Reviews and articles – Walking with Paul Beal

Rosedale Railway, Rosedale, North York Moors

Rosedale Railway was used to carry ironstone from three hillside kilns to a single point at Blakey Junction. From there it was transported to blast furnaces in Teesside and County Durham.

Rosedale Railway trackbed near Blakey Junction

The railway was built by the famous Victorian navvies using basic tools such as picks, shovels and wheelbarrows. It was an enormous project carried out in appalling conditions.

Five outstanding walks in the Lake District

Take a look at these circular walks in the north-eastern area of the Lake District National Park. They are all between 7 and 9 miles long and will take 4½ to 5½ hours to complete. The walks include visits to some of the region’s most beautiful places such as Dockray, Aira Force, Brothers Water, Hart Crag, Patterdale, Hartsop and Hayeswater.

One Ordnance Survey map covers these superb Lake District routes

The best map to use is the Ordnance Survey map of the Lake District North-Eastern Area, reference OS Explorer OL5, scale 1:25,000. It clearly displays footpaths, rights of way, open access land and vegetation on the ground, making it ideal for walking, running and hiking. The map can be purchased from Amazon in either a standard, paper version or a weatherproof, laminated version, as shown below.

Seven of the best walks in the North York Moors

Have you tried any of these circular trails in the eastern area of the North York Moors National Park? They are all between 9 and 11 miles long and will take 4-5 hours to complete. The walks include visits to some of the region’s most beautiful places such as Robin Hood’s Bay, Ravenscar, Sleights, Falling Foss, Glaisdale, Grosmont, Mallyan Spout and Egton Bridge.

One Ordnance Survey map covers these excellent North York Moors routes

The best map to use is the Ordnance Survey map of the North York Moors Eastern Area, reference OS Explorer OL27, scale 1:25,000. It clearly displays footpaths, rights of way, open access land and vegetation on the ground, making it ideal for walking, running and hiking. The map can be purchased from Amazon in either a standard, paper version or a weatherproof, laminated version, as shown below.

Seven of the best walks in the Yorkshire Dales

Have you tried any of these circular trails in the southern and western area of the Yorkshire Dales National Park? They are all between 9 and 11 miles long and will take 4-5 hours to complete. The walks include visits to some of the region’s most beautiful places such as Settle, Stainforth Force, Grassington, Kilnsey Crag, Ribblehead Viaduct, Whernside, Barden Moor, Dent Head Viaduct, Ingleborough National Nature Reserve and Catrigg Force.

One Ordnance Survey map covers these brilliant Yorkshire Dales routes

The best map to use is the Ordnance Survey map of the Yorkshire Dales Southern & Western Area, reference OS Explorer OL2, scale 1:25,000. It clearly displays footpaths, rights of way, open access land and vegetation on the ground, making it ideal for walking, running and hiking. The map can be purchased from Amazon in either a standard, paper version or a weatherproof, laminated version, as shown below.

Alfred Wainwright’s Lake District fells and pictorial guides

Alfred Wainwright was born in Blackburn in 1907 and at the age of 13 left school to work in the town hall offices. His first visit to the Lake District was not until he was 23 years old, when he climbed Orrest Head which overlooks Windermere. Transfixed by the amazing views, it became his sole ambition to live in Lakeland.

At the age of 41 he eventually moved to Kendal and from 1952 he devoted every evening and weekend to researching and compiling the seven wonderful guidebooks. The project took 13 years to complete and earned him an MBE.

A PICTORIAL GUIDE TO THE LAKELAND FELLS being an illustrated account of a study and exploration of the mountains in the English Lake District.
Alfred Wainwright

A PICTORAL GUIDE TO THE LAKELAND FELLS being an illustrated account of a study and exploration of the mountains in the English Lake District.

THE LAKELAND FELLS BOX SET BY ALFRED WAINWRIGHT
A pictorial guide to the Lakeland Fells. The 50th anniversary box set containing all seven Lake District books.
Buy now on Amazon
View all Alfred Wainwright’s books

Wainwright divided the Lake District into seven areas and set down a detailed study of 214 Lake District fells in seven pictorial guides.

The best maps for walking in the Lake District

The Ordnance Survey OS Explorer maps are the best maps to use whilst walking in the Lake District. Just four OS Explorer titles cover the whole of the Lake District National Park. The Lake District maps (reference numbers OL4, OL5, OL6 and OL7) can be purchased from Amazon using the links on this page. Moreover, Amazon’s Ordnance Survey page includes the full range of OS Explorer maps which covers the entirety of England, Scotland and Wales.

The maps are not expensive and I rarely go walking in the Lake District without them, especially when I’m exploring new territory. Their 1:25,000 scale makes them ideal for walking, running and hiking and I use them all the time for route planning. The maps clearly display footpaths, rights of way, open access land, contour lines, vegetation on the ground and much more.

The BBC Winter Walks series with maps and walking routes

Where in Northern England did the nine presenters of the BBC Winter Walks series actually walk? Which maps would they have needed to plot their walking routes? Which paths, tracks and roads would they have followed? Here are all the answers.

The village of Conistone visited by Sayeeda Warsi in series 1 episode 4

The BBC Winter Walks series and episodes

Winter Walks series 1 episode 1 was presented by Selina Scott. Selina’s Thorpe and Appletreewick walk was in Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales. Thorpe is 6 miles north of Skipton and 1½ miles south-east of Grassington.

Rosedale Iron Kilns, North York Moors

The huge kilns in the distance (left of centre) were built in the 1860s to process ironstone which had been mined from beneath the moorland hill behind them. The kilns are situated on the east side of the Rosedale valley in the North York Moors.

Starting from The Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge, there’s a superb 4-mile walk to the kilns by way of the old disused railway line which tracks the upper rim of the Rosedale valley.

The Countryside Code

A new Countryside Code has been launched by Natural England and Natural Resources Wales to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the creation of the founding booklet published in 1951. The update is the first in over a decade and includes advice on creating a welcoming environment, clearer rules to underline the importance of clearing away dog poo, staying on footpaths and not feeding livestock.

Key changes to the Countryside Code are as follows:

New advice for people to ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’ as well as ‘enjoy your visit, have fun, make a memory’.
A reminder not to feed livestock, horses or wild animals.
To stay on marked footpaths, even if they are muddy, to protect crops and wildlife.
Information on permissions to do certain outdoor activities, such as wild swimming.
Clearer rules for dog walkers to take home dog poo and use their own bin if a there are no public waste bins.
A refreshed tone of voice, creating a guide for the public rather than a list of rules, recognising the significant health and wellbeing benefits of spending time in nature.
New wording to make clear that the code applies to all our natural places, including parks and waterways, coast and countryside.

St Mary’s Church, Over Silton, North York Moors

The medieval church of St Mary Magdalene is situated on the south-east side of Over Silton in North Yorkshire. It can only be reached on foot by walking across a grassy field, from either the village or Kirk Ings Lane, a minor road just to the south.

The Osmotherley and Kepwick walk in the North York Moors includes a visit to the ancient church, a look at the lovely villages of Kepwick, Nether Silton and Over Silton and an excellent high-level trek across Black Hambleton on the Cleveland Way.