A series of useful leaflets has been produced by golakes to feature some great walks in the Cumbrian Lake District.

The Lake District offers walks for all abilities from the challenging Coast to Coast walk to some beautiful short walking routes which are perfect for

Golakes On Foot walks leaflet series

relaxing walking holidays

Voted time and again the walker’s favourite UK destination, the Lake District is a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts.

Although a relatively small area, the Lake District contains a huge variety of opportunities for walkers.

Maybe you want to experience the classic lake, valley or ridge walks made famous through countless articles and guidebooks? Most are easily accessed from the major Lakes tourist centres via regular public transport services, and many low-level routes are suitable for wheelchairs or buggies.

The golakes “On foot” series is a range of A6 pocket size leaflets which tell you about the area and fold out to A3 size to reveal the relevant walks on a map.
The leaflets also contain lots of other useful information such as local public transport details.

Clicking on each area covered will take you to a more detailed page about the walk complete with downloadable PDF leaflet.

Smartwool Routes – A set of walking guides sponsored by Smartwool.
Each guide contains two walks designed to give both new and seasoned explorers inspiration to get out and discover more of this fantastic landscape.
Areas covered are; Ambleside, Keswick, Staveley and Kentmere.

Sprayway Family Walks – A series of walking routes perfect for families is sponsored by Sprayway.
Starting from classic destinations throughout the county there is a shorter route for little ones and a longer one for the more adventurous, so the whole family can get out and enjoy the best of the Adventure Capital.
Coniston, Buttermere, Patterdale, Borrowdale , Eskdale and Rydal areas are featured in this set.

Jennings Ale Trails – Long Distance walks sponsored by Jennings Brewery, explore some great days out in the Lake District and Cumbria. With routes to suit all abilities, you will be sure to take in some great scenery, good food and real ale.
Explore more series focuses on; Cockermouth, Wasdale and Eskdale, Keswick and Elterwater

Polartec Routes – With routes to suit all abilities sponsored by Polartec, you will be sure to take in some great scenery in and around;
Ambelside, Coniston, Keswick

Full Adventure capital series

Golakes have produced a range of activity leaflets in this series;
“Pedal or paddle, hike or climb.  Challenge your competitive spirit or just get out there and enjoy”.
On foot – for walkers and hikers
On wheels – For cyclists
On course – For runners
On water – For canoeists etc
On ropes – Mountaineering

For more information, visit the golakes website.

The countryside is a great place to take your dog for a walk and the North York Moors is a fantastic place to explore and experience.

Please take care if you go walking in the nesting season April – end of July.

Dogs are naturally inquisitive and may mean no harm, but ground-nesting birds are easily scared and will fly away until the perceived threat has passed. This risks their eggs getting cold and not hatching or leaves the eggs or young at risk from predators. Also, a loose dog can frighten pregnant ewes and cause them to abort their lambs

Here are a few walks available in the area

Dog walking can be great exercise and a fantastic way to get some fresh air

Countryside Dog Walks

• Lingmoor from Hutton-le-Hole – 3.5 mile/5.6 km
  A 3.5 mile (5.6km) walk over farmland – mostly gentle gradients, but with a short steep descent back to Hutton-le-Hole.
• Blansby Park from Pickering – 5 mile/8 km
• Scotch Corner from Sutton Bank – 5 mile/8 km
  A 5 mile (8km) walk over tracks and quiet lanes.
• Kilburn Woods from Sutton Bank – 6 mile/9.6 km
  A 6 mile (9.6 km) walk through mixed woodland.
• Sand Dale and Ellerburn from Thornton le Dale – 6 mile/10 km
• Nettle Dale and the Hambleton Hills from Sutton Bank – 9 mile/14.5 km
  A 9 mile (14.5km) walk over farmland and quiet lanes, finishing on a path along a scarp edge – with spectacular views.

Coastal Dog Walks

These walks are based on the spectacular Heritage Coast of the North York Moors National Park.

The walks include sections on cliff tops – some of the cliff may be unfenced, and you are advised to keep your dog on a short lead for safety on these sections – for further details see the ‘walk facts for dog owners’ information for each walk.

• Boggle Hole from Robin Hood’s Bay – 2.5 mile/4 km
  A 2.5 mile (4km) walk along either the cliff top path or the beach and returning via a disused railway line.
• Staithes and Port Mulgrave – 3.8 miles/6.2 km
• Cloughton to Crook Ness – 4 mile/6.75 km
• Ravenscar and Common Cliff – 4.2 miles/6.8 km
• Cloughton and Hayburn Wyke – 4.5 mile/7.6 km
• Maw Wyke from Robin Hood’s Bay – 6 mile/9.6 km
  A 6 mile (9.6km) walk along the cliff top path and returning via a disused railway line.

Walks With Dogs in Forestry Commission Woods

Forestry Commission woods are a great place for you and your dog to explore. You can let your dog off the lead – but always make sure he is under control.

Forestry Commission woods are great to visit any time of year, but you can help protect rare moorland birds by choosing a walk in the forests especially from March to July when ground nesting birds are breeding on the moors.

There are over 55 square miles (144km²) of Forestry Commission woodland in the National Park where dogs are welcome. This includes the forests at Dalby, Langdale, Cropton, Boltby and Silton. As well as public rights of way, these forests have many other good tracks and paths which you are welcome to explore with your dog.

• May Beck and Falling Foss – 2 miles/3.1 km
  A 3.1 km (2 miles) walk through mixed woodland to see the spectacular Falling Foss waterfall. There are some uphill/downhill sections, although the gradients are generally easy to moderate. Most of the walk is on woodland paths which are occasionally uneven and stony and may be muddy or wet.
• Dalby Forest/Bickley Gate: Deep Dale – 2 miles/3.3 km or 4.8 miles/7.8 km
  A walk through conifer plantations and mixed woodland. The main route is 3.3 km (2 miles) and there is an optional extra loop to extend the walk to 7.8 km (4.8 miles).
• May Beck and Newton House Plantation – 2.5 miles/4 km
  A 4 km (2.5 miles) walk through conifer plantation and mixed woodland. There are some uphill/downhill sections, although the gradients are relatively easy to moderate.
• Clay Bank and Greenhow Plantation – 3 miles/5 km
• Dalby Forest/Bickley Gate: Jerry Noddle – 3.5 miles/5.7 km
  A 5.7 km (3.5 mile) walk through conifer plantations on level tracks and paths.
• Clay Bank and Broughton Plantation – 3.5 miles/5.5 km
• Levisham Station and Newtondale: Raindale – 3.5 miles/5.7 km
  A 5.7 km (3.5 mile) walk on quiet lanes, forest tracks and paths. There are several ascents and descents, which are steep in places.
• Cropton Forest: Spiers House and Sutherland Road – 4.1 miles/6.6 km
• Silton Forest – 4.2 miles/6.75 km
  A 6.75 km (4.2 mile) walk through conifer plantation, some of which has been recently felled. There is an alternative extended route which takes the total length to 7.5 km (4.6 miles).
• Levisham Station and Newtondale: Heads Road – 4.75 miles/7.6 km
  A 7.6 km (4.75 mile) walk on forest tracks and paths. There are several ascents and descents, which are steep in places.
• Broxa Forest: Reasty Hill Top and Barns Cliff – 5.7 miles/9.3 km
• Levisham Station and Newtondale: Pickering Beck – 6 miles/9.8 km
  A 9.8 km (6 mile) walk on quiet lanes, forest tracks and paths. There are several ascents and descents, which are steep in places.
• Cockmoor Hall and Dalby Forest – 6 miles/9.6km

Moorland

In most moorland areas of the national park, landowners have used legal powers to exclude dogs from ‘open access land’.

Dogs are still allowed on moorland rights of way, but they have to stay on the path.  However, there are some ‘Dog Welcome’ areas on the moorland where landowners allow dogs to be exercised off rights of way and off lead (but under control).

You need to make sure that you stay inside the Welcome area and do not stray onto nearby land where dogs are not allowed.

Information on moorland dog welcome areas can be downloaded below:

• Hutton-le-Hole (Spaunton Estate)
• Goathland (Duchy of Lancaster Estate)

The North York Moors NPA have produced a leaflet offering advice and assistance if you are exercising your dog in the area

Click here to download a copy of the Walking with Dogs Leaflet

Art on the Wall features about 40 enamel tiles and is part of a new Riverside trail in Carlisle, Cumbria.

Pip Hall worked with poet Jacob Polley to create water-related poetry designs.

Following the floods in 2005, extensive flood defences have been installed and many areas landscaped to include cycle and walking routes.

Ceramic tiles have been designed into the new Carlisle flood defences as part of an art project .

The tiles, over 40 in total, are positioned at various locations along the recently constructed flood defence walls in the city.

Local artists and community groups help design the ceramic tiles which are broadly grouped into six themes.

• Flooding
• Nature & wildlife
• Historical events
• The river
• Places of interest
• Trade & transport

The plaques are made of brightly coloured enamel and have been designed to look like jewels mounted into the floodwalls.

Alan Dawson Associates of Lillyhall were also commissioned to produce ornate railings.  These provide vantage points through which local wildlife and scenery can be viewed.

Carlisle Riverside Trail

Stretching from Holmehead Weir, Denton Holme to Botcherby Bridge, Warwick Road, the new Riverside trail is designed to give an insight into local history and the surroundings.

Much of the walk is of a smooth surface and ideal for cyclists and wheelchairs or buggies.  However, some sections may require a little assistance.

Carlisle experienced devastating flooding to over 1,800 properties and businesses in January 2005.

Since then the Environment Agency  has spent £38 million has been spent on flood alleviation schemes in the city

Download the Art on the Wall - a riverside walk in Carlisle leaflet and see how many tiles you can find.

The UK’s National Parks have launched a new guide encouraging people who are less mobile to visit the many areas they look after.

Visitors walking and on mobility scooters in the New Forest National Park

Called  a “Guide to accessible activities in Britain’s National Parks”  it is packed with ideas for anyone with limited mobility, including those needing access for pushchairs and wheelchairs

The guide, produced by the UK Association of National Park Authorities, details some great accessible activities which can be enjoyed in Britain’s most beautiful countryside .

Available in a number of different accessible formats the guide can be found on their website

Accessible activities in the Guide include:

• A circular walk in the New Forest National Park featuring a beautiful collection of trees from many countries. There is a sensory trail encouraging people to touch, smell and listen to the sounds of certain trees.
• Sailing on a solar powered boat in the Broads (a guided tour) with panoramic views over Barton Broad and a great place for wildlife on land or water. Or perhaps take to the water sailing in specially adapted boats on the 374-acre Wimbleball Lake in Exmoor National Park, an opportunity for people with a range of abilities.
• Mini bus tours with a National Park guide visiting sites on the beautiful high moor in Dartmoor National Park.
• Cycling or perhaps fishing around the beautiful Mawddach estuary in Snowdonia National Park, a chance for visitors to experience some of Snowdonia’s splendour, striking scenery and beautiful wildlife.
• The trail following the edge of Loch Morlich in Scotland with spectacular views towards the Cairngorm mountains.

These accessible activities provide an opportunity to relax, explore, enjoy life and even get fitter and healthier.

Commenting on the new guide, an RNIB spokeswoman said: “RNIB welcomes the commitment by the National Park Authorities to provide a range of accessible activities in their green spaces that will enable blind and partially sighted people to further enjoy the landscape of Britain’s National Parks. We also welcome the National Park Authorities providing a range of accessible information formats.”

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.