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.

If we had to choose our “special place”, Andy and I would always choose Exmoor National Park. It’s a place we often escape to. Straddling the Somerset/Devon border, Exmoor’s coastline is littered with

5 15.6 km / 9.7 miles / 6 hours Ascent 1080m/3543ft

AS hotel names go, this one’s a little unusual. Across Church Street, where I’m standing in the Welsh Border town of Chirk, is the Hand Hotel. Parts of it date back to 1610, during the reign of James

We love the Yorkshire Dales, but in summer it can get quite crowded, with walkers off on adventures up the peaks and the less energetic strolling around the picturesque market towns and villages. In a

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