The Best Views in the Yorkshire Dales are not the obvious ones. Malham Cove, Aysgarth Falls and Bolton Abbey are lovely but are far too popular, over photographed and lack that element of surprise. My favourites involve a little walking (obviously) but the views make it all worthwhile. Take a look. These are the 5…

One of the main attractions of walking in the North York Moors is the variety of walks. Choose between the wild moors, peaceful countryside, ancient abbeys, forestry and riverside strolls. Add in the coast and the options are seemingly endless. The main issue therefore is which walks to choose. Having walked the area over a…

Sadie and Michelle have been walking with me in the Lake District for 10 years. They love it but there real love is wild swimming with the temptations of lake and tarn all part of the walks we do. Charlotte (my daughter) caught up with them and here are their thoughts on this ever growing…

The best Wainwright fells stand alone and proud. As a result they tend to have their own personality, albeit steeped in Lake District clothing, and are not diminished by ridges and higher neighbours. This is a list of my 15 favourites, ones I happily return to time after time. Many of the Lake District fells…

Learning Navigation Skills is an important element when heading in the countryside. There are two distinctive levels of skills you should have. The first concentrates on the basics; map reading and overcoming many of the fears people have when heading into the outdoors. Once mastered learn the second set of skills which will take you…

Anyone! I did when climbing Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis. The groups and their motives I have taken out have proved this. I have led groups and individuals, old and younger, from these shores and further afield and organized groups and private parties. What they all have in common is the expectation that the guide…

Not the obvious ones!! These the best walks in the Dales (in my humble) opinion that avoid the worst of the crowds on a sunny Saturday. They are spread throughout the Dales are between 3 and 6 miles long with limited uphill walking. There are links at the foot of the page to the more…

I completed the Munros (the 282 mountains in Scotland over 3,000 feet) nearly 15 years ago. It took up nearly 20 years of my life, regular visits/weekends from England to tick maybe 4 or 5 summits at a time. Sometimes I travelled alone, sometimes with my brothers and mate JP. It certainly became obsessive. The…

I was listening recently to an interview with an 82 year old Scotsman who had just completed the Munros. In the interview he was asked what he enjoyed most in the challenge and he wistfully replied that it was the ‘Solitude of the mountains, an intense, almost spiritual experience’. His words (not an exact quote),…

The ‘Dales 30’ are the mountains over 2,000 feet within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. There are 30 of them. A growing number of people have now completed all 30 and are looking for an additional challenge. I have named another 10 excellent mountains in the area which completers should climb. The criteria for the…

The “Dales 30” are the thirty mountains in the Yorkshire Dales above 2,000 feet. I have loved climbing them and have done so from each conceivable direction and many differing weather conditions and seasons. I have also had a lot of feedback from those who have completed them or are presently doing so. I therefore…

“Access the Dales” is a registered charity with its main objective being to provide access (and remove barriers) for those through reasons of youth, age, infirmity or disability have been unable to enjoy the countryside. In particular, but not exclusively, is the introduction to hire of a fleet of All Terrain Wheelchairs for children and…