Lake District Conditions Update

Following the floods of November 2009, a few of the accessible routes around the Lake District National Park have suffered water damage, with sections washed away or affected by flood debris.

Although the Lake District National Park Authority are checking all of these areas, be prepared that present surface conditions may not be as good as originally described.

Visiting the Lake District National Park website is best way to find out if you chosen walk is affected.

Cleveland Way National Trail

The Cleveland Way crosses the North York Moors national Park, a diverse landscape of heather moorland, scenic dales and villages.

A warm Yorkshire welcome awaits walkers in this region as the route enjoys the dramatic cliffs of the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Heritage Coast as well as enchanting settlements such as Staithes and Robin Hood’s Bay.

You can stop along the way at the towns of Whitby and Scarborough.

Apart from the scenery, there is an incredible wealth of history not far from the Cleveland Way at the famous Castles and Abbeys, including 7th century Whitby Abbey, Rievaulx Abbey which was England’s first Cistercian church and Scarborough Castle.

Accessible

While some parts of the Cleveland Way are quite strenuous, there are sections without barriers which are accessible to everyone.

A series of four Easy Access walks along the Cleveland Way vary in their level of difficulty.

The Sutton Bank, Ravenscar and Robin Hood’s Bay walks are short ones that may be suitable for people with impaired mobility, with a pushchair, wheelchair or mobility scooter, where there are no kissing gates.

The Baysdale walk is far more challenging. None of the detailed walks have steps or stiles and comprehensive information is provided on the gradients and surfaces to expect.

Download the Cleveland Way easy access walks from the National Trail website.

More information

National Trail Guides – Natural England has worked in partnership with Aurum Press to produce a series of official National Trail Guides which cover all the established National Trails in England and Wales.

National Trail website – National Trails are long distance routes for walking, cycling and horse riding through the finest landscapes in England and Wales.

North Sea Trail – The coastal length of the Cleveland way form part of the North Sea Trail.

NGS Yellow Book

If you want a fairly short walk and enjoy looking at gardens, get hold of a copy of the NGS Yellow Book and find gardens open for charity near you.

Over 3700 National Garden Scheme members open their gardens to the public every year for charity and with health and safety a high priority, many of the gardens are easily accessible, have refreshment facilities and will provide around 3/4 hour of gentle exercise.

Heritage

The National Gardens Scheme was founded in 1927 to raise money for the nurses of the Queen’s Nursing Institute
In 1980 The National Gardens Scheme Charitable Trust was established as an independent charity, with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother as Patron and Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester as President.

Macmillan Cancer Relief joined the list of beneficiary charities in 1984 and in subsequent years other charities joined including; Marie Curie Cancer Care, Help the Hospices and Crossroads Caring for Carers.

Yellow Book

Published annually in February by The National Gardens Scheme (NGS), The Yellow Book has detailed listings of thousands of gardens open for visiting, and is packed with photographs of gardens and informed comment.

No matter where you live or where you travel, you can always find an NGS open garden near you to enjoy.

NGS Website

The online Garden Finder helps you plan garden visits by dates, by location, garden name or by specific garden feature. If you want to visit a garden with something special, for example a garden design by the celebrated Gertrude Jekyll, simply type in the keyword search box – you can even specify county and time of year.

More information

BBC2 Open Gardens – Presented by Carol Klein, takes a look at people developing their gardens with a view to getting into the “Yellow Book”

National Garden Scheme website

Snowdrop walks

February in the UK sees the arrival of the snowdrop to our gardens, parks, woodland margins and quiet country lanes.

Many of the country houses around the country use this time of the year to get a few people through the doors ahead of the official Easter re-opening.

Here are a few open days or places to see snowdrops that we are aware of.

If we have missed any then please get in touch with the details via our contact us form.

Snowdrop open days

Colesbourne Park – Thousands of snowdrops in the gardens

Cambo Estate, Fife. New for 2010 - Snowdrops by Starlight
Enjoy the famous Cambo Snowdrops as never seen before! Walk through the snowdrop woods under a starlit sky in a magical wonderland created by light and sound.

East Lambrook Manor Gardens, South Petherton, Somerset

Lytham Hall in Lancashire

Scottish Snowdrop festival

Stowe Landscape Gardens – Buckinghamshire

Attingham Park – Shropshire

Belton House – Lincolnshire

Painswick Rococo Garden, Gloucestershire

Assorted National Trust properties

Hodsock Priory Gardens, nr Worksop, Nottinghamshire

Easton Walled Gardens, Grantham, Lincolnshire

Welford Park, Berkshire

Shape up for New Year and discover stunning Scottish scenery

To help shape up and work off the Christmas excess, why not take to the saddle and explore Scotland’s spectacular countryside over the New Year?

Sustrans, the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity, has launched a map for a new National Cycle Network route, number 754, to help you discover the stunning, historic scenery between Edinburgh and Glasgow along the Union and Forth and Clyde Canals.

This new colour map is jam-packed with useful information on attractions to visit along the way, including the engineering marvel of the Falkirk Wheel and Muiravonside Country Park, an area rich in historic and wildlife interests.

Crossing over dramatic aqueducts along the line of the Antonine Wall, this new route offers a range of places to eat and drink which are all marked on the map to help you plan those all important refreshment stops.

The ‘Forth and Clyde Cycle Routes Map‘ has been produced by Sustrans in partnership with the Scottish Government and British Waterways Scotland.

Retailing at £6.99, the map is available from the Sustrans website: www.sustrans.org.uk, or by calling the Information Line on 0845 113 00 65.  It is also available from Tourist Information Centres and local book shops.

The routes in the area are peaceful, flat and mainly traffic-free making them ideal for a relaxing afternoon stroll or leisurely cycle.

The definitive map features National Cycle Network routes between Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Cowal Peninsula as well as accommodation suggestions in the area and advice on how to combine cycling and walking with train travel.

Katharine Taylor, Sustrans’ National Cycle Network Development Manager in Scotland, said: “This fantastic new map is an excellent guide to the cycling and walking routes in our area and shows just how easy it is to explore beautiful countryside by bike and on foot.”

Steve Dunlop, Director, British Waterways Scotland, said:  ”As New Year resolutions come around, choosing to cycle Route 754 would be a great challenge to set for 2010.

Step out, or cycle onto, your local canal and stretch yourself from small sections through to the full tour between Edinburgh and Glasgow.Feel the burn whilst at the same time experiencing the fabulous wildlife, scenery and awesome heritage peppered along the canal network which has already attracted 18.3 million visits over the last year.”

The main routes on the ‘Forth and Clyde Cycle Routes Map’ are all part of the National Cycle Network which now runs within one mile of half the UK population.

The routes are free to use and open to everyone, making them a great way for all ages to stay fit and healthy while enjoying a breath of fresh air.

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