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.

Welcome

IN THIS ISSUE…

All the fun of the fair

5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS MONTH

Potted history of cloud appreciation

‘I’m fascinated by things that shouldn’t be here’ • It might surprise you to learn that the British countryside is a land of scorpions, foot-long lizards, wallabies and big cats. We meet a man who devotes much of his life to finding them.

MIDDLETON-IN-TEESDALE • In a land of vast moors and fierce waterfalls lies this pretty little town in a serene valley that begs to be explored.

Catch some autumn gold • Make your miles even more fun with one of our mini-challenges and you could win a coveted golden badger* - like these walkers just have!

Win gold this month! • Tackle one - or all! - of these mini-challenges, post your photos and stories in the Walk 1000 Miles Facebook Group and we’ll send a money-can’t-buy golden badger to our favourite 20! You have until 16 October for this lot.

Your View

Where’s Kes? • Every month our favourite spaniel Kes goes walkies somewhere in the issue, and we want him back! Can you help find Kes?

Stuart Maconie • While rock festivals can turn even the most picturesque places into grimy mud pits, walking festivals move to an entirely different beat.

RAIN OR SHINE • A celebration of walking in all weathers

Walking on sunshine • Without the Sun’s warmth and light there would be no life on Earth. And if you agree it’s the best kind of weather to walk in, then come with us to the South Downs.

Our fair-weather friends

Survival of the wettest • Almost every UK record for rainfall is held by a small corner of the Lake District. Country Walking headed there to get wet - and failed spectacularly.

PLACES THAT LOOK BETTER IN THE RAIN

Into the eye of the storm • ‘Out of evil cometh good’, and out of a disaster one wild October night on Anglesey came an invention that may have saved more lives than any other. It’s a story best told on a fascinating walk on the island’s east coast.

Moderate, becoming good

Blown away • In 1666 Britain’s most devastating tornado ripped its way through Lincolnshire. Trace its tranquil route today and explore why we’re a country in love and at war with the wind.

How windy is too windy?

CHASING FOG • To some walkers this is the worst kind of weather, obscuring the view and muddling the route-finding, but Laura Pashby finds enchantment inside the Devon clouds.

Life in the FREEZER • The coldest place in Britain is also one of the most beautiful, as this winter walk in the sub-arctic hills of the Cairngorms proves.

The vanishing sphinx

BASE LAYERS • Expert advice on the kit that makes a difference

Tea break

PRIZE CROSSWORD

In love with Fall • Enjoy the quietest stretch of the Thames | Hear bellowing stags in Essex | Take an easy stroll among giants in the Highlands and more great walks…

OUR ROUTES YOUR WALKS • Tackled one of the routes published in Country Walking? Send us a picture and a few words on your experience: you could win a fantastic prize from Ordnance...