So far we’ve been out four times, to four very different destinations all over the country: the Chiltern Hills, Hampstead Heath, Loch Ordie in Scotland, and most recently the Mendip Hills near Bristol.

Here’s some coverage of last weekend’s walk. Clicking the screenshot below will take you to the Times article.

You can see photos from this day out on my Flickr stream here.

At the moment, there are still two more Times Walks open to sign up for:

a) Sunday July 12th: an expedition to Pistyll Rhaeadr, the highest waterfall in Wales, with myself and Paul Sanders, the Times Picture Editor, and
b) Saturday July 25th: a walk near Aylesford Priory in Kent, with myself and Times correspondent Ruth Gledhill

If you’re interested, visit the sign-up page for Times Walks.

More updates to follow soon. Please keep in touch -

David

Too whipped to do much more than post a couple of snaps from the day. I’ll get around to posting the full photo stream later.

Felipe and Ben in blizzard conditions, standing on the path of the old railway line in Clowes Wood.

More snow squalls ahead. Here we are on the track into Whitstable.

WALK REPORT These are some photos from a trip we took back in February – a visit to Benington Lordship gardens in Hertfordshire. This was at the tail end of winter, with spring imminent. 31 shots. With friends Aleks, Anneli, and Tobi.

1. Goodbye London! Passing through the North London neighborhood of Finsbury Park, on the train up to Hertfordshire.

2. Aleks at Stevenage station. We’re changing trains here to get to the little village of Watton-at-Stone, where today’s walk starts.

3. Anneli and Tobi at the start of our walk. Taken on the bridge over the tracks at Watton station. A violently graphic public safety film (The Finishing Line) warning kids about the dangers of playing on railway lines was shot here in the 70s, starring children from the local primary school.

4. Aleks, Anneli, and Tobi on the country lane that leads into the south end of Watton-at-Stone. The village takes its name from a type of conglomerate rock found locally, called Hertfordshire puddingstone.

5. The 15th-century tower of the church of St Andrew & St Mary, Watton-at-Stone. If you believe the Luton Paranormal Society, this place is haunted by the ghost of a jilted woman who jumped to her death from the parapets. Here are some photos from their recent night-time “investigations“.

6. Anneli in front of the small door to the church’s west tower (for scale). This may be the bellringers’ entrance.

7. Wrought iron finials on the church gates.

8. Outside The Bull on the high street in Watton village, admiring a 1973 Ford Escort mk I Super. This model, with its characteristic “dogbone” grille, was very successful as a rally car.

9. Local headlines on sandwich boards, High Street, Watton-at-Stone. Can you solve the mystery of the mill?

10. We followed the Hertfordshire Chain Walk out of Watton-at-Stone and into the countryside. First signs of spring!

11. Farming equipment: a heavy-duty cultivator parked in a field near Blue Hill Farm. This is what it looks like in action.

12. Anneli’s shoes started to get a bit muddy here.

13. Anneli and Tobi on the hill up to our first pub stop of the day in Hebing End. Thank you, Tobi.

14. Apple buds.

15. Aleks at the Lordship Arms, Hebing End. We stopped for a half here; they do good bitters.

16. En route to lunch in Benington village now. This is Benington Park, with Tobi pretending he actually lives here.

17. Sign on a house near Benington village.

18. We had lunch at The Bell in Benington. This car was parked in an old garage outside. It’s a 1.5L Singer from the mid-1930s.

19. Detail of the Norman folly at Benington Lordship gardens. It was designed by James Pulham, a noted Victorian landscape gardener.

20. Close-up of a willow bud in the gardens.

21. The manor house at Benington Lordship is the centerpiece of the gardens. The veranda makes it feel like something off the set of Gone With the Wind.

22. Spring crocuses at Benington Lordship. I think these are Crocus dalmaticus.

23. Pollarding on trees in the garden.

24. Just a few of the many thousands of snowdrops that crop up here at Benington every February.

25. A Moto Guzzi parked in the grounds of the gardens. The Ferrari of motorcycles.

26. Architect Tobi snapping a pic of the stylish water tower outside Benington.

27. A spot of mud on the path to Walkern village.

28. It’s not even 4pm, but dusk is near. Tobi and Anneli on the tree-lined drive near Box Hall. 45 minutes to go before we hit the pub at the end of our walk.

29. Tobi stops to talk with some friendly cows.

30. On the path near Walkern Hall.

31. The last sign. Taken on the hill down into Walkern village.

If you’d like to try this walk yourself, I’m running it on these dates.

– DW

WALK REPORT This was the second trial of my Tiptree cream tea walk. Still needs work to improve the route. Parts of Kelvedon are pretty, but the section from there to Tiptree lacks interest. Also, it’s a real shame that the old church at Inworth is kept locked – most of the country churches I pass on my other walks are open to the public, but not this one. Thanks to Anne and Cristina for help with trailblazing.

1. Here we are just off the train at Kelvedon, crossing the footbridge over the tracks into town.

2. First stop: the chemists in Kelvedon. Cristina needed to pick up some sun cream – it was that nice out!

3. Eternity, by Jesus Christ. Chee-zee! Propaganda outside the Kelvedon United Reformed Church. Underneath, it reads “It’s for you, it’s for me, it’s for everyone!” Oy veh.

4. And here’s the original. Cristina happened to have some on her.

5. Sign outside a shop on the High Street in Kelvedon. ‘MBHI’ means Mr Papworth is a member of the British Horological Institute.

6. More High Street scenes. This florist had an amazing display out front.

7. Leaving town now, crossing the River Blackwater. This is the old flour mill on the edge of Kelvedon.

8. A rusting farm wagon mired in the mud at Ewell Hall.

9. Which way do we go? Contradictory footpath signs on the way to Inworth.

10. One of the morning’s highlights was finding this pile of rubbish. Like I said, I need to fix the route a bit.

11. Cristina feeding a horse near Windmill Hill outside Tiptree.

12. Coming into Tiptree village we had to thread our way through some sand and gravel pits. Lots of unfriendly signs here …

13. … and here.

14. Mercifully, the Tiptree jam factory wasn’t far away. We stopped here for lunch. This was our peppered mackerel dish.

15. Afterwards, we had a cream tea. It consisted of scones and Tiptree jam …

16. … and a pot of tea, of course.

17. Cristina in the cafe at the Tiptree jam factory.

18. Scenes from our afternoon/evening walk. Spotted this pig weather vane on a house near Tiptree.

19. On the path to Tolleshunt D’Arcy.

20. Power lines at dusk, near Little Totham.

21. A dead tree on the path at Chigborough Lakes.

As you can see, things got kind of dark about now. We made it as far as The Old Ship Inn at Heybridge Basin, then called a cab to take us back to the train home at Chelmsford.

For the next attempt, I will try incorporating more time on the Blackwater Estuary. Here are the dates I’ll be running this walk.

Add a comment!

WALK REPORT Photos from a walk we did on a crisp winter’s day in late January. Destination: Leeds Castle. There were six of us on the train out from London Victoria that morning: Sara, Ross, Liz, Miranda, Joe, and myself. The low sun and crystal clear skies made for some nice photography. 24 pics in this set.

1. Coffee and sunshine on the 9:18 from London Victoria. From left to right, that’s Miranda, Sara, and Liz.

2. Watching the South London scenery slip past from the train window. These are the gasometers at Battersea Park.

3. Off the train now. Our walk starts in the little village of Harrietsham, home to Lenham Sports Cars. This company restores and rebuilds classic British cars.

4. Vintage petrol pumps outside the garage at Lenham Sports Cars.

5. Our morning walk takes us uphill to the Pepperbox Inn at Ulcombe. Here we are crossing a meadow that’s puzzlingly strewn with antique enamel basins.

6. Cantering sheep, in a field near Bell Farm.

7. Miranda and Liz on the path through Runham Wood. Ross discovers an old abandoned toy tractor …

8. … and gives it a test drive!

9. A lone catkin on the edge of Runham Wood. I think the tree it’s growing on is either a common alder (Alnus glutinosa) or common hazel (Corylus avellana).

10. We had a great lunch at the Pepperbox Inn – this was dessert.

11. Afterwards, it’s an easy walk downhill to the castle. Here Sara is leading the way across the fields to Chegworth Court farm.

12. Joey the Arab, at Chegworth Court farm.

13. One of the many stiles on today’s walk.

14. Liz looking intrepid.

15. Close-up of some thistles on the path.

16. Liz, Ross, and Miranda on the way down to the little chapel of St Margaret in Broomfield.

17. Spotted this bumblebee on some flowers in the churchyard. Very unusual to see this in January!

18. Miranda and Liz on the lane out of Broomfield. Leeds Castle a short distance ahead.

19. Leeds Castle seen from the hill above the Great Water. We didn’t go inside today but we did stop to visit the swans.

20. Black swans (Cygnus atratus) on the Great Water at Leeds Castle.

21. We stopped outside the castle for tea and jaffa cakes. Here’s Miranda serving out cups from my thermos.

22. Joe taking in the scene.

23. Conclusion: the swans at Leeds Castle like to eat jaffa cakes. And cameras!

24. Tired and happy on the train ride home.

A big THANK YOU to Sara, Ross, Liz, Miranda and Joe for demonstrating how much fun a winter walk can be!

If you would like to try this walk yourself, see this page for details.

And if you liked the photos, please leave a comment. Many thanks —

David

WALK REPORT These photos give you a good impression of what the Stonehenge and Salisbury walk feels like when attempted in wet conditions. Despite the mud and rain, Lassona and I had a grand day out, and I came home with a new and improved route for this walk. 12 miles, 20 pics:

1. As you can see, not a lot of sun around today.

2. Lassona on the train to Salisbury. We’re eating breakfast baguettes.

3. Stonehenge, where we start our walk. This is one of the outlying standing stones.

4. Uprights and lintels.

5. Stonehenge in miniature.

6. Lassona’s niece specially requested a shot of her jumping over Stonehenge. Eight takes and I still couldn’t get the picture – I think we gave up after this!

7. An earthworm on the path from Stonehenge to Springbottom Farm.

8. Lassona and the horses of Springbottom Farm.

9. Moss on a tree trunk near Lake House.

10. Snowdrops. Photo by Lassona Williams.

11. At Durnford Mill, the path crosses the fast-flowing River Avon.

12. A waterlogged tree next to the mill.

13. This is the lane that leads from the mill up to Great Durnford village. Photo by Lassona Williams.

14. A few minutes later: indoors at the Black Horse pub, Great Durnford. That’s my pint on the mantlepiece – we’re waiting for lunch to arrive.

15. Lassona tried the rump burger with new potatoes.

16. Outside the pub after lunch, Lassona got chatting with this very proper gentleman who had been dining alongside us. Photo by Lassona Williams.

17. Leaving the village behind as we climb onto the ridge that will take us south into Salisbury.

18. Nightfall and we’ve arrived in Salisbury. The Christmas tree is still up.

19. This is what you want at the end of a 12 mile walk in the rain: sticky toffee pudding at the Haunch of Venison pub in Salisbury town.

20. Comparing muddy boots on the train home. Lassona’s designer Wellingtons did a good job!

You can do this walk too. Check here for upcoming dates.

Thanks for reading. If you liked the photos, please leave a comment.

– DW

WALK REPORT Trial run of a walk I’m considering adding to the schedule, to Winkworth Arboretum, although it will probably be better to offer it in autumn, when the fall foliage is out. Route was Godalming – Tuesley – Busbridge Woods – Winkworth. Date: Sunday January 6th. With Ed & Sarah. 17 pics in this set.

1. Sarah and Ed checking the route on the train out to Godalming.

2. Sarah’s Christmas present: new boots!

3. Frost on the grass in the graveyard at the church of St Peter & St Paul, Godalming.

4. First flowers of the year: snowdrops in the churchyard at Godalming.

5. A very crowded graveyard.

6. September 26th, 1881 – the night the lights went on in Godalming.

7. Heading out into the countryside now. Sarah and Ed have just spotted a heron in a tree.

8. A line of beeches on the path near Clock Barn Farm. Photo by Ed Mullett.

9. A field near Clock Barn Farm. These peculiar plastic coverings are known as polytunnels. Here they’re used for growing strawberries. Photo by Ed Mullett.

10. We met this friendly chocolate spaniel on the lane near Clock Barn Farm. Photo by Ed Mullett.

11. On the path into Busbridge Woods. Why so serious? Photo by Ed Mullett.

12. Experimenting with the macro setting on my camera. These are my gloves – it was a chilly day.

13. The logging trail through Busbridge Woods. This was our picnic spot.

14. Moss and lichen on the bark of a tree at Winkworth Arboretum.

15. Dew on leaves at Winkworth Arboretum.

16. A goose feeding at Winkworth Arboretum. I think it’s an Embden.

17. Nightfall and we’re back in Godalming. This is the lane leading up to the railway station.

And that’s it for today!

Thanks for reading,

– DW

1. Ross modeling a tube of Colman’s English mustard. We’re making picnic sandwiches on the train out from London Victoria.

2. Beers at the Golden Galleon pub in Exceat. Because some of us were coming from London and others from Brighton, we arranged to meet in the pub. (Starting a walk with a pint is generally not a good idea.)

3. Setting off. This is Yoshi and Yuka on Exceat Hill. The meandering Cuckmere River is in the background.

4. Just over the hill from Exceat is the tiny village of Westdean. We stopped to visit All Saints church here. Detail from the nativity scene on display.

5. Many of the buildings in this part of Sussex feature decorative flint. This is the exterior wall of the rectory at All Saints, Westdean.

6. Yuka climbing one of the stiles near Friston Place. Muddy! Photo by Yoshi Oshima.

7. Posing for a group shot, on the lane near Friston Place. Clockwise from bottom left: Yuka, Anne, Simon, and Martin.

8. Descending the hill into East Dean village.

9. Outside the Tiger Inn, East Dean, on a damp and chilly afternoon. We ate inside where it was warm. Photo by Yoshi Oshima.

10. Yoshi ordering drinks at the bar. Photo by Yuka Oshima.

11. Tomato soup for lunch in the restaurant upstairs.

12. A steep climb after lunch brings us out to the cliffs. This is the view towards Belle Tout lighthouse from East Dean. Because of cliff erosion, the lighthouse was moved several yards back from the cliff edge in 1999, at great expense.

13. A rare Manx Loaghtan sheep in a meadow outside East Dean. Photo by Yoshi Oshima.

14. Yoshi on the path near Crowlink. Photo by Yuka Oshima.

15. Stone wall on the lane down to Crowlink – Seven Sisters cliffs dead ahead.

16. Cows on the clifftops of the Seven Sisters.

It got dark after this. Gave me the idea of doing night walks on this route, at least when the skies are clear. I bet the stars look fabulous from here.

Thanks to everyone who came along on the first walk of 2008. If you’d like to try this route yourself, check the walk profile page.

DW

The Chilterns are a range of hills that lie a little way to the northwest of London. Cutting through these chalk hills is the Grand Union Canal, which once served as an important connection between London and Birmingham, England’s second largest city. Our route today is a circuit, starting off along the old canal towpath by Tring station, later cutting uphill onto the Chilterns escarpment before dropping down into the sleepy village of Aldbury, then heading back to the station to rejoin the train into London. 30 pics in this set:

1. Frost on a leaf on the Grand Union Canal towpath near Tring station.

2. An official milepost of the Grand Union Canal Company. Braunston is important because it’s the point where the Oxford Canal joins the Grand Union, linking it with the Upper Thames Valley navigation system.

3. Dom’s boot on the frosty towpath.

4. Here we are following the towpath into the little hamlet of Cow Roast – about half a mile ahead.

5. This shrub we found on the canal bank is known as European spindle (Euonymus europaeus). The fruits are poisonous.

6. Bridge over the canal at Newground Road.

7. A boat coming into the lock at Cow Roast.

8. Cowroast Marina. It’s all downhill from here to London – there are 54 locks between this point and Brentford on the River Thames.

9. Close-up of one of the longboats moored at Cow Roast. Perfect name for a country & western singer, I thought. Just around the corner is the Cow Roast Inn, our first pub of the day.

10. The Cow Roast Inn is not your typical traditional English pub, though it looks like one from the outside. Inside, it’s decorated all over with dragons, and turned out to be a Thai restaurant. So we had prawn crackers with our pints of Guinness.

11. After the pub, we made for the village of Aldbury. Met this alpaca on the footpath near Norcott Court Farm.

12. Dale checking out the views across the Bulbourne Valley.

13. David and Dominica on the path up to Tom’s Hill.

14. Close-up of some holly.

15. Autumn foliage on the path into Aldbury.

16. Dropping down into Aldbury village now. Footpath sign on the edge of town.

17. Aldbury village.

18. The only traffic in town was this 1920s-vintage motorcar.

19. Outside the Greyhound Inn, Aldbury. If you’ve seen the director’s cut of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, you may recognize this pub. We had lunch here!

20. Steak and ale pie at the Greyhound.

21. After lunch we went to have a look at St James the Baptist, Aldbury. This church dates to the 13th Century.

22. Inside is a grand tomb dedicated to the Whittingham family. Sir Robert, on the left, was an important local merchant of the 15th Century. Graham is admiring the wild man carved at Sir Robert’s feet, which you can see in detail in shot 24.

23. Sir Robert’s effigy in silhouette.

24. And here is the close-up of the wild man from shot 22. I want to find out what the significance of these figures is. Lady Whittingham has a dog at her feet, for example.

25. This is the Bridgewater Monument which stands on a hill above Aldbury village. It was built in 1832 to commemorate the Duke of Bridgewater, who came up with the masterplan for Britain’s canal network.

26. Graham and David near Moneybury Hill. The sun is getting low in the sky.

27. Curious cattle on the path near Little Stocks Farm.

28. Trouble, an ancient little terrier we met on the path home.

29. Old wagons near Little Stocks Farm.

30. Old man’s beard (Clematis vitalba) on the path at sundown.

Graham, Dom, Dale, and David, thanks a million for coming out on such a lovely day. If you’ve made it this far, please add a comment below!

David

PS You can browse the “News by category” in the right sidebar at the top of this page for more photos from our walks. Or visit these links: other walks • walks calendar

Don’t care to scroll? Click anywhere on the montage to advance down the page. Then just keep going!

We caught an early morning train out from London to Salisbury, then a bus up to Stonehenge. This map shows our route back to Salisbury. The numbers on it correspond to the photos that follow.

1. That’s Rafi (Hamburg, Germany) on the left and Brad (Boston, Massachusetts) on the right. Taken on the train out from London Waterloo, about 9am.

2. Stonehenge, cold and somber when we arrive.

3. The capped vertical stone on the left is all that remains standing of the tallest trilithon. Above ground, it’s 22 feet (6.7m) tall. Below ground, it goes down another eight feet (2.4m).

4. Photo ops: here’s Brad.

5. And here’s Nadine, who’s listening in to the free audio commentary. You may recognize her from an earlier walk.

6. One curious sarsen – the Heelstone – stands apart from the other rocks at Stonehenge. It may have served as a landmark during processional marches along The Avenue, an ancient track which leads up into the heart of the stone circle from a point on the River Avon two miles away.

7. Brad feeding a horse near Springbottom Farm. We’re on our way to lunch now at the Black Horse pub in Great Durnford.

8. Me and some horses at Springbottom Farm. Photo by Brad Hepburn.

9. Giant oaks and autumn leaves on the path above Lake House. The pub is a 15-minute stroll away downhill.

10. Sitting down to lunch at the Black Horse in Great Durnford. Nadine and her pint …

11. Rafi had a bacon cheeseburger.

12. Gargoyle or hunkypunk? Exterior wall detail, Middle Woodford parish church. We’re back on the road after lunch, with just four miles to go until we reach Salisbury.

13. Then it started getting dark. Here’s a particularly spooky stretch of the path just outside Salisbury.

14. Rafi’s backpack. Being from Hamburg, he’s a St Pauli fan.

15. Target in sight! As night falls, we make out the 400-foot spire of Salisbury Cathedral, dead ahead.

16. Finally, we fetch up at the cathedral. Walk complete. Time to hit the pub!

If you’d like to try this route out with us too, email me at david@englishcountrywalks.com for details on upcoming dates, etc.

Questions/comments?