enjoyed walking; I did the Pennine Way not long after it…

2.74 x 365 = walk1000miles.co.uk ‘I found my bestest friend through #walk1000miles… and now we're getting married’ For many years Julie Russell would dream of living in the Lake District. Residing on the Isle of Man, she would climb Snaefell, its highest peak, and spy the distant fells of Lakeland. She began #walk1000miles from its conception and, in a post on our Facebook group saying she had completed her 1000 miles in 2020, received a message of congrats (see below) from fellow challenger Andy Traviss. Andy also lived on the Isle of Man and dreamed of a life in Cumbria. “We couldn't believe how much we had in common each time we chatted over the following months,” explains Julie. The two also shared a love of photography, and Andy embraced…

WRITE TO US AT: Country Walking, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA EMAIL: editorial@countrywalking.co.uk FACEBOOK: facebook.com/countrywalking TWITTER/X: x.com/countrywalking LETTER OF THE MONTH The king of trails In our April issue we asked: Which long distance route should be a National Trail? And Gillian Gee wrote in: While walking the Monarch's Way we wondered why it is not a National Trail. It is 615 miles long and follows the journey of King Charles II after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester until he finally escaped to France from Shoreham-by-Sea. The route loops around the Midlands, down through the Cotswolds, through Somerset and Dorset to the south coast, along the hilly lands of southern England and finally across the South Downs to the sea at Shoreham. The route is meticulously waymarked and…

THE WILDEST PUB WALK, Highland Here's how you reach the remotest pub in mainland Britain (without a boat). First, you travel 22 miles down the nation's longest dead-end road to the tiny hamlet of Kinloch Hourn. Then you walk 15 miles through the Rough Bounds of Knoydart to reach the Old Forge at Inverie. It is magnificently wild, astoundingly beautiful and quiet with a capital Q. It's also more do-able than it sounds. Most walkers break the hike over two days with a night at Barrisdale Bay, which has a bothy, a campsite and self-catering options. A path from Kinloch Hourn threads rockily along the south side of Loch Hourn, its water clamped so tightly by hills that it looks like a Norwegian fjord. As you near Barrisdale, the view…

THE BRIDLEWAY LEADS me to a gate, after which it very clearly continues up the tussocky hill in front of me. A quick check of the map confirms that it does indeed carry straight on. Naturally then, I pass through the gate… and turn right. Why? Because I can. I could have gone left too, but that dips into a gulch so is less appetising. And considering now I can walk anywhere, why not choose the most appealing way? It was a whole different story prior to reaching the gate. Twenty seconds ago I was legally confined to a thin strip of grass through a well-grazed sheep field. But the gate marks the beginning of a new world; one we call ‘Access Land’. I can almost hear a ‘ding-a-ling’ sound…

SEVEN DAYS ON a sun lounger isn't for everyone – and neither is hauling your bags from hotel to hotel on a rigid walking tour. That's why on an Inghams Walking holiday, you're offered something refreshingly different: stay-and-walk holidays that give you freedom, comfort and the chance to relax in Europe's most breathtaking locations. Founded in 1934 by outdoor enthusiast Walter Ingham, Inghams has spent more than 90 years connecting like-minded travellers with the beauty of Europe's finest landscapes. With no set itineraries, you pick your base from over 75 resorts across eight countries, including Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Then explore at your own pace. From gentle lakeside strolls to full-day hikes, walk as much or as little as you like or relax and enjoy everything else you love to…

Email your picture, along with a few words about the walk and your contact details to cwroutes@bauermedia.co.uk THIS MONTH'S PRIZE WINNER GRASSINGTON & HEBDEN, Route 16, June 2025 I retired earlier this year and I have a weekly treat of completing a walk on a weekday. This one was a cracker. The first part takes you through the remains of the lead mine above Yarnbury – I saw starlings, lapwings, curlews, fulmars, jackdaws, ravens, wheatears, a pair of snipes, and red kites, plus lots of rabbits. The second part is more scenic, along a lovely beck and down to Hebden and Grassington, with superb views of Pendle Hill. It was a day to enjoy being alive. Roy Thorpe, Manchester KINNOULL HILL, Route 25, December 2023 We completed an eight-day ‘Grand Tour’…