If you are not familiar with the Yorkshire Dales it can be very difficult to work out where to go to avoid the crowds. I have chosen 10 excellent walks which are from, or very close, to the most popular centres. However the walks themselves defy the ‘always busy’ tag and lead to hidden gems…

I have listed the 25 best walks in the Lake District. The walks are a mixture of longer walks across some of the higher mountains and shorter ones taking in the beautiful lakes and lowland scenery. If you complete all these 25 walks you will have experienced the best the Lake District can offer. The…

Mount St Helens is a stratovolcano situated in the State of Washington on the north east seaboard of the United States. It is infamous for an eruption in May 1980 that killed 57 people. The resultant earthquake reduced the height of the mountain from 9.677 ft (2,950m) to 8,363 ft (2,549m) and left a 1…

To gain the most out of any walk put some time in to planning it. The more effort you put in before heading out, the more enjoyment the walk will be. Heading out in to an area you are not familiar with “on the hoof ” may sound great but largely is not. A guide…

One of the great attractions of a visit to the Yorkshire Dales are the picturesque villages. Only on a few occasions do they let let you down (I’m not naming them). However I do believe some are better than others and here are my Favourite 6 villages in the Yorkshire Dales. The criteria I have…

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…

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),…