A North Pennine Ramble

For a while I could almost have thought I was back on northern Dartmoor in the old days when, apart from the ancient tracks, there were fewer paths. In recent years, paths have sprung up on Dartmoor, from tor to tor and from antiquity to antiquity etc. In those golden olden days we used to

Help Fight for Dartmoor

I spent nine most interesting years (1996-2005) as chief executive of the Dartmoor Preservation Association at a time when Dartmoor was Britain’s most threatened National Park. I had previously served on its committee in the 1970s and 1980s. We had our share of victories and defeats. Some of those threats are still there and the

The New “Compleat Trespasser”

 The Compleat Trespasser by John Bainbridge – Out now in a revised and expanded new edition WALK MAGAZINE SAID OF THE FIRST EDITION OF THE COMPLEAT TRESPASSER – “On a vagabonding tour through Britain’s most delightful countryside and forbidden tracts, Bainbridge charts the history of access and assesses the present state of the law. Villainous

Running Away to Walk

Here’s an extract from my walking autobiography Wayfarer’s Dole, recalling how all this walking really started… The other day, thinking back on my many rambles, I remembered the time I deserted from the staid world of responsibility and took to the roads. The occasion marked an important stage along the pathways into roaming and vagabondage.

A Search for Pixies Holt

Something to seek out once the restrictions are lifted. In my talks with Dartmoor walkers I’m always surprised at how few have ever been to Pixies Holt.  Many confused it with the education adventure centre on the hill out of Dartmeet, which bore the same name and in truth the legendary lair of the little