Shepherds Walks.co.uk

Shepherds Walks is an award winning resource for walks throughout Northumberland, Cumbria and the Scottish Borders.

Each and every one of the self guided walking guides has been written and researched by Jon Monks, a local Northumbrian Hill Shepherd.

There are walks for every level of walker. From short walks for all the family, to the ascent some of some of the highest peaks in Northern England and the Borders.

The walks are quite unique, written from a Shepherds perspective.

Living and working in the countryside, Jon has tried to incorporate his knowledge of the outdoors and the way that the landscape is worked into each walking guide, aiming to make every walk a better experience for those exploring these special undiscovered parts of the country.

Jon also leads guided walks and a diary of these events is also available. On these, Jon aims to explain in a relaxed, straightforward manner the countryside you are walking through, the way it is farmed and the local history.

Julia Bradbury

The programme,  aired on Sunday 7th March, followed the exciting story of the famous historic landscape designer Capability Brown and the discovery of the plans for his birthplace – Kirkharle, the home of Shepherds Walks.

The famous ‘serpentine lake’ was excavated putting in place a path and landscaping, and, as tree planting was just about to get under way Julia Bradbury was keen to be involved. The BBC spent a full day filming which included Julia very much, wanting to get ‘hands on’ and help some of the craftsmen and women who are based at this ever expanding complex.

Our impression

An extremely efficient, friendly service.  Professional brochures are delivered by first class post, they contain concise information about all of the walks including; 6 figure grid reference, difficulty level, distance and approximate time the walk will take.

Walking guides are inexpensive, especially if purchased as a set.  They come complete with a free waterproof sleeve and the set will have a zippa bag to keep everything safe in one place.

More information

Shepherds Walks website – Award winning walking guides, guided walks and much more.

Ponteland Journal Live – Kirkharle project to feature on BBC’s Countryfile

BBC Countryfile - Kirkharle project featured on 7th March 2010

Boots and Paws Website

The Boots and Paws website brings you information on places to visit, walks, accommodation and photography from around the UK and Ireland.

View some excellent featured photography, walks and tourist information for places to visit across the UK and Ireland. You can search locations easily on the archive page where you will find the locations indexed by County or Country, or the latest additions can be found on the home page.

The about page is where you can find out more about the website and the latest news, or to add your comments about the website, photographs, walks or the places visited see the guestbook page.

When you go on walks your best friend goes too…The Paws Gallery is a place where visitors to the site can email their photos of their favourite pooch. So if your four legged friend has longed for fame on the world wide web, now is your chance.

Boots and Paws website

Walks Around Britain

Walks Around Britain is a brand new walking series on DVD and Blu-ray from Nova Home Video.

Here you will find walking routes and maps, news, reviews and more walking videos from their YouTube channel.

Join them on their blog, which will have more information about the DVD series as they are made, along with news and just general walking stuff.

Follow them on Twitter and on Facebook too.

Walks Around Britain is a website from Nova Digital Media, a part of Nova Productions.

Autumn Colours Online Guide

Visitors are being given a helping hand to root out the very best of Cumbria’s vibrant autumn leaves thanks to an online guide launched by the Forestry Commission.

The website – www.forestry.gov.uk/nweautumn – will record the changing colours of the leaves so people can visit the woodlands in all their blazing glory.

A team of woodland experts are already on red alert in the forests to find the hottest autumn spots across the county.

They will chart the changing shades of the autumn foliage from green to golden until the end of November.

The leaf-watch campaign is designed to help people savour one of nature’s most spectacular displays in some of Cumbria’s most beautiful woodlands including Grizedale, Whinlatter, Ennerdale and Miterdale.

It also features hidden gems such as Giggle Alley near Eskdale Green. Forester Gareth Browning says: “Cumbria is one of the finest places in the UK to see the autumn colours.

We’ll be rating the shade of the leaves to show people exactly when and where they can see the trees at their most stunning. “Thanks to the rather damp summer, this year promises to be a particularly good one for leaf watchers.

I’d advise people to keep checking the website as the best is yet to come.” To celebrate the start of the autumn colours, the cafes at the Grizedale and Whinlatter Visitor Centre’s are also introducing a new range of seasonal recipes on their menus.

The Café in the Forest at Grizedale will be serving home made seasonal foods such as Apple and Parsnip soup, Cumberland Sausage and Blackberry and Apple pie made from fruit collected in the Grizedale Valley.

Siskins Cafe at Whinlatter Forest will be serving treats such as hot chocolate, seasonal soups, apple cake and parsnip cake. Wherever they decide to go, visitors are encouraged to bring their cameras to capture the beautiful autumnal scenes.

There is also a wealth of activities to enjoy from woodland strolls to high energy mountain biking adventures. Thanks to a disappointing summer and the recent sunshine, the trees have been able to store a lot of food.

When temperatures start to fall and the trees shut down for winter, the food, stored as sugars and starches in the leaves bring on the vibrant colours.

The Forestry Commission website also includes information about why leaves change colour in autumn.

Some of the best woodland venues in Cumbria to go and spot the autumn displays are:

Grizedale Forest, near Hawkshead, Ambleside In the heart of the Lake District, this forest park takes on a new life with the changing colours of the leaves, especially in the centre of the valley surrounded by oak woodland.

The nearby fells also look superb in autumn and can be viewed from a number of high points within the Forest. Grizedale Forest recently featured as one of the UK’s 30 best places for autumn colours on Times Online.

Whinlatter Forest, near Keswick
Look out for larches and broadleaf trees which burst into technicolour each autumn. England’s only mountain forest offers amazing views across the northern Lake District fells. For added adventure, the Altura Trail puts altitude into mountain biking with a great single track trail which rises to 500m (1600ft) above Keswick and the northern lakes.

Ennerdale
This wild valley is another spectacular place to visit in autumn. The contrast between the golden colours of the larches, beech and oaks along the lakeshore with the evergreen of the spruce trees is magnificent. The heather, bracken and bilberry also add new vibrant colours to the mountains above the forest.

Miterdale valley, near Eskdale

In autumn this oak and birch woodland in the Western Lake District is a joy to walk through. You can soak up the colours of the season as the forest and fells shed their summer dust in preparation for winter.

Giggle Alley, Eskdale Green
Hidden at the heart of this wood are the remains of a Japanese Garden which lay neglected for years until the Forestry Commission and local volunteers dug into save it.

The highlight of autumn here are the maples which produce masses of fiery red leaves. In addition to the garden the woodland is a great place for a short family walk where children can enjoy playing hide and seek.

The garden is close to the car park in Eskdale Green. For more information about the Forestry Commission in Cumbria and other parts of North West England, log on to its website www.forestry.gov.uk/northwestengland & www.forestry.gov.uk/nweautumn

British Walks.org

David Cotton is a writer living near Romsey in Hampshire who’s hobby is walking.

A few years ago he finished his 6,266 mile trip around the coastline of mainland of Britain to raise money for the Riding Schools for the Disabled in Britain.

Since the beginning of 1999 David has made over 800 walks throughout the UK, totalling over 14,000 miles and has detailed all of his walks along with many photographs n his website Britishwalks.org.

Walks can be searched by year, OS map and county with some great detailed long walks and National Trails.

The Britishwalks.org website is well worth a visit for the walker who wants to know a little more about where they are going from somebody who has already been.

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