walking Archives - Books And Travel

Walking The St Cuthbert’s Way. 5 Days From Melrose To Lindisfarne, Holy Island

I walked the St Cuthbert’s Way from Melrose, Scotland, to Lindisfarne, Holy Island, on the Northumberland Coast in early October 2021. It was a secular pilgrimage to an area of the UK that I have always wanted to visit and since the pandemic restrictions prevented travel overseas, I decided to take the opportunity to finally go.

This article covers the 5-day walk, including the final crossing to Lindisfarne, Holy Island. There were challenging elements every day in terms of distance, weather, and terrain — but it really was a worthwhile trip and I highly recommend it. I share day-by-day pictures from the walk and some practical information if you’re considering the route.

Cicerone Guide to St Cuthbert's Way and paper OS Maps — Cicerone Guide to St Cuthbert’s Way and paper OS Maps

I organized the trip independently, walked solo, and carried my own pack. I used the Cicerone Guide to Walking St Oswald’s Way & St Cuthbert’s Way and also took physical OS Maps with the route highlighted. I also used the Komoot app and I have the OS Maps app on my phone. Although there is a phone signal most of the time on the way, there were notable occasions with no service, especially in the valleys in the more rural section of the Cheviots.

Walk The South Bank Of The Thames From Tower Bridge To Westminster. London, England

Places, Walking

South Bank is one of my favorite walks in London. You pass places of historical importance and architectural beauty, as well as iconic cultural locations, plus great places to eat and drink alongside the River Thames while people-watching in this fantastic city. I set my Brooke & Daniel crime thriller trilogy in this area and I do this walk whenever I’m in London.

If you walk the route from end to end without stopping, it will only take you about an hour or so to do the 5km along the Thames Path. But if you make the most of everything along the way, you could be busy for a week or more. It’s a great way to orientate yourself if you’re new to the city where so many get the Tube or a taxi when it’s easier and often quicker to walk.

London, South Bank Of The Thames on a bright day. Panoramic image taken from the Tower bridge. Photo licensed from BigStockPhoto — London, South Bank Of The Thames on a bright day. Panoramic image taken from the Tower bridge.

Start at London Bridge Station which is a major transport hub for overground and underground trains. There are many different exits but it’s easy enough to find the river!

The Shard is next to the station. You can pay to look out over the city at The View From The Shard, which is worth it on a glorious day.

The Old Operating Theatre is also near the station, Europe’s oldest operating theatre, pre-dating anaesthetic and antibiotics.

Walk The South West Coast Path From Lyme Regis To Seaton, England

Walking

Although this walk is part of the South West Coast Path, it is mostly within the wooded Undercliff National Park. It’s also surprisingly challenging and took much longer than expected for the distance (7 miles/11 km in 4.5 hours) so I thought I’d share the journey. You can walk either way and get the 9A bus back to whichever end you started at.

It’s well sign-posted all the way.

South West Coast Path sign Photo by JFPenn

The first mile out of Lyme Regis is through fields and up behind the cliffs. You’ll pass a little fence with portrayals of the women who made Lyme Regis famous in the world of Paleontology and Geology, Mary Anning being the most well-known.

Mary Anning on a fence on the SW Coast Path. Photo by JF Penn

After about a mile, you enter the Axmouth-Lyme Regis Undercliffs National Nature Reserve. The woodland has grown over cliff rockfalls over many generations and forms part of the Dorset and East Devon World Heritage Site, protected for its biodiversity.

Walk The Kennet And Avon Canal Between Devizes And Bradford-On-Avon, England

Walking

You can walk (or cycle) this section of the Kennet and Avon canal in either direction. There’s a train station at Bradford-on-Avon and plenty of buses to Devizes. I’ve detailed the route from Bath to Bradford-on-Avon in this article.

In April 2021, I took the bus from Bath to Devizes (#272) and walked all the way back (around 37km). Definitely possible on a summer day when there is more light, with a lunch stop at Bradford-on-Avon (around 20km).

Devizes is a small town with plenty of places to get coffee and food. There are well-kept public toilets (20p in cash) sign-posted from the main square and on the way to the canalside where the Devizes Wharf has more amenities.

Walking The Pilgrims’ Way. Six Days From Southwark Cathedral, London, To Canterbury Cathedral

Walking

The Pilgrims’ Way has two possible starting points: Southwark Cathedral in London or Winchester Cathedral. The two paths cross at Otford. I chose to walk from London as this is the route of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, as well as the way Becket himself traveled between the two cities.

This is the day by day, more practical experience of the journey. You can read/listen to my lessons learned from the way here.

Preparation and resources

I walk regularly so I was well-trained for a multi-day walk although I had never done six days solo before. I did a one-day navigation course to brush up on my map-reading skills, for which I was grateful. Check out my multi-day kit list here.

Walking the Pilgrims Way guidebook and maps. Photo by JFPenn

I used The Cicerone guide, Walking the Pilgrim’s Way by Leigh Hatts, which is excellent. I also carried OS Maps of the entire route. To reduce the amount of paper, I cut out the sections I needed and pulled out the section I needed each day.

Walk Your Own Race: Lessons Learned From Walking A 50km Ultramarathon

Walking

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

“It’s not the mountain we conquer, it’s ourselves.” Edmund Hillary

As I write this, I’ve started four ultra-marathons and finished three of them. I did the Race to the Stones 100km in a weekend (2016); Cotswold Way 50km (2017); Isle of Wight 50km (2018 — I dropped out at 22km); Chiltern Challenge 50km (2020). I’ve learned something new each time and my most recent event went absolutely perfectly. In this episode, I’ll share some of my thoughts, tips, and lessons learned.

Why would you want to do an ultra-marathon anyway?
Preparation and practical tips. Here’s my day hike kit list.
Event day
Walk/run/live your own race
Enjoy the journey, not just the destination
Sometimes, it’s OK to give up. The importance of self-care.
What’s your next challenge?
Books about walking

Header photo by Fidel Fernando on Unsplash

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Preparation and resources

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