Country Walking

Country Walking Magazine shows you the best of British walks: the biggest views, the hidden gems, the sea cliffs and the mountain summits. All our features come complete with superb writing, inspiring photography and step-by-step instructions so you can follow every footpath yourself. In every issue, you’ll find: - In-depth stories of amazing walks - A booklet of 25 pull-out walks every issue - with OS maps! - Information about hotels, pubs, cafes, tearooms. - Clear, jargon-free tests of walking kit And... every issue our readers tell their walking stories, help us devise new walks and shape the places we go to. If you love walking, this is the magazine for you.

Welcome

IN THE ISSUE…

Boxing mad

5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS MONTH

Potted history of Great Gable

'Getting lost isn't always a bad thing. We should try it more often.' • Walks in a Wiltshire forest prompted vicar Colin Heber-Percy to start asking some big questions about who we are. Has he found the answers yet?

BALA • With Wales’ largest lake on its doorstep and thrilling summits just a short hop away, Bala is the perfect base for sampling Snowdonia’s less-trodden eastern hills and valleys.

'89 years, 30,000 miles… and I can still climb a stile!' • Meet the nearly-nonagenarian who’s kept a perfect record of every mile he’s ever walked since 1975…

MILES MORE FUN! • Tackle our quests to boost the foolish fun factor in your miles – and get your hands on our special golden badger!*

Going for gold! • Spice up your miles with one of our quests this month, post the result in the Facebook group and our favourite 20 completers will win a Golden Badge! You have until 6 March for this crop.

Your View

Views in brief

Family roots

Where's Kes? • Every month our favourite spaniel Kes goes walkies somewhere in the issue, and we want him back! Can you help find Kes?

Tea break

PRIZE CROSSWORD

Stuart Maconie • Steps and mud and sausage rolls: some thoughts from my first visit to ‘the Glastonbury of Hillwalking’…

Prof John Tregoning • I tested out hundreds of ways to live longer and feel happier. Walking, I am delighted to tell you, beats pretty much all of them.

THE RING OF FIRE • Think Britain has always been a green and pleasant land? Hidden in plain sight across our islands are remnants of a time when it was deadlier than we dare imagine.

FIVE MORE MIGHTY VOLCANOES… • Britain has scores of extinct mountains of fire. Many of our islands exist because of them. Here are five spots with clues to this volatile past.

WOULD YOU LIKE ICE WITH THAT? • Ice is as much an architect of this nation as fire – and nowhere proves that like High Cup Nick.

THE POWER OF ICE • Five more astonishing landscapes where the iceman cameth.

ON THE OLD ROADS • Walkers tend to avoid tarmac, but hiking Britain’s hard yards can reveal a fascinating story. Like here, for instance…

LOVE is in the air • The (foot)path to true love ne’er did run smooth -as these pulse-quickening tales prove.

Country Walking

A very big house in the country • Riots, revolvers and a view from Kent to Snowdon: take a walk in the park to discover the fantastical history of Knole.

3 MORE GRAND DESIGNS

18-30 LITRE RUCKSACKS • Expert advice on the kit that makes a difference

Stride and seek • NE England’s best kept secret | Cumbria’s best preserved monastery | A village that has starred in Downton Abbey and Harry Potter and lots more…

OUR ROUTES YOUR WALKS • Tackled one of the routes published in Country Walking? Send us a picture and a few words on your experience: you could win a fantastic prize from Ordnance Survey!

Footnotes...