Country Walking

Country Walking Magazine shows you the best of British walks: the biggest views, the hidden gems, the sea cliffs and the mountain summits. All our features come complete with superb writing, inspiring photography and step-by-step instructions so you can follow every footpath yourself. In every issue, you’ll find: - In-depth stories of amazing walks - A booklet of 25 pull-out walks every issue - with OS maps! - Information about hotels, pubs, cafes, tearooms. - Clear, jargon-free tests of walking kit And... every issue our readers tell their walking stories, help us devise new walks and shape the places we go to. If you love walking, this is the magazine for you.

Welcome

IN THIS ISSUE…

One path, two moors and 50 years

5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS MONTH

TREAD LIGHTLY • Exciting eco news to make your walking even greener…

‘Every walk Etches itself into your skin like a tattoo’ • He may be best known for his effortless elegance and high-class hospitality, but give presenter and maître d’ Fred Sirieix a muddy footpath and he’ll call it paradise.

GOWER • With award-winning beaches, tidal islands and dramatic cliffs, few places offer a more spectacular weekend away than this dazzling peninsula.

‘I’m on top of the world again!’ • A cancer diagnosis is always devastating. But these incredible Walk1000Miles challengers found walking was there for them when they needed it most.

The things we do for GOLD • Each issue we invite you to spice up your miles by doing something seasonal, silly or curiously specific. The reward for the chosen few? A money-can’t-buy Golden Badge*…

This month’s challenges… • Tackle one – or all! – of these mini-challenges, post your photos and stories in the Walk 1000 Miles Facebook group and we’ll send a money-can’t-buy golden badge to our favourites! You have until September 3rd for this lot.

Your View

Views in brief

Where’s Kes? • Every month our favourite spaniel Kes goes walkies somewhere in the issue, and we want him back! Can you help find Kes?

Wildlife for Walkers • Three remarkable species to spot in August.

Stuart Maconic • Losing an old friend - one of the great characters of British hillwalking - has reminded me to spend my time wisely and, preferably, outdoors.

HIT THE ROOF • A new long-distance trail has landed - one that promises day after day of tranquillity and timeless landscapes. Here’s why the Roof of England Walk should go straight onto your bucket list.

The Beauty of BRIDGES • The humble bridge: structure, metaphor, friend. Take a walk in quietest Oxfordshire and ponder, as we did, why bridges make us happy.

ISLAND OF PLENTY • Cliffs teeming with seabirds, ghosts of saints and druids, and a church in the sea: the Anglesey Coastal Path is not just a journey round Wales’s largest island, but also into the idea of Wales itself.

Cross a field of cows • It might be the question we get asked more than most. So here’s the best advice for avoiding bovine bother on a walk.

One piece at a time • Don’t think you’re fit enough for a full traverse of the Malvern Hills? We take a walk with a local guide who has hatched a plan to prove you wrong.

TWO WHEELS, TWO FEET, ONE SUMMIT • Scotland’s most easterly Munro is two things: 1) Easy to climb. 2) Far from any road. So if you have an adventurous spirit, there is a perfect way to reach it – and it’s absolutely joyous.

The Great Country Walking CHARITY SHOP CHALLENGE • Can you really kit yourself out in a full outdoors ensemble for £60 or less? Gear tester Evie Nichols believes you can and hits the charity shops of her local high street to prove it.

Evie’s top tips for charity shop success

Warm weather WONDERS • Our testers have loved this kit...