The forecast for fresh snow flurries comes from Weather Commerce, a Newzealand weather forecasting group looking to take over the UK’s weather forecast from the Met Office.

Weather Commerce has predicted sleet and snow as well as foggy patches with a high risk of ice in the North and the East as well as temperatures of -3.

You may remember the second wave of snow last February, so now is the time to start dusting off your snow boots and getting ready for another frost, more travel chaos and the usual difficulties bad weather brings to the UK.

So with the country frozen to a standstill once again, I think it’s an excellent time to go for a walk and take in the clear blue skies and cool winter air -so long as it’s not raining of course.

Some people may be simply looking for an escape into the great outdoors where they can meet other walkers and stroll a few miles each day; other people may be looking for challenging treks up rugged mountainsides. So it’s important first to establish what kind of walking holiday you want. Here are some questions you may want to ask when choosing a walking holiday:

Where do I want to walk – countryside, near the sea, urban, a mixture of all?
What would I like to see and do? There are specialist walking holidays for bird watching, photography, literature, etc.
How difficult or strenuous will the walks be?
How many miles/hours a day will I have to walk?
Will my level of fitness be adequate for this particular walk?
Will I go with family or friends or do I want to meet new people and arrange a walking holiday with a specialist company?
What accommodation/meals are provided? Some trips take you back to base
each evening, whilst others stay at different places each night.
Will the walking holiday provider take care of all the organisation for me?

Some companies specialising in walking holidays ‘grade’ their walks into categories of ‘degrees of difficulty’, taking into account:

As you can see, there are quite a few considerations to be made before committing yourself to a walking holiday. But once you make that choice and you are on your way, there is nothing like ‘chilling out’ in the great outdoors, away from the ‘getting and the spending’ as the poet Wordsworth called it.

The Right Shoes

The following tips will help you buy the right shoes for your walking holiday:

· Try them on late in the day – your feet tend to swell as the day wears on
· Wear socks similar to those you will be walking in – perhaps you like wearing thicker socks
· Do they feel flexible – do they support your weight?
· Is there enough space in the toe-box for you to wiggle your toes? When you push off, your
toes will want to expand and spread
· Is the heel firm enough? It should be firm but not rigid
· Walk around the shop. If they are not comfortable, don’t buy them. Don’t fall for sales talk
that they will wear in and expand – they probably won’t.

The Right Socks

To get the best out of your walking holiday, it is essential to kit yourself out with socks that not only protect the feet from injury, but disperse or ‘wick away’ perspiration which would otherwise eat into the lining of your shoes. Since each foot can sweat as much as a cup of perspiration a day, shoes can be easily damaged and they can become uncomfortable, causing corns and blisters. The best socks are those which provide cushioning and which draw perspiration away from your feet leaving them dry and cool – blends of synthetics with cotton or all-synthetic socks such as orlon, polypropylene and stretch nylon, or a mixture of these. Change your socks every day and, on long walks, if your feet perspire a lot, change your socks whenever they get wet. Consider socks that are padded in high-impact areas like the heel and toe and others with additional cushioning on the sole and top of the sock. You really will be ‘walking on air’.

The Right Clothing

After choosing suitable shoes and socks for your walking holiday, the next thing is to consider the type of clothing you are planning to wear – and that depends on the weather:

Hot weather. During hot weather, wear light-coloured clothes to reflect the heat and light. Although cotton is comfortable, when you sweat it gets wet, and tends to stay wet. So go for synthetic fibres, such as polypropylene, that wick moisture away from the skin and dry quickly. If you’re walking in the sun it’s an idea to wear a brimmed hat.

Cold weather. We’d certainly recommend picking up some North Face clothing from Blacks on-line. On cold days, the trick is to make sure your extremities are kept warm. Cover your head and neck, and wear gloves. And wear several light layers of clothing that you can add or remove while you walk. Start with an inner layer of synthetic wicking materials (such as the ones used in hot weather). Then follow with an insulating layer such as wool or a lightweight fleece material, with a zipper to warm up or cool down during your walk. Your outer layer should be water resistant and a wind stopper. Never let the rain put you off. Water-resistant fabrics such as Gore-Tex or Sympatex are light, they breathe, and they work. They may not be cheap, but they are a good investment for walking holidays in inclement weather.

Walking abroad in a foreign country is always an experience to savour because it’s so wonderfully different from our usual surroundings. But for something a little more thrilling than a walk through French villages and vineyards, what about an adventure to the wilds of Australia or Africa?

We’ve talked about village walks in the Lake District at walking.org before, but never really touched on foreign travel. Going abroad has always been a popular pastime for us Brits, usually because we’re fed up with the bad weather or seeking some escapism from our daily lives.

So in the vein of getting away from it all and going wild, we have our eye on Afreco Tours who specialise in wildlife adventures and training courses in Australia and South Africa. The great thing about these kind of beaks is the on the trail training where you get to not only take in the stunning scenery and wildlife while getting a good walk, but you have the opportunity develop new skills and utilise your existing outdoor abilities.

“Our educational Australian wilderness adventures are for those looking for a true authentic outback experience. We cater for the traveller who has an interest in the outdoors, nature, wildlife and conservation and of course the environment; as well as Australia’s aboriginal cultural history.”

Sounds like the perfect walking holiday for any outdoor enthusiast doesn’t it?

Afreco Tours Australia is based in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory of the Australian continent. Their most popular is the safari guide training courses training people to be guides out in the bush.

Afreco Tours Africa specialises in Safari Ranger Training and Wildlife Courses & Experiences in Africa. Trips are from 4 days to 1 year in length catering for people looking for an authentic African Bush experience,

It had taken months of planning to get us all here with a plethora of equipment, clothing and snacks as well as arriving on time. We had 4 walkers, 2 drivers, 2 cars and 3 peaks to conquer and it would be an experience none of us would ever forget.

Thankfully, I was just turning up to take part. Matt Wintrip had taken on the arduous task of rounding up people just as enthusiastic as he was to trudge over 25 miles of footpaths and mountain trails.

The idea to walk all three of the highest peaks in the United Kingdom was inspired by Matt reading the auto biography of British adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. In hindsight I suppose we should be grateful that Matt didn’t make us all march off to the North Pole.

He also found two drivers who would drive us the 450 miles between the bases of all three peaks. Meanwhile, it was up to the walkers to organise their own clothing and equipment for the climb. We were all giving a very specific shopping list and left to it.

For the uninitiated, the Three Peaks Challenge is a tour of the three peaks, the three highest points in the UK, which consist of Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in the Lake District and Snowdon in Wales. The aim of the challenge is to drive up to each peak, walk up it and have a quick celebration at the top before walking back down. You then get back in the car and drive to the next one, repeating the process until all three peaks have been conquered –and all in 24 hours.

Doing the whole thing in 24 hours is the hardest part. When you’re driving 450 miles and walking over 25 miles of steep mountain trails without any sleep, it’s very hard going.

As soon as we arrived at Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis in Scotland, all of our equipment had to be checked before we would be allowed to climb. Every time we arrived at a new peak to climb, our equipment was checked again. And if you didn’t have the full list of kit, they wouldn’t let you walk.

The first thing on the marshals’ check lists were always a tough pair of walking boots with good ankle support. We’re talking proper hardcore hiking boots. Any regular pair of outdoor shoes would not be up to the task of walking 25 miles.

Also on the check list was waterproof trousers and a waterproof (preferably Gore-Tex) jacket, moisture wicking base layers, gloves, back packs, head torches, first aid kit with Compeed and a pair of strong walking poles. You name it, we had to take it.

After a thorough equipment check we were on our way. Matt had prepared all manner of maps and means of navigation, but finding the path wasn’t so hard as we have been led to believe. There were marshals everywhere, pointing to the next bay station.

It was only later when we were finding our way through thick mist and pitch darkness that the head torches and maps really came in handy. Even then there were marshals up on the mountain.

When I started the challenge at the foot of Ben Nevis, I felt an overwhelming sense of space as if I could just leap up into the sky. It was incredibly exhilarating at first, but as time went on, the trek got harder and we call got gradually more tired, my focus was to simply keep walking. But one we got to the top we were treated to stunning views of misty mountains as we stood on a clear patch of ground which seemed to float above the clouds. It was a real life experience that I will never forget.

Celebrating that we’d got to the top we broke out the hip flasks to keep us warm, took out the cameras for some photos and then began our descent back down Ben Nevis.

Tired, we arrived back at the base of Ben Nevis where our drivers had prepared some super noodles and a mug of coffee for us. Due to the lack of time, we had to load up the car with our equipment before piling in, sipping coffee and eating our super noodles out of a mug on the way as we drove towards Scafell Pike in the Lake District.

It was 5am when we arrived at Scafell Pike. We strapped on our head torches to navigate through the darkenss and began our ascent up England’s largest mountain peak.

The sun rose over the mountains as we climbed. At 10am we reached the top and fuelled ourselves with another quick pick me up from the hip flasks at the top before munching on Mars bars as we spent another 5 hours walking back down. We threw our kit into the boot and got straight in the car, eating crisps, chocolate and whatever else we could find as the drivers took us to Snowdon. By this point we were all very tired and fell asleep during the journey.

A cold blast of air woke everyone up as the car doors opened, announcing that it was time to get up, get our kit and start walking up Snowdon in Wales. During the ascent is when we all feel the blisters we’ve been rubbing inside our hiking shoes and when the feeling becomes quite numb, it’s testament to just how physically and mentally tired we all are.

I can’t even remember climbing up and walking back down Snowdon. I was half asleep and just kept my feet moving. I do remember being at the top and feeling a strange sense of celebration with everyone. It gave me the extra surge of energy I needed to make it back down, by knowing that it was the third and final peak and that home, sleep and a nice warm bed were only a few hours away.

We came back down the mountain to more hot food and a celebratory beer and recounted our adventure before packing everything back into the car and falling asleep as our drivers drove us home.

The Three Peaks Challenge was a real life experience. Looking back it was brilliant, but also extremely tiring. The best part was being together with a great bunch of people who are sharing the task with you. Because there’s lots of you working towards the same goal, you get this wonderful sense of comradery and so when you experience success by completing the challenge you get an enormous sense of satisfaction and achievement. Perhaps the achievement is made even better by a slight sense of euphoria due to being so physically and mentally drained by exhaustion and lack of sleep.

So if you are thinking about taking part in the Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for charity or for your own personal goals, I can wholeheartedly recommend the experience. But just remember that it will take a lot of planning, dedication and lots of high protein foods to keep you going.

The Yorkshire Dales offer idyllic landscape with lush green valleys criss-crossed by dry-stone walls. There are numerous picturesque villages and hamlets, often with little more than a pub and a handful of cottages and maybe a post office. Old farmhouses and stone barns can be seen on the sides of the valleys. Beautiful moorlands rise above the Dales often at 600m (2000 ft) or higher. This tour includes the whole of the popular long distance path, the Dales Way, running across the Yorkshire Dales National Park and on to the shores of Lake Windermere in the Lake District National Park.

The Dales Way is essentially a valley walk, crossing some of the best-loved landscapes in England. Surrounded by these amazing views, you can understand the long-held opinion of Yorkshire folk that there is absolutely nothing to compare with Yorkshire scenery. The small villages and farms of the Yorkshire Dales, with their dry-stone walls and outlying stone barns, are thought by many to be incomparable. Some go as far as saying if you walk nowhere else in England, walk here!

The Dales Way begins from the small attractive town of Ilkley, overlooked by Ilkley Moor and near where the River Wharfe emerges from Wharfedale. The route follows the river past the medieval ruins of Bolton Abbey and along the Strid ravine. You then pass through several pretty villages – Burnsall, Grassington, Kettlewell and Buckden. Climbing over wild open moorland you reach the highest point of the route at Cam Fell, at 518m (1647 ft).

You will find Dentdale to be quieter and more remote than Wharfedale. The walk passes through the lovely village of Dent with its cobbled streets then onto Sedbergh, a market town nestled under the steep slopes of the Howgill Fells. During the last two days of the tour, you walk through delightful landscapes with small sheep farms before the land becomes more rugged and you are met by the stunning scenery of the Lake District.

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The long distance trail known as The Great Glen Way was established in April 2002. It begins in Fort William, crosses the Highlands and finishes in Inverness. In the course of this trail you pass by the foot of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain, and follow the shores of one of Scotland’s most famous lakes, Loch Ness. Finally you reach the northernmost city in Scotland, Inverness, often known as the capital of the Highlands. The castles and forts dotted along the way are witness to this country’s turbulent past, from the Iron Age to the Jacobite Rebellion led by Bonnie Prince Charlie who was eventually defeated at the Battle of Culloden.

From Fort William the route follows the riverside and the Caledonian Canal with this part of the walk offering stunning views of Ben Nevis. From Gairlochy you walk first along Loch Lochy and then Loch Oich through beautiful woodland which is mainly ash, birch, elm and hazel. At this point the route offers fairly easy walking with two short steep ascents. The gentle descent from Aberchalder is perhaps the most secluded stretch of canal, passing the lovely Kytra Loch then through splendid mixed forest to Fort Augustus. On leaving this town there is a steep climb and when you reach the top of the hill there are good views back over Fort Augustus with its loch and abbey.

The Great Glen Way now goes along the shoreline of Loch Ness. It then follows steeply undulating forest tracks, at times high above the loch with beautiful views and at times descending almost to the road. The route then goes round Urquhart Bay, a flatter marshy area of alder woodlands around two river estuaries. En route you have excellent views of the 13th century Urquhart Castle. There is a short taxi transfer from Drumnadrochit, rejoining the path near Loch Laide. The last section of the walk towards Inverness is very varied with farmland, high moorlands and woodland.

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The Old Brewery is a charming property that will ensure a pleasant stay. A stones throw from the River Swale, at the foot of the castle hill, and just a few minutes walk from the cobbled market place, the house retains its old world charm, is tastefully decorated and offers every modern comfort. Each guest room enjoys attractive views and has a private bathroom or shower room. Guests also have the use of communal sitting room with an open fire. Guests are also free to relax in the peaceful secluded patio garden.

Founded by the Normans in 1071 Richmond, The town grew up around the castle built on the ‘riche-mont’ or ‘strong-hill’ that gave the town its name and whose massive keep dominates. The Georgian era was one of great prosperity, when many fine buildings were constructed. Many of the houses built at that time surround the cobbled market place, said to be one of the largest in England, with the Church of the Holy Trinity rising from its centre. Richmond is a town of unique character with shops and markets, many pubs, and restaurants, and its proximity to the most stunning scenery of the Yorkshire Dales and Swale valley, make it one of the most rewarding places to visit.

Richmond is above all a great centre for walkers and cyclists. Apart from its location on the renowned Coast to Coast trail it offers a wealth of attractive walks through some of the most beautiful countryside in the Britain. We invite you to enjoy, on peaceful trails and quiet country lanes, a choice of 20 selected walks and cycle rides that explore sleepy villages and charming market towns, more historic sites and castles than you can shake a stick at, and truly magnificent landscapes with stunning views. You can be as energetic as you wish to be.

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The Roman Emperor Hadrian ordered a great wall to be built in 122 AD. It was ‘to separate the Romans from the Barbarians’ and it was built across the narrowest point of northern Britain, between the Solway Firth in the west and the North Sea in the east. It was extended with stone defences following the natural ridge lines, with a deep ditch known as The Vallum alongside it. Later, much of the stonework was mortared enabling it to survive for centuries, becoming one of the oldest structures in the country today. The path for walking that traces its line is however the most recent National Trail, opened in the spring of 2003. You too can feel like a Legionary as you walk its 82 mile (133 km) length.

It is a tremendous walk with a huge variety of scenery. Walking from east to west, there are the modern cityscapes of Newcastle upon Tyne, ending with the red sandstone of medieval Carlisle – from the blustery heights of Highshields Crags in the Northumberland National Park to the lime green pastoral scenes of the Eden valley. Starting at little more than a grassy bank, it moves into stone and rollercoasters over crag tops and down into examples of impressive Roman forts, such as Housesteads.

After visiting the excavated fort at Segedunum, you set off along the River Tyne and under the Tyne Bridge, walking on the line of the wall for the first time at Heddon on the Wall. You then continue beside the road, past milecastles and the Roman forts at Vindobala, Onvvm and Chesters at Chollerford with its impressive bath house and remains of a Roman bridge. Moving into the Northumberland National Park, you pass the temple at Mithraeum before leaving the road and heading up onto Sewingshields Crags where you have great views over Broomlee Lough to Housesteads Fort, with its Roman latrines. You continue via Steel Rigg before dropping down to the remains of the 14th century Thirlwall Castle and past the Romano-Victorian Birdoswald fort. The landscape becomes gentler as you walk down into the lovely Eden Valley and on to Carlisle. This town, with both Roman and medieval features, has a rather chequered border history. Usually you have two nights here as the final flattish walk to Bowness on Solway you do in reverse by taking the morning bus and walking back into Carlisle, allowing plenty of time to look around the town.

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As you walk the Offa’s Dyke path, you are walking through history, following the course of an ancient earthwork believed to date from the late 8th century. This path is 117 miles (190 km) in length, going from Chepstow on the Severn Estuary and heading north to Prestatyn on the north Wales coast. The walk offers amazing scenery and a variety of terrain, with the remote and sparsely populated countryside affording a wide range of plants, animals, birds and butterflies.

Offa’s Dyke takes its name from King Offa who ruled the English kingdom of Mercia from 757 to 796 and to whom its construction is attributed. Its earthwork is defensive and is of immense proportions, criss-crossing the modern border between England and Wales. The route is lined with abbeys and castles, some dating from shortly after the Norman conquest of 1066.

The walk begins in the town of Chepstow, whose castle dating from 1067 is open throughout the year. Just outside Chepstow the path starts to follow an almost unbroken section of the dyke for the 81 miles of the 6 day walk. Along the way you see some of the most stunning scenery of the border country. Castles, walled towns and remains of fortifications are spectacular and of great historical interest. This part of the path oozes history – the ruins of Tintern Abbey that was founded in 1131 by Cistercian monks, White Castle with its water filled moat, Monmouth with its 13th century gatehouse, and the churches of St Teilo at Llantilio Crossenny and St Cadoc’s at Llangattocklingoed. At Longtown you see Longtown Castle, one of the oldest circular keeps in Britain.

The final day’s walking is indisputably the best, following the dyke as you cross unspoilt border country to the market town of Knighton which is home of the Offa’s Dyke Association and the exhibition about King Offa and the dyke.

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