Image: Hampden Valley by Roger Longdin

Now, the full-length Ulster Way has been relaunched on a revised and slightly shorter route of 1,000km/625 miles, but with only selected ‘quality sections’ fully waymarked and promoted as ideal for walking, mainly following existing Waymarked Ways through the province’s numerous Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The remaining 342km/214 miles are unsigned and predominantly on-road ‘link sections’ where walkers are advised to catch buses and trains, though the really determined can walk them using online maps.
For more about the route, visit www.ulsterway.co.uk.

A guide to the recently launched 88km/55-mile Annandale Way in Dumfries & Galloway is available as a free download from www.sulwathconnections.org

Image by Wikipedia Common user ‘Ardfern’

Windy pits are networks of limestone fissure caves found in the southwest corner of the North York Moors National Park and their name derives from the flurries of air emitted from within. Providing important bat roosts, the discovery of skeletons and other objects in the windy pits suggest they also had a more gruesome use in the Bronze and late Iron Ages. Graham Lee, Senior Archaeological Conservation Officer for the North York Moors National Park Authority will talk about the finds and the importance of the windy pits for nature conservation on Tuesday 1 June.

Geology-expert Brian Sweeney will then take the audience back millions of years on Thursday 3 June to a time of warm shallow seas when the limestone of Sutton Bank was formed and looks at how this iconic landscape was later shaped by ice and meltwater. On Sunday 6 June, the spotlight turns to the human imprint on the landscape with a look at the archaeology of Yearsley Moors which ranges from the Bronze Age through to the Second World War.

“The landscape around Sutton Bank is not only visually stunning; it also has many fascinating tales to tell,” says Jennifer Smith, Project Officer for the £500,000 Heritage Lottery funded Lime and Ice Project. “Attending one of the talks or the guided walk will make you look at an area – perhaps that you thought you knew very well – with a fresh pair of eyes.”

Wondrous Windy Pits and Limestone Stories take place at Sutton Bank National Park Centre from 7pm to 8.30pm. The walk to explore Yearsley Moor starts at 2pm and will take around 90 minutes. There is no charge for these events but booking is advisable to guarantee a place – call ✆ 01439 772738.

Above: The view towards Sutton Bank and Hood Hill. Left: A windy pit, yesterday

The Mold Railway Footpath has been lovingly transformed thanks to restoration funding from The Bovril Great Outdoors Revival Campaign, and is now open to walkers of all abilities. The restoration project was entered into Bovrils ‘doing up the countryside’ competition by Howard White, Chairman of the local Ramblers Cymru group. The tidy-up was awarded a share of the £100k Bovril prize fund in February, and was unveiled in March with Mold Town Mayor, Tony Cattermoul, joining members of the Ramblers and the public at the grand unveiling – which culminated in a leisurely stroll along the new pathway.

The former Mold and Denbigh Railway line runs north from near the town centre of Mold for half a mile, linking with pleasant level riverside paths. Overgrown vegetation was trimmed back and rubbish removed, with a level gravel surface laid on the railway ballast to make the path safer to use. Boundary fences and gates were also tidied up and some signposts provided. Project founder and nominator Howard White hopes that the improved Railway Footpath will be the first stage in converting parts of the former Mold – Denbigh railway line. His hope is to see a long distance walking, cycling and horse-riding route through the Wheeler Valley further north, within the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“Visitors and residents of Mold will really benefit from the improvement of the railway footpath,” says Howard. “Since the line closed in 1984 it had become overgrown and unwelcoming. But with its restoration completed it can be used regularly by dog walkers and members of the Flintshire “Walks for Health’ groups. The funding from the Bovril Great Outdoors Revival campaign ensured we could transform this much loved area and give it back to the community to enjoy.”

Brand Manager for Bovril, David Titman, added: “Following the launch of the Bovril Great Outdoors Revival campaign, we were inundated with nominations for the restoration grants and it has been really tough choosing between so many worthwhile projects. But when we came across Howard White’s Mold Railway Footpath during judging, the idea clearly brought so much value to the local community and health groups; with the prospect of reaching further we knew we had to help.”

Images © Ray Farley

Next Monday marks the start of National Parks Week – a fun-filled seven day celebration of Britain’s magnificent (and growing!) network of National Parks. This year marks the 60th anniversay of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, which set-up the creation of these vital spaces back in 1949. Today, walkers and other outdoor enthusiasts can explore 14 parks across the UK, with a 15th planned for the South Downs. Click on the links below to read our twin special features, or scroll down to visit each park’s site, read past Walk articles and share your memories.

Britain’s network of National Parks (click to visit each site)

Your passport to the great outdoors

To mark the 60th anniversary of the creation of our National Parks, organisers are challenging the British public to visit all 14 of them over the coming year. You can download a special National Parks Passport or collect one from a National Park visitor centre, then start collecting a stamp and signature in each National Park you visit. There are more than 60 million visitors a year to the UK’s National Parks but some are better known than others… the Passport aims to encourage us all to try somewhere new.

A map of our National Parks and Areas of Oustanding Natural Beauty

National Park articles from the pages of Walk Magazine…
•Celebrating the creation of the South Downs National Park

•Opening of New Forest National Park (PDF)

•Freedom to roam in National Parks (PDF)

Share your memories

Use the comments box below to tell us about the adventures you’ve had in Britain’s National Parks, or why not share your photos on our Flickr site

Mike Smart, £16.99

Rising majestically from the rich, green countryside along the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border, the Malvern Hills have been a natural destination for walkers, artists and nature lovers for generations. Mike Smart’s stunning photographic record captures the spirit of these hills in all seasons. Although essentially a photo album, it also includes helpful maps and information for walkers, with points of historical and geological interest. For walkers unfamiliar with the Malverns, Smart’s visual guide will inspire you to go, or offer previous visitors a reminder of this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

www.franceslincoln.com