by Jen Benson
Challenge level: various
Location: Long Mynd, Church Stretton,
Shropshire, SY6 6PG
OS grid ref: SO 455936
Map: OS Explorer 217
Local Highlights
The Shropshire Hills Mountain Bike and Outdoor Pursuit Centre (www.mtb-shropshire.co.uk) has bike hire, trail maps, a shop and a repairs centre.
Small Batch Camping (www.smallbatch-camping.co.uk) is positioned right in the heart of the hills, with trails leading from the site. It gets busy during peak times, but is an absolute gem when quiet.
Hire an expert guide to show you the best trails from Flattyres MTB (flattyres-mtb.co.uk).
9 Swim the Wye
Symonds Yat sits deep within the forested Wye Valley, straddling the counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. There’s a wealth of history here, including the bones of hyenas, sabre-toothed cats and a mammoth in and around the caves of the valley and evidence of 12,000 years of human habitation. One of the best river swims anywhere in the country has to be the wonderful 7½-mile-long stretch between Kerne Bridge and Huntsham Bridge, with plenty of opportunities to get out and explore the Wye Valley Walk that runs alongside the river. The Wye is also an excellent canoeing river, so look out for boats as you swim.
There are many other adventures to be found here too. The deep gorge cut into the carboniferous limestone by the river has exposed many impressive cliff faces, making this a popular climbing venue – and look out here for the resident peregrine falcons taking flight. In terms of canoeing, paddlers have rights of access between Hay-on-Wye and Chepstow. The Symonds Yat section is an important stretch for paddling and the short section of rapids next to the island is owned by British Canoeing to safeguard it for future paddlers.
Challenge level: for swimming the full 7½ miles/12km
Start: Kerne Bridge, Herefordshire, HR9 5QT
OS grid ref: SO 581189
Finish: Huntsham Bridge, HR9 7BX
OS grid ref: SO 567181
Distance: 7½ miles/12km
Map: OS Explorer OL14
Local Highlights
The annual Wild Wye Swim is organised by the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA), with 12km, 7km and 1km swimming events along this stretch of the river. Held in September, it’s a great way to explore this beautiful stretch of the Wye with plenty of support, company and refreshments (wildwyeswim.org.uk).
10 The Lincs Wolds Way
The Lincolnshire Wolds is a range of hills classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) that runs parallel to the North Sea coast between the river Humber in the north-west and the Lincolnshire Fens in the south-east. The chalk and limestone landscape makes for rolling grassy hills, farmland and steep, wide glacial valleys filled with wildflowers in summer. This is not a hilly region, however, and the highest point in the Wolds, and indeed in the whole of Lincolnshire, is Wolds Top, at just 168 m. Often forgotten by guidebooks, it’s a delightful place to visit, with a vast network of footpaths and bridleways. To the east of the Wolds are sandy beaches where you can spot grey seal colonies.
The Lincs Wolds Way is a waymarked 76-mile (122km) circular route designed to take in the best of the Wolds and traversing the high ground wherever possible. Its creator, Tony Groom, suggests breaking the distance down into five stages for a comfortable six hours’ walking a day; however, it is certainly an ideal route to try in three or even two days – or if you’re looking for a real epic, in a oner. Tony is also a local walking guide and can help you explore the area; a detailed guide to walking the Lincs Wolds Way is also available on his website, www.lincswoldswalking.co.uk.
Because of its good transport links and great range of food and accommodation options, the route’s suggested start/finish point is Louth, known as the ‘Gateway to the Wolds’.
Challenge level:
Start/finish: Navigation Warehouse, Louth,
Lincolnshire
OS grid ref: TF 337879
Distance: 76 miles/120km
Maps: OS Explorer 273 and 282
Local Highlights
Lincolnshire is home to the largest collection of small-leaved lime woods in Britain. These stunning, ancient woodland areas are best visited when the trees are in leaf: bright green and fragrant in the spring and summer and ablaze with reds and golds in autumn. There are many trails for walking, running and cycling through the woods – a perfect way to explore.
11 The Four Stones at Clent
Just 10 miles (16km) south-west of the city of Birmingham rise the Clent Hills, a wonderfully peaceful place to escape to, as long as you visit outside busy times. There’s a great network of footpaths, bridleways and trails that invite exploration – climb to the top of the ridge on a clear day and you’ll be rewarded with great views over the Cotswolds, the Shropshire Hills and the Welsh borders, as well as over the surrounding urban areas. There’s something particularly special about dusk on the hills, a feeling of being removed from it all, looking down on the city lights twinkling far below. In the early summer, bluebells carpet the woodland floor, and Walton Hill, the highest point at 1,037 feet (316m), is a wildlife haven. There is also human history here, with the Iron Age hillfort on Wychbury Hill, and Clent Hill, where the 1st-century murder of St Kenelm took place. St Kenelm’s Church is said to be built on the site of his demise – it is also the starting point for the 60-mile (97km) St Kenelm’s Way and the location of one of the sources of the river Stour.
The Four Stones that stand at the top of Clent Hill have an ancient, pagan feel about them, particularly when the evening sun slants long shadows across the worn earth. In fact they were erected by Lord Lyttleton of nearby Hagley Hall in the 1750s, along with several other follies, including Wychbury Obelisk. It’s a straightforward out-and-back walk to the stones from Nimmings car park – one which can be extended by following a circular route past St Kenelm’s Church and over Walton Hill.
Challenge level:
Start/finish: Nimmings Wood (NT) car park,
Wood Lane, Hagley, B62 ONL
Distance: 3½ miles/6km
Map: OS Explorer 219
Local Highlights
Refuel at Nimmings Café, a local institution at Nimmings Wood car park.
Explore nearby Kinver Edge, with its heather-clad heathland and Iron Age hillfort. The rock houses here are also fascinating (paid entry/free for National Trust members).
The Clent Hills campsite (a Camping and Caravanning Club site but open to nonmembers) is brilliantly situated in a peaceful valley less than a mile (1.6km) from the hills.
N orthern England
Home to some of Britain’s most dramatic landscapes, there are superb outdoor adventures to be found here, from scrambling on knife-edge mountain ridges and swimming in cold, clear lakes to mountain biking on outstanding singletrack trails.
The Northern Lake District
The northern Lakes’ high fells are a place of contrasts, with craggy mountain tops overlooking peaceful stretches of open water. Swimming is permitted in most of the lakes, though not in Ennerdale Water, Haweswater or Thirlmere.
The Southern Lake District
Home to England’s highest mountain and largest lake, this region has a wealth of great adventure challenges to complete, as well as remote spots to explore at your own pace.
The North & South Pennines
Within easy reach of Manchester, Bradford and Huddersfield, the open moorland and rolling hills of the South Pennines provide a wonderful escape, with some wild-feeling places to explore. There is also excellent cycling, fell running and rock climbing here and a particularly dense network of public footpaths.
The North Pennines boast wild heather moorland criss-crossed with trails perfect for mountain biking and running; deep dales and upland rivers, many with cascading falls and plunge pools for a wild swim. Several important historical trails run across the moors, including a section of the Pennine Way.
The Yorkshire Dales & the North York Moors
&
nbsp; The Yorkshire Dales National Park showcases some of the UK’s finest limestone scenery, and its meadows, waterfalls and ancient broadleaved woodland contrast with the scattered remains of its industrial past. The neighbouring North York Moors is England’s largest area of heather moorland, a high, wild place cut through by deep, wooded dales.
Northumberland
England’s most northerly county boasts Kielder Water, the largest man-made lake in northern Europe. The vast open expanses of the Cheviots invite exploration, while the long stretch of coast is dotted with castles, sandy beaches, seals and puffins. Hadrian’s Wall, the world’s largest Roman artefact, stretches right across the country.
1 Ride the Altura Trail
Whinlatter Forest, owned by the Forestry Commission, is England’s only true mountain forest. Although the summit of Whinlatter itself is bare, the surrounding fells and slopes are densely forested, scored through with winding trails that overlook Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake. The Forest Park is home to the longest purpose-built mountain bike trail in the Lake District, the Altura Trail. The trail is 12 miles (19km) in length, 9 (14) of which are singletrack, and it takes you to a height of 500 m. It is graded a red route, so you’ll need a reasonable level of mountain biking skill to ride it, but for those happy to take on the challenge, there’s a fantastic selection of berms, jumps, rock features, skinnies, corkscrews and table tops. There are also blue-graded trails, suitable for all, which include a new mountain bike orienteering route – great for teaching younger adventurers the art of map and compass navigation.
There’s also bike hire, a café and lots of walking and running trails to explore, and during the summer months you can watch the Bassenthwaite ospreys soaring over Dodd Wood.
Challenge level: (Altura Trail)
Location: Whinlatter Forest Park, CA12 5TW
Distance: 12 miles/19km
Map: OS Explorer OL4
Local Highlights
Camp at Lane Foot Farm, right at the foot of Whinlatter, where you’ll find great facilities, glorious views and a warm welcome, particularly if you’re a cyclist (stayinthornthwaite.co.uk)..
Refuel at the Hungry Heifer Café at Keswick Climbing Wall – also a perfect spot for a rainy-day adventure.
2 Swimrun Buttermere
The Lake District is a swimrunner’s paradise, with countless lakes and tarns scattered across the trail-strewn fells.
Breca Swimrun’s Buttermere event is a fantastic celebration of both the growing sport of swimrun and the Lake District, with its high, imposing fells scored with inviting trails, its clean, clear water for swimming, and its rocky platforms for jumping and diving. The sight of several hundred athletes powering through the water and scrambling the craggy hilltops is incredible. The swimming is divided between Buttermere and Crummock Water, but if you come here intending to have a quiet swimrun adventure of your own, a circumnavigation of Crummock Water is a ready-made course, with long, lakeside run sections and swims across the ‘coves’. There is one particularly wonderful figure-of-eight crossing of the lake, where rocky spits reach out into the water between Hause Point and Low Ling Crag. Sourmilk Ghyll, running from Blaeberry Tarn down to the northern tip of Buttermere, is an enjoyable scramble.
Challenge level:
Start/finish: Buttermere car park, CA13 9UZ
Distance: 8 miles/13km (combined swim and run distance)
Map: OS Explorer OL4
Local Highlights
Croft House Farm café, near to the car park, serves great food and has its own version of Butterbeer. There’s free wifi and outdoor seating so you can make the most of the views.
Wake up to the stunning Buttermere mountains at Skye Farm campsite – there’s a tearoom and they even make their own ice cream. Tents only.
Try the real Breca Buttermere swimrun event, held annually in August (www.brecaswimrun.com).
3 Explore Derwentwater
Derwentwater, nestled in the beautiful Borrowdale Valley, offers great opportunities for a paddling adventure, whether you’re spending the day exploring the lesser-visited reaches in a kayak or stand-up-paddleboarding around the islands. You can launch from the Foreshore, Lodore, Nichol End or Portinscale, and you’ll find gently shelving shores, islands for landing and exploration, plenty of hire centres and some wonderfully dramatic surroundings. There’s a 10-mile (16km) lakeshore trail, which makes a great run, and direct access into the surrounding mountains for grander adventures. Look out for red squirrels and common sandpipers; this is also home to a healthy population of Britain’s rarest fish, the vendace.
Derwentwater’s four islands are all owned by the National Trust. Three of them – Lord’s Island, St Herbert’s Island and Rampsholme – are yours to explore, although don’t leave anything behind, don’t light fires and don’t stay overnight on them. The largest island,
Derwent Island, is only open to the public on certain days each year, so please don’t land he here. The Foreshore is only a five-minute walk from Keswick town centre, and there’s a National Trust shop and information centre. Boat hire is available at Derwentwater Marina (derwentwatermarina.co.uk), as is a range of self-catering accommodation.
Challenge level:
Location: Derwentwater Foreshore, Keswick,
CA12 5DJ
Map: OS Explorer OL4
Local Highlights
Jump on a boat across to Hawes End or Low Brandelhow and walk up Catbells, one of the Lake District’s friendliest high fells.
Visit the Keswick Mountain Festival, with music, inspiring talks, workshops and great food and drink, held annually on the shores of Derwentwater.
Stay with local adventurers Ruth and James at Cumbria House in Keswick (www.cumbriahouse.co.uk).
4 Ride the C2C
Although not all of it is within the bounds of the Lake District National Park, this classic challenge rides right across it. The C2C was developed by Sustrans and partners and opened in 1994. Often considered to be the UK’s most popular Challenge’ cycle route, it goes from the Irish Sea to the North Sea, from Cumbria to Tyneside. Both road and mountain bikes are suitable for the C2C – about half of it is off-road, and there are some rougher sections along the route, but there’s always a surfaced alternative. There are also several route variations along the way, so you can choose to spend a few days leisurely riding the scenic longer route, or go for a single-day attempt on the shortest.
Starting in Whitehaven or Workington, and finishing in Sunderland, Wearside or Tynemouth, the route passes through the northern Lake District, Penrith and the Eden Valley before climbing the Pennines. Winding through old mining towns, it descends to the railway paths of County Durham. It includes Black Hill, the highest point on the National Cycle Network at 609 m, and the Consett & Sunderland railway path and sculpture trail.
The route is best ridden from west to east to take advantage of the prevailing winds and kinder gradients – longer downhill sections and shorter uphills. Keep with tradition and dip your back wheel in the Irish Sea at the start and your front wheel in the North Sea at the finish.
The route: National Route 71 between Whitehaven and Penrith; then National Route 7 between Penrith, Consett and Sunderland, or National Route 14 between Consett and Tynemouth: www.c2c-guide.co.uk. The following websites are packed with information on riding the C2C: www.sustrans.org.uk/route/sea-sea-c2c and www.c2c-guide.co.uk.
Challenge level:
Start: Whitehaven railway station, CA28 6AX
Finish: Tynemouth, NE30 4RE
Distance: 140 miles/225km
Maps: OS Explorer OL4, OL5, OL31, 303, 307 and 316
Local Highlights
Saddle Skedaddle offers fully-supported cycling holidays on the C2C and further afield (www.skedaddle.co.uk).
Keep an eye out for specially commissioned works by local artists along the route, including Sally Matthews’s four steel cows at Consett and Tony Cragg’s Terris Novalis, an epic steel sculpture of a theodolite which stands 6 metres hi
gh alongside the trail.
5 Swim Grasmere to Rydal Water
Grasmere and Rydal Water are both excellent lakes for swimming, with fewer boats than some of the busier lakes. Rydal in particular is peaceful, relatively warm and easy to access. The two lakes are joined by a stream, which makes for a wonderful adventure swim. The easiest way is to enter Grasmere at the beach in the south-eastern corner, just below Loughrigg Terrace. The entrance to the river is just here; follow this downstream to reach Rydal Water. The varying temperatures and textures of the water are incredible to experience as you swim. If you fancy a longer adventure you can start in Grasmere village and swim right across the lake to the mouth of the river, head down the river and then swim the length of Rydal Water to reach Rydal village – a total of about 2 miles (3.2km) of swimming, depending on your route. On a warm day, or if you stow some clothes in a drybag, it’s a lovely run back around the southern edge of the lakes to Grasmere.