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.

This month I've been…

Welcome

IN THIS ISSUE…

A place in the sun

5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS MONTH

The Man in the Iron Mask (1908)

Potted history of Jelly Babies

'Our footpaths are a vast open-air museum of movement' • From overgrown lanes to forgotten pilgrimage routes, author Jack Cornish is on a mission to lead us down The Lost Paths.

MALHAM • Surrounded by geological masterpieces, idyllic waterfalls and unusual wildlife, this little village manages to stand out even in a place as special as the Yorkshire Dales.

The walk I'll never forget • Walking more brings enriching experiences to every day – and some moments big and small that will never leave us…

How walking faster leaves health worries behind

The Golden Badger hall of fame • Spice up your miles with one of our mini-challenges and you could win a money-can't-buy Golden Badger – this lot have just discovered they have!

This month's challenges

Your View

Stuart Maconie • When a reader told me I mixed up my pikes, there was only one thing to do: mount an expedition. (And pack some humble pie.)

The CURIOUS KINGDOM • Everywhere you walk there's something to wonder about – and whetting your curiosity is one of the best things walking can do…

LET THE GAMES BEGIN • Think the modern Olympics started in Athens? You have to visit the green hills of Shropshire to discover where the starting pistol was actually fired.

Plan your trip

3 MORE HISTORIC GAMES

A view I made FOR YOU

Up, up and away • The first time anyone had seen a view of England like this was 15 September 1784. Retrace the course of the spell-bound pioneer who beheld it (and his airsick cat) on an 18 mile walk and wonder in greenest Hertfordshire.

Plan your trip

An UNQUIET GRAVE

The Magic of MUSHROOMS • Tasty, deadly, beautiful, grotesque, microscopic, enormous, the stuff of legend; these curious organisms don't just brighten up a forest floor – they're the reason the forest exists in the first place.

Plan your trip

In search of the SKIDDAW HERMIT • In 1863, a tormented artist built himself a 'nest' on a Lake District fell and attempted to live a truly free life. Country Walking sets out to tell the strange, sad, extraordinary story of George Smith.

A WAY WITH WORDS

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THE OWLMAN of Mawnan Smith

The other LADY OF THE LAKE • Spend a weekend in the Brecon Beacons and discover how this beautiful lake beneath the green cliffs of Bannau Sir Gaer gave birth to a mystical romance and a dynasty of medieval medics.

The MEDICINE MEN • The lady of the lake returned with secrets that would turn her descendants in the village of Myddfai into celebrated medics of the middle ages…

Plan your trip

The WILD PHARMACY • What was in the medieval medicine cabinet – and what Wales' leading medics claimed it could do for you.

WALKING LEGWEAR • Expert advice on the kit that makes a difference

Tea break

PRIZE CROSSWORD

Catch the...