Book Review - Pub Walks: Walks to Cumbria's Best Pubs

In my experience, small pocket walking books are generally rubbish.  They are often too small with tiny drawn maps - poor relations to proper Ordnance Survey ones - not properly researched, in black and white with no photographs and most are simply lifted from other larger books.

So I must say I came to the latest in Northern Eye Books' Top 10 Walks series with little enthusiasm.  This would be another one bad pocket walking books... wouldn't it?  Well, I started to begin hoping the old adage "You can't judge a book by its cover" wasn't true - as the cover provided a tantalising introduction to the potential of the book.  If I could find that pub, I'll be ready and waiting to go on a walk!

Opening the book up, and I found extended covers - both at the front and the back - which can be used as book markers to hide away the pages of the book not pertinent to the walk.  A touch with I liked.

The author of this little book is Vivienne Crow - and if anyone can pick ten of the best walks to Lake District  pubs, then Vivienne is a great person to carry that out, what with her in-depth knowledge of the National Park.  Looking at the map showing the location of the pubs, there's a good spread across the Lake District; some to the north, some to the west, and, of course a cluster in the honey pot areas around Grasmere, Ambleside and Coniston.  Nothing around the Ullswater area though - does that mean there are either no top pubs around there...?

So what of inside the book?  Black and White?  Walks lifted from other books?  Line drawn maps?

Well, no... no... and no.

The book is beautifully designed with a two column per page layout affording an easy read of the detailed walking routes.  Having done several of these walks - or variations on them - I can attest to the detail in the route descriptions.  Interspersing each of the main walking route is additional notes and comments in italics - these give more info about features to look out for and historical information - and it's rather like Vivienne is walking along with you, chatting to you as you go.  The maps are proper Ordnance Survey Explorer ones, and are shaped so that only the walking route and the immediate surrounding areas are shown in the book.  The walking route is depicted with bold rustic orange lines which are impossible to miss.

Photography in the book is simply stunning - and there are six sources of images credited in the book; one of which is the impressive Stewart Smith - always a favourite of ours.

I also liked the details about each of the pubs featured in the book.  Ok, so the real ales provided can change, as can food serving times, but it is refreshing to not have to return to the net to find out this info,

So, overall, Pub Walks: Walks to Cumbria's Best Pubs is a pocket walking book which has changed my views on pocket walking books.  Colourful; bold yet well designed; littered with interesting images; proper OS mapping and original routes.

In short, a book every Lakeland walker should find a place for on their bookcase - especially at £4.99.

Pub Walks: Walks to Cumbria's Best Pubs by Vivienne Crow, published by Northern Eye Books.

Walks Around Britain rating 9/10

Order it now online from Amazon here.

Details for the Snowdonia Walking Festival finalised.

In October, the Snowdonia National Park Authority and the Wales Air Ambulance are again joining forces to organise the Snowdonia Walking Festival.

Every day, at 10.00am, on October 12th, 13th and 14th, twelve interesting and educational guided walks will start off at different locations in Snowdonia.  Each one is led by a local, knowledgeable and experienced leader and will vary in distance, grade and time.

During the festival, six guided walks will be held in the northern area of the Park and will include walks along the foothills of the Carneddau from Llanfairfechan, Abergwyngregyn Falls, the Bridges Walks from Betws y Coed, Cwm Idwal, and along the Pyg Track.  In central Snowdonia, walks have been organised from Croesor, Cwm Bychan and an archaeological themed walk to Tomen y Mur near Trawsfynydd.  In southern Snowdonia, the guided walks include the Panoroama Circular Walk from Barmouth, Foel Caerynwch from Brithdir and the Precipice Walk from Llanfachreth.

Booking is essential for each walk and a fee of £15 or £20 will be charged per adult but with all proceeds going towards Air Ambulance Cymru.  Participants will also receive a sponsorship pack which includes a sponsor form, Wales Air Ambulance goodie bag and an exclusive discount voucher at Cotswold Outdoor Clothing.

Valmai Mattula, from Air Ambulance Cymru, said,

“Snowdonia is famous the world over for its majestic, rugged beauty and the Snowdonia Walking Festival not only gives you a chance to explore this stunning National Park, but it also provides an opportunity to raise vital funds at the same time. Individuals and families can come along and we can also offer corporate packages for businesses looking for ways of fundraising with colleagues, or who would like to work on team-building skills and fulfil social responsibility schemes.” 

Snowdonia National Park Warden Dewi Davies is one of the Guides during the festival.  He added,

“Going on a guided walk is one of the best ways to learn about the history, geology, culture and biodiversity of the area whilst appreciating the beauty and special qualities of Snowdonia at the same time. What we cannot guarantee however is the weather! Walkers should wear comfortable walking boots, a warm waterproof and windproof coat or jacket, and gloves and a hat. A rucksack with plenty of food and drink, extra water and sunscreen can also be handy.”

Further details on the festival and booking arrangements can be viewed at www.walesairambulance.com.

Walking in the foot steps of Octavia Hill

Octavia Hill - Photo (c) National Trust

How about getting out and taking part in the National Trust's Great British Walk festival by embarking on one of 12 brand new trails in England and Wales which celebrate the life of its founder Octavia Hill (above)?

Social reformer, environmental campaigner and one of the founders of the Trust, Octavia Hill spent her formative years in the East End of London.  Her life was dedicated to social reform, campaigning to save green spaces and was herself an avid walker.  She set up the first ever housing association, was an advocate of the importance of learning and was the founder of the Army Cadets.  Along with Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Rawnsley she helped to found the National Trust in 1895.  Octavia Hill died on the 13 August 1912.

Ranging from a couple of miles to ten miles these walks reflect the diversity of the early sites acquired by the National Trust between 1895 and 1912.

From the jaw dropping beauty of the Lake District to the coastal gem of Morte Point in north Devon and the rolling countryside in Kent, these walks capture Octavia Hill’s passion for the countryside as places of discovery, reflection and a space to recharge the batteries.

Hindhead Commons - Photo (c) National Trust

Five of the walks featured include:

• Brandelhow in Lake District – this new 3.5 mile walk will follow in the footsteps of Octavia Hill who visited this beautiful landscape during the Trust’s campaign to buy Brandelhow in 1902; its first property in the Lake District.
• Hindhead Common in Surrey – a brand new trail around this famous and much loved common which is rich in wildlife such as Dartford warblers, Nightjars, dormice and silver-studded blue butterflies
• Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire – a newly created 6-mile walk at this world famous nature reserve, which is home to more than 8,500 species, will capture the spirit of a site acquired by the Trust in 1899
• The Kent Countryside – a two-part figure of eight ten-mile walk in the heart of Kent taking in Toys Hill, which was given to the Trust by Octavia Hill, and the church at Crockham where she is buried.
• Morte Point in north Devon – a 2.2 mile circular walk around one of the first Trust sites in the south west of England with stunning views along the north Devon coast.

Fiona Reynolds, Director-General of the National Trust, said: "Walking rejuvenates both body and mind - something Octavia Hill and her sisters knew well. They were passionate walkers and would often take long walks in the countryside.

"These Octavia trails link the early jewels in the Trust crown and show some of the best places to enjoy the great outdoors and get that little bit closer to nature."

All of the walks can be downloaded for free from the National Trust website.

Podcast Edition 004 - Show Notes

listen to ‘Edition 004 - Social Hiking, Sponsored Walks, Lincolnshire Wolds Walking Festival and Tristan Gooley’ on Audioboo

Edition 4 of the Walks Around Britain podcast features Gareth Jones on top of a mountain using Social Hiking - and its creator Phil Sorrell tells us about the site. There's two sponsored walks in England later in the year and the Lincolnshire Wolds Walking Festival later in May.  And The Natural Navigator himself, Tristan Gooley talks about exploring and his second book.


Social Hiking

Social Hiking allows you to share your outdoor adventure live on the internet - as well as having a permanent record of them later.  To find out more, visit the Social Hiking website.

To see the route Gareth Jones was walking at the time, click here http://www.shareyouradventure.com/map/os/Gareth/nant_ganol_black_mountains_llanthony

Gareth's Flick album of his Brecon Beacon backpack walk/camp http://www.flickr.com/photos/familyjonesnow/sets/72157629488266607/


Sponsored Walks

The For All Events' walk in the Yorkshire Dales has several different lengths of walks available - 26 miles, 14 miles, 5 miles and 4.5 mile walk and wheel.
To find out more visit their page here.

The St John Ambulance's Cotswold Way Challenge has a 6 mile, a 13 mile and a 24 mile version.
To find out more visit their page here.


Lincolnshire Wolds Walking Festival

Now in its 8th year, the festival offers over 90 walks taking place in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and surrounding countryside, enticing you to explore the landscape and heritage of this stunning part of Lincolnshire.  To find out more, visit the website.

The festival runs between Saturday 26 May to Sunday 10 June 2012.

To find out more walking festivals in Britain, have a look at our Great British Walking Festival calendar.



Tristan Gooley

Tristan's second book The Natural Explorer is out now - to find out more about the book visit the publisher's website here.

You can buy the book in hardback from Amazon here and for the Kindle here.

Tristan's own website The Natural Navigator has details about his various courses, including A Beginner's Guide to Natural Navigation.

Our review of The Natural Explorer mentioned in the podcast isn't yet ready - but we'll put a link to it here when it is :)


So, that's the forth edition done then! Please get in touch with us if you've any comments or suggestions.  E-mail them, tweet or facebook them. Or use the "Send us a Voice Message" tab on the right of the blog to let us know your thoughts via audio.

Podcast Edition 003 - Show Notes

listen to ‘Edition 003 - Wales Coastal Path, National Parks' Photo Competition, May Walking Festivals and Mike Harding & Fiona Reynolds at Kinder 80’ on Audioboo

The third edition of the Walks Around Britain podcast features Angela Charlton, Director of Ramblers Cymru talking about the Wales Coastal Path, a great photographic competition in the UK's National Parks, 2 walking festivals in May and interviews with Dame Fiona Reynolds and Mike Harding at Kinder 80.


Wales Coast Path

On 5th May, the whole of the 870 miles of the coast of Wales - from the outskirts of Chester in the north to Chepstow in the south - will be opened to walkers.  Angela Charlton from Ramblers Cymru explains on the podcast all about the history and the background behind the path - and if you want to find out more, there's the official Wales Coast Path website and the Ramblers Wales website.


Walking Festivals

The 2 walking festivals we featured are the Rutland Walking Festival and the Suffolk Walking Festival.

To find out more walking festivals in Britain, have a look at our Great British Walking Festival calendar.


Winning Landscapes


The photographic competition mentioned on the podcast is open until the 10th May - upload your photo and find out about the terms and conditions at the website.

Dan Santillo's dramatic and expressive photography of the Gower and the Brecon Beacons is here.




Kinder 80

The 80th anniversary of the Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout was held at the Moorland Centre at Edale on the 24th April 2012.  Andrew talked to Dame Fiona Renyolds, Director General of the National Trust and the singer, songwriter, broadcaster and walker Mike Harding.









To find out more about the Kinder Mass Trespass visit the official site here - and there's Andrew's post on this very blog here.





So, that's the third edition then! If you've any comments or suggestions, please e-mail them, tweet or facebook them. Or use the "Send us a Voice Message" tab on the right of the blog to let us know your thoughts via audio.

Chesterfield Area Walking Festival

This years’ Chesterfield Area Walking Festival in May promises a 9 day feast of walking with, as always, a large variety of different walks on offer.  And this, the festival’s sixth year, is it biggest ever – with 58 walks through the Peak District’s Historic Border Country.

History, heritage and the ‘Beast of Bolsover’ will help put a spring in to the step of those taking part in the festival, featuring a murder, a Crooked Spire and a Pudding Pie Hill – all between the 12th - 20th May.

But already the highlight of the festival – the new walk the ‘Beast of Bolsover’ has sold out, but there’s plenty more to tempt at the Festival,

Walkers can enjoy beautiful countryside, charming villages and one of England’s oldest market towns – with most walks free.

Walking highlights include a ‘Chesterfield Football Club’ walk highlighting quirky sites and facts along the way, a linear walk from the Crooked Spire Church out to Bolsover Castle and a stroll around Hardwick Hall, the stunning family home of Bess of Hardwick, one of the richest and most remarkable women of Elizabethan England.

There’s also the ‘Chesterfield Murder Walk’, an atmospheric tour around this medieval town in the footsteps of murderers and their victims, and ‘Chesterfield Art Walk – From a Crooked Clock to a River of Rock’, a chance to discover amazing works of art by famous artists such as Barbara Hepworth, Angela Conner and David Mach.

Or how about a Ramble to Pudding Pie Hill? Enjoy picture postcard villages and beautiful countryside with views looking over the market town of Chesterfield on this walk to the fringes of the town.

The Real Ale Ramble offers stunning scenery from the edges of Chesterfield plus the chance to find out more about the real ales of the area… and even trying one or two along the way!

And if you were wondering what the Beast of Bolsover walk was, well it was a “beast” of a walk through the area’s coal mining country passing historic houses along the way, taking its title from the fearsome nickname of local MP and keen walker Dennis Skinner.

Already sold out, organisers are hoping to run the walk again for next year’s Festival.

For a full programme of walks, or to book your tickets, contact Chesterfield Tourist Information Centre, Tel: 01246 345777/8 or go online to book at www.chesterfieldwalkingfestival.co.uk

Podcast Edition 002 - Show Notes

listen to ‘Edition 002 - The Bald Explorer, April's Walking Festivals and Pauline Sanderson’ on Audioboo

This second edition of the Walks Around Britain podcast features exploring around Britain with Richard Vobes - aka The Bald Explorer, three walking festivals from around the country in April and an interview with Pauline Sanderson who undertook the World's Longest Climb.

We hope you enjoy the second edition of our new podcasts, and here on our blog we'll be putting show notes - with photos, short videos and links to relevant sites about the topics covered in each edition.


The Bald Explorer

Richard Vobes - aka The Bald Explorer (left) - has 3 great programmes on his website at the moment, and work is progressing on the forth.

You can find these 3 programmes, as well as countless podcasts, photos and updates on the massive amount of work it takes to make the forth programme on the website.

Richard also has a Facebook page for The Bald Explorer, which we highly recommend liking :)




Walking Festivals

The 3 walking festivals we featured are the Newton Stewart Walking Festival, the Swanage and Purbeck Walking Festival and the Boscastle Walking Week.

To find out more walking festivals in Britain, have a look at our Great British Walking Festival calendar



Pauline Sanderson

To find out more about Pauline's epic adventure, book "The World's Longest Climb" is available from Amazon here.

She's speaking at the Keswick Mountain Festival in May, and if you want details - here the link to her page on the site to book tickets - http://www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk/programme/speaker-programme/pauline-saunderson/

Pauline's own website is http://www.paulinesanderson.co.uk/index.html

So, that's the second edition then! If you've any comments or suggestions, please e-mail them, tweet or facebook them. Or use the "Send us a Voice Message" tab on the right of the blog to let us know your thoughts via audio.

The National Trust Walking Festival

On Saturday 22nd October, the National Trust hosts its first nationwide Walking Festival - with events throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.