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14 October 2024 | 11:45 am Staying fit can feel like a tough nut to crack, especially when the daily grind leaves you with little room to breathe, let alone exercise. After a long day at work or school, the last thing you want is to drag yourself to the gym. And let’s […]
As soon as I stepped within the stone circle of Cerrig Arthur, the strange noise began. It came from the far side of the valley – a long, hoarse scream. Then it became louder, growing into an ear-splitting thunder. I jammed my fingers into my ears – but still felt its sonic explosion down in […]
On this windless autumn Saturday, the landscape is curiously hushed. Occasionally, a tiny chorus of coal tits gathers to chat in the pines above my head, but otherwise it’s soundless, the muffled stillness willing me to slow my pace. As the track turns from soil to sand, I skitter over smooth grey rocks to reach a […]
Scorching sunlight glinted through the windows as the bartender slid a frosted glass of Cruzcampo across the aluminium bar. “Ocho meses de invierno, cuatro de infierno,” he sighed with a nod towards the heat-shimmering lane outside. “Eight months of winter, four months of hell” is how the inhabitants of Extremadura describe their climate. Your timing […]
Winning tip: wild camping and walking in the Pyrenees The best ever walk I’ve been on was actually two weeks of walking, along the GR11 on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees from Candanchú to La Guingueta d’Àneu. We got the train to France, packed food for a week and restocked half way, and wild […]
While each product featured is independently selected by our editors, we may include paid promotion. If you buy something through our links, we may earn commission. Read more about our Product Review Guidelines here. Having comfortable walking shoes incorporated into your wardrobe is a no-brainer, especially if you travel regularly or have an unbearably long […]
To paraphrase Alfred Wainwright, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong kit. And he of all people should know. Wainwright spent his life charting every nook and cranny of the notoriously wet and windy Lake District. But he never let a bit of bad weather get between himself and the great outdoors. […]
There are two types of people on any UK hiking trail: those wearing walking boots, and those who have yet to experience the unmistakable sensation of cowpat seeping through their trainers. I belong in the first camp and firmly believe that the great outdoors is best enjoyed in appropriate footwear. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. […]
At 8.45am, I stroll down the steps of The Queen at Chester hotel and into the midweek flow. The roads are full of delivery vans, the station is lined with taxis and the pavements are busy with commuters. I move among them lightly, a roamer bound for distant lands. Well, distant-ish: I’m a coffee to […]
Rare rainforest in the Lake District Autumn is often wet – so why not embrace this, and visit one of Britain’s temperate rainforests in Borrowdale, near Keswick. Such forests are rare globally as well as in Britain. Not only can you observe the gorgeous autumn hues from the leaves of ash, birch and oak but […]