The Features section is an ever so exciting collection of thoughts and stuff on long distance walking.
Alternatively, it is where we shove all the stuff that simply doesn't fit anywhere else, like some sort of horrible leaking bucket.
Take your pick.
Not in FochabersPublished 20 September 2020
Today I was due to wake up in the village of Fochabers, in the north of Scotland. With some friends, we’d breakfast then head out to walk our second day on the Speyside Way. Disappointingly it was not to be.
Go out for a walk, yes. But please don’t travel too far.Published 13 May 2020
From today I can drive a hundred miles up the M6 and go for a walk in the Lake District. Even five hour drive to get from Manchester to Dartmoor National Park, for a nice stroll. But this is not sensible. And I won’t be doing this.
Don’t Lose Your Way – helping to bring lost footpaths back to lifePublished 22 March 2020
A couple of weeks ago, walkers charity Ramblers launched Don’t Lose Your Way. It’s a project to help find thousands of miles of footpath that could be lost forever.
The power of a good walkPublished 19 March 2020
These are strange times we’re living through. Hopefully they are times of the like that we won’t see again. But we’re living through them none-the-less.
The Rambling Man Review of 2019: Part 2 – WainwrightsPublished 19 December 2019
In the second part of the Rambling Man Review of the Year, it’s time to turn attention to the Lake District.
The Rambling Man Review of 2019: Part 1 – trailsPublished 15 December 2019
The year is ending, and inevitably our minds turn back to what happened. And go, boy was it wet.
Save money with hostel membership – and morePublished 8 December 2019
Got a walk planned? Planning to stay in a few hostels on the way? Why not consider joining your local youth hostel association?
The Rambling Man Bakewell Pudding Taste TestPublished 13 October 2019
Bakewell is famous for something. Something cake related. And it’s definitely NOT for its tarts.
Wayfarer – the rover ticket for Manchester and the Peak District, and beyond!Published 25 August 2019
Wayfarer is the bus/train/tram ticket that many people in the North of England didn’t know they needed, but actually do. Especially walkers.
The Rambling Man guide to getting a holiday company to book your long distance walkPublished 21 July 2019
What are walking holiday companies? What to they do? And is it worth using one?
Which walk should I do?Published 7 July 2019
Every now and then, someone emails me to ask which walk they should do. Now there’s an open ended question, I think, because it totally depends on who you are and what you like. And if you fall into one these categories, you’ll find your answer here! And if you don’t fall into one of these categories, you might not.
Will the real length of the Pennine Way, please stand up?Published 2 June 2019
When is a 268 mile long walk, not actually 268 miles long? When it’s the Pennine Way!
The 700th post on Rambling ManPublished 31 March 2019
When I celebrate a milestone, it’s usually walking related. But the other day I spotted that I was about to hit a moment in history of this site. The 700th post on Rambling Man.
The Rambling Man Review of 2018Published 23 December 2018
Tis the time when we look back. To think what was. And what perhaps should have been. And what a roller coaster of a year it was. And there was some walking done too.
The Mam Tor bus stopPublished 16 December 2018
A hill that has its own bus stop. Although don’t go waiting for any buses to serve it.
The new and improved Planning a Walk section!Published 20 October 2018
What’s new in the Planning a Walk section, I hear you ask? As well as "where have you been then?" And no, it can’t be both new and improved…
Pointless National Trail bagging stats!Published 29 July 2018
Collecting National Trails like you would a Pog? Or a Pokemon? No? Oh well.
Driving to the Lake District and back in a dayPublished 24 June 2018
Proving to myself that I can visit the Lakes for a day and be back for bed time.
If you love green signposts, you’ll love the Peak and Northern Footpaths SocietyPublished 6 May 2018
Dotted around the North West and North Midlands, the Peak and Northern have been helping walkers find their way for over a century.
At the end of the Southern Upland WayPublished 25 March 2018
What will you find at the end of the Southern Upland Way when you get there?
Living on OL1Published 25 February 2018
It was incredibly exciting to realise that my house is on OL1, the Ordnance Survey’s first Outdoor Leisure map.
At the end of the East Highland Way. And the start of the Speyside Way.Published 11 February 2018
To Aviemore, where you’ll find a simple sign and a toilet block.
The problems with long distance walking when you have young childrenPublished 4 February 2018
Is there a reason I haven’t walked a particular trail? Yes, absolutely. But that’s no indication on the quality of the the trail.
At the end of the West Highland Way, and the start of the East Highland WayPublished 28 January 2018
The point at Fort William where two walking trails with similar names, meet and say hello to each other.
Up a hill with nowhere to goPublished 21 January 2018
Get to the top, and launch yourself off into the wind.
Pointless Wainwright bagging numbersPublished 7 January 2018
Random numbers put on a page, about Wainwrights, and all for no particularly good reason.
Wainwrights in Numbers, 2017Published 27 December 2017
Let’s all look at graphs that show how well I’ve been doing with my fellbagging in the Lakes!
Patterdale Village StorePublished 19 November 2017
There’s a shop that is an important one in the world of Wainwright bagging. It’s not a massively flashy shop, nor is it one that is particularly large in size. But size and image aren’t everything.
Bowden Bridge Car Park (or the absurdity of high car parking prices)Published 22 October 2017
At least you won’t be bothered by cars when you pay homage to the Kinder Tresspassers.
Busing around the Lake DistrictPublished 16 August 2017
If you’re a walker and in the Lakes, the bus is a great way to get to your fell of choice. Unless you want to get to Kentmere anyway.
An chapel with a viewPublished 21 July 2017
A small chapel on a hill in Brittany. Just what you want at the end of a holiday.
You’re going the wrong wayPublished 18 July 2017
France’s walking routes offer simple technique for telling people they’re going the wrong way.
A Grande Randonnée on your doorstepPublished 12 July 2017
Unexpectedly finding a major walking trail going right past your holiday home.
To Walk Is To LivePublished 7 June 2017
Put your best foot forward, and enjoy your journey once more.
Less than three hours to PatterdalePublished 10 May 2017
When you live not far away, better make the most of it.
Is the YHA still a friend to walkers?Published 8 March 2017
With YHA deciding to withdraw a number of rural bunkhouses and camping barns from its network recently, does it still want to be somewhere supporting the great outdoors?
Which walking trail is the least direct one you can walk?Published 1 March 2017
We’ve done the calculations, so if you want to know which the most, or indeed least walking route is, you can find out.
How far would the crow have to fly to get from one end of the Thames Path, to the other?Published 22 February 2017
Finding out just how direct – or not – the Thames Path actually is.
