views, despite being of no great height. The Ridgeway and Peddars Way are two remnants of a Bronze Age coast-to-coast trail that traversed the south of England.
Some trails are strongly linked with a particular person, such as Hadrian’s Wall Path or Offa’s Dyke Path, following ancient frontiers that helped to define the countries that make up Britain. Glyndŵr’s Way wanders through the little-known countryside of mid-Wales chasing the ghost of a mighty warrior. The North Downs Way is based on the former pilgrim’s way that led to the shrine of St Thomas à Becket, while much further north, in Scotland, walkers on the West Highland Way follow a military road engineered by General Caulfeild. None of these people realised that they were laying the foundations of a trail network, but today’s walkers call them to mind as they trek through the countryside.
Low Force comprises a series of small waterfalls near Bowlees in Teesdale (Day 10, Pennine Way)
Many national trails simply strive to scale high hills and traverse lonely moorlands, relishing the sense of open space and fresh air. The Pennine Way was the first to do this, and the Cleveland Way and Offa’s Dyke Path enjoy high and wild landscapes as much as the Southern Upland Way does. Other trails cross much lower hills, such as the Yorkshire Wolds Way, Speyside Way or Great Glen Way. New trails are being added to the network, such as the evolving Pennine Bridleway. There have been calls for the popular ‘unofficial’ Coast to Coast Walk to be honoured with national trail status. Walkers are assured that the national trails offer the chance to explore some of the most scenic and interesting natural and historic landscapes in Britain, in the certain knowledge that access and signposting are maintained in good order throughout.
A waymark post on the descent to the village of Bodfari (Day 10, Offa’s Dyke Path)
Waymarking
The national trails are state funded and, on the whole, very well maintained. Right from the start, with the creation of the Pennine Way, a standard waymark symbol was adopted for use on all the trails developed in England and Wales. An acorn symbol is used exclusively on national trails, so that where complex junctions of paths and tracks occur, the ‘acorn’ will quickly reveal the way forward. In Scotland a thistle waymark symbol is used, and the same principle applies at any complex junctions. Signposts often carry the name of the trail that is being followed, while simple waymark posts may simply bear the appropriate trail symbol and a directional arrow.
Despite being well marked, these trails still require the use of a map and basic navigational skills. Routes are easily lost in fields and woods, or on moorlands in poor visibility, while signposts and marker posts can be damaged or destroyed. When a trail enters a town or city, it is not always obvious how you should pass through the streets to return to the countryside. A decent map, and the ability to read it, will ensure that you stay on the route. Look on the signposts and waymarks as simply a means of confirming that you are still on course.
Path Associations
A few of the national trails have thriving ‘path associations’. The Pennine Way Association is naturally one of the oldest, as is the Offa’s Dyke Association. The South West Coast Path Association arguably has the toughest job, since they lobby in support of the longest of all Britain’s national trails. The path associations are largely made up of people who have walked the route and are therefore in the best possible position to promote it. With a thriving membership, they are able to report problems and get them attended to quickly, working closely with the relevant authorities in each area. They keep an eye on local services, and produce invaluable accommodation guides, often based on the personal recommendation of members and other walkers.
Ideally, every national trail should have a path association, but in fact only a handful do. However, every trail has a ‘path manager’, employed to deal with the many issues relating to a particular trail, and these managers are in direct contact with the authorities that have the funding and manpower to attend to these issues.
Maps
Detailed Ordnance Survey maps cover every national trail in Britain, and a list of these is included in this guidebook with each trail description. Walkers who want a lot of detail should use the Explorer series, which at a scale of 1:25,000 shows virtually every wall, fence and building along the way. Others will be happy to use the Landranger series, at a scale of 1:50,000, which is adequate on well-signposted routes, even though less detail is shown. For full details see www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk.
A–Z Adventure Atlases cover some National Trails using OS Explorer mapping in the form of books, so that large sheets of paper don’t have to be unfolded. Between one and five atlases are required, depending on the length of the trail, www.az.co.uk.
Harveys, an independent map maker, produces strip maps at a scale of 1:40,000 covering many of the national trails. The advantage of these maps is that they are waterproof, show dedicated information for each trail, and drastically cut down the bulk of mapping required. For full details see www.harveymaps.co.uk.
Ordnance Survey mapping is available in digital form, suitable for viewing on home computers, as well as for use outdoors on devices such as smartphones and tablets, which may have GPS capability. While using digital mapping can save carrying a bundle of paper maps, it is essential to keep devices charged and safe from damage. Harvey Maps offer digital versions of many of their national trail maps.
Guidebooks
Each of the national trails originally had an ‘official’ guidebook published by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, containing Ordnance Survey mapping at 1:25,000. In recent years, in England and Wales, Aurum Press (www.aurumpress.co.uk) took over publishing these titles. In Scotland the publisher Birlinn (www.birlinn.co.uk) acquired titles. Almost every national trail has a guidebook published by Cicerone (www.cicerone.co.uk) and these include extracts of Ordnance Survey Landranger mapping at 1:50,000. Cicerone guidebooks are available both as printed books and in digital form as ebooks, including some in Kindle format.
Heavy seas pound the natural rock arch of the Green Bridge on the Castlemartin Ranges (Day 10, Pembrokeshire Coast Path)
Throughout this book, guides containing OS maps or similar mapping are listed, though some trails have simpler guides too. Most trail guidebooks offer detailed commentaries on the routes as well as notes about the landscape, its history, heritage and wildlife. Guides often have different angles and walkers should ideally browse through all of them to find out which best meet their needs.
Long-distance Laughs
No matter which trail you walk, or how much you suffer, you’ll always find someone suffering more than you. There must be something about long-distance walking that compels some people to keep trekking when they’d be better advised to quit. A certain grim stoicism seems to sustain them when the going gets tough, and this has led to the publication of a small sub-genre of long-distance walking books with a distinct humour all of their own. Those who are struggling, or feel they may struggle once they start, or those who wonder if anyone has ever suffered as badly as they are suffering, should realise that they are not alone and read one or all of the following:
