March 2012    Photographers Resource - Monthly    Edition 99

The National Trails of Great Britain

that the dog can be exercised and relieved, as photographers we can also have a secondary and more purposeful reason to take a walk, than just the exercise.

In Britain we have many thousands of walks through countryside, in towns and cities and around our coasts. This month we are focusing on one small element of these and these are our National Trails. There are 15 National Trails covering England and Wales with England currently in the process of creating a new Coastal Path to go around the whole of England's coastline. The first section of this new path is to open in the Spring along a section of the Dorset Coast around Weymouth Bay, in time for the 2012 Olympics. Wales has also been creating a new Coastal Path to cover the whole of it's coastline and this is to be officially opened in full on the 5th of May this year. In Scotland their equivalent to the National Trails is Scotland's Great Trails and there are 20 of them each being over 25 miles long.

Both the National Trails and the Great Trails are a selection of long distance paths that have been singled out for special status and extra funding. Some of them, like the South West Coast Path have been created by joining smaller existing paths together and then filling in some of the gaps. They are promoted and looked after nationally by the country, but also incorporating the local resources of local authorities and voluntary groups. Each one has it's own website with detailed explanations of routes, downloadable maps, nearby accommodation if you want to make more than a day of it, as well as venues to eat and take refreshments. See our feature  below for more on this, we have a growing number of route guides on the Long Distance Paths and over time we hope to cover them all, so if you're exploring some why not let us have copies of some of your photos to add to these.

If after reading our main feature this month you feel inspired to get out this summer and take in one of these glorious walks, then check out our Walks section where we not only have the National Trails but also something that might be a lot closer to you. You can find details in the following lists:-

 

List of Long Distance Coastal Paths List of National Trust Coastal Walks

List of Heritage Coasts Long Distance Paths

We also have detailed location guides on some of them and a number of articles which should help with your photography whilst out and about. You can't take the 'kitchen sink' with you when you go for a walk but with a little planning and reading the articles beforehand, you can make sure you have the right photography kit with you when you venture out.

Feature

National Trails

There are many thousands of footpaths, bridleways and minor roads throughout England, Wales and Scotland covering the whole of the countryside and most of the coast line. These routes are used for walking, cycling and horse riding and most have some stunning scenic views and take in some of the breath taking natural world we have around us. They provide a great opportunity for photographers to get out and explore the natural environment around them and to capture some stunning scenes of Britain.

Walking within Britain became popular in the early decades of the 20th century, and this resulted in waymarked walks appearing across mountains, hills, fields and along our coasts. After World War II there became a desire to keep some areas of Britain "special" and to protect them from post-war development that was taking place to rebuild some parts of our country and industries that had been destroyed during the war period. This initially led to the creation of our National Parks, Areas of Outstanding National Beauty (ANOB's) and to the creation of some Long Distance Routes. Today these routes are called National Trails, within England and Wales, and Scotland's Great Trails.

The majority of them have been created by linking existing local smaller footpaths, bridleways and minor roads and joining up the gaps in between to create a long path that is suitable for walkers, and for some parts also for cyclists and horse-riders.

England and Wales currently have 15 National Trails   of varying distances and across various different types of terrain, 3 of them are coastal paths, like the South West Coast Path   which starts at Minehead in Somerset and follows the coast around Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset ending at Poole Harbour. In Wales you have the 186 mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path   and there is also the Norfolk Coast Trail.

Some of the trails are of historical significance such as the Hadrian's Wall Path which follows most of the root of Hadrian's Wall    from Newcastle Upon Tyne across the country to Bowness in Solway in Cumbria. We haven't currently written up the National Trail, but do have a route guide for a car journey which incorporates many of the sites you would see on the walk. Take a look at Hadrian's Wall Route Guide for more details.

If you like historical themes and particularly the history behind our Stones Circles and White Horses and Hillside Features then the Ridgeway Path  which starts just outside Avebury in Wiltshire, past the Uffington White Horse  in Oxfordshire and culminating at Ivenhoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire may be one you'd be interested in walking. As well as the route guide for the Ridgeway Path   we also have The Ridgeway Path Gallery, showing more images of some of the sites you can see along it's route.

Of the 15 National Trails, 12 are in England and 3 in Wales. The first National Trail was opened in 1965 and is probably one of England's most well known walks, the Pennine Way. This route starts in Derbyshire and passes through Yorkshire, Northumberland and ends just over the border into Scotland. An extension of this is the Pennine Bridleway which is still being completed and on completion will mean this is one of the routes cyclists and horse-riders will be able to use for its full length.

We have a list of the 15 National Trails   with links to their websites and in some cases to route guides we have created within this resource so far. Also take a look at National Trails in England and Wales   for more on the history and background to them. Although a new trail has not been opened in recent years they are still completing the Pennine Bridleway and there is a new National Trail in England in development, a coastal path that will go all around the English Coastline.

NEW England National Trail

There is a new National Trail being created in England called the 'England Coastal Path'. The intention is to create a path which covers the whole of the Open Coastline around England. The scheme initially starts with 6 stretches of coastline being looked at around the country in the counties of Durham, Norfolk, Kent, Somerset, Cumbria and Dorset. There is a lengthy process to go through, with consultations with local authorities, land owners and existing routes that cover some of it have to be upgraded and signage has to be installed etc. Some of this is already coped with in some regions, as three sections of coastlines are already National Trails in their own right, and this new trail will incorporate what these already have to offer, and extend it further.

The first section of this new trail is to be opened in the spring of this year and is a 20 mile/32km stretch of the Dorset Coast around Weymouth Bay, from Portland to Lulworth. The intention is to open the route prior to the London 2012 Olympics starting in July, where Weymouth is the venue for the sailing events. Most of this first route includes part of the existing South West Coast Path   but does include some new sections giving closer access to the sea.

It would appear that the other 5 initial areas are about to start their consultation period and if things go as planned they should be open by 2014. So this is a long term project with sections being opened over the coming years before it will be fully completed. If you want to know more take a look at the Natural England website under Coastal Access where they are going to keep us up to date with progress.

NEW Wales Coast Path

Wales is to become the first country in the world to have a public path around the whole country, when it opens to the public it's new Coastal Path on the 5th May 2012. By combining this new Coastal Path and the National Trail  of the Offa's Dyke Path, which travels down the length of the English/Welsh border, it will have a continuous walking route of more than 1,030 miles around the whole of Wales.

This new coastal path will provide a continuous coastal walking route around the whole of Wales. It will start in the north just on the outskirts of Chester, along the Dee Estuary, and will finish at Chepstow in the South, with its grand Chepstow Castle.   In total the continuous coastal route will cover 870 miles/1400km. Some parts, which are already existing routes, are already accessible but these will be joined up with new sections to make the whole. It has been created by the Countryside Council for Wales with funding from the European Union, Welsh Government and local authorities. The whole path is accessible to walkers and some sections will also be suitable for cyclists, horse-riders, families with pushchairs and those with restricted mobility.

To make it easier to access they have broken it down into 8 geographical sections and within this have 80 coastal path walks, some short and some long. It incorporates two of the largest coastal paths currently in Wales, the 125 mile circular Anglesey Coastal Path   and the 186 mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path   which is also a National Trail. 

Although I have not seen it listed as a National Trail, by its very nature it is one, as it covers the whole of Wales.

View of Traeth Llyfn beach near Abereiddy on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path Robin Drayton

 

Scotland's Great Trails Scotland is not included within the National Trails which are contained within England and Wales, except for a small piece of the Pennine Way which travels over the border. Their equivalent to the National Trails is called  Scotland's Great Trails and there are 20 of them. Collectively they cover 1300 miles of the Scottish Countryside from the border with England up to the Highlands. They were created and designated by Scottish Natural Heritage, who, along with the local authorities whose territories they pass through provides some of the funding to look after and maintain them as well as publicity. They range in size from 25 miles long, like the Dava Way which follows the route of an old Highland railway line, through to the longest, the Southern Upland Way at 212 miles, which runs from the West coast to East coast. There are coastal routes, like the Moray Coastal Path with it's dolphin pod and the Ayrshire Coastal Path on the west coast. A couple of special circular routes take in some of the historical features, such as the Borders Abbey Path which links up 3 significant abbeys. If it's Lochs you want then the

Marker Sign on the Great Glen Way near to Abriachan Colin Park

Great Glen Way which goes from Inverness to Fort William, following a string of 4 lochs, including Loch Ness, runs from northeast to southwest that forms part of the Caledonian Canal. The Canal has 29 locks including the 8 that make up Neptunes Staircase, 4 aqueducts and 10 bridges, but there are also mountains and other great features to see on this walk. Our article Scotland's Great Trails looks at them in more detail and provides links to the various websites where you can get more information and detailed route maps. Also don't miss our table of Scotland's Great Trails.

During March two patron saints are celebrated the first, today, the first, is St David's Day in Wales and various welsh communities will be celebrating with pageants, dinners and other activities to celebrate their Patron Saint. In Cardiff they have a St David's Day Parade with giant daffodils and Red Dragon flags lining the route. The  procession will be made up of pipe bands in traditional costume and children decked out in Wales' national costume. Then on the 17th the Irish communities celebrate their Patron saint, St Patrick, where on the 2nd in

Manchester they start their Irish Festival which runs until the 18th. The biggest event of the year for both professional and amateur photographers takes place over 4 days this month and starts on the 4th. Focus on Imaging, takes place again at the NEC in Birmingham for 4 days ending on the 7th. The doors open at 10am each day. It is the largest photographic show in the UK for photographers and a chance for us to see all the latest equipment and offers available. For the animal lover there are also lots of events to see including for dog lovers, Crufts at the NEC in Birmingham from the 8th to 11th. The Westcountry Game and Equine Festival is being held at the Bath and West Showground nr Shepton Mallet in Somerset on the 10th and 11th. For the horse lover there are two major events, the largest horse racing festival of the year from the 13th to 16th, the Cheltenham Festival in Gloucestershire and for the more sedate the Shire Horse Spring Show runs from the 16th to 18th at the East of England Showground near Peterborough.  Here over 200 shire horses will be on display in an indoor arena. If, like me, you like Alpacas then you could visit the British Alpaca Futurity on the 16th and 17th, this year it's being held at the NEC in Birmingham.

Alpaca

For those quirky British events celebrating our heritage and traditions each month, March is no exception and is the month of the Clowns Convention Parade in Brighton on the 4th. On the 15th there is the oldest horse race in England, having first taken place in 1519, The Kiplingcotes Derby in Yorkshire, this is a 4 mile horse race along farm lanes and tracks. The last of the seasons Scottish Up-Helly-AA's takes place on the 16th at Brae on the Shetland Isles, where a replica Viking ship is burned after a parade through the streets. The Fezheads spend an afternoon on the 24th in Newcastle Upon Tyne performing games, dances and more. Whilst in Little Wittenham, Oxfordshire the more leisurely pastime, but still competitive World Pooh Sticks Championships takes place on the 25th.

DON'T FORGET the 25th is also the start of this years British Summer Time - were the clocks go FORWARD one hour and our days get longer, so from then on there will be more to do and more time in the day to get out and photograph Britain and it's people.

March is the start of spring and it is this time of year that our Gardens, woodlands and hedgerows start to come back to life. On the 25th of this month the UK clocks move forward one hour and our days start to become longer, allowing us more opportunities to get out and take great photos of our countryside and wildlife.

It is also the time of the year when a lot of our wildlife start to build nests, create new homes and get ready to enjoy their courtship rituals to create this years new offspring.

 

Grey Heron pairs will be continuing their nest building up in trees in the heronry, and feeding alongside rivers and Canals. There are a number of heronry's around Britain including one at West Sedgemoor, near Langport in Somerset. This is one of the largest Heronry's, and a hide is provided nearby so that you can get a good peak, although it can be difficult to see from the hide especially if the trees have too many leaves on them. So try and get there before the leaves start to sprout. Below the water level Frogs are rising from the bottom of the pond, where they have spent the winter and will be mating and laying frogspawn. The adults stay in the pond until the weather is warmer in April. If they have already laid in your garden pond then a film of frogspawn will be floating on the surface, so take time to watch and observe as the tadpoles will start to hatch towards the end of the month. Another spring spectacle that many do not see, but if you're lucky to be out in the countryside and near are field with short vegetation, then keep an eye

Grey Heron

open for the mad 'March Hare'. These are not 2 males fighting over which female they are going to mate with, but is a female hare boxing with a male as she has to fend of the overbearing male until she is ready to mate. This activity can take place at anytime but at this time of year you can get good views as the vegetation in the fields is still short.

Many of our winter hibernators will start to emerge from their winter beds, slightly dazed but on the look out for their first proper meal for months. Badgers have been brooding their new young under ground and they will be venturing outside their setts for the first time, the young ones to play and the adults to get much needed food to re-boost their fat reserves.

The first insects hatch, some butterflies take to the air and honeybees start to venture from their hives ready to take advantage of the nectar being produced by the early spring flowers.

Plantlife is also starting to add colour to our landscape and woodland floors. In many parks, Gardens and woodlands  the colourful crocus bulbs are starting to push through the ground and create a multicoloured carpet in the grass. Along our roadsides you may also notice white flowers on bare twigs on the Blackthorn hedges as they flower. Whilst a walk in the woods or a spinney you may notice catkins hanging from branches.

Under foot the green leaves and stalks of the Daffodil  have emerged above ground and throughout this month there will be many yellow trumpet heads nodding in the breeze in woodlands, along river banks and the sides of our roads, as well as in many gardens. The exact flowering date will depend on the weather, and with our milder winter so far in many areas they have been tricked to arrive early, and in some areas, where they are produced commercially, this has resulted in them being damaged by the odd cold snaps we have had and the crops have been ruined. In the open countryside the wild varieties are concentrated in the Lake District, North Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and Devon. It was those found in the Lake District that inspired the poet William Wordsworth, to write his well known poem Daffodils, with the start line 'I wandered lonely as a cloud'.

 

In some areas special Daffodil events are organised such as the Kempley Daffodil Weekend in Gloucestershire that takes place on the 17th and 18th March. This is a fund raising event, and every spring time when the woods in this area are carpeted in yellow, with the tiny wild daffodils, a team of volunteers offer guided walks along a circular 'Daffodils Way'   footpath covering approximately eight miles. There is also a Daff'n'Ride bus every 30 minutes. If you want to cover the walk at your own speed then you can get a map from the village hall showing the walk and sites of specific interest. These small wild daffodils grow freely in many fields and the surrounding woods and can be enjoyed on the many footpaths between Newent and Dymock. If you want to find somewhere near you then take a look at Where to Photograph Daffodils this lists some of the places you could visit to see displays of them.

Daffodil

There is much more going on in the wildlife world, so take a look at Wildlife Photography in March to find out what you should be looking out for.

National Trails of England Wales

Scotland's Great Trails

Hadrian's Wall  

Grey Heron

Where to Photograph Daffodils

National Trails of England and Wales

Scotland's Great Trails

National Parks

List of Long Distance Coastal Paths

List of National Trust Coastal Walks

List of Heritage Coasts (32)

Long Distance Paths

Daffodil

Ridgeway Path 

Anglesey Coastal Path    

Pembrokeshire Coast Path

South West Coast Path  

Hadrian's Wall Route Guide

Avebury, Wiltshire

Uffington White Horse, Oxfordshire

Daffodils Way, Newent, Gloucestershire

Chepstow Castle, Monmouthshire

The Ridgeway Path