This blog is about family travel around the
world without leaving the UK. We do this in a bid to be less polluting and
tackle climate change while at the same time keeping a global outlook. The world has many long walks - from the Great Wall of China to mega trips undertaken by adventurers who know it's all taking the first step. Pete May gets some tips from writer Paddy Dillon about where to go in the UK for his next big walk.
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| Pete May and dog tackle the Thames Path on a very wet day. |
AroundBritain No Plane enjoyed celebrating Cicerone’s very useful guides to National
Trails at Foyles Bookshop in London. Now the guides include an OS-style mapping
booklet that gives you all the mapping you need for the Pennine Way, Coast to
Coast, Cotswold Way, Hadrian’s Wall, Offa’s Dyke, Pembrokeshire Coast Path,
Great Glen Way, Thames Path and West Highland Way. The dedicated route maps
eliminate the need for buying lots of separate maps and can be used in either
direction. They were praised by Kate Ashbrook, President of The Ramblers. And all
the guides also have very useful accommodation sections and tips on who baggage carriers, if that's what you or your family need.
Cicerone
writer Paddy Dillon gave an entertaining talk on walking all the long distance
trails of Britain — and he’s now walking them again to revise his guides. Paddy,
who grew up with Burnley, first walked the Pennine Way at 16, “when I did
absolutely everything wrong, so I could only get better!” He showed pictures of
his travels around the UK’s trails and introduced us to some of the more
obscure but interesting paths such as the Yorkshire Wolds Way, Peddars Way and
North Norfolk Coastal Path, the Pennine Bridleway, the Speyside Way and Glyndลตr’s Way.
By this time I was tempted to tackle the North Norfolk Coastal Path or the Yorkshire Wolds Way this summer.
The next speaker, Ursula Martin of OneWomanWalksWales, got me thinking about how to walk across Wales.
After being diagnosed with
ovarian cancer Ursula decided to walk 400 miles to her next hospital appointment
in Bristol to raise money for cancer charities. She eventually completed 3000
miles along trails like Offa’s Dyke, the Cistercian Way, the Severn Way, the
high-level Cambrian Way (“which almost broke me”) and the Pembrokeshire Coastal
Path (“my favourite”). “People’s kindness was overwhelming. I planned to rough
camp, but I was given so much stuff, tea, meals, and beds for the night. There
was a lot of serendipity.”
Initially she planned to walk 19 miles a day but
then suffered a tendon injury. “In the end I let go of time and distance and
just walked.” After her treatment Ursula has been clear of cancer for four
years and is now writing a book about her journey. Her next project is to walk
and sail through Europe.
A
morning spent talking national trails can’t help but inspire some wanderlust
for Britain’s vast array of walkways and Cicerone’s very thorough guides are
the ideal way to plan your route.
- Details of Cicerone’s guides can be found at http://www.cicerone.co.uk
- Details of One WomanWalks Wales can be found at http://www.onewomanwalkswales.com
Over to you
Do share your best long distance routes - have you tried doing a long walk on your own or do you have any tips to tempt your family along?
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