Walking The Herriot Way
The Herriot Way is for a little known, but utterly brilliant, four day walk in the Yorkshire Dales. It is perhaps the best short long distance path in the UK, being perfect for the first time multi-day walker and great as a leg stretcher for those of us who love our long walks. The route is based on a walk described by James Herriot, taken with his son, visiting the villages of Aysgarth, Hawes, Keld and Grinton. It was an area he knew well from his work as the most famous Yorkshire vet, and visits England’s highest waterfall, the beauty of Wensleydale, the summit of Great Shunner Fell, the impressive Bolton Castle and the high heather moorland above Swaledale.
You can buy the guide book from here: Walking The Herriot Way
The Tributaries Walk
As its name suggests, the 95 mile, 7 day, Tributaries Walk is focussed on the rivers, becks and gills that flow through the valleys of the Yorkshire Dales. Beginning in Ingleton, the trail explores beautiful valleys and the high heather-clad moors that separate them. Visiting as many ‘dales’ as possible, the route meanders; picking out waterfalls, hidden caves, rocky escarpments and old packhorse bridges. The guide book encourages interaction and includes a quiz to help walkers get the most out of their visit, with a final map challenge to test the grey matter.
You can buy the guide book from here: The Tributaries Walk
The Swale Way
Part 1 of the Rivers Trilogy. The 80 mile, 6 day, Swale Way follows the length of the River Swale in North Yorkshire from its confluence with the River Ure near Boroughbridge to its source at the head of Swaledale, where Birkdale Beck and Great Sleddale Beck meet, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is a walk of contrasts – along the way it passes through the historic market towns of Boroughbridge, Thirsk and Richmond with their numerous tourist attractions; it passes famous battle sites and historic parkland; through lush meadows and dramatic gorges and travels the length of Swaledale, considered by many to be the most beautiful of all the Yorkshire Dales
You can buy the guide book from here: The Swale Way
The Yoredale Way
Part 2 of the Rivers Trilogy. The 73 mile, 6 day, Yoredale Way follows the length of the River Ure in North Yorkshire from its source on the high fells in the Yorkshire Dales National Park above Kirkby Stephen, to Boroughbridge. For the majority of the Way, we are never far from the Ure as it winds though woodland and beside wide pastures, quaint villages and the parks of stately homes, and the splendour of Wensleydale. An option is provided to climb out of the valley to the site of the old signal beacon on Penhill, and look down onto the twisting Ure below. The walk can be combined with the Swale Way to make a fantastic 12 day circular walk.
You can buy the guide book from here: The Yoredale Way
The Eden Way
Part 3 of the Rivers Trilogy. The Eden Way is an 83-mile long distance walk the follows the River Eden, from sea to source. The route runs through the beautiful Eden valley, using shady riverside paths, quiet woodland and lush green meadows. It visits Norman castles, follows in the footsteps of the Roman legions and explores the legacy of notable Westmorland characters such as Lady Anne Clifford and William Mounsey. The close proximity of the Settle-Carlisle line makes for easy access to side trips and accommodation.
You can buy the guide book from here: The Eden Way
The Pennine Way
In 2013 I was approach by Trailblazer Guides to see if I would like to update their Pennine Way guide book. I regarded this as a singular honour and readily accepted the project. The update involved checking all the information in the book, adding new service providers, walking the whole route, checking the maps are correct and making additions and changes where required.
I blogged about my progress as I worked my way through the project and walked the various sections, you can find them here.
You can buy a copy of this book on Amazon, using this link.