Walking the Lanes of the Eden Valley

Much as I prefer walking over mountains, open fellsides and rights of way, I never mind occasional strolls around country lanes – particularly if there’s not much traffic on them. Many of the great walkers of the past – people like George Borrow, Jim Phelan, Walter Starkie etc. (do read their books if you haven’t)

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A Stroll in the Westmorland Dales

The village of Orton’s original name was Sker-Overton, changed to Orton in the local dialect. I found this out when I was researching my novel Villain  – the third in the series which brings some reality back to the legend of Robin Hood. My book starts on the wild moorlands above Orton, before my villains return

Don’t Lose Your Way

We have until January 2026 to save our historic rights of way. Please help The Ramblers with this latest campaign  Well over 140,000 miles of public paths criss-cross England and Wales. This network has evolved over centuries with many paths dating back to medieval times – or earlier! These paths link villages, hamlets, roads and

Walking into Prehistory

A Neolithic stone circle, a Bronze Age burial cairn used again in the Dark Ages, and a Romano-British defensive settlement – centuries of history in a walk of several miles from the village of Orton in the Westmorland Dales. Confusingly, the Westmorland Dales are part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, though not actually in

Maytime by the Rawthey

I like all seasons of the year, but there is something really special about walking through the English landscape in May. The month gives us a rebirth of the countryside after a long winter. And there is such a delicious freshness about it all – the  leaves on the trees, out at last, look so