LETTER OF THE MONTH
Inspiration from the magazine and the Walk1000Miles group led to a glorious few days in North Wales. I’d wanted to visit Conwy and a friend in Llandudno, so with accommodation I dug the Country Walking routes out. A perfect stop on the way was Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (April 22) and onto Aber Falls, a pretty 30-minute walk with newborn lambs skipping around. We were staying in Penmaenmawr so the walk from there to Conwy (January 22) provided a fabulous route with views, and we got the bus back. A letter in the January 24 magazine with a photo of the Llanddwyn Island lighthouse in Anglesey led me to squeeze this into our short trip – it looked like a good sunset walk and it was stunning. A post about Llandudno led to some helpful tips on parking, and after getting the old tram up and walking down the Great Orme, the advice was to walk through the Haulfre Gardens which provided great views (and many benches!). There are still six more walks in the area left in my folder for another time. The Country Walking community is full of great ideas from all angles!
Lost in good book
How wonderful it is to find new tracks or pathways when out walking. To discover new routes and scenery is one of life’s simple pleasures. Discovering new literary pathways can be equally rewarding. Lockdown provided the opportunity to explore our local area and beyond, and so I discovered nature writing. From reading Roger Deacon’s Waterlog, I found my way to Edward Thomas, WM Hudson, then Tristan Gooley, Robert Macfarlane and so on. The Edward Thomas Way near Petersfield is well worth a visit. The book In Praise of Walking by Shane O’Mara is my most recent find (in a charity shop). Not that CW readers need encouraging to walk, but this book delves into the psychology and evolution behind our ability to move around on two legs and the positive effect it has on mind and body. I was prompted to write after reading about Richard Jefferies in the Spring issue. I’ll be looking for his works now, and adding a visit to the museum in Marlborough to my to-do list.
A BERGHAUS WATERPROOF JACKET FOR JUDITH!
The letter of the month wins a Berghaus waterproof jacket worth (£225). The Cornice (men’s) and Glissade (women’s) jackets have been firm favourites with walkers for decades, are superb quality and always score highly in Country Walking gear tests. www.berghaus.com
One to watch
Just a quick line to recommend the YouTube channel of the Cool Dudes Walking Club, and it’s presenter Marek Larwood. Marek is an actor and stand up, and has done lots of walks on his native Isle of Wight and in southern England, also venturing into London and Wales, not to mention East Anglia. His presentation is often irreverent and wryly comical, and h
