From the looks of it, a lot of you walkers have been out enjoying the winter weather and making the best of the snow! Here’s just a taste of some of the lovely shots you’ve been submitting to our Winter Photo Competition – so if you haven’t already, now’s the time to get out there and capture your own take on winter walking. Send us your photos of snow and ice before 27th February and you could even win a Nikon D5000 digital SLR camera kit with 18-55mm lens, worth £689.99 – happy snapping!

This was the overall winner – a glorious photo of Sunrise over the Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye, Scotland shot by Emmanuel Coupe.

Similar, though in different weather is this beauty by Alex Nail – entitled ‘Broken Skye’. Both make us want to go there – if you’ve been, share your photos on walk‘s Flickr page!

To mark the ongoing 60th Anniversary of our National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this year’s awards featured a special category – The English National Parks Award. This picture of a misty morning in Herringfleet, Suffolk by Keith Naylor won ‘Best Image’ from the Broads Authority.

When it comes to Classic Views, John Parminter’s portrait of Divided Glens, Buachaille Etive, Rannoch Moor, Scotland came out top.

Later this month, ramblers and rail enthusiasts will get the opportunity to experience a very unique walk – a quarter of a mile trek across the stunning Ribblehead Viaduct. A highlight of the 72-mile long Settle-to-Carlisle line that meanders through parts of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria, the site will be open to the public on Sunday 26 July for one day only. The 24-arch viaduct is 104 feet high at its highest point, offering stunning views across the valley.

Actor Tom Lister and ITV weather man Jon Mitchell will join in the walk, and author WR Mitchell will be signing copies of his latest book Thunder in the Mountains – a fascinating account of the men behind this great feat of engineering. The Yorkshire air ambulance will also put in an appearance (as long as it is not needed for its day job) and the Clapham (North Yorkshire) Cave Rescue Organisation will show how they train their dogs to rescue people.

Jo Kaye, Network Rail’s route director said: “This year is an important anniversary in the history of the line, which is why we have decided to open the viaduct to the public.”

Tickets for the walk, which have to be booked in advance, are on sale at a cost of £15 per person for adults and children aged 14 years and over. Children aged under 14 years, and anyone with impaired mobility, will not be allowed across the viaduct. But as well as the viaduct walk, there will be free guided tours of the former shanty towns on the Ribblehead site, guided walks around the nature reserve, the Ribblehead Visitor Centre, exhibitions and attractions in the station area.

For more information or to book, visit www.settlecarlisle.co.uk or send a completed application form and cheque to SCRDC, Railway Station, Clifford Street, Appleby, CA16 6TT. All proceeds from the walk will go to charity.

Keen photographers and amateurs alike are being invited to submit their best snaps for the ‘Take a view’ 2009 Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards. Open to everyone, the annual competition offers a total prize fund worth £20,000 – including £10,000 for the overall winner – plus the chance to see your work in an exhibition at the National Theatre in London. Ramblers will be especially pleased to hear that this year, to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the National Parks Act, an additional prize will be given to the best image from an English National Park.

Entrants have until 15th July to enter the awards by submitting photographs of the British landscape. The brainchild of renowned landscape photographer, Charlie Waite,  ‘Take a view’ celebrates the United Kingdom’s varied landscapes and is open to both professional and amateur photographers of all ages.

“We are expecting some breathtaking images from all the English National Parks,” says Mr. Waite, himself a longstanding believer in National Parks. “ I hope that this year’s competition will help to reconnect people with their countryside and reinforce the value and significance of protected landscapes to every person living in the UK.”

For more details or to enter, just visit www.take-a-view.co.uk

To view all the locations and vote for a winner, visit www.stoodthere.com