The Wales Coast Path was officially opened on Saturday – the world’s first country to have a complete coastal walk. To celebrate, we have a lovely circular walk which takes you along part of the coastal walk starting near the lighthouses at Nash Point and into the picturesque town of Llantwit Major, about 20 miles south-west of Cardiff. It’s an historic town with a history stretching back over 3000 years. The narrow winding streets are lovely to walk around – although do take care as most don’t have pavements. You could also stop off at one of the pubs in the town to break your walk – I had an excellent Sunday roast at The Old Swan Inn with family a couple of months ago.
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To help celebrate this week’s Swanage and Purbeck Walking Festival, we have a walk from the picturesque Corfe Castle into the lovely Victorian seaside town of Swanage. You can use the Swanage Railway to get back to Corfe Castle – although do check timetables in advance as the train times vary greatly over the seasons. Once back in Corfe, the castle is definitely worth a visit and there are a number of great pubs to grab some food too.
Length of route:
8.5 miles
Suitable for:
Walking
Map:
OS Explorer Map (1:25 000) Purbeck and South Dorset OL 15
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Today’s guest blog is from Mary Welsh. Mary is a travel writer and an award-winning writer of walking books, having produced more that 40 walking guides. She also writes for magazines, newspapers and the web.
Mary Welsh on Norman's Law - the last walk in the 21-book series
“Walking Scotland is a series of books I’ve written together with Christine Isherwood. Christine both helps with the research and creates the detailed maps and illustrations. Each book in the series enables readers to choose from routes ranging from the simple stroll to the exhilarating high-level ridge walk.
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With 15 National Trails across our country, coast-to-coast walks and much more you can try out, a walking holiday can be an excellent way to see our beautiful countryside. Whether you’re tackling the 45-mile Norfolk Coast Path or the 630-mile South West Coast Path, there really is a trail, or a section of a trail, that will suit walkers of all abilities.
If you haven’t been on a walking holiday before and are booking it all yourself, follow our handy tips to get you heading in the right direction.
1. Choose your trail and get yourself the right maps for it
The debate between digital and paper maps continues and the two really can complement each other. Your hand-held device will give you an instant location fix and can be easier to hold – but paper maps won’t lose signal or run out of power. Many trails will require a number of Ordnance Survey maps – and there are often specialist providers that cater for it (Harvey produce two strip maps for Wainwright’s coast to coast walk for example). There will also be guides to the trail which can help you to plan.
2. Plan your route
Be realistic about what you can achieve and still enjoy your walking holiday. If you have seven days and want to walk the 184-mile Thames Path, you would probably be better splitting the route in two and covering the second half another time. By all means vary your walks each day – have an easy eight miles one day and then aim for 20 the next day. It would be a good idea to plan the odd rest day to give yourself time to recover and also the opportunity to visit an area a little longer. And make sure that you’re breaking your walks in spots where you can find an overnight stay.
Continue reading 'Eight tips to prepare for a walking holiday'»
If you’re looking for the perfect destination for a family walk this Easter, then why not try Lacock. This historic Wiltshire village is largely owned by the National Trust – and has featured in TV programmes and films that will suit most family members tastes!
Lacock is probably most famous these days as the location for BBC’s Cranford where Dame Judi Dench and her co-stars bring 19th century England to life. However, the village has taken part in many, many more film sets. BBC’s 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice used Lacock as Meryton where Lizzy Bennet and her sisters shopped. Lacock Abbey has also featured in films – such as The Other Boleyn Girl, and of course, it has been used as Hogwarts School interiors in the Harry Potter films.
A stroll around the village should only take half an hour, although there is plenty of countryside around should you want a longer walk – you’ll need OS Explorer Map 156. It’s also well worth a visit to the Abbey and museum – you can find out more about opening times and admission details on the National Trust website.
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The Wye Valley is a beautiful part of Great Britain and this walk gives you some spectacular views as you head from Bigsweir Bridge, down the valley to the historic town of Chepstow. Having completed this walk as a teenager, fundraising for the school you’ll pass towards the end of the route, I can warn that it does get muddy and slippery at certain times of the year.
You’ll be following the Offa’s Dyke path down to Brockweir, before crossing the bridge and joining the Wye Valley Walk to head into Chepstow. If you’d like a slighter shorter version of the walk, you can always start at Tintern Abbey and join the Wye Valley Walk there. OS Explorer Map OL14 will be a valuable addition to your walking pack.
At Bigsweir Bridge you want to start from the east bank of the River Wye, walking down the valley with the river to your right. You’ll be following the Offa’s Dyke path down to Brockweir, which is sign-posted and marked on the OS Explorer Map, and the route closely follows the banks of the river as it winds down to Brockweir. At Brockweir you need to turn right to cross over the bridge that will see you leaving behind the Forest of Dean and stepping into Monmouthshire, Wales.
Once you’ve crossed the bridge you will need to head down some steps that are just before the bridge and continue straight ahead. You’re now following the Wye Valley Walk which is signposted and marked on the OS Explorer Map. En route you’ll pass a rustic sculpture before reaching Tintern Old Station (where you might want to pop in for a cup of tea). If not, your route runs along the line of a miniature railway, past a small group of sculptures and on towards the river. Turn right down some steps and head through the gates to join the riverside path.
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Rother Valley Country Park, on the borders of Yorkshire and Derbyshire, is the perfect spot for a family walk or cycle ride with a range of routes that suit all capabilities. I’ve been there before with a large family group and while the men enjoyed a mud-splattered 6–7 mile mountain bike ride off-track, the women and children took a more gentle three-mile stroll around the lakes.
The park is open all year round from 8.30 am, closing at 5 pm in the winter months and staying open until 8 pm in the summer. There is a parking fee to get into the park, but there’s a great range of activities once you’re in that really do suit all ages.
As well as a range of walking and cycling routes (some of which link to the Trans Pennine Trail), there are five lakes which are used for model boating, water skiing, fishing and much more. The nature reserve and park boasts the recording of over 260 different varieties of birds over the past two decades including rare birds; such as the Red-rumped Swallow seen in the spring of 2010. You can find out much more about the activities, and all of the cycle and walking routes on the Rother Valley Country Park website.
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While most mums will be more than happy with a card and a bunch of flowers, if your mum likes the great outdoors, why not treat her to a special day that really means something to her? It could be a stroll around some beautiful gardens and some afternoon tea, an invigorating beachfront walk and a brisk cycle ride somewhere new. Whatever you choose to do, your mum will enjoy the gift of time this Mother’s Day.
Here’s a selection of our favourite suggestions around Great Britain for Mother’s Day:
Castell Coch is a Victorian folly built on the site of an older castle. It can be seen for miles around (including from the M4) and has excellent views of the Taff valley below.
While your mum may enjoy the Marquess of Bute’s elaborate furnishings and the fairytale atmosphere, if she’s a lover of the great outdoors, she’ll also appreciate a wander through the beautiful woodlands.
If you also have little ones to cater for, on the hill above the castle there’s a great scuplture trail that includes treasure chests, goblins and fairies, and a magnificent scary dragon.
If you like a cycle, you can reach the castle from the Taff Trail and there’s a range of trails (best if you have a mountain bike) around the woods.
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Guest blog by Anne Clark from Walk England
Sitting down to write this blog article I am struck by how lovely the weather is outside, it feels like one of the first days of spring! I can hear the birds talking to each other about nests, the air is warm and you can almost hear the grass growing at last! Seems like a lovely day to walk to the post office later.
Did you know – the distances from all those short, local walks can add up quite impressively? A walk to the shops, a walk to the bus stop, a walk to school … they all add up! Which is the idea behind the new, free Walk4Life app from Walk England, one of our online mapping partners.
The app lets you record how far you walk, and builds up a record of your daily and weekly miles on your own personal profile. You can simply enjoy seeing the miles build up, or you can sign up to a challenge and see how quickly you can reach your target. I never realised, but it is two-thirds of a mile to the post office and back! I have set myself the challenge of walking the equivalent distance of Hadrian’s Wall National Trail before the end of the year.
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Today’s walk is a guest post by our own Gwyn Hughes-Jones
What better way to celebrate St David’s Day than a 10-mile walk along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path around St David’s? This walk is available on OS Explorer Map OL35, North Pembrokeshire.
Starting at the car park at Caerfai Bay, follow the Pembrokeshie Coastal Path sign to the right for St Non’s Bay. After a kilometre, you will arrive at St Non’s Bay. St Non, who was the mother of St David, lived in a cottage on the site of the present chapel. It was here that St David was born in about 462 AD.
From St Non’s Bay, continue on the coastal path for 2 km to Porth Clais. Porth Clais is where St David was baptised by Elvis, the Bishop of Munster. After another 2.4 km along the path, you will reach Porthlysgi Bay – keep an eye out for the natural sea arch on your way.
From Porthlysgi the coastal path tracks around the tip of St David’s Penninsula to Porthstinian (about 4.8 km). There are fantastic views of Ramsey Island: Ynys Dewi in Welsh. Is was here that Dewi Sant (St David) supposedly met St Patrick. There is another natural arch as you approach Porthstinian, and you will also be able to see Ordovician and Pre-Cambrian rock types providing stunning views.
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