Author Topic: Long distance Cicular hikes  (Read 1579 times)

gunwharfman

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Long distance Cicular hikes
« on: 19:25:22, 17/06/18 »
What started off as the potentail for another very good year of hiking has imploded on me a bit. I've had a leg pain for about four months now which has been diagnosed at 'iliotibial band syndrome' but thankfully in the last week is beginning to ease. I'm now thinking of hiking a fair distance, maybe from 1 to 2 weeks but not more.

I've started to think of long distances, but circular routes rather than linear. I did one, almost the whole way last year and started at Settle. It was The Pennine Journey', it runs up one side of the Pennine hills, along Hadrian's Wall for about 10 miles, then down the other side of the Pennines hills back to Settle. Another route that I could have chosen was to only go as far as the C2C cross over point and then head towards Keld, then keep going west to the Pennine Journey route again. still long distance enough I think.

When I did the Glyndrw's Way I realised that by starting at Knighton I could have made it into a circular hike by finishing at Welshpool, then hiking south on the Offas Dyke Path back to Knighton, or vice versa.

I also think its a better way of making use of a car, park it in one place and return to it some days later. Any other circular route suggestions please.

Another idea would be to start the Cumbria Way from Carlyle, even Keswick perhaps, then hike south to the C2C then turn west to Keld, then turn north on the Pennine Way to Hadrian's Wall and then turn left to Carlisle again.

My motivation to think of some intersting circular routes is to try to save a bit on my travel costs, return journeys to and from the same station appear to be easier on the pocket, I live in Portsmouth and for example, if I catch a train to Edale that's not a problem. But if I then walk all the way to Kirk Yetholme I then either have to make my way to Berwick or even Edinburgh, then unless I'm really lucky that a big cost cost home!


 

Stube

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Re: Long distance Cicular hikes
« Reply #1 on: 20:21:35, 17/06/18 »
By using the two Moors Way (Exmoor/dartmoor) you could turn either the SWCP or the Macmillan Ways into grand circular routes!

Local Hampshire/West Sussex circulars are the Hampshire Triangle of the Test Way, Solent Way and Wayfarers Walk.

Or any combination of the SDW, NDW, Downs link, the Wey-South, Shipwrights' & St Swithin's Ways.

Sorry to hear you've been ill. reg.

Percy

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Re: Long distance Cicular hikes
« Reply #2 on: 20:46:43, 17/06/18 »
Quote
Cheshire Ring is a circular canal route in the North West of England. The route is 97 miles long as has a total of 92 locks.
The Cheshire Ring takes in the whole of the Macclesfield Canal and parts of the Trent and Mersey, Bridgewater, Rochdale, Ashton and Peak Forest Canals. It provides a complete range of canal scenery, including the upland vistas of the Macclesfield Canal as it skirts the edge of the Pennines, the gentle rolling Cheshire countryside, industrial areas and the lively city centre canalscape of Manchester. It has a variety of canal features including broad and narrow locks, aqueducts and tunnels. It also passes the historic Anderton Boat Lift near Northwich.


http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/cheshirering.htm

gunwharfman

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Re: Long distance Cicular hikes
« Reply #3 on: 20:57:37, 17/06/18 »
Thanks Stube, its been really depressing in many ways. I made bold plans for 2018 and even bought the books to help me, only then to find out my leg pain scuppered them. I've been a fairly active person all of my life and the realisation that sooner or later 'things' will get in my way, is for me still a tough issue to come to terms with. My greatest disappointment is that I planned to do a really long French or Spanish walk but I've had to face the reality that it will not happen this year. The worse thing of all is, its nearly the longest day of the year and I've only achieved a few days in the Lakes as part of a meet and only proper long hike. I survived that by dosing myself up every day with Paracetamols and Ibrobrofen., dulled the leg and the mind. After the 21st June for me its downhill all the way! Only joking, but for me its always has been a significant date for me to plan around.

I've done a fair bit of cycling as a substitute activity but its not really an enjoyable way of experiencing the landscape for me, I'm OK locally but I'm definately not keen on the longer route stuff.

All the best.

gunwharfman

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Re: Long distance Cicular hikes
« Reply #4 on: 21:04:59, 17/06/18 »
Thanks Percy, I just loved the 'be careful' notes.

Percy

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Re: Long distance Cicular hikes
« Reply #5 on: 21:47:35, 17/06/18 »
Thanks Percy, I just loved the 'be careful' notes.
I didn't really read that page properly! It's all about boats but you can walk this route. I could chaperone you through
the mean streets of Manchester. O0

richardh1905

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Re: Long distance Cicular hikes
« Reply #6 on: 07:46:25, 18/06/18 »


After returning from an excellent wild camp up at the head of Glen Feshie, I have just started to contemplate a multi day tour around the perimeter of the Cairngorms; no idea exactly what route I would take yet, as the idea only entered my head within the last hour! Glen Feshie would be part of it though; stunningly beautiful. I'll give this some more thought.


Edit - one possibility:


Glen More, Rothiemurchus Forest, Loch an Eilean, Glen Feshie (bothy), Geldie Burn, Linn of Dee, Glen Lui, Glen Derry, Coire Etchachan (bothy), Loch Avon, Strath Nethy, Ryvoan  and back to Glen More.


This could be done in 4-5 days (although I would be tempted to spin it out a bit longer) with plenty of idyllic places to wild camp, as well as three bothies and the official campsite at Glen More.


As well as Glen More, other obvious starting points would be Glen Feshie and the Linn of Dee.


Edit 2 - Ah; didn't read the bit about travel costs. The bus from Aviemore to Glen More is cheap (and frequent), but I imagine the rail journey from Portsmouth to Aviemore wouldn't come cheap - or be quick!
« Last Edit: 08:12:36, 18/06/18 by richardh1905 »
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pauldawes

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Re: Long distance Cicular hikes
« Reply #7 on: 08:06:17, 18/06/18 »
Isle of Wight coastal path is maybe worth thinking about if you can get there at a reasonable cost.


About 70 miles..so maybe a bit short by your standards..but could easily do a few forays into the interior if you fancied doing more distance.

Islandplodder

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Re: Long distance Cicular hikes
« Reply #8 on: 09:13:30, 18/06/18 »

Similarly, the Anglesey Coast Path, a bit longer.
The Herriot Way is nice, but only 4 days.
There are three linked walks in the Lake District, the Westmorland Way form Appleby to Arnside, the Cumberland Way from Ravenglass to Appleby, and there's one from Arnside to Ravenglass, I think it's the Furness Way but I'm not sure.  They are oldish and  "no longer supported" which I think means there aren't many waymarks left and the guide books are out of print, but I got 2 of them 2nd hand easily enough. They are by Paul Hannon.

richardh1905

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Re: Long distance Cicular hikes
« Reply #9 on: 10:17:17, 18/06/18 »

Hope that you mend well gunwharfman; it must be really frustrating having an injury that prevents you from doing the thing that you love.


On second thoughts, I'm not sure that the Cairngorms route that I suggested above would be suitable for a lone walker recovering from an injury; there is some rough ground to cross, and much of the route is very remote, with no phone signal.


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andybr

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Re: Long distance Cicular hikes
« Reply #10 on: 13:29:55, 18/06/18 »
The Tabular hills Walk (originally called the Missing Link) was designed to connect the Cleveland Way at Scarborough back to the start at Helmsley to provide exactly the type of walk you are looking for. Starting from Scarborough you could even add on the final stretch of the Cleveland Way to Filey with an easy bus ride back if you are a LDP purist.

barewirewalker

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Re: Long distance Cicular hikes
« Reply #11 on: 11:31:34, 19/06/18 »
My sympathies for your injury, Long Distance walking has been off of my agenda for a long while, the ossification of my lower spine due to too much abuse back in the days, when farmers were expected to carry more that the statutory payloads of today, have made it probable that I will loose the use of my left leg.

Much of my understanding of the potential of long distance routes is through circular walking or part walking using public transport. The Shropshire Way is a circular route, though they may have added some spurs onto it or taken them off.
It may be a meaningless meander but it is one that takes you through some great countryside. Shropshire being a county of two halves, the South Shropshire Hill AONB often obscure the nature of the nature of the north of the county. If it were not for corruption of the definitive map north and south circulars would be two very notable LD Circulars.

I suppose it was my two cross Wales walks, which turned on my critical judgemnt of our access network. It is when you start to understand the terrain you walk in and wish to join up destinations and features that the areas that disallow this become a bugbear.

A circular LD walk I might favour, would be two cross Wales, joined by part of the Welsh coastal path then Offa's Dyke joining up the inland last leg. Whilst I would be loath to put in O's D as it may well have been already on someones walk log. But this does show some of the inadequacies of our access network. There are several bridges within Shropshire, which do not have rights of way over them. These over major rivers and it is the loss of such infrastructure to the access network that could improve the access network,by leaps and bounds, which walkers like yourself, trying to create independent routes are starting to highlight.
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norfolkboy

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Re: Long distance Cicular hikes
« Reply #12 on: 20:16:24, 20/06/18 »
Peddars Way,Norfolk Coastal path to Cromer then the Weavers way to Yarmouth and continue along the Angles Way back to the Start of the Peddars Way.
You can start from the train station at Thetford, approx 225 miles.
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Ronin83

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Re: Long distance Cicular hikes
« Reply #13 on: 14:06:43, 28/06/18 »
Isle of Wight coastal path is maybe worth thinking about if you can get there at a reasonable cost.


About 70 miles..so maybe a bit short by your standards..but could easily do a few forays into the interior if you fancied doing more distance.


That sounds good. IllIstart a new thread for that so I don't hijack this one.


 I guess any coastal island path is gonna be a good circular and hard to get lost on.


Injuries are a pain in the ass. I have many problems and im only 34 (lots of martial arts crash bang wallop), but I think the key to keep going is lots of short stops for stretching, taking off boots AND socks, massage, tiger balm and ibuprofen.




 

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