Walks And Walking – National Trust Winter Walks

Walks And Walking – National Trust Winter Walks

You can’t quite beat the icy cold air from an embracing Winter walk. I always think you should do every walk at least four times so that you get to see the surroundings, countryside, forest or landscape in all its year round beauty. The snow adds that extra bit of excitement to any walking route whether it be a woodland walk in Epping Forest, a waterfall country walk in Wales or a long trek across Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.

The Forest Way is a favourite walk of mine that leads from Epping Forest all the way up to Hatfield Forest. Hatfield Forest is a rare surviving example of a medieval royal hunting forest and is now owned by the National Trust. The National Trust have a huge list of nationwide Winter gardens that make great locations for a good Winter walk where you can blow away the cobwebs and enjoy a refreshing walk in a frosty garden.

Winter Walks – Walks And Walking

The National Trust’s Top Ten Winter Gardens

The Stourhead Estate in Wiltshire is set around a huge lake with plenty to see and do including classicial and gothic buildings, woodlands, a mystical grotto and a unique circular temple dedicated to Apollo

Dinefwr Park and Castle is located in Carmarthenshire and dates back to the 18th-century with five walks across the estate with the rare and historic White Park cattle grazing in the medieval parklands.

Anglesey Abbey, Garden and Lode Mill is situated in Cambridgeshire and offers an atmospheric Emperor’s Walk and over 150 species of plant in its Winter Garden.

Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire offers over 3,000 acres of green space and makes a great day out for long distance walkers with the longest lime tree avenue in Europe.

Dunham Massey is located in Cheshire and is the largest Winter Garden in the UK with over 700 different species of plant and over 1,600 different types of shrub.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden is situated in Yorkshire and is a World Heritage Site that offers extensive ruins of the Cistercian abbey, elegant temples, neo-classical statues, canals and moon shaped ponds of the Royal Water Garden.

Killerton in Devon offers far reaching views of Dartmoor and Haldon Hill as well as an Ice House and the Bear’s Hut summerhouse

Mottisfont is situated in Hampshire and is a newly created Winter Garden inspired by the River Test with over 5,000 new plants and species of shrub.

Rowallane Garden in County Down offers an enchanting garden, walled garden, Pleasure Grounds and a very enjoyable walk around the famous Rock Garden Wood.

Stowe Landscape Garden is situated in Buckinghamshire offering wide open spaces, wooded valleys, and ornamental lakes, spectacular views, hidden corners and over 40 temples and monuments.

For more details of The National Trust’s Top Ten Winter Gardens click here.

For the latest membership offers please click here.

Ordnance Survey Maps – Create Your Own Unique Walking Routes

Ordnance Survey Maps – Create Your Own Unique Walking Routes

For all of the latest offers please visit the Walks And Walking Shop

If, like me, you want to create your own unique walking routes without forking out on expensive GPS gadgets then buying new Ordnance Survey Maps for the area you want to cover is still the most popular choice. Personally, I really enjoy spreading a large map out on the floor and plotting each twist and turn to cover as many of the sites of historical importance of viewpoints of our Great British countryside.

I’m sure I will succumb to a Personal Navigation GPS System eventually when my pocket allows but I’ve already got it on my smart phone for free and using other free online tools like Google Maps can still do part of the job and there are plenty of websites like this one that offer inspiring walking routes available to print for free.

When I used to print off walking routes from other websites I always used to get lost so I soon started buying the corresponding Ordnance Survey map for each area. Having an Ordnance Survey with you whilst walking means you can also stray off the walking route to find even more unexplored treasures… and then get back on track without getting even more lost!

Types of Ordnance Survey Maps

The two main Ordnance Survey Maps are the OS Explorer Map series and the OS Landranger Map series, with the OS Landranger Map series also coming with an Active Maps series and with the main differences being scale and detail.

1. OS Explorer Map Series

The OS Explorer Map Series is 4cm to 1km (2½ inches to 1 mile) scale and is the main stay used by many individuals and organisations involved in outdoor activities. It is the preferred choice for walkers, hikers, trekkers, climbers, mountain bikers, cyclists, horse riders and even water sports enthusiasts.

Every part of England, Scotland and Wales is covered by 403 maps that include National Trails, Recreational Paths, picnic areas, viewpoints and selected places of interest. In addition, there’s Rights of Way information for England and Wales.

2. OS Landranger Map Series

The OS Landranger Map Series is perfect for day trips and short breaks covering the whole of Great Britain with 204 detailed maps. Each map provides all the information you need to get to know the local area and main tracks and pathways etc.

More suitable for tourism there is still a good level of detail including places of interest, tourist information, picnic areas and camping sites, plus Rights of Way information for England and Wales.

3. OS Landranger Active Map Series

The OS Landranger Active Maps are tough, durable and weatherproof. They have exactly the same features as the more widely recognised OS Landranger series but with the addition of a lightweight protective plastic coating making them perfect for the UK’s interchangeable and often rainy or drizzly weather conditions.

These encapsulated maps will resist inclement weather and can be written on with washable ink, making it easy to highlight your favourite routes and then wipe them off when you return home.

And for those of you that are keen to experience a whole new world of online maps with Ordnance Survey Leisure’s getamap you can get an annual subscription.

NEW from Ordnance Survey –

Customise your map in just three easy steps

We now offer a brand new mapping service that gives you the opportunity to customise an OS Explorer Map or OS Landranger Map.

You might want to centre it on your house, the start of your favourite walk or even a mountain bike trail you’re heading off to at the weekend – anywhere in Great Britain!

Features:

Custom printed by OS just for you
Choose your maps centre anywhere in the country
Add your own titles, including the spine title
Order the map flat or folded
Choose from over 50 cover images
Tough and durable map paper
Fixed laminated cover on folded maps
Your custom made map from Ordnance Survey is made to the same high quality as a standard OS Explorer Map and OS Landranger Map.

You can benefit from a bespoke map displaying the area around your chosen location, and opt for an OS Explorer Map – Custom Made™ at 1:25,000 scale, or an OS Landranger Map – Custom Made™ at 1:50,000 scale. After all, it’s your adventure!