"The Stour Valley's watermeadows and river join together a patchwork of picture-postcard villages in Essex and Suffolk." The walk takes two days but, unless you live locally, you'll need to add in a night in Newcastle. when choosing your itinerary. The Ramblers - Britain’s walking charity working to protect and expand the places people love to walk and promote walking for health and pleasure. One of the stateliest journeys on offer from walking company, Headwater, this 38-mile trail through the centre of the country provides plenty of historic interest, from the Rollright stones outside Long Compton to Blenheim Palace. According to Sarah, "no-one knows more about Kent's Pilgrim's Waythan Derek Bright, author of a popular guide on the subject." Though this two year-old trail passes through some of the most glorious countryside in the Yorkshire Dales it was designed specifically to open up some of the area's lesser-known countryside, and does so brilliantly. Walks for all abilities are possible from here. Snaking north for 268 miles from Edale, in the Peak District, the route cuts up through the Yorkshire Dales and crosses over Hadrian's Wall into Northumberland, finishing up at Kirk Yetholm, in the Scottish Borders. Sarah Baxter is associate editor of Wanderlust (wanderlust.co.uk); Jo Tinsley is features editor of Countryfile magazine (countryfile.com); Joanna Hall is founder of Walkactive (joannahall.com); Dominic Bates is editor of Ramblers' Walk magazine (walkmag.co.uk); Andy Lowe is co-founder of handihikes.co.uk, which produces compact walking guides; Rhiannon Batten can be found at twitter.com/rhiannonbatten. Travel to Burnsall where your first night's accommodation has been booked, Burnsall to Kettlewell. "From here you can stride out into the wilderness to Loch Ossian eco hostel and explore wild Rannoch Moor, tackle a Munro or enjoy a circuitround the loch". Digital mapping software allows you plan your next adventure from the comfort of your desk, print out annotated maps and route cards to the size required, and download route data to your GPS unit. nights, 3 days walking, Holidays now underway - Book now with confidence - Click here for Covid-19 information. The small villages of Taicynhaeaf and Penmaenpool, being either side of the first bridging point of the estuary beyond Barmouth and lying on key bus routes, make obvious staging points in the journey. Overnight stops marked with an (L) have very limited accommodation, and therefore more often than not will also require a transfer, particularly on bank holidays and weekends.
According to Sarah it pays to enlist some help when tackling Wales' Black Mountains. Arguably this walk is more about the journey than the speed, and we would encourage you to take as much time as you can to savour it.
list. "The area east of Salcombe, from East Portlemouth to Start Point takes in Gara Rock, Gammon Head, Prawle Point and Peartree Point – all good territory for walks". "But with so many mountains to cover and almost 30,000ft to tackle, why not take a bit more time over the route?" From coast to coast challenges to relaxing rambles with luxury lodges, Rhiannon Batten laces up her boots. trail, or a short distance away via taxi provided at our expense. These two-day walks from our friends at the National Trust encompass two full days of ambitious walking, or can easily be split over more days for a less strenuous challenge. Visiting some of the many charming villages of the Dales, including Burnsall, Grassington and Malham. Where to start? We wanted to create a journey where it really was possible to leave the car at home, and this was a big influence in choosing Barmouth, with its rail connections, as the suggested starting point. Look for the pawprint icon Most munro-baggers approach each mountain independently but specialist packaged walking holidays also exist. The Mawddach Way is a 50km walk which uses existing footpaths and permissive paths to make a circuit of the hills either side of the estuary, passing through woodland, pasture and open country. "); Details: Seven night, self-guided trips, starting and finishing in Jedburgh, from £480 per person (absoluteescapes.com). Though not a trail in the classic sense, ticking off or "bagging" Scotland's munros is high on many British hikers wishlists.