Walking Forum

Main Boards => Long Distance Walks => Topic started by: Little Foot on 15:23:56, 01/02/20

Title: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Little Foot on 15:23:56, 01/02/20
Hi all. I'm in the process of doing the YWW but cheating, in that I'm doing various stages at various times. This is partly due to the small amount of daylight hours, the weather not being appropriate, having a younger one with me, and being a novice at this kind of thing. I work Sundays too, so barring the school holidays, Saturdays (when the lad isn't with his dad) are the only days for it.

Anyway, I plan on doing more days in the Feb school holiday, and in March when I have weekends off work, so hopefully I can cross the YWW off my list at the end of March and move onto something else.

Ideally I'd like to think about doing a path over the course of a few days, camping out. I'd be going around the end of May. I would like an area that has varied scenery, so in other words, I wouldn't want to trekking three days across moors. I've walked Malham Tarn to Malham, and around Castleton so don't want those areas.

I was thinking of doing a few days of the West Highland Way, or around Cairngorm but I'd worry about getting lost on the latter and it being a bit dull if it has vast areas of moor between the interesting parts. Some where that had a good history and was interesting on that score would be good.

I will be using public transport and I am situated in East Yorkshire, but would consider most places I can get to by public transport. I'd prefer the pace to be fairly easy to moderate. Some Hills to see good scenery would be nice, but nothing too hard that I'll need mountain rescue.  ;D

Any one have an ideas?
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Butchersboy on 15:30:51, 01/02/20
The Cleveland Way is in your neck of the woods  O0
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Little Foot on 16:46:55, 01/02/20
The Cleveland Way is in your neck of the woods  O0


That might be an idea as the lad likes sea scenes. Any idea what it is like to camp en-route anyone?


I don't mind travelling out of the county if anyone has any personal prefs.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Islandplodder on 18:08:37, 01/02/20
The West Highland Way is good for varied scenery and it isn't too demanding.  The other great advantage is that you can get on and off it easily by bus;  I have been doing it for a while as a series of one and two day walks using public transport.A bit closer to you, the Dales Highway can be done in sections using the Settle Carlisle railway, and it's easy to get to both the beginning and the end by train.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: vghikers on 19:45:24, 01/02/20
Quote
That might be an idea as the lad likes sea scenes. Any idea what it is like to camp en-route anyone?

The CW is a great route for variety but it's generally not that easy to find a reasonable secluded pitch, especially on the coastal section. As always on this type of route, there are some pretty good pitches here and there but never at the right time of day as you pass them!.
Our report (https://v-g.me.uk/Trips/T0528/T0528.htm) isn't a lot of help as it was written up as a few notes long after the event, but might be of a little value.

Edit to add:- the WHW in May isn't recommended if if you don't like crowds.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Little Foot on 19:46:32, 01/02/20
The West Highland Way is good for varied scenery and it isn't too demanding.  The other great advantage is that you can get on and off it easily by bus;  I have been doing it for a while as a series of one and two day walks using public transport.A bit closer to you, the Dales Highway can be done in sections using the Settle Carlisle railway, and it's easy to get to both the beginning and the end by train.


I've not heard of the Dales Highway, I shall look it up. Thanks for the info.


When I say varied scenery, I can also mean for it to be more interesting. I'm thinking of walks that will have little villages and historic sites and places to visit, so a 12 year old won't get too bored.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Little Foot on 19:48:24, 01/02/20
The CW is a great route for variety but it's generally not that easy to find a reasonable secluded pitch, especially on the coastal section. As always on this type of route, there are some pretty good pitches here and there but never at the right time of day as you pass them!.
Our report (https://v-g.me.uk/Trips/T0528/T0528.htm) isn't a lot of help as it was written up as a few notes long after the event, but might be of a little value.


Ok, I'll check that report out. I did think I'd seen something where a guy mentioned about the lack of camping places, but wasn't sure if I was remembering a different walk.


Thanks.  :)
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: jimbob on 20:42:42, 01/02/20
Try Hadrians Wall. West to East. Plenty of Camping all the way along it. And apart from the first day/ two days to Carlisle there are plenty of easy escapes off to public transport.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Florence Lamb on 20:52:56, 01/02/20
Plenty of campsites along Cleveland Way though....I guess you’re planning on wild camping?
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Little Foot on 22:15:20, 01/02/20
Try Hadrians Wall. West to East. Plenty of Camping all the way along it. And apart from the first day/ two days to Carlisle there are plenty of easy escapes off to public transport.


Sounds good. Wouldn't have considered there. Like the idea of scooting off to various places.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Little Foot on 22:17:08, 01/02/20
Plenty of campsites along Cleveland Way though....I guess you’re planning on wild camping?


I was planning wild camping if I went to Scotland. I think I'd be a bit nervous doing it England first time, so would prefer sites, for the first trip or few, but depends on how remote we go.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: gunwharfman on 09:55:10, 02/02/20
I think Jimbob's suggestion of Hadrian's Wall is the best one especially if you have your lad with you. Get him to watch 'Robin Hood Prince of Thieves' before you set off and take particular note of the scene on Hadrians Wall where Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman run down the wall to rescue a young boy from the Sheriff's evil men and then take some photos of 'that tree' that the film has made so famous. Everybody else has! It's situated, if walking west to east, just before Housesteads Fort, then take him there as well, my son when a boy was fascinated by the Roman toilets in particular.

There's the Once Brewed pub not too far away with a camping site and bunkhouse just along from it. If you are walking from west to east, there's a path from Hadrians Wall directly to it. Dead easy to wild camp, I've done it, I just slept on the Scottish side of the wall.

When I walked the route last April I came from Carlisle and was lucky to have sunshine every day, I thought that was most unusual.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: jimbob on 11:42:06, 02/02/20
GWM you make me smile, the Scottish side of the wall as you call it is mostly in  Northumberland and in the east nearly 70 miles south of the border. Of course on the West Side, half a mile south of the border at its closest you are in Cumbria and it would be dangerous to cross the Solway into Scotland.  Don't you remember the distance between the wall and Byrness then up to the border fence.

That wall may have been built to protect southerners from Northumbrians. 🤔
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: ninthace on 12:12:07, 02/02/20
That wall may have been built to protect southerners from Northumbrians. 🤔
  IIRC from my visits to the wall, there was more than one.  I think the furthest north was the Antonine Wall from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde but the Romans eventually decided on Hadrian's Wall as there was nothing worthwhile  beyond there, and it was all too much trouble!  No comment - I wouldn't presume  :)
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: gunwharfman on 12:41:49, 02/02/20
I know that the northern side of the wall is in England, but the northern side of the wall is on the Scottish side as well even if Scotland is some miles away, but point taken.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: jimbob on 14:25:23, 02/02/20
GWM so no wild camping as a right unless permission from local tenant.
The folks in charge of protecting the wall for future generations beg people not to walk on the wall or camp within its shelter. People have been seen using pegs into the wall and even using stones to stop their tents blowing away. There are plenty of woods within easy walking distance where you can hide out for a late set up early getaway.

Ninthace the Antonine Wall was  built to keep us hemmed in.  ::)
Seriously though I was at a talk in what used to be the Hancock Museum in  the Toon and one of the senior Archeologists was saying that it was just a sign of strength to encourage the locals both sides to go through the permitted gates to pay duties on the goods they were carrying. So basically a Customs border rather than military. Ditto the Antonine but that didn't get the expected revenue so was abandoned. That thinking may have changed over the last 7 years.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: ninthace on 16:02:16, 02/02/20
That is how I understood it too.  The area to the north was not considered worth developing as the return would not be worth the effort.  Instead, build a wall as a sign of authority and status - here endeth the Roman Empire - and create choke points to collect taxes from those who had come to a different economic conclusion.  That said, if the natives got restless and decided to go south, it would slow them down and give the lads a chance to gather in strength to show them who was dominus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIAdHEwiAy8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIAdHEwiAy8)
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Owen on 17:52:24, 02/02/20
The walls weren't the end of the Roman Empire, there were forts and even a large town as far north as present day Aberdeenshire.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: ninthace on 19:11:05, 02/02/20
The walls weren't the end of the Roman Empire, there were forts and even a large town as far north as present day Aberdeenshire.
The extent of the empire varied over time - were the forts and town contemporary with H's Wall?
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Owen on 19:52:05, 02/02/20
http://www.mcjazz.f2s.com/RomanCamps.htm
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: ninthace on 20:57:51, 02/02/20
I tried Google but couldn't find a large Roman town in Aberdeenshire, only forts - what was it called?
Dates vary according to source but it seems the forts in N Scotland are mainly part of the Agricola campaign 80-84 AD.  Construction of Hadrian's Wall started in 122AD.  The Antonine Wall was built 142AD and abandoned 162AD.  Hadrian's Wall became the border again in 164AD and was eventually abandoned when the Romans withdrew.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Bhod on 22:14:03, 02/02/20

.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Little Foot on 09:11:48, 03/02/20
Appreciate all the advice folks!


Hadrian's seems pretty much what I was after. It looks like it would be varied, with lots to hold our interest. I did read an old post though from a teen who had done it with his dad, moaning that it was awful as they were up to the knees in bog.  :o  That's why I hadn't thought of it before. Is it fairly easy going or are they going to be very difficult parts like bog?
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: vghikers on 09:24:31, 03/02/20
Quote
I did read an old post though from a teen who had done it with his dad, moaning that it was awful as they were up to the knees in bog.

What?. Were they miles off course?.
I did it last April and it's very easy going throughout, perhaps slightly muddy field paths after rain but no bogginess at all.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Owen on 09:39:27, 03/02/20
I tried Google but couldn't find a large Roman town in Aberdeenshire, only forts - what was it called?
Dates vary according to source but it seems the forts in N Scotland are mainly part of the Agricola campaign 80-84 AD.  Construction of Hadrian's Wall started in 122AD.  The Antonine Wall was built 142AD and abandoned 162AD.  Hadrian's Wall became the border again in 164AD and was eventually abandoned when the Romans withdrew.


Watched a TV program on a dig at this site sometime last year. It would seam they are reviewing their understanding of what was happening back then. Can't remember the name and can't find anything on Google. Only had a quick look.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Yorkshiremarv on 11:36:01, 03/02/20
Little foot? If like me you live in the flat part of east yorkshire , be prepared for the hadrians wall ups and downs! Its very hilly along the middle bit with a lot of steep ups/downs but the scenery is amazing and along with all the history it truly is an amazing place!
Ive always fancied doing the tabular hills walk, it starts at helmsley and finishes at scalby mills or vice versa! Its 48miles long and goes thru hills and fields and quite a few forests(chance for a wild camp maybe). Easy to get to and from and wouldnt be too taxing on the legs.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Little Foot on 19:16:59, 03/02/20

What?. Were they miles off course?. I did it last April and it's very easy going throughout, perhaps slightly muddy field paths after rain but no bogginess at all.



I shall try find the post, but had a quick look on my lunch and couldn't see it. Can't remember what I searched for it to come up.

Little foot? If like me you live in the flat part of east yorkshire , be prepared for the hadrians wall ups and downs! Its very hilly along the middle bit with a lot of steep ups/downs but the scenery is amazing and along with all the history it truly is an amazing place!
Ive always fancied doing the tabular hills walk, it starts at helmsley and finishes at scalby mills or vice versa! Its 48miles long and goes thru hills and fields and quite a few forests(chance for a wild camp maybe). Easy to get to and from and wouldnt be too taxing on the legs.


Yes, it's very flat round here, and I think the city I live in is pretty poor when it comes to decent walking spots. I feel I'm right to be a bit wary of the hills, and it being too much for us, so I'll delve into it a bit more and certainly take on board your suggestion. Thanks.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: Bigfoot_Mike on 20:19:54, 03/02/20

Watched a TV program on a dig at this site sometime last year. It would seam they are reviewing their understanding of what was happening back then. Can't remember the name and can't find anything on Google. Only had a quick look.
One of the possible Roman settlements was Devana, which is possibly located at or near Banchory. I believe there was also a large fort near Kintore. These forts could be like small towns, as the number of soldiers could be large. There was also some thought that there might have been a settlement at Cawdor in Moray, due to aerial pictures, but there was little archeological evidence found, which I believe is common at these supposed sites in northern Scotland. The battle of Mons Graupius may well have taken place in Aberdeenshire. That is reported to have had 30,000 Caledonian troops that were routed by half the number of Romans.
Title: Re: LDW Recommendations
Post by: gunwharfman on 22:04:13, 03/02/20
When I walked from Peebles towards Edinburgh last April I remember walking on what was a Roman road and I also saw a small sign stating the site of a Roman bridge was up ahead. I couldn't establish where it actually was so I walked on. Soon after the village of West Linton about 15 miles from Edinburgh, I remember walking on a couple of Roman roads which are still in use as tractor/footpath routes.