Up to Dukerdale – A Walk of Two Halves

The other day we walked out from Kirkby Stephen to have a look at Dukerdale, the dramatic valley which doesn’t quite scrape into the Yorkshire Dales National Park, though – even though it’s in Cumbria – it ought to. (There are precedents – the Westmorland Dales between Appleby and Orton are now part of the

John Ruskin on Footpaths

In 1885 John Ruskin wrote a letter to the Pall Mall Gazette: “Sir, Will you kindly help me to direct general attention to the mischief now continually done by new landowners in the closing of our mountain footpaths? Of all the small, mean, and wicked things a landlord can do, shutting his footpath is the

Dufton Gill and Flakebridge Wood – A Good Old-Fashioned Country Ramble

Most ramblers use our old paths by linking them together in a circular or linear route, taking the walker through a wide variety of scenery. And that’s what we did the other morning, from the village of Dufton high on the slopes of the North Pennines. A grand walk through some very pretty scenery and

Journey Through Britain

First published in 1968, Journey Through Britain by John Hillaby, detailing his long walk from Lands End to John O’Groats, made a huge impression on me when I first read it. In this very readable volume Hillaby, recounts his adventures as he takes the back paths of Britain, through the west country, along Offa’s Dyke,

A Path Going Nowhere

Look on the Ordnance Survey map and you’ll often see paths going apparently nowhere. Marked clearly and then stopping dead. But don’t be deceived, for paths which don’t seem to connect to anywhere can often lead to a fascinating walking trip – contrary to my title, all paths go somewhere. A fortnight ago, we used