Country Walking

Country Walking Magazine shows you the best of British walks: the biggest views, the hidden gems, the sea cliffs and the mountain summits. All our features come complete with superb writing, inspiring photography and step-by-step instructions so you can follow every footpath yourself. In every issue, you’ll find: - In-depth stories of amazing walks - A booklet of 25 pull-out walks every issue - with OS maps! - Information about hotels, pubs, cafes, tearooms. - Clear, jargon-free tests of walking kit And... every issue our readers tell their walking stories, help us devise new walks and shape the places we go to. If you love walking, this is the magazine for you.

Welcome

IN THIS ISSUE…

The View • SIGHTS | SOUNDS | WONDERS | IDEAS | COOL STUFF

5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS MONTH

READ GAELIC ON A MAP… PROPERLY! • A few issues ago we featured a short guide to Gaelic words found commonly on maps, including brief pronunciation guides. One or two Gaelic speakers got in touch to suggest that some of the latter could be improved. So we asked Gaelic tutor Jane NicLeòid if she could help us get from a B+ to an A*. Over to Jane…

“It's not just exercise… it's therapy.” • Darrell Matkin was just nine years old when he almost died in a football accident. But his desire to return to the great outdoors inspired him to recover, get fit and love life again.

THREE QUESTIONS WE ALWAYS ASK

TENBY • Pembrokeshire's answer to Tobermory is brimming with colour and history, and is surrounded by some of the finest beaches and coastal scenery in Britain.

Don't miss…

‘I have my life back!’ • When life deals you a bad hand, you might feel as if you're down in an inescapable hole. But each of these amazing Walk 1000Milers has overcome appalling hardship with one consistent message – WALKING WORKS!

Let's hunt for a Golden Badge • Spice up your miles by adding these mini challenges to your daily walks and win a money-can't-buy Golden Badge. New challenges on the right…

3 new ways to win gold

Your View

Where's Kes? • Every month our favourite spaniel Kes goes walkies somewhere in the issue, and we want him back! Can you help find Kes?

Wildlife for Walkers • Three remarkable species to spot in May.

Stuart Maconie • The history of hillwalking and mountaineering is steeped in machismo and bravado. But this culture is finally fading… and that's no bad thing.

THE 5 LUCKY HORSESHOES • There are many epic walks in the Lake District, but best of all are the ones where you gain height early, stay high up all day, and become truly immersed in your mountain journey. There are five of these classic ‘horseshoes’ to choose from – and there's no better time to try them than right now.

The Mosedale Horseshoe • Four summits, 10 miles, and some of the most jaw-dropping scenery in Britain. This loop in Lakeland's Wild West has it all.

The Coledale Round • The northernmost horseshoe is a world of mighty peaks, quiet moments – and the squiggliest path in the Lake District.

The Newlands Round • It starts with the best-loved peak in the Lakes. And it only gets better from there.

The Kentmere Horseshoe • The Quiet One. The Big One. The Roman One. The One with the Tower.

The Fairfield Horseshoe • Is this the Fairest of them all?

Got the bug? Try these… • Four more classic horseshoe walks in the Lakes and beyond.

Easy does it • After that gallop across the epic horsehoes of Cumbria, you might fancy a gentler alternative. So come to the Quantocks and you'll find a horseshoe that's just what you're looking for.

Is this really the road to Hell? • A rip-roaring Regency yarn is woven into Wales’ Black Mountains, but is it fantastical fact or flamboyant...