News reports would have you believe that the Dales is over crowded, fuelled by the growth in ‘staycations’. The reality is that the vast majority of the Dales are empty, Lets look to capitalise on this empty space. The ‘hotspots’ of Malham, Ingleton and Aysgarth have been heaving, resulting in often poor behaviour, littering and…

The Lake District may be the queen of lakeside walks well but nowhere does pleasant strolls alongside a river or hill stream better than the Dales . There are very few standing areas of water in the Dales but plenty of fast and slow flowing rivers. Each dale has its own river, full of character and history. If you would like…

I love walking away from the crowds, exploring by myself and finding some ‘Hidden Gems’-Walks. Avoid Malham and Horton, the central spine of the Lakes and the Yorkshire Coast and there are some absolute crackers just waiting for you to discover. You may not see a soul all day on these walks and if you…

Opening the countryside could create division amongst local people depending on how its done. I have set out below a strategy for a staged and, I believe, safe way of opening the countryside . At the present time (in lock down) visiting the countryside is off limits for anyone unless they live there. Even for…

“The finest 1 day challenge in England” As a mountain guide who lives in the shadow of the 3 Peaks and regularly leads walkers on the 3 Peaks challenge I felt I was in a unique position to write a book on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks. So I did! The Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge is…

They say that familiarity breeds contempt. No it does not when you talk about my favourite mountain. Blencathra is magnificent. I have climbed Blencathra over 30 times. It is now a pilgrimage I do once a year (at least). I have climbed it on every possible route. I have twice slept on the summit (once…

Climbing Snowdon is the most popular mountain challenge in Britain, upwards of 400,000 walkers head for the summit every year. I have only climbed Snowdon once before, that was the full Snowdon Horseshoe over 20 years ago. Therefore I was looking forward to my next visit with the family in which I planned to walk…

Walking with children is fraught with difficulties and concerns for many. It does not have to be. Once over the initial ‘I don’t want to go’ and once they are out and about they will almost inevitably enjoy it. It will also stick in their memory for many years after. I have based my advice…

I have never completed an organized Challenge walk before. Yes I have walked enough ‘challenges’, day walks including many Yorkshire 3 Peaks, the 44 mile Lyke Wake Walk but nothing which had the size and scale of a “Challenge” walk. However Sadie and Michelle persuaded me to put aside any reservations about being ‘organized and…

How many times have you sat around and discussed the best mountains or hills in Britain? Certainly I have. My favourite mountains are not necessarily the ‘best’ but more a personal view. They are the mountains and hills that I have enjoyed clibing more than others for a variety of reasons. They cover most of…

The light was perfect as I completed a short walk along the slopes of Blencathra from Threlkeld. I have taken a number of photos along this walk but none in Spring. It completes the set! The walk itself starts and finishes from Threlkeld and involves very little climbing although the daunting bulk of the mountain…

There is surely nothing better than a winter’s walk on a clear day, with snow on the ground. The low sun creates an excellent light which even an amateur photographer can make look good. The walking is easy on the hard ground (as long as the snow is not too thick) and a cosy pub…