Country Walking magazine June 2016

Explore Beatrix Potter’s Lake District JUNE 2016

June 2016 £4.20

BUY THE BEST SUMMER GEAR Shorts, hats, sandals, shirts & accessories

A summer of

27

spectacular walks

ROUTE CARDS

From Snowdon to the South Downs: boot up for blue skies & beautiful views!

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ES & £5 0 DG

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F BOOTS 0O

500 B A

all with Ordnance Survey maps

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ISSUE 355 WELSH THREE PEAKS ◆ DOVE & MANIFOLD VALLEYS ◆ BEATRIX POTTER’S LAKES ◆ SOUTH DOWNS VINEYARDS ◆ CATSKILLS ◆ SUMMER GEAR

Britain’s best-selling walking magazine

E AWAY!

Walk the Welsh Three Peaks www.livefortheoutdoors.com

Hot summer walks!

Discover a tale of two valleys in the Peak

Make Snowdon, Plynlimon & Pen y Fan your summer project

Walk on water! 10 walks with boat rides

Drink in the view in the South Downs

PLUS: UK’s best passes ◆ New York for walkers ◆ Time to rediscover barefoot walking?

THORPE CLOUD This mini-mountain sits at the bottom of Dove Dale, with the Manifold valley away in the distance.

THOR ’S CAVE Like the eye of a cyclops, this enormous cavern stares out over the River Manifold near Wetton.

DISCOVER Peak District

a trail of

two valleys

The rivers Dove and Manifold rise a mere 800 yards from each other and follow parallel courses through the Peak District – but on very different journeys. So we’ve created a four-day summer super-walk to see what they get up to…

WORDS: NICK HALLISSEY

PHOTOS: TOM BAILEY

PHOTO: © JAMES G/ALAMY

JUNE 2016 COUNTRY WALKING 31

SNOWDON SNOWDON/ / Yr Wyddfa

2467 feet/752m

PHOTOS: TOM BAILEY

3560 feet/1085m

PLYNLIMON/ PLYNLIMON/ Pumlumon Fawr

ROOF OF THE NORTH

THE LONELY HEART

Climb the highest top in the North and the whole of Wales – see p48.

Just you and the view in tranquil Mid Wales – turn to p46.

DISCOVER Welsh Three Peaks

PEN Y FAN

2907 feet/886m e

WELSH THREE PEAKS

For nation-spanning views and high adventure this summer, walk the Three Peaks of Cymru: Pen y Fan, Plynlimon, Snowdon.

W O R D S : J E N N Y WA LT E R S

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ILLUSTRATION: STEVEN HALL

E ALL KNOW that walking isn’t all about ‘peak-bagging’ but there’s something very satisfying about reaching the top of a hill and being king of all you survey. Take the National Three Peaks. It’s one of the most popular challenges in Britain: climbing the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales in under 24 hours. But how about if you focused on a single nation: three magnificent peaks, a lot less driving, and the chance to get to know one country from tip to toe? Welcome to the Welsh Three Peaks.

Each hill in this trio is the highest in its region of Cymru and each is like an envoy that showcases the very best of its area: Snowdon stacks high and splintered over the crags of North Wales; Plynlimon rolls up in a lonely plateau above the Mid-Welsh moors; and Pen y Fan curves gracefully from the valleys and farms of South Wales.

Numerous alluring routes climb to the top of each one: read on to discover the friendliest and most popular walks, and also the ones we think reveal the very best angles and bewitching secrets of each peak. The panoramas from all are varied and far-reaching, and their fringes meet and merge to give you an aerial view of most of Wales.

Snowdon With well under three hours of (very scenic) driving between each pair, you Snowdonia could race the trio in the traditional 24 National hour challenge limit, but fun as that Park might be, these hills reward those who linger. So walk one, climb all three over the summer, or tick off the lot in one Plynlimon stupendous long weekend. We start with Pen y Fan in the south, before pushing north over Plynlimon, warming your legs up for Snowdon so you can finish your Welsh Three Peaks on top of the world at the top of Cymru. u

Admire the fine lines of the summit of South Wales – see p44.

PHOTO: © CROWN COPYRIGHT (2016) VISIT WALES

KING OF THE SOUTH

Brecon Beacons National Park

Pen y Fan

A nearly

perfect place Once upon a time a woman called Beatrix Potter bought a farm in the Lake District. It became her home and work, her solace and inspiration. Celebrate her 150th birthday this summer with a walk through the world of Peter Rabbit.

W O R D S : J E N N Y WA LT E R S

54 COUNTRY WALKING JUNE 2016

PHOTOS: TOM BAILEY

DISCOVER Beatrix Potter’s Lake District

E’VE PROBABLY ALL known walks like this: ‘Had a series of adventures. Inquired the way three times, lost continually, alarmed by collies at every farm, stuck in stiles, chased once by cows.’ Beatrix Potter was 16 when she wrote this in her diary on her first visit to the Lake District.

“The Potter family would pack up, menagerie of pets and all, and go away for three months each summer,” says Paul Farrington, Ranger for the National Trust. “Wray Castle on the western shore of Windermere was the first place they stayed and the whole family fell in love with the Lakes.”

Born in London on 28th July 1866, Potter would later move up here to the Lake District, capturing its beauty in the illustrations for her much-loved tales of mischievous rabbits and cheeky squirrels, naughty mice and hapless frogs. I meet Paul at Hill Top Farm, Potter’s most famous home, in the little hamlet of Near Sawrey near Hawkshead that she described as ‘nearly perfect a little place as I ever lived in.’

“Potter was a prolific walker and she roamed all over Claife Heights,” says Paul, as we stroll that way into the melee of low, view-laden hills that bubble north of Sawrey. The panorama from the lane soon expands across Esthwaite Water to the high fells beyond and Paul stops to pull a picture of a painting from his rucksack, a watercolour by Potter of this precise view. “I have a mental image of her sat in these fields with her watercolours on a summer’s day like this. It’s a very different style of art to the drawings in Peter Rabbit.”

“Potter was out and about sketching from a young age. She was from a very wealthy but very restrictive family and getting out was freedom.

She observed everything down to the tiniest detail – collecting and sketching and drawing – and had numerous pets including the rabbits Benjamin Bouncer and Peter.” That detail is clear in every illustration in Peter Rabbit and the 22 little books that follow. “She also used to ask the gamekeepers to bring her dead rabbits and squirrels,” says Paul, “so she could sketch them u from every angle, then skin them and sketch

T ESTHWAITE

FAVOURITE

‘I have often been laughed at for thinking Esthwaite Water the most beautiful of the Lakes,’ Potter wrote.

‘It really strikes me that some scenery is almost theatrical, or ultra-romantic.’

JUNE 2016 COUNTRY WALKING 55

p BOTTOMS UP

The view from Burnhouse Bostall drops into Coombe Bottom and out across the Sussex countryside, over vineyards that make some of England’s best wines. u WALK THE VINES

Grapes stripe the slopes at Black Dog Hill Vineyard below Ditchling Beacon.

62 COUNTRY WALKING JUNE 2016

DISCOVER South Downs vineyards

Drink in the

VIEW British fizz is the toast of the wine-making world – and the perfect terrain for vines also makes for wonderful walking.

WORDS: MARK SUTCLIFFE

PHOTOS: TOM BAILEY

TANDING ON TOP of the famous Sussex viewpoint of Ditchling Beacon on a summer morning, I gaze down onto the neat rows of grape vines lining the patchwork of fields to the north. Until recent years, British wine was a bit of a joke, but bottles from vineyards like these now regularly triumph in blind taste-tests and the nation’s sparkling varieties are considered some of the finest in the world.

The emerging axis of British wine-making stretches from Kent in the east, across the chalk ridges of the South Downs and as far west as Cornwall, with the occasional outpost in the Midlands, Wales and even a couple in Scotland.

And because of the vines’ preference for welldrained soils on gently sloping south-facing slopes, these vineyards make an idyllic destination for a sun-drenched summer walk. u JUNE 2016 COUNTRY WALKING 63

k on r a b m e s i d rs and e b b u l d walk n a l Avast ye ectacular shores for as Devon’s sp ootsteps of smuggler in the f W

THOMA PHILIP ORDS:

 INTO THE UNDERCLIFF

Snaking down into the Hooken Undercliff, the South West Coast Path passes below a cave in the cliffs where smugglers hid their contraband.

70 COUNTRY WALKING JUNE 2016

S

PHOTO

BAILEY S: TOM

DISCOVER Devon’s Coast

JUNE 2016 COUNTRY WALKING 71

The

LAND in the SKY

Taking a bite of the Big Apple?

Then take your walking boots too, because the Catskill Mountains are magical, mythical, magnificent – and just two hours north of the Empire State Building.

WORDS AND PICTURES: NICK HALLISSEY

DISCOVER New York State

ILLY JOEL ONCE sang about a New York State of Mind. And as much as you could enjoy one of those on Floor 102 of the Empire State Building, I’d say my New York State of Mind happened on North Mountain, in the Catskills, looking out over the Hudson Valley.

The important part of Billy’s song title is the ‘New York State’ part. New York isn’t just the Big Apple; it’s an entire state. And while the city is all about bright lights, hustle and bustle and 400 years of cultural impact from Gershwin to Guggenheim, the state beyond has vast spaces that are all about beauty, wilderness and peace.

Chief among these are the Catskill Mountains: just two hours’ drive north up the Hudson River from Manhattan. The Catskills are a vast crumpled carpet of round-headed mountains topped by millions upon millions of maple, beech, birch and oak trees. They’re perfect for British walkers: not too high, full of well-marked footpaths (let’s call them ‘trails’, now we’re Stateside) and packed with spectacular waterfalls, quiet creeks and sudden gaps in the trees that lead to unimaginably big

views. Little wonder that the indigenous Lenape tribe – who roamed these hills long before the Dutch and the British got here – called the place Onteora, meaning ‘Land in the Sky’.

A primeval Eden My springboard into the Catskills is the sawmill town of Saugerties (pronounced ‘soggerdeez’), which sits on the west bank of the Hudson. The Hudson is joined at Saugerties by two tributaries, Esopus Creek and the Sawyer Kill. You’ll find a lot of ‘kills’ around here; nothing sinister, it’s just a Dutch word for a mountain river, coming from the same common root as ‘ghyll’ in northern England.

The best walk in Saugerties is a stroll out to the town’s lighthouse, a splendid square stump on its own little peninsula in the Hudson. You can also explore two nature reserves along Esopus Creek, which is fascinating in itself. Its upper section, up in the Catskills, forms an almost complete circle around Panther Mountain. Why is it circular?

Because it delineates the outer rim of a massive meteorite impact some 375 million years ago.

From Saugerties, I’m drawn to the great green u

q THE BIG

COUNTRY

A fine view over North-South Lake and South Mountain from Sunset Rock on North Mountain, on the eastern edge of the Catskills.

PHOTO: © BRANDTBOLDING/GETTYIMAGES

JUNE 2016 COUNTRY WALKING 81

SUMMER

GEAR SPECIAL From sunhats to sandals: we’ve got you covered…

F

OR THIS SPECIAL summery issue, we’re taking a look at the kit that makes your heart leap at the checkout. The stuff that means the summer is coming. We’ve scoured the UK’s summer collections for shirts, sunhats, sandals and shorts; poles for that longdreamed-of multi-day trek and creams and sprays that will keep harmful rays and biting bugs at bay while you do it.

Sunglasses, water bottles, hydration systems: everything you need for the perfect sunny-day walk is here, be it an afternoon on the coast or a monster quest for the Pennine Way. So begone, thick fleece! To the back of the cupboard with you, woolly hat and three-layer waterproof. The sun is out, and this is the walking kit that will help you make the most of it.

PHOTO: TOM BAILEY

JUNE 2016 COUNTRY WALKING 87

Buying Guide Summer Gear Special

Sandals  REEF Rover

XT £56

Reef may not have huge presence in the UK market, but for some walkers they tread a nice line between fashion and function.

The Rover XT has an aggressive outsole and soft strapping. The clasp sits on the upper of the foot, though, which won’t suit everyone. www.reef.com

 HI-TEC Walk-Lite

Ranger £50

Not the lightest, and the chunky strapping can be a little cumbersome – but its comfy cushioning and shockabsorbing outsole make the Ranger a great buy for longer coastal walks. www.hi-tec.co.uk

 TEVA

Toachi 2 £70  KEEN

Sage £65 If the idea of doing a walk with your foot virtually naked doesn’t appeal, try a more ‘hybrid’ option like this. The Sage has deftly-placed webbing to protect the upper and a tough, dodgem-car toe bumper, plus good secure drawcord lacing and a supportive heel strap. A great package. www.keenfootwear.com

This is our go-to sandal for rocky coast walks. The padded side-strap gives you protection where your foot is most vulnerable, the sticky outsole grips like glue and the footbed is heavenly.

A serious sandal for proper walks. www.www.teva.co.uk

 SOURCE

Gobi £80

The high price of the Gobi reflects the masses of tech it has onboard: supergrippy outsole; waterproof, three-layer strapping and a cushioned, odourcontrolled footbed. www.sourceoutdoor.com

 MERRELL

All Out Blaze Sieve Convertible £75 The absurdly long name stems from the fact it’s a convertible (i.e, roofless, rather than transformable) version of the All Out Blaze Sieve waterproof shoe. Very reliable; just needs a shorter name. www.merrell.com/uk JUNE 2016 COUNTRY WALKING 89

27 ROUTES with Ordnance Survey Maps

Britain’s est

JUNE 2016

WALKS SOUTH WEST SOUTH EAST

MIDLANDS

PHOTO: © ROD SIBBALD / ALAMY

EAST

NORTH WEST

A TRAIL WITH A TALL TAIL See the milky cascades of Grey Mare’s Tail (Britain’s fifth highest waterfall) on your way to the top of White Coomb with Walk 24.

Stride into summer Hike a cracker on the Cornish coast l Find forest sculptures in Essex l Scale Helvellyn the easy way ...and more great walks to kick off your summer

NORTH EAST

WALES

SCOTLAND

IRELAND

Britain’s est

WALKS

SOUTH WEST SOUTH EAST

Find a great walk near you...

MIDLANDS

01 Cornwall Crackington Haven

EAST

26

02 Devon Beer & Branscombe

NORTH WEST

03 Wiltshire West Knoyle

NORTH EAST

04 Hampshire Lyndhurst

WALES

05 Hampshire Lymington

SCOTLAND

06 East Sussex Ditchling Beacon

25

07 Berkshire/Bucks Aston 08 Essex Hainault Forest

IRELAND

24

FAMILY WALK

09 Warwickshire Ilmington Downs 10 Derbyshire/Staffs Hartington to Ilam

20

27 18

11 Staffordshire Ilam to Hulme End

19

12 Staffordshire Hulme End to Flash

17

13 Staffordshire/Derbys Flash to Hartington 14 Nottingham Clumber Park

11 12 10 13

23

15 Cambridgeshire Earthworks Way 16 Norfolk Harpley 18 Cumbria Near Sawrey

15 09 21

FAMILY WALK

07

19 East Yorkshire Bishop Wilton

22 Ceredigion Plynlimon 23 Gwynedd Snowdon (Rhyd-Ddu/Ranger Loop) 24 Dumfries & Galloway White Coomb/Loch Skeen 25 East Lothian Musselburgh/River Esk 26 Highland Ben Wyvis

WALK INFORMATION An estimate of how long the route will take, based on a pace of about two miles per hour, with allowances made for slower, hilly routes.

GRADE Our routes are graded easy, moderate, challenging or occasionally extreme, depending on distance, terrain, elevation and ease of navigation. Easy and moderate walks are usually less than 8 miles with relatively gentle gradients. The table below shows how we grade our more challenging walks: TERRAIN: Min 2,000ft ascent, sustained steepness and rocky or boggy ground.

A B

NAVIGATION: Good map-reading and compass skills required in places.

DISTANCE: Route is between 8-12 miles from start to finish.

TERRAIN: 3,000ft+ with sustained steep ascent/descent; possible scrambling.

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N

S

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100 COUNTRY WALKING JUNE 2016

06

We published 349 routes in 2015. Find a county-by-country list of every walk, including a print-friendly version, at www.lfto.com/countrywalking routesindex Plus, you’ll also find a regularly updated 2016 index.

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TRAILZILLA ID (on reverse of card) We upload all our walks to Trailzilla.com so subscribers can use the unique code displayed on the back of each route card to download and print the route.

04 05

08

2015 WALKS INDEX

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GRADIENT PROFILE Check the ascent and descent (hilliness) of the route with a quick glance at this profile.

02

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ABBREVIATIONS We have abbreviated left to L and right to R.

01

N

OUR EXPERTS All our routes are written by experienced and knowledgeable walkers who are experts at finding the best walks in their area and describing them clearly.

CLASSIC ROUTE

03

challenging

21 Powys Pen y Fan

If you spot a route which needs updating, email cwroutes@ bauermedia.co.uk

extreme

20 Durham Allensford

How to use your routes

16

22

17 Greater Manchester/Lancs Brown Wardle Hill

27 Cumbria Helvellyn

14

A B

NAVIGATION: Sound navigation skills required; route may be trackless.

DISTANCE: Route is more than 12 miles from start to finish.

MAPS (on reverse of route card) Follow the red route marked clearly on the map.

It’s essential to take the relevant Ordnance Survey map with you in case you get lost and inadvertently leave the area covered by our map.