Magzter Gold (Sitewide AU)

Magzter Gold (Sitewide AU)

Digital Delivery

Country Walking May 1st, 2023 Digital Back Issue Cover

Country Walking May 2023 (Digital)

(0)

Single Digital Issue

May 2023

$5.50

Powered By Zinio

Zinio

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Instant Start

Subscribe Instead

1 Year Subscription

13 digital issues

$49.99

($3.85/issue)

Go to Subscription

View Subscription Options

Also available on ZINIO Unlimited logo

Get unlimited access to Country Walking (Digital) + Back Issues & 5000+ other magazines

1-month free trial

Renews at $8.99/month after trial.
Cancel anytime.

Get unlimited access to Country Walking (Digital) + Back Issues & 5000+ other magazines. Renews at just $8.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Start Trial Learn more

58 Articles

This month I've been… THIS ISSUE WE set ourselves the modest task of selecting the greatest walks in Britain – definitively, finally and for the ages, knowing full well it was as impossible a task as choosing the most cherishable hair on a loved one's head. Nevertheless it was a fun – at times fraught – challenge, and we took it as seriously as only games should be. We're proud of the 56-walk collection we put before you today, but we're almost as happy if it moves you to walk or to dispute. Because while this great gazetteer of an edition is as earnestly meant and as exhaustive as can be, it is a mask for a still greater truth – one that you'll soon discover on foot if you haven't already.…

Find a great walk near you!

CUT-OUT AND-KEEP ROUTES OUR POCKET-SIZED ROUTE CARDS START ON PAGE 91 SOUTH WEST Durdle Door, Dorset Visit two iconic geological features as you wander atop the ancient chalk cliffs of southern England's Jurassic coast. TURN TO WALK 3 EAST Berney Arms, Norfolk Discover peace and a real sense of solitude in this road-free and wildliferich part of the Broads National Park. TURN TO WALK 10 WALES Llangollen, Denbighshire Explore a medieval hilltop castle, climb limestone crags and cross one of the finest feats of 19th-century engineering. TURN TO WALK 20 SOUTH EAST Seven Sisters, East Sussex A classic coastal journey that takes you to Beachy Head and the famous chalk cliffs of Seven Sisters. TURN TO WALK 5 NORTH WEST Langdale Pikes, Cumbria Climb all four of these rocky summits, then escape the crowds for one of the best routes the Lake District has to offer. TURN TO WALK 12 SCOTLAND Loch Affric,…

Find a great walk near you!

SIGHTS | SOUNDS | WONDERS | IDEAS | COOL STUFF VIEWFINDER Catch the song of sunrise The first notes ring through the darkness an hour before dawn. Robins, blackbirds and song thrushes (below) often open the concert. Wrens and warblers add their vocals next; then great tits and blue, sparrows and finches as the light brightens. The dawn chorus reaches its crescendo in the half hour either side of sunrise, and there are seasonal variations too, as the native choristers of early spring are joined in May and June by migrants like chiffchaffs and blackcaps to form an awe-inspiring avian choir. Of course, these beautiful notes aren't for our benefit. It's the males showing off their strength through singing, to attract females and warn off competitors. The shadowy dawn is the safest time…

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS MONTH

1 Flowers will bloom for the king You probably already know it's King Charles III's coronation on May 6th and to celebrate the historic occasion, English Heritage and Plantlife have joined forces to create or enhance 100 meadows at 100 sites across England. Kate Mavor, Chief Executive of English Heritage, explains the project ‘combines two of His Majesty's passions – nature and heritage'. As well as bringing wildflowers and wildlife to locations from Stonehenge in Wiltshire to Whitby Abbey in North Yorkshire, the work will help visitors ‘step back into history' and see the landscapes as our ancestors would have known them. See english-heritage.org.uk 2 You could live on Whernside If you've ever done the Yorkshire Three Peaks, or climbed the highest Whernside, you'll likely have passed 3 Bleamoor Cottages. It's a former…

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS MONTH

The Full English

Fans of CW's longstanding columnist (who also moonlights as Ramblers President) will be familiar with the warmth, wit and self-deprecation with which he talks of his wholehearted love of walking. Here's a giant, joyous helping – as Stuart embarks on an enlightening, entertaining journey through England from Bristol's Banksy to Durham's beaches and from Cotswolds Corduroy to Stoke's oatcakes. In this engrossing exploration, he takes inspiration from the people he meets, uncovers local heroes and secret histories, and takes a clear-eyed yet affectionate look at the kind of country we are and want to be. He also ponders the differences between north and south, urban and rural, and offers abundant proof, he's just the best kind of walking companion to keep. £20, harpercollins.co.uk “I only went out for a walk and…

The Full English

Save the Countryside, 1928-30

Suffolk's River Stour is flanked by ads for Bungs Beer and Phlat Tyres, Flatford Mill is a cafe, and the hay wain is laden with coal. Had John Constable Lived To-Day was commissioned by Molly Trevelyan, a co-founder of CPRE, The Countryside Charity, to promote an exhibition called ‘Save the Countryside'. Launching in 1928, it toured more than 100 venues around Britain and included photos of ‘tragic disfiguration' of the rural landscape, as well as images showing more inspiring solutions. This updated Hay Wain was the work of Sidney Strube, a popular cartoonist who worked for The Daily Express for over 35 years and created Little Man, a character with ‘everyday grumbles and problems, trying to keep his ear to the ground, his nose to the grindstone, his eye to…

Save the Countryside, 1928-30

Succession (Sky/Now)

The billionaire Roy family are currently machinating their way through the fourth and final season of this pitch-black comedydrama. The battle for control of Waystar Royco is focused on New York City, but founder and patriarch Logan Roy comes from Dundee – as does Brian Cox who plays him – and a memorable episode was filmed in the Scottish city in season 2 (all we'll say is L to the OG). The show also crossed the Atlantic for the final two episodes of season one, for the wedding of Shiv and Tom at Eastnor Castle. The mock-medieval mansion stands near the Malvern Hills – you can see it from Ragged Stone Hill at the southern tip of the range (as below). Show creator Jesse Armstrong hails from these Anglo-Welsh borderlands…

Succession (Sky/Now)

‘It's about space and connection. And nothing gives you that like a walk.'

“WHEN THE QUEUE to sign up for the walks was the biggest queue of the day, we realised how much walking meant to people,” says Polly Shute. “At first we were surprised, but when you think about it, it's obvious. For most queer women, meeting others involves being in a crowded space like a bar, and there are a lot of people for whom that might not work. But go on a walk, where the conversation just flows and you're surrounded by beauty – that's when people can really connect.” Polly is the co-founder of Out & Wild, Britain's only festival dedicated to LGBTQ+ women and those who are non-binary. Launched last year in the parkland of Lawrenny on the Pembrokeshire coast, the festival was conceived as a calmed-down, countryside version of…

‘It's about space and connection. And nothing gives you that like a walk.'

ADVENTURE AND EMPOWERMENT

Walk leaders at the event include seasoned global adventurers and qualified Mountain Leaders Clare Kelly (heronahill.com) and Susie Amann. Clare's walks will have a focus on map-reading skills. “I find it really satisfying to see women embrace map-reading and become eager to head off into the hills to explore,” she explains. “Feeling confident with a map really does open up a whole new world of walking and it's wonderful to see people discovering that.” Susie will be leading several walks including a bus-out/walk-back epic. “What I love about Out & Wild is that it isn't loud and brash and crowded as some festivals can be,” she explains. “I think people enjoy walking with others who are part of their ‘tribe' – whatever that may be – as they feel relaxed, comfortable and able to…

ADVENTURE AND EMPOWERMENT

Why your #walk1000miles is going great!

BROUGHT TO YOU IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SPORTSSHOES.COM 2.74 × 365 = walk1000miles.co.uk (Despite what he says!) MILEAGE BELOW WHERE you'd hoped? Not made the perfect start to the year? Reckon your walking's a flop because you haven't yet seen the sunrise from a mountain top? Don't listen to any of the nonsense the must-do-better gremlin in your head spouts. You're doing great. Millions of people will not walk 1000 miles this year. Thousands will give up on the attempt after being disheartened by a setback. Absolutely nobody will walk your 1000 miles unless you do. And though the target dictates a daily average of 2.74 miles over 12 months, you should never mistake that for a scythe you must daily jump or be cut down by. Because it doesn't matter how slowly your mileage builds…

Why your #walk1000miles is going great!

Perfectly imperfect

Why these 1000-milers have zero time for gremlins – because they know things don't have to be perfect, or even go according to plan, to turn out just great. Feelings can fib ‘On Mondays I volunteer at the hospital on a cancer ward. I usually don't feel like going. If I'm healthy, I go anyway. I NEVER regret it. I always feel I've helped and it makes me feel useful, needed and a little proud of myself.' Mandy Jamieson Challenging times ‘Not much is going to plan in my life presently, including my challenge. But I'm making a point of getting out every Sunday for a big long walk and it's REALLY lifting the week ahead. Hoping to start adding in a mid-week early morning walk soon and before I know it I'll be…

They would, would you?

START A QUEST to walk 500 miles and guarantee you'll bring something epic home from this holiday season. Not just a medal and that magical number, but a fitter body, happier mind and the all-round positivity that's the foundation of our resilience. Whether you're turbocharging your 1000-miles campaign, or this is your first try at a walking challenge, it's fun to fill in your free charts and watch your miles build and it'll help turn every scrap of time into pleasure and purpose in the best gym in the world! GET YOUR CHART There's a chart inside the back cover, or you can download and print two free from walk1000miles.co.uk/500miles ORDER YOUR MEDAL Keep it sealed ready to open when you finish! walk1000miles.co.uk/shop JOIN THE MOST SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY ON THE INTERNET Sign up at walk1000miles.co.uk Facebook…

They would, would you?

Bringing up an upwardly mobile kid with #walk1000miles

We asked Austin What things do you like best about a day climbing mountains? ‘I like the hard scrambly bits the best!' Tell us about a time you felt… ….Excited: ‘I was excited about starting the day on our last walk because I like seeing the views but it was too cloudy plus my friend was also with me.' …Scared: ‘When we were in the clouds, it was freezing cold and we couldn't see anything. We were in there hours!' ….Exhausted: ‘The first time Dad made me carry my own rucksack and we got to the top; it was very steep!' …Relieved: 'On the last mountain we did when we were getting close to the bottom after being in the clouds.' Are you really going to walk all the way to 1000 miles? ‘I'll try my best and I…

Bringing up an upwardly mobile kid with #walk1000miles

The things we do for gold…

SEEN YOU'VE WON? Email walk1000miles@countrywalking.co.uk with your address and a pic of you holding this edition to claim your precious! #minichallenge11 Find a bench with a message #minichallenge12 Find a tree with the same waist size Eleanor Woods: ‘After getting lots of very strange looks for hugging and measuring trees and explaining about #walk1000miles, I found a tree that matches not only my girth, but also my age!' Maggie Baldwin: ‘This beech with a girth measurement of 86cm. Proved to be very youthful compared to me at only 34.5!' Richard Walker found a match but says: ‘Hopefully not for much longer if my diet holds!' #minichallenge13 Take a potato on a day out Asia Solonyna took a potato decorated by her eldest child. ‘I'd say he had a good adventure!' Denni Morrison's potato had a heck of an adventure! Read the full…

The things we do for gold…

Do more and win treasure!

21 WALK TO A NAMED TREE Some trees are old or notable enough to have a name – ancient like the Fortingall Yew, photogenic like Robin Hood tree at Sycamore Gap, fun like Old Knobbley in Essex. Walk to one, share its tale. #minichallenge21 22 IT'S A SIGN! We're looking for a pic of you with a sign, notice or billboard – big, unusual, fun, surprising or even breathtakingly dull. Because signs can be interesting when encountered on foot. #minichallenge22 23 FAMOUS FACE, FAVOURITE MAG Buoyed by a letter, we wonder if you can persuade any other celebs (we'll set the bar low) to pose with the magazine or your badge. Local politician? Reality show relative? #minichallenge23 24 BE A DISEMBODIED HEAD Separate your head from your body photographically, perhaps with the help of a tree, trig point, boulder, building,…

Do more and win treasure!

LETTER OF THE MONTH

EMAIL: editorial@countrywalking.co.uk ● FACEBOOK: facebook.com/countrywalking ● TWITTER: twitter.com/countrywalking WRITE TO US AT: Country Walking, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA I took out a subscription to Country Walking when it was first launched in 1987, and have always enjoyed reading the magazine. But every now and then an issue appeals to me especially and your Snowdon issue is one. The detail of the mapping and the route directions is really first class, as are the background stories and the photography. I lived and taught in Colwyn Bay for many years, which gave me the opportunity to climb Snowdon many times. All our visitors wanted to climb it, I took school groups, and after retiring I led many Americans and Europeans to the summit. I abandoned my first attempt with a group via the Pyg…

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Kes the conker-colour Cocker is an inveterate explorer, often finding his way into the unlikeliest of places when we're busy putting the magazine together. In fact he's hiding out in this issue for you to find! Spot him (not on this page) and you could win over £47 worth of Mountain Paws goodies – just email the page number where you found Kes, along with your address, to: ifoundkes@LFTO.com by 19 May 2023 putting ‘Kes May' in the subject line. Congrats to Colette England from Alfreton, who spotted Kes on p72 of the Spring issue, and wins this month's prize! GREAT PRIZES WORTH OVER £47…

Long-distance love affair

I agree with you that long distance paths don't have to be done in one go. My husband is English and I'm Welsh, so Offa's Dyke path on the border had long been on our to-do list. Being 177 miles long, we averaged 10 miles a day in three-day blocks over the summers of 2021/22. Starting from the sandy beach of Prestatyn, it finished with an amazing view of the Severn Bridge from Sedbury Cliffs. En route, there's a fair amount of climbing along ridge paths with incredible views. Halfway across Hay Bluff, south of Hay on Wye, dropping down to visit Llanthony Priory is a must. Finishing in the Wye Valley, a well deserved designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, one cannot help but fall in love with long…

Long-distance love affair

Dora the Explorer!

I've been walking the UK coastline since July 4th 2020 after losing a job I loved due to Covid and the end of a relationship. I felt a bit sad and knew I needed to take myself to my happy place – the coast! And so far it has shown me the most amazing scenery and incredible people, human kindness unfathomable over 7000 miles walked. There are several thousand more to go and after a short winter break, now I'm headed back out from Heysham up towards the Western Scottish Islands with my 23kg rucksack and my tent Big Agnes. My eight grandchildren in Louisiana call me Dora the Explorer. NEVER give up guys. Keep on plodding, much love. Tracey Hannam, Facebook…

Dora the Explorer!

THE DEVIL, SAID the old bluesmen and Prefab Sprout, has all the best tunes. He, or she, also has a lot of the best places too. Last week I was at Devil's Dyke near Brighton. It's a great, steep cleft in the gentle landscape of the South Downs, filled most days with kids, dogwalkers and the cows whose constant munching helps preserve the open nature of the Downs. It is one of, according to the Archi website of British placenames, over 80 locations of devilish nomenclature. Most of these have an attendant story which suggests that the Prince of Darkness was a) a quitter b) incredibly gullible and c) had way too much time on his hands. In the case of Devil's Dyke, the story goes something like this. Old Nick…

THE GREATEST WALKS IN BRITAIN

ONE OF THE discoveries which awaits you as a walker, beside the true scale of the planet and the supreme value of comfy socks, is we're lucky to have been born into the midst of an absolutely unbelievable feast. Britain may be a small country by some crass measure such as size, but just as you don't value your loved ones by the pound, you need something better than scales or a tape measure to negotiate the smorgasbord this dizzyingly varied landscape (and its myriad rights of way) lay before you. You need plate, cutlery and appetite. For plates, we've chosen the grid squares into which Ordnance Survey divides the nation. For cutlery, we offer our choice of the best walk in each. Appetite is a joint effort between our…

THE GREATEST WALKS IN BRITAIN

GRID SQUARE HU TO FEEL THE forces that sculpt our planet, take a walk at Esha Ness. Crinkling west on Shetland's Mainland – the big island that's the backbone of the archipelago, and square HU – it confronts the full fury of the Atlantic's winds and waves. The elements shatter its coastline into skerries and stacks, blowholes and geos (rocky inlets), sometimes depositing 10 foot boulders 150 feet inland. It's a continuation of a tempestuous past. 395 million years ago, Esha Ness was part of a volcano at the fiery heart of a supercontinent near the equator. The Mount Fuji-esque cone it once had may be long gone, but what remains is renowned as ‘the best section through the flank of a volcano in the British Isles'. Walk north from the lighthouse…

Old man of the sea

GRID SQUARE HY This square is all about Orkney, an archipelago of 70 islands off the north coast of Scotland – and often visible from it. Twenty are inhabited; some have been for a very long time. A charred hazelnut shell excavated at Tankerness on Mainland dates back to the Mesolithic, around 6700BC. On the other side of the island – the biggest in the group at 202 square miles – you can step forward to 3100BC at Skara Brae. It's the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in western Europe, and World Heritage designated along with the Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness and the chambered tomb of Maeshowe. The Norse, who arrived in the late 8th century and ruled for six, showed little respect for history: they looted the tomb and daubed…

Old man of the sea

GRID SQUARE NC Those who have walked in this square tend to talk about it with a dreamy look in their eyes. Spanning much of the top of mainland Scotland, it includes the north-west corner at Cape Wrath, at least two bestbeach-ever contenders at Sandwood Bay and Kearvaig, and the striking quartzite angles of Foinaven and Arkle. But it's Assynt-Coigach in NC's bottom left that's the real heart-stealer. Who knew mountains could look like this? These peaks don't jostle for attention in undignified crowds; each fantastical shape rises in isolated splendour from a plinth of cnoc and lochan (hillock and pool), so you can admire every foot of its chiselled sandstone. Many of these mountains – Quinag, Suilven, Cul Mor, Ben More Coigach – are big days out, but Stac Pollaidh packs a…

OF ALL THE national grid squares in Britain, this one has to be seen to be believed. It's almost embarrassing how many ‘bucket-list' destinations crowd into square NG, and that's despite more than half of it being the pale blue colour that's no use to us walkers. The land that defies that sea of blue is walking perfection. The Isle of Skye is pretty much the centre of the square, crowned by the Black Cuillin. These mountains are like nothing else in this country. Most can be walked, but not all. A traverse of the 11 Munros (Scottish peaks over 3000 feet) of that ‘broken-toothed' ridge is a two-day epic involving ropes and guides. One called the Inaccessible Pinnacle takes a rock climb up, and an abseil off. Even Sir Hugh…

WALK HERE Download a full route guide for the classic walk from Loch Slapin to the summit at walk1000miles.co.uk/bonusroutes GETTING THERE Both Loch Slapin (for classic ascent) and Kilmarie (for SSW ridge route) are on the B8083 between Broadford and Elgol, which is served by buses 55 and 612 (MonFri only, travelinescotland.com). WHERE TO STAY & EAT The bothy at Camusanary Bay is in a gorgeous location, and free, but gets very busy (see mountainbothies.org.uk). It's Scotland, so you can also take a tent and wild camp, making sure to leave no trace, or for a lot more comfort book into Coruisk House (01471 866330, coruiskhouse.com), a restaurant with rooms down near Elgol that's featured in the Michelin Guide. Double rooms from £200 including afternoon tea, a glass of prosecco and breakfast. And don't miss…

Monarch of the glens

GRID SQUARE NH At the heart of Scotland's Highlands, this square pokes one corner into the slopes of Ben Macdui, Britain's secondhighest peak, and throws another over An Teallach, one of the nation's gnarliest massifs. But great walks on NH aren't all up in the clouds; those dramatic mountains frame some awesome valleys. There's a good chunk of the Great Glen, here awash with the monster-y waters of Loch Ness. There's a stretch of Glen Shiel walled in by six Munros on the southern side, and three more to the north. And then there's Glen Affric. This east-west glacial trough is very probably the most beautiful glen in Scotland (and possibly the setting of Landseer's famous stag painting, Monarch of the Glen). It is stippled with acres of Caledonian forest, floored by…

Monarch of the glens

GRID SQUARE NM There are many reasons to adore the Isle of Eigg. It has almost no traffic, it's community-owned and runs on green energy, it's got sands that sing – and it's topped by an extraordinary lump of rock called An Sgurr. From the east the rock appears to be a mighty pillar; from the south you realise it's a mile-long wall. It looks a lot like a giant plaster cast of a glen and that's because it is. The Isle of Rum – which erupts sharply from the sea a few miles north-west at the top of NM – was once a 10,000-foot volcano, spewing lava which filled a river valley. The elements then scoured the valley walls away, leaving the glen's insides standing proud in the sky. Walk closer…

In pilgrim footsteps

GRID SQUARE NU There's much to savour in a grid square which includes Bamburgh Castle, Alnwick and Embleton Bay – but for an unparalleled bucket-list tick you can't beat walking on water. At the end of the country lane where Northumberland runs out, somehow it just keeps going – past a lastditch car park, then, without fanfare, into the sea. The coastline peels back and quickly you're out in that wet sand wilderness that characterises all estuaries. Except at the end of this rind of sand, land consolidates again and, quite unexpectedly, there's what looks like green grass and a village. To make sure it's not a mirage, you follow a line of stakes in the sand – parting company with the cars on the causeway, which is safe to cross…

In pilgrim footsteps

GRID SQUARE NX NX is peppered with what must be the most thrilling place names in Britain: the Range of the Awful Hand, The Wolf Slock, Nick of Curleywee, Rig of the Jarkness, Bog of the Gairy, Point of the Snibe, Fang of the Merrick, Big Scare. And yet this square of southern Scotland – including Alba's southernmost tip at the Mull of Galloway – is often overlooked, as the A74(M) funnels visitors relentlessly north to Glasgow and the high hills beyond. Take a turn west though, and you'll find a high hill with a record-breaking view. At 2766 feet, Merrick is the biggest knuckle of the Awful Hand and the closest you can get to heaven in this part of the world. Its summit marks one end of the longest line…

The ROCK STARS of square NY

LIONS AND TIGERS and bears, oh my. If there's any square in the British grid whose ‘finest walk' is likely to cause greater debate, ruction and ruckus than this one, I'd like to meet it. Even the CW team was divided. Why? Well, let's take a look at just some of the contenders. (Takes deep breath.) Helvellyn. Scafell Pike. Cat Bells. Great Gable. Skiddaw. Hay Stacks. Derwent Water. Ullswater. Half of the Coast to Coast and a third of the Pennine Way, including their overlap at Keld. Three quarters of Hadrian's Wall (including all the best bits). Kielder Forest. High Force. High Cup. Great Asby Scar. The sources of the Tyne, Tees, Wear, Eden and Derwent. Gingerbread in Grasmere, Crofton cheese at Tebay farm shop, cream teas at Amanda Owen's farm…

The ROCK STARS of square NY

AN AXE TO GRIND

In the early 20th century, explorers in the steep gully to the east of Pike o' Stickle started to discover stone axe-heads among the scree. Archaeologists flocked to the scene, turning up hundreds of the things. Some had clearly been cast aside as imperfect, but many were in good condition. It wasn't long before the gully was being referred to as an ‘axe factory' – possibly the largest example of such a thing ever found in the UK. Up here, on an almost sheer slope in inhospitable mountains, neolithic humans were knapping and shaping axe-heads on an industrial scale; a prehistoric hardware store/munitions factory staffed by deerskin-clad arms dealers. Geologists soon worked out why: the gully sits over the surface exposure of a vein of hard volcanic greenstone. The greenstone…

AN AXE TO GRIND

WALK HERE Turn to Walk 12 in this issue. GETTING THERE The walk starts from Stickle Ghyll car park (pay and display, free to NT members) in Great Langdale. Bus 516 runs six times daily from Ambleside (twice through to Windermere and Kendal, which both have rail stations). WHERE TO STAY Country Walking stayed at the Langdale Hotel & Spa (015394 38014, langdale.co.uk), which offers 4-star comfort in the heart of the valley near Elterwater: spacious, spotless en-suite rooms; access to swimming pool, spa bath, sauna and steam room; and gorgeous touches like Kendal mint cake on your pillow. Doubles from £180pn, with a slap-up breakfast (early risers can have a continental spread delivered to the room). Spa packages also available, and self-catering properties too. WHERE TO EAT Tuck into wood-fired pizza at the Stove restaurant at…

Everyone's favourite little mountain

GRID SQUARE NZ Over in Zermatt, there's a mountain we refer to as Switzerland's Roseberry Topping. But for the real deal, you have to come here, to Great Ayton on the northern edge of the Cleveland Hills. Rising above the village is the original Roseberry Topping: spectacular from all angles, sometimes conical, sometimes a spire; touchstone for local wisdom (‘if Roseberry Topping wears a cap, let Cleveland then beware a clap') and icon for local business (check out the logo of Teesside Airport). It's just 1050ft tall; in the Lake District it would only just qualify as a Wainwright, and it is 13,642ft shorter than its Swiss rip-off. Yet it means the world to the countless fans who ascend its crumbled sandstone face each year. It's an especially good ‘starter mountain'…

Everyone's favourite little mountain

GRID SQUARE SD There's a lovely three-way Mexican standoff going on in SD. The lower third of the Lake District vs two thirds of the Yorkshire Dales vs the entirety of the Forest of Bowland. Also eager to join the fight are the Fylde and Sefton coasts and the West Pennine Moors. But our winner is that giant of the Dales, Ingleborough. The showpiece of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, waiting to dazzle you with its astonishing profile (especially from the south, north and west), myriad routes of ascent and descent, and buckletload of treasures such as Trow Gill, Gaping Gill, the scenic cottage at Crina Bottom (sometimes with tea kiosk) and the limestone pavements of Southerscales and Raven Scar. Whether you ascend from Ingleton or Clapham; from Chapel-le-Dale or Ribblehead or…

One of our dinosaurs is missing

GRID SQUARE SK Britain's oldest national park fills the north-west quadrant of this square and it's packed with star attractions for walkers – Kinder Scout, Mam Tor, Stanage Edge to name a few. But two of the Peak District's most spectacular peaks, tucked south of Buxton, rarely get the limelight they deserve. For decades there wasn't even a legal right of access to their summits. Parkhouse Hill (1230ft) and Chrome Hill (1453ft) are limestone mini-mountains that rip up dramatically from the otherwise gentle rolling turf of the Dove Valley. Their knobble-topped, curving ridges are unlike anything else in the park, and often likened to stegosaurus' spines – many fondly know them as the Dragon's Back range. Nearby Hollins Hill is a great ledge from which to admire Chrome's reptilian profile. And the Peak…

One of our dinosaurs is missing

GRID SQUARE SN With ruler-straight bluffs, lofty summits and mystical lakes, Y Mynydd Du (The Black Mountain) is a range which stands impressive and alone on the western side of the Brecon Beacons National Park – and a full appreciation tours it top and toe. Walk out along the foot of its long scarps and the scale of the turf-clad sandstone cliffs will register in the crick of your neck. There are depths to admire too, in the upland pools of Llyn y Fan Fawr and Fach, the latter with its very own Lady of the Lake. SN scoops up parts of a second national park as well: the wild hills of Preseli and the golden beaches of Tenby in Pembrokeshire. It also sails north across the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales…

Picture perfect

GRID SQUARE SP This square spans Birmingham to Oxford and Cirencester to Corby – but its walking apogee is in the Cotswolds. In fact should England ever need to be recreated on a fresh planet, its essence could surely be extracted from the villages of Broadway and Snowshill and the walk between them via Broadway Tower. The honeyed-stone houses of Broadway radiate a warm vision of bucolic British life, its formidably pointless tower the wholeheartedness of English eccentricity. Snowshill is so winsome it's where Hollywood insists every nice British person (like Bridget Jones) goes for Christmas. These supremely pleasant hills are spacious, gracious and tastefully upholstered in wildowerrich grasses and smart farmers' fields. The limestone on which the grasslands depend, and from which the houses are built, has the Jurassic period to…

Picture perfect

the WILD EDGE of WALES

WATCHTOWERS AND CHURCH spires. Those, at first, appear to be the only defining characteristics of this landscape, which is as flat as any I've seen. There's so little here, I feel a haunting creeping up my spine. I'm on the bus from Elegug Stacks – where I've just parked up – to Stackpole Quay, where I'll turn around and walk back along the famous Pembrokeshire Coast Path. I know I'm in for a visual spectacular once I hit the shoreline, but I'm intrigued by this glimpse of the interior. The lanes are lined by unusual structures: little kiosk check points, high wired fences, occasional flagpoles – and those watchtowers. This is the Castlemartin firing range, Ministry of Defence land that is marked off bounds by red flags when munitions are being…

the WILD EDGE of WALES

WALK HERE This is a linear walk on well signed paths: from Stackpole Quay, follow the Pembrokeshire Coast Path for seven miles to Elegug Rocks. This route is only possible when Castlemartin Range is open: check first at gov.uk/government/publications/castlemartin-firing- notice--2 For the extra two-mile loop around Bosherston Lily Ponds, turn right at Broad Haven and pick up the well marked trail at the back of the beach. GETTING THERE This linear walk needs two cars, or a taxi, or you can catch the late morning Coastal Cruiser 387 bus from Elegug Stacks (called Stack Rocks on timetables) to Stackpole Quay (Sat only in winter, Sat & Sun in summer). Country Walking stayed at Portclew House (01646 672800, portclewhouse.co.uk), a grand Georgian guesthouse in Freshwater East, where you can enjoy a full agacooked Welsh…

GRID SQUARE SS SS lassoes together two swathes of England and Wales either side of the Bristol Channel. This gives it a remarkable cross-section of landscapes which you might never connect in the same breath: Exmoor and the Pembrokeshire coast; Ilfracombe and Margam Sands; the Rhondda Valley and the Brendon Hills. Plus around 120 miles of South West Coast Path. But we've plumped for Rhossili and Worm's Head, at the western edge of the Gower Peninsula near Swansea. As a blend of beach, cliff and upland heath, Rhossili is lovely anyway, but add in Worm's Head – a trio of islets snaking a mile into the sea like the mythical serpent from which it gets its name – and you have a genuine winner. The walk along the head is quite…

River deep, MOUNTAIN HIGH(ish)

WE NEED TO start by clearing something up. Some people think it's only ‘proper walking' when it's done in the country. And this is a city walk (not only that, but it's one that's come at the cost of the Weald, North Downs and eastern reaches of the South Downs in square TQ). I'll concede the name of this magazine doesn't help. But what I say when anyone makes this observation is that really the ‘country' we're referring to is the one in which we live, not solely the approved-for-leisure portions we old-fashionedly refer to as the countryside. It rarely convinces them, but it happens be true. Because walking turns any place through which it passes into walking country. And only walking allows you to lock eyes with a place and…

River deep, MOUNTAIN HIGH(ish)

WALK HERE Turn to Walk 7 in this issue. GETTING THERE The walk starts at Westminster Tube station on the Circle, District and Jubilee lines. If you're driving to London from the north there's cheap parking at Alexandra Palace (£3/day) from where you can catch the tube at Wood Green, a 34-minute journey from Westminster. Tube journeys can be paid for without a ticket with any contactless payment card directly at the gate. WHERE TO STAY There are six YHAs in central London (yha.org.uk/places-to- stay/london) with shared room beds in Oxford Street from £27 and private rooms £70. WHERE TO EAT The Lodge Café (020 3058 1224) at Hyde Park Corner offers delicious pasties, sandwiches and wraps at the park entrance. For a bigger lunch the Regent's Bar & Kitchen in Regent's Park (0207 935 5729; theregentspark@benugo.com)…

What planet is this?

You might think the story of Dungeness is the story of the nuclear power station that stands on the shingle headland and carries the name. If that puts people off, you get the feeling the locals don't mind at all. It's a place to be alone, to consider the infinite and the very immediate: the crunchy, breezy, alien experience of walking here. The houses, many of them based around carriages from the railway that arrived in 1928, stand in a scene surreally suburban – a gravel driveway gone mad. Sixty miles south east of London, at 1600 hectares it's the world's largest shingle bank and a bucket-list walk that feels like starring in your own sci-fi film. Around the point of the headland, a manmade gravel bank shields the power…

What planet is this?

Pleasure island

GRID SQUARE SV Every bit of land on this square is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. All 6.32 sq miles of it. The Isles of Scilly form the smallest AONB in Britain – an archipelago 28 miles from the tip of Cornwall with five inhabited islands, and a lavish scattering of smaller islets and skerries. St Mary's is the biggest (and busiest), St Agnes is the littlest of the lived-on isles (and home to the UK's most southerly settlement), but our pick for a dreamy circumnavigation is Tresco. It's just over two miles from top to toe, and a mile wide, and it's generously fringed with white sand beaches all tickled by turquoise seas. Other islands, and stacks with names like Great Cheese Rock, add intriguing granite shapes to the…

Pleasure island

Poetry in motion

GRID SQUARE SZ SZ is a coastal county-hopper, taking in distinctive bits of shore at Selsey Bill in Sussex, Hurst Spit in Hampshire and Old Harry Rocks in Dorset – chalk stacks that were once part of a chain of hills stretching east. The next 15 miles now lie beneath the waves; then the white rock pierces sky again at the Needles of the Isle of Wight. Beyond, it clumps more robustly into Tennyson Down, named after the Victorian Poet Laureate who walked here for 40 years and wrote (borrowing a phrase from John Keats) the air was so fresh it was worth ‘sixpence a pint'. As well as pale cliffs, poetry and superlative sea-views, a circuit of the west tip of England's largest island visits psychedelic multi-coloured sands at Alum…

Poetry in motion

Walking wordsearch 10 things to look out for this month and next – and one bonus word! JUST FOR FUN ● SWIFTS ● BATS ● DAWN CHORUS ● SLOW WORMS ● SWALLOWS ● SKY LARKS ● BLUEBELLS ● TADPOLES ● DAMSEL FLIES ● KINGFISHER Last month's answers WHERE IS THIS? Helm Crab, The Lake District, England PRIZE CROSSWORD APRIL ANSWERS SPRING WINNERS Hilary Wilkinson, Chesterfield; Mark Oldnall, Kidderminster; Richard Johnson, Brigg April issue winners will be published next month. Full terms and conditions can be found at greatcompetitions.co.uk 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: 19 May 2023 WIN! Bauer Media Group (the publishers of Country Walking)…

Some things are worth celebrating

ENAMEL BADGER The Walk 1000 Miles mascot in exquisite enamel form: 50mm wide, fastened with a brooch pin – a subtle yet unmistakeable sign of your participation in the 1000mile quest. SILVER BADGE 30mm, with recessed metal detailing, three colours of enamelling and shiny silver finish: it's smaller and finer than the standard badge, and attaches with a secure brooch clasp fastener. MEDALS 65mm wide, 4mm thick, solid metal with enamelled highlight and unique motto, each gloriously chunky medal comes with its own A6 Completer Certificate. Warning! May cause envy. PREMIUM MEDAL Walk 1000 miles and you've scaled a mountain few can say they've climbed. Our Premium 100mm, 4mm thick 1000-mile medal features an exquisite 3D rendering of one of the most recognisable peaks in the world: you'll know it as the Matterhorn; mere mortals may recognise…

Some things are worth celebrating

OUR ROUTES YOUR WALKS

Email your picture, along with a few words about the walk and your contact details to cwroutes@bauermedia.co.uk COOKHAM, Route 3, Spring 2023 As very new subscribers to Country Walking, we couldn't believe our luck – an amazing walking route on our doorstep! It was the perfect distance, over a mix of riverside, woodland and open countryside. The scenery and views over this stretch of the Thames are breath-taking. We perfected the art of ‘mudd-ling' through some very large and muddy puddles. Maybe gaiters are our next investment! Friends, Carole Moore & Christine Harvey, by email THIS ONTH'S PRIZE WINNER FORMBY, Route 16, April 2023 Inspired by Nick's article in the April edition, I decided it was about time I returned to Formby, and I wasn't disappointed. The walk was excellent, from Squirrel Woods, through meadows and…

OUR ROUTES YOUR WALKS

10 deep thoughts for long walks

1 Clouds weigh hundreds of tonnes 2 Trig points make hills 1.2m taller 3 You don't realise how strong your legs are until you try a handstand 4 Days are long, years are short 5 Walking is an added preservative 6 Standing still you're still travelling 66,000mph around the sun 7 If you start counting from zero your lips won't touch till one million 8 At sea level on a clear night we can see 3 miles across but 15,284,426,407, 245,867,000 miles up 9 Every word is a made-up word 10 Bear Grylls is 96 in bear years…

10 deep thoughts for long walks

URBAN Great for town and city walks, parks and country parks with well-made tracks. Lightweight, flexible, with plenty of bounce over hard surfaces, and stylings which are at home in a coffee shop as well as a nature reserve. FIELD & WOOD Versatile boots for classic country walking: parks, field paths, woodland, canal towpaths and riversides. HILLS Ideal for lower uplands; think the South Downs, Brecon Beacons and Peak District. MOUNTAINS Tougher boots for the most challenging terrain, ie. Lake District, Snowdonia, the Scottish Highlands. TREKKING Tough but flexible boots with a focus on comfort, for long-distance walks and mountainous treks. FAST & LIGHT Boots with a clear emphasis on low weight and agile movement over multiple terrains from woodland to hills. WATERPROOF Your at-a-glance indicator as to whether the boot is designed to be fully waterproof.…

BOOTS ON THE GROUND

Welcome to our biggest test of this or any year: 32 hiking boots tested over several months by our team of reviewers across every possible terrain – in all the winds and weathers we could find. The options range in price from £80 to £250; from country casual and urban explorer up to hill hiker and multi-day trekker. So whatever your preferences and ambitions, we think there's an option in here to suit you. Every pair should be available either online or in stores as you read this, or shortly afterwards in a few cases. In some cases the models are brand new to the market; in others we've chosen well-established big sellers. We've arranged them all in simple ascending price order, with symbols to explain the uses we think…

BOOTS ON THE GROUND

Craghoppers Adflex Eco £165 Too nice to get bashed up? Possibly, so if you mainly walk in towns and parks, this ridiculously comfy boot can be your best friend. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Timberland Euro Hiker (£145), Danner Panorama (£160) Keen NXIS Evo Mid £140 Soft, flexible and nimble, yet with enough protection to give you confidence, this is how to make a fast-and-light boot walkers can really love. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Merrell Moab Speed Mid GTX (£145), inov-8 Roclite G 345 GTX V2 (£165) Salomon Quest 4 GTX £200 Tough and supportive, yet fun and flexible too: a perfect boot for rocky peaks. It could have won the Trekking section too, if the AKU wasn't so fab. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Oboz Sawtooth X Mid BDry (£160), Zamberlan Anabasis GTX (£225) Arc'teryx Aerios AR Mid £230 This is a contender in almost every section…

THE GOLDEN RULES OF BOOT BUYING

1 FIT IS EVERYTHING Reviews are helpful for objective measures like weight, width, features, performance and purpose, but they can't tell you exactly how a boot will fit your unique feet. It doesn't matter how glowing a review is; if a boot doesn't fit you right when you try it on, keep looking. 2 THINK: WHERE WILL I BE WALKING? Make sure the boots you try on are suitable for the kind of walking you want to do. A boot designed for fields and lanes is very different from a boot made for trekking. So always outline your exact needs to the assistant. Some boots are made to be good all-rounders, but it might be safer to buy two different pairs. A lighter, softer boot (or shoe) should be ideal for urban areas…

THE GOLDEN RULES OF BOOT BUYING

THE VITAL COMPONENT

EVERYONE SAYS IT. Podiatrists say it. Mountaineers say it. #walk1000milers say it. It's a simple message but here it is again: good walking socks are just as important as the right boots. Even the boot that fits you perfectly won't do its best work unless it's partnered with a proper walking sock, one that holds the foot in place, stops it from slipping and rubbing, protects the most vulnerable parts of the foot and takes away the moisture that leads to odours, friction, blisters and infection. Here's the perfect illustration of why the humble sock is actually the cleverest piece of kit you can buy, courtesy of an absolute classic… PROMOTED PRODUCT Hike Lightweight Merino Performance £22 A sock for all-day walking or expeditions in warm weathers, the Hike Lightweight Performance ensures your…

THE VITAL COMPONENT

UPGRADE YOUR SOFTWARE

Mountain Warehouse Isocool Hiker Socks £12 These days, you can spend upwards of £20 on quality socks, but there are plenty of cheaper options out there, too, including this cosy spring-summer pair (discounted to £8). Cushioned around the heels, toes and soles, then lightly padded up top, they are made from a cotton blend with MW's IsoCool wicking treatment. Though not as luxuriously soft nor warm as pong-resistant merino wool, it's very comfy nonetheless. mountainwarehouse.com Keela Insect Shield Hiker Socks £17 If you've ever waded through long grass, heather or bracken in summer, you'll know what it's like to be lunch for thirsty bugs. Warm, sweaty ankles are nectar for blood-sucking ticks, midges and mosquitoes. That's where these clever socks come to the rescue. They are knitted from ultra-soft bamboo viscose fibres, impregnated…

UPGRADE YOUR SOFTWARE

HOW TO LOVE YOUR FEET

FROM BLISTERS TO BUNIONS, plantar fasciitis to hammer toe; foot, ankle and lower limb complaints are alas common ground for the walking community. And they can become incredibly serious. Thankfully, Adele Holmes is here to help. As director of Cockermouth Chiropody and Podiatry in Cumbria – and an avid walker herself – she has treated countless foot complaints for walkers and runners. She is passionate about helping people to treat and manage podiatric complaints – or, better still, to prevent them in the first place. Here's her best advice when it comes to looking after your feet. BLISTERS The best thing to do with blisters? Prevent them. Blisters are caused by friction, so reduce the friction. Make sure your boots fit as perfectly as possible and wear breathable socks with good cushioning.…

HOW TO LOVE YOUR FEET

In This Issue

Description

Details

Reviews

Recent Digital Issues Browse all

Recent Country Walking Digital Issues Browse all back issues

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription November 1st, 2024 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) November 2024: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription October 1st, 2024 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) October 2024: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2024 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) September 2024: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription August 1st, 2024 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) August 2024: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription April 1st, 2025 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) April 2025: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2025 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) March 2025: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription February 21st, 2025 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) Spring 2025: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription February 1st, 2025 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) February 2025: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription January 1st, 2025 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) January 2025: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription December 1st, 2024 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) December 2024: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription November 1st, 2024 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) November 2024: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription October 1st, 2024 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) October 2024: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2024 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) September 2024: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription August 1st, 2024 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) August 2024: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription April 1st, 2025 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) April 2025: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2025 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) March 2025: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription February 21st, 2025 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) Spring 2025: $5.50

Country Walking (Digital) Subscription February 1st, 2025 Issue

Country Walking (Digital) February 2025: $5.50

Reviews

0

0

0

0

0

No reviews yet

Ask a Question

Click stars to rate

Please select a rating for the review.

Please enter title for the review.

Please enter content for the review.

Please enter order number.

Please enter your first name and last name.

Only letters allowed for first name and last name.

Please enter your email.

Upload photo

Cancel Submit

Processing...

Thank you for your feedback! Your review has been submitted and will be published soon.

OK

Be the first to ask a question about this product

Please enter content for the question.

Please enter at least 10 characters.

Your question can not be more than 150 characters.

Please enter your first name and last name.

Only letters allowed for first name and last name.

Please enter your email.

Submit Processing...

Thank you for your question! Your question has been submitted and will be published soon.

Answer this question

Please enter content for the answer.

Please enter at least 10 characters.

Please enter your first name and last name.

Only letters allowed for first name and last name.

Please enter your email.

Submit Cancel Processing...

Thank you for your answer! Your answer has been submitted and will be published soon.

OK

×