April Newsletter
from Contours Walking Holidays

Welcome to the April edition of the Contours Walking Holidays newsletter; our monthly look at everything related to the fantastic Great British and Irish countryside! We are very excited for the oncoming warmer season, and we're looking forward to hearing all about your 2017 walking experiences!

In this month's newsletter, we have the final part of Christine's Pennine Way adventure for you to enjoy, and Damian Hall returns with his review of the best fleeces for walking. We also have an exciting new addition to the Contours team, along with a plethora of news and tales to get you fully inspired and ready to hit the trails. Thanks for reading and happy walking!

Christine's Pennine Way Adventure - Part 3

It was a very wet start to the day today - it rained heavily throughout the night and was still raining heavily when I set off walking this morning - not the best day to be climbing up to Cross Fell, the highest point on the Pennine Way. Leaving Dufton, the trail ascended gradually up what would normally be a track; today however it had turned into a stream! At the end of the track the trail continued ascending up the grassy hillside towards Knock Fell, gradually getting steeper and heading into cloud. The rain did eventually ease, but it continued to be very wet underfoot and tough going.

Visibility became poor in the drizzle and cloud. Luckily the trail did have guide posts and cairns to lead the way to a large cairn, Knock Old Man, just before reaching the summit of Knock Fell. I passed a stone Pennine Way marker painted gold; I assumed it was painted gold to mark the 50th anniversary of the Pennine Way last year.

Continue reading ...

Featured Trail

The Moray Way

The Moray Way is one of our new walking trails for 2017, and explores a lesser known, secluded corner of Scotland rich in landscape variety, bustling wildlife and industrial history.

Beginning in the quiet village of Fochabers, the Moray Way travels in a large circle, utilising the existing walking trails of Speyside Way, Dava Way and the Moray Coast Trail. Along the way, the route encounters everything from peaceful forests and bubbling rivers, to open moorland and spectacular summits, and even glorious coastlines and sandy beaches. This really is a trail packed with variety and showcases some of the best Scottish scenery along a charming and accessible route.

For more information about the Moray Way, click here.

Trails with Tales and 50 Gems of Cumbria

by Beth and Steve Pipe

Regular Contours contributor Beth Pipe and her husband Steve have just brought out two new books celebrating the wonderful landscapes of Northern England! Here is what they had to say:

So, Beth, how did it all happen? Our first book (Historic Cumbria, Off the Beaten Track) came out in October 2015 and thankfully did well; so well, in fact, that the publisher immediately asked us to do another. In the meantime I'd pitched another idea to a different publisher who also wanted to work with us.

Wasn't that a bit scary? Yes, very scary. We're still new to this book writing lark and the thought of having two books on the go, covering two different geographical areas, certainly crossed my mind occasionally. Luckily the deadlines were six months apart.

What was your husband's role in creating the books? I do the words and Steve takes all of the beautiful photos. While I can write into the evenings and on any old rainy day, he needs to be free to dash out and take photos when the weather is just right.

How did you decide on the places you'd cover? Well, for Trails with Tales it was easy; the book is a "sister" book to a wonderful local history book (Leighton Moss: Ice Age to Present Day by Andy Denwood). We've loved Leighton Moss for many years and thought it would be great to write a series of walks visiting all the interesting historical places he describes. We've added a few more of our favourite spots too - places with great views, awesome cakes and a decent chippy.

And what about 50 Gems of Cumbria? Well, that one was rather trickier. The publisher gave us free rein to pick whichever 50 we wanted and group them how we wanted, so we had lots of lively discussions about which to include. It's not just a case of choosing your favourites, other factors come into play too; things like how photogenic they are and whether we need to pay to use the photos (places like the National Trust and English Heritage generally charge you if you want to use photos of the insides of any of their sites).

Things were also complicated by me having two big accidents during the year (two concussions, two nights in hospital, two broken bones and a two inch hole in the back of my head) and Steve damaging his knee and being on crutches for six months.

Who are the books for? Anyone who is interested in either of the areas covered and wants to know a little bit more about them.

What's the hardest part of writing them? Well, for me, the hardest part is separating out fact from folklore which can be very tricky. I do like to dispel a popular myth or two if I can, and proving Wikipedia wrong makes me particularly happy.

For Steve the hardest part is getting the right weather for the photos. Sometimes that might require him to race around several sites/walks in one day, which may explain how he did his knee in. Luckily most photos aren't time-dependent, meaning he can take them any day when the weather is nice, but there is one photo of an event which only happens once a year (in Warton) so we both had everything crossed for great weather - luckily the morning was glorious sunshine so we got exactly the pictures we needed before the weather closed in and it lashed down with rain all afternoon.

Are there more books lined up? Yes, amazingly both publishers want to continue to work with us so expect more books in the future. We'll probably wait another 18 months or so then do another two together again, just to keep us on our toes.

Where can I buy the books? Both books are available from our website here.

Featured Posts

At Contours we are always excited when a customer comes back and continues to book their holidays with us, and one of our most loyal customers, Jonathan Julyan, has recently booked his 30th Contours Walking Holiday! We recently contacted Jonathan and asked if he would like to be interviewed - as we were sure he would have some wonderful stories and advice to share - and he kindly agreed. Here is what he had to say:
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The Coast to Coast route is such a challenge that it’s tempting to plough on through in order to get the job done, but there are some wonderfully interesting places to pause at along the way, like Haweswater for example. It’s one of our favourite spots to visit in the Lake District, and over the years we’ve been lucky enough to learn more about it and enjoy some wonderful experiences there.
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In last month's newsletter, we had Beth Pipe's recommendations for great spring walks around Cumbria, while Sarah Rowell offered some fantastic advice for mentally preparing for your next big challenge. As well as this, we had a selection of fascinating facts and our usual competitions to whet your appetite for walking. Thank you for reading!
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