04 gloucestershire fairford

The nearest station is Manningtree, on the Great Eastern Main Line, which is around 1 hour 15 minutes from London Liverpool Street and is also reachable from Colchester and Ipswich. If coming by car,

Roger Butler peers over steep slopes on a roller coaster along Offa’s Dyke

■ Distance: 6½ miles/10.6km ■ Time: 2½ hours ■ Grade: Moderate

■ Distance: 5½ miles/8.8km ■ Time: 3 hours ■ Grade: Moderate

Walk through three counties visiting Cheshire’s Matterhorn, Derbyshire’s ancient bridge and Staffordshire’s secret church all in one Peak District hike.

■ Distance: 6½ miles/10.5km ■ Time: 2½ hours ■ Grade: Moderate