Читать книгу The Lune Valley and Howgills. 40 scenic fell, river and woodland walks онлайн

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Following the simple and common-sense advice below will help ensure that you get the best out of the day.

Timings

Plan your walk in advance, bearing in mind your own and your companions’ capabilities and the anticipated weather conditions for the day. The times given in the box at the start of each walk are based on distance (2½ miles per hour) and height gain (1 minute per 10m of ascent), but make no allowance for rest or photographic stops along the way. They are provided merely as a guide, and in practice your own time may significantly differ, depending upon your level of fitness, ability to cope with the terrain and other factors such as weather.

Heading towards Arant Haw in the Howgills under glowering skies (Walk 15)

Gradient, poor conditions underfoot and lousy weather can add considerably to both time and effort. If you are new to walking, begin with some of the shorter or less demanding walks to gain a measure of your performance.

Footpaths and tracks

The network of public footpaths and tracks in the area is extensive, and signposts and waymarks are generally well positioned to confirm the route. On the upper moors, and indeed across many of the valley meadows, the actual line of the path is not always distinct, but the way is often discernible along a ‘trod’. Defined as a ‘mark made by treading’, a trod, by its nature, becomes increasingly obvious the more it is walked, and indeed may develop over time as a path. But on the upper slopes it is a less tangible thing – a slight flattening of the grass punctuated by an occasional boot print. A trod may differ from a sheep track only in that it has purposeful direction, and an element of concentration is often required to stay on the right course.