□ Distance: 9½ miles/15.2km □ Time: 5 hours ...

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE’S Hambleden Valley is one of England’s true hidden gems. Bypassed by through traffic, it is a lovely spot to explore on foot or bicycle if you keep to the path beside the Hamble Brook.

Half a century after its inception, the Coast to Coast path becomes a National Trail this spring, opening up the wild landscapes and historic villages of Northern England to a new generation of hikers

6 20.6km / 12.8 miles / 7-7.5 hours Ascent 1122m/3680ft

We arrive at the top of High Cup Nick in the North Pennines. “It’s like the world starts just over there,” comments my friend Mark. He’s pointing down the U-shaped chasm of High Cup Gill, beyond whose

(Photograph taken in 1888) As a family, we first stayed at Rothay Manor in Ambleside in 1953 and it was then that I had my first experiences in fell walking, trout fishing and negotiating the nearby s