Wildflower walks: See Britain in bloom MAY 2015
May 2015 £4.20
EUR ◆ WATERPROOF JACKETS ISSUE 341 THE SMALL ISLES ◆ WILDFLOWER WALKS ◆ BUTTERMERE ◆ MAGNA CARTA WALKS ◆ PICOS DE EUROPA
Britain’s best-selling walking magazine
BIG ADVENTURES n o
i e slands THE SMALL ISLES SKOMER
www.livefortheoutdoors.com
27 ROUTE CARDS all with Ordnance Survey maps
HERM SARK RATHLIN
THE PATH TO MAGNA CARTA
Explore the places that shaped English history
DISCOVER HIDDEN TREASURE Five fantastic walks in the Welsh Marches
GEAR TEST: Which waterproofs will keep showers at bay?
ON THE COAST
St David’s, Pembrokeshire The beautiful wilderness of the St David’s peninsula is clad in wildflowers in the summer months – heather, gorse, hairy greenweed and sea thrift. Breathe in the ocean air, let the wind blow through your hair and gaze out over the glistening seascape, on this gorgeous circular walk over National Trust land with views across to Ramsey Island. There is an abundance of wildlife to enjoy here: seabirds soar overhead, dolphins play in the blue waters below, butterflies flit from flower to flower and Welsh mountain ponies roam free along this magical stretch of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. Start and end your walk in St David’s, the smallest city in Britain, which boasts an enchanting cathedral and many art galleries displaying depictions of the coastal landscape. More info: www.visitpembrokeshire.com WALK HERE: Download your 12km/7½ mile walk around St David’s at www.lfto.com/cwroutes
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DISCOVER Wildflower walks
Where
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wildflowers bloom From meadows to mountains, woods to wetlands, discover the diverse beauty of Britain’s wildÆowers on foot this spring WO R D S : H A Z E L S I L LV E R
PHOTO: © LOOP IMAGES LTD / ALAMY
PRETT Y IN PINK Dense drifts of sea thrift line the coastal path near St Justinian, Pembrokeshire. e b o es e
ISLAND DREAMS Looking across the sea to the beguiling isles of Eigg and Rum, from the mainland near ea Arisaig. sa g
DISCOVER Island adventures
on te
Smal Isles There’s a little archipelago just off the west coast of Scotland where few people venture but the walking is mind-blowing. Sail away this summer and discover the Small Isles… W O R D S : J E N N Y WA LT E R S
PHOTO: TOM BAILEY
MAY 2015 COUNTRY WALKING 41
SHRINE TO THE RULE OF LAW This elegant gazebo recalls the historic moment the King of England agreed to limitt hiss ow own powers. powe s
DISCOVER Magna Carta walks
ON THE TRAIL OF
Magna Carta On this leafy hillside, eight hundred years ago, a document took shape which changed the way democracy works. This summer, walk back in time and relive the birth of the ‘Great Charter’… Charter … WORDS: NICK HALLISSEY
PHOTOS: TOM BAILEY
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PHOTOS: © NORTH WIND PICTURE ARCHIVES / ALAMY; © ESTHER SMITH / ALAMY; © LEIGH PRATHER / ALAMY
HE LITTLE PLINTH sitting beneath the elegant domed gazebo says it all: ‘To commemorate Magna Carta, symbol of freedom under law’. Beneath an azure sky, with a breeze ruffling the oak-leaves on the bank behind the monument, it seems inconceivable that this peaceful place should have been the setting for something momentous, but there it is, on a plinth: a blue plaque marking the birthplace of people power. On June 15th, 2015, King John marched out of Windsor Castle to meet a group of rowdy barons who felt unacceptably yoked by the whim and will of their monarch. They came face to face here, on the meadows of Runnymede, close to the River Thames near modern-day Egham. Before the historians amongst you start prepping your pens for a complaint letter, we should make a few things clear. What is happening in the picture on the right almost certainly did not happen. The king did not sign anything. It was not the glorious birth of the fully-formed constitutional monarchy; it was a peace settlement in which the king agreed in principle to limit his own powers. The barons were self-interested rebels, rather than visionary champions of people power. And in its original form, Magna Carta was an out-and-out failure. But it’s the idea of what happened here that endures – as does the beauty of the location. What happened later to give us Magna Carta is rather dry and technical. Runnymede, and the idea of a king of England standing in this gorgeous meadow and u surrendering some of his divine rights, is not.
This is the enduring image of what happened at Runnymede. But in fact, only the landscape in the background is accurate! u SACRED TEXT
These words from the Magna Carta were drawn up as a result of the momentous meeting of King John and the barons at Runnymede meadow.
MAY 2015 COUNTRY WALKING 61
Treasure maps
PHOTO: © ETE MACKENZIE / ALAMY
There are gorgeous walks hidden away across the UK – but it takes a bit of map-reading magic New series to locate them. Here are five of the best walks we could find in the Anglo-Welsh borders on OS Explorer 201: Knighton & Presteigne.
HILLS AND HOLLOWS Peaceful views roll across the curving country of Explorer 201 from Hergest Ridge dge (see no. o 3)
DISCOVER Great walks everywhere
Newcastle
Clun
NORTH
4 Llangunllo
New Invention Bedstone e R Tem KNIGHTON/ TREF-YCLAWDD
Whitton
R Lu gg Discoed PRESTEIGNE/ LLANANDRAS
KEY Gladestry
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KINGTON
Woonton Newchurch Eardisley Clifford
Winforton
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ National Trails and Recreational Paths
Clyro
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HAY-ON-WYE/ Y GELLI GANDRYLL
RW ye
ILLUSTRATION: STEVEN HALL
SOUTH
Brecon Beacons National Park
Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
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Knill
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ERE AT COUNTRY WALKING we believe that no matter where you go in the UK you will find walks that are beautiful, intriguing, and fun – in short, a grand day out. And in the name of scientific experiment we decided to test our hypothesis: over the next six issues we will be exploring six Ordnance Survey Explorer maps picked for us by a random number generator. Some, like 377: Loch Etive & Glen Orchy we know will be glorious (find out more about that one next month); others, like, 271: Newark-on-Trent could be just the challenge we’re looking for. But first up is 201: Knighton & Presteigne. This double-sided map covers 860 square kilometres of the Welsh Marches, where the border scribbles a wild line between Powys and the English counties of Herefordshire and Shropshire. The base of the map touches the northern tip of the Brecon Beacons at Hay-on-Wye, the top of the map hits the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and in between is a deliciously tranquil tranche of countryside. There’s no motorway, or even a dual carriageway, and only a handful of towns pepper across the paper, the biggest of which is Knighton. Instead of roads, enticing whorls of orange contours crowd into eye-catching clusters. Three ribbons of blue mark the river valleys of the Teme, Lugg and Wye and the green dashes of rights of way maze everywhere, including the diamond-symbols of eight long-distance paths. Two of these are national trails – Glyndŵr’s Way in the footsteps of Welsh prince and warrior Owain Glyndŵr and Ofa’s Dyke beside the King of Mercia’s great defensive earthwork – both suggesting this land wasn’t always the peaceful spot it is today. With map in hand we set out to find the five best walks in these borders – you can walk them all in a week away or pick and mix for a weekend break. You’ll discover cider orchards, wild uplands, hill forts, and a ridge that inspired a best-selling album. Welcome, or croeso, to the wonderful world of map 201. MAY 2015 COUNTRY WALKING 71
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Just behind Spain’s verdant northern coast, a jagged range of limestone peaks offers spectacular walking that is surprisingly accessible from Britain. WORDS AND PHOTOS: MARK SUTCLIFFE
SUNLIT UPLANDS Walking above the clouds at 1,900m across the boulder field below Picu cu U Urriellu. e u
DISCOVER Picos de Europa
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T WAS A noisy welcome. A little over an hour after leaving the dry heat of the coast, the Picos de Europa greeted me with a spectacular display of pyrotechnics. Within half a minute a light drizzle and distant rumbling high up in the mountains erupted into a tropical downpour as one of the storms that had been threatening all afternoon crashed its way down the Cares Gorge. Bedraggled hikers returning from the hills scattered into the many roadside bars, dogs howled and the Rio Cares itself rose a foot in 10 minutes as the storm’s fury echoed of the gorge’s 800m walls. I quietly concluded that the rain in Spain emphatically does not fall mainly on the plain, but also deluges this spiky massif of peaks facing the Atlantic. By the barrel-load. But it’s the abundant precipitation that makes this Celtic corner of north-western Spain so lush and verdant. We visited at the height of summer, when desiccated tourist hotspots like Catalonia and Andalucia are baking in 40-degree heat. Not so in the Picos – where the climate feels more like Snowdonia in May. It’s warmer and usually more humid – at least in the valley floors – but the average summertime temperature is far more comfortable for hill-walking than on the costas. Rising up to almost 2,700m just a dozen or so miles behind the Costa Verde, the Picos are a compact range of mountains at the conjunction of the fiercely independent autonomous regions of Cantabria, Asturias and Castilla Y Leon. While modest in height compared with the Pyrenees to the east, what these spiky columns of limestone lack in height, is more than compensated for by their visual drama. There’s more than a passing resemblance to the Dolomites and beneath the lofty
p CHEWING THE CUD
Asturian mountain cattle graze the verdant lower slopes of the Picos up to around 1000m. Their milk is used to make the pungent Cabrales blue cheese. MAY 2015 COUNTRY WALKING 77
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No-nonsense reviews for real walkers YOUR COMPLETE BUYING GUIDE
OUR TESTERS
Country Walking always tests products for both men and women. Our reviewers Nick Hallissey and Sarah Ryan have notched up thousands of miles on foot, so they know the value of good kit at the right price. This test took them to Exmoor, the Yorkshire Dales, Glen Coe and the stormy Somerset Levels.
Waterproof
JACKETS
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82 COUNTRY WALKING MAY 2015
About our reviews We’ve chosen seven jackets for men and seven for women, from £90 to £300. (Cheaper ones are available through discounters and fashion stores, but see text on the left for why we think you should consider a pricier product). It’s a guide to what you should expect for your money, and what kind of walking each jacket is best for, rather than a straight comparative test.
qLIGHT AND ADAPTABLE Today’s hard-shell jackets are so light and breathable, they work brilliantly as an outer layer even on dry days.
NB: WE ALWAY SPECIFY THE RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE (RRP) FOR CONSISTENCY. YOU MAY SEE THESE ITEMS SOLD FOR CONSIDERABLY LESS IN STORES AND
HE WATERPROOF JACKET is usually the most expensive item of gear in your kit cupboard. That’s perhaps odd, when you consider that it’s the one you really don’t want to use, and (with luck) gets used a lot less than your boots, fleece or trousers. But that investment pays dividends when the heavens open on the summit of a Scottish 3,000-footer, miles away from the nearest shelter. As you pull on a snug-fitting jacket that keeps you bone dry and as warm as you want to be, you’ll be glad you spent a bit extra. You’re also paying for longevity. With a bit of TLC, a good technical waterproof can be expected to last for five years or more. And if it doesn’t, these brands usually have strong enough guarantees, and good enough customer service, to make amends via repair or replacement. And frankly, today’s waterproofs aren’t just for a rainy day. Most are now so light, slim-fitting and breathable that they can even replace a soft shell, becoming a warm, breathable and lightweight outer layer on the average cool, dry day – one that is also ready for action when the rain arrives. As ever, though, there is huge variety in the marketplace. So in this guide we’ll test the whole range of options to help you make the most informed choice.
Buying Guide Waterproof jackets
ZIPS Zips are vulnerable to rain, so designers use different methods to protect them. Cheaper jackets tend to have a flap of fabric above and beneath the zip. Pricier tops use zips with smaller teeth, covered by a layer of waterproof tape. This keeps the zip flush with the outer fabric.
HOOD Some jackets have hoods that can be rolled away or removed for casual use. Pricier jackets use the logic that if you’ve got a waterproof on, you need the hood, so they don’t expend materials on making it removable. But always look for a wired peak and preferably three points of adjustment: two at the side and one at the back of the head.
FIT Most modern jackets tend to fit snugly and have shorter lengths to maximise freedom of movement (especially on hills). A longer cut helps to keep your lap, thighs and bottom dry but can impede leg movement. Check if the zip is twoway: this allows you to unzip from the bottom upwards if you’re on a steep ascent.
POCKETS Most jackets come with handwarmer pockets like this, but they are useless if you are wearing a rucksack with a hip-belt. If there is no chest pocket (as here), make sure there is an inner pocket; this helps you store a phone or GPS and keep it handy when you need it.
VENTING WATERPROOFING You can take it as read that if a jacket appears in this guide, it has at least passed our waterproofing tests over several weeks of use. And as stated earlier, we’re confident they will stay waterproof for a good long time if cared for (and their makers will offer an appropriate remedy should they fail). All these were still beading water after multiple trips.
Your jacket should close snugly around you to keep out wind and water, but allow you to vent heat when you’re warm. Look for adjustable cuffs (like this one), an adjustable hem, and under-arm ‘pit-zips’.
MAY 2015 COUNTRY WALKING 83
27 ROUTES with Ordnance Survey Maps
Bri tain’s best
MAY 2015
WALKS s T heree’a r one nu! yo
SOUTH WEST
SOUTH EAST
MIDLANDS
PHOTO: © © STEPHEN MEESE / ALAMY
EAST
NORTH WEST
LUSH DALES The verdant pasture of Langstrothdale – turn to Walk 19 for a route that delves deep into this valley.
Spring delights Charming Yorkshire villages l Worksop’s woods and waterways l Picturesque parkland in London and many more walks for warmer days...
NORTH EAST
WALES
SCOTLAND
IRELAND
Bri tain’s est
WALKS
SOUTH WEST SOUTH EAST MIDLANDS
Find a great walk near you...
EAST NORTH WEST
01 Cornwall Zennor Quoit 02 Somerset Faulkland
NORTH EAST
25
24
WALES
03 Dorset Beaminster 04 Wiltshire Marlborough Downs
SCOTLAND 26
05 Oxfordshire Hackpen Hill
IRELAND
06 Surrey Dormansland 07 Greater London Wanstead Park 08 Herefordshire Kington 09 Worcestershire Bredon 10 Staffordshire Brindley Heath 15
12 Norfolk East & West Rudham
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13 Lincolnshire Langton Wragby
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16 Cumbria Buttermere
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17 Cumbria Crummock Water
FAMILY WALK
24 Highland Spurr of Eigg 25 Highland Glen Tromie 26 East Lothian North Berwick
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GRADE Our routes are graded easy, moderate, challenging or occasionally extreme, depending on distance, terrain, elevation and ease of navigation. Easy and moderate walks are usually less than 8 miles with relatively gentle gradients. The table below shows how we grade our more challenging walks: TERRAIN: Min 2,000ft ascent, sustained steepness and rocky or boggy ground. S
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A B
NAVIGATION: Good map-reading and compass skills required in places. DISTANCE: Route is between 8-12 miles from start to finish. TERRAIN: 3,000ft+ with sustained steep ascent/descent; possible scrambling.
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100 COUNTRY WALKING MAY 2015
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uLongsleddale, January 2015, Walk 16 – Point 1 should read, “...carry on to wall with three gates. cross then R.” uCastle Hill, March 2015, Walk 18 – Should read West Yorkshire.. uHeptonstall Moor, April 2015, Walk 17 – Grid ref should read SD969298. uIlam, April 2015, Walk 18 – Should read Staffordshire. If you spot a route which needs updating, email cwroutes@bauermedia.co.uk
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TRAILZILLA ID (on reverse of card) We upload all our walks to Trailzilla.com so subscribers can use the unique code displayed on the back of each route card to download and print the route.
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GRADIENT PROFILE Check the ascent and descent (hilliness) of the route with a quick glance at this profile.
CLASSIC ROUTE
Route updates
CHALLENGING
22 Carmarthenshire Dolaucothi Gold Mine
ABBREVIATIONS We have abbreviated left to L and right to R.
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02
EXTREME
21 Durham Broompark
OUR EXPERTS All our routes are written by experienced and knowledgeable walkers who are experts at finding the best walks in their area and describing them clearly.
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CHALLENGE WALK
20 North Yorkshire Marton
WALK INFORMATION An estimate of how long the route will take, based on a pace of about two miles per hour, with allowances made for slower, hilly routes.
13 12
05
18 South Yorkshire Upper Don Valley
How to use your routes
11 10
15 Lancashire Musbury Tor
27 Powys Hay Bluff
18
14
14 Cheshire Lymm
23 Flintshire Wepre Park
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19
11 Nottinghamshire Shireoaks
19 North Yorkshire Langstrothdale
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16 17
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NAVIGATION: Sound navigation skills required; route may be trackless. DISTANCE: Route is more than 12 miles from start to finish.
MAPS (on reverse of route card) Follow the red route marked clearly on the map. It’s essential to take the relevant Ordnance Survey map with you in case you get lost and inadvertently leave the area covered by our map.
CORNWALL QUOIT 01 ZENNOR
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1 Start Cross road, pick up bridleway by houses, follow past chimney to road, ignoring footpaths. L on road, fork R, to farm entrance.
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1.25km/¾ mile L up farm drive, bear R past buildings, continue on track, ignoring footpath R. Along green lane then footpath SW to road. R on road to Embla entrance, up drive/ track past buildings and up to moorland.
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3km/1¾ miles At path divergence ignore step-stile, R through gate. Narrow path uphill, bear R towards waymarker post at top. Cross bridleway, continue
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GRADIENT PROFILE
8
A B
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Lizard
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Redr Camborne Falmout Helston
St Agnes
Newqua
PLAN YOUR WALK
St Ives St Just Penzance Sennen Land's End
ROUTE Start/parking Trink Hill, grid ref SW500372 Is it for me? Paths, tracks, lanes. Some wet ground and exposed moorland Stiles There are many, but mostly granite step-over stiles
PLANNING Nearest town St Ives Refreshments The Engine Inn at Cripplesease (Tel: 01736 740204) or The Balnoon Inn (Tel: 01736 797572) Public toilets St Ives Public transport There are frequent buses (No.16) between St Ives and Cripplesease Maps OS Explorer 102; Landranger 203
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on footpath ahead, signed Zennor Quoit, roughly N, bearing R then curving L, continue N over downs.
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SOUTH WEST
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uDistance: 14.5km/9 miles uTime: 4 hours uGrade: Challenging
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SOMERSET 02 FAULKLAND
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GRADIENT PROFILE
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3.6km/2¼ miles Turn L. Go L on corner along Watery Lane. Eventually go L up to gate, R along field-edges for 500m. With boundary ahead go R over
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1.3km/¾ mile Go R over bridge; alongside hedge. Continue through gate on track. Reach lane. Go L. Cross road, R along North Street. Keep forward between Fleur de Lys & George Inn. Turn R through passageway alongside Charm Cottage; follow path into churchyard, leave R to road.
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Continue below fence, soon hedge R. After next stile go R, L along narrow meadow. Reach mounted pipe.
Frome
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18
W I LT
Westbury
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Warminst
Mere
Trowbridge
Bristol
BRISTOL
Avonmouth
Clevedon
Cheddar
Pilton
Wincanton
Street
Wells onbury
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bridge along L field–edge to gate L then up R field-edge. Go R at top, L on tree-lined track to lane.
Nearest towns Shepton Mallet & Trowbridge Refreshments Pubs in Norton St Philip and Faulkland. The Faulkland Post Office also sells sandwiches and drinks Public toilets None Public transport Bus 424 operates between Frome and Midsomer Norton Maps OS Explorer 142; Landranger 172 & 183
PLANNING
Start/parking A rough lay-by alongside Tucker’s Grave Inn on the A366, grid ref ST751551 Is it for me? Some paths are overgrown, but that can make it more exciting for children. Wellies useful for Watery Lane Stiles 10
ROUTE
ET
Chippe Av Corsham Bath Melksham
PLAN YOUR WALK
uDistance: 11.8km/7½ miles uTime: 3½ hours uGrade: Moderate
The village pond at Faulkland.
CHOSEN BY… LEN BANISTER A walk packed with variety; two great ridges giving views over a countryside which matches the visions of our childhood against a background of the Salisbury Plain escarpment with the Westbury White Horse in the distance. Children will love to paddle along the aptly named Watery Lane whilst their parents will enjoy the perfect village of Norton St Philip, the meadows, and the Lavender fields of Faulkland.
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600 400 200 0 km 0
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Start Just up lane, cross stile R. Go diagonally L across stream, R at hedge. Continue over stiles on field–edges, stream R.
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Carn Naun Point as the walk touches the coast.
600 400 200 0 km 0
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CHOSEN BY… RUTH LUCKHURST According to legend, the dolmen at Zennor Quoit will never be removed. It had a close shave in the 18th century, however, when the local vicar had to pay a farmer to dissuade him from converting the quoit from burial chamber to cowshed. The area is riddled with archaeological remains, from prehistoric standing stones and cairns to the mines and quarries of its industrial heyday. It is an inspirational place of clean air and pure light, where flowers tumble over fields and hedges in a riot of colour, granite stiles mark old pathways, and kestrels hunt over heath and moorland.
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SOUTH WEST
PHOTO: RUTH LUCKHURST
PHOTO: LEN BANISTER