Walking

In conjunction with my love of a great pint of ale,and the pub that serves it,by the way I find the public houses as interesting as the beer it serves,I enjoy a walk in the countryside,now I say countryside because that’s my favourite place to be but a walk around a city,town or village is equally interesting so much to see and learn.Always have a guide book on hand or a leaflet for the walk as you learn so much of the history and traditions of each place as you go,also it gives an insight into refreshments available.My particular favourite guide books or walking leaflets are the ones that involve a stop off at the pub,maybe for lunch or just a drink it’s just nice to sit down and sample a pint to reward the long walk that is now behind you.

I am lucky enough to be within a 20 minute car journey of the fabulous Peak District, anyone that’s never been should give it a try it’s worth the effort.There is an array of superb walks,scenery,picture postcard villages,remote peaks,moorland,great village pubs,remote pubs, the list goes on.Every walk we do brings a different scene even the same route at different times of the year will surprise us with the change in flora,mist,rain,snow,mud,farm animals, its beauty is breathtaking.

Walking was always an important part of my life,but until my children were old enough to be left at home alone the walks were pretty much child friendly so were a bit limited as to where we visited,did it have a playground,did the pub have some swings,was the carpark close to the start of the walk.There was a great deal of planning ahead to make sure the kids were happy.Once they were old enough and didn’t want the embarrassment of walking with Mum and Dad,we were off on more adventurous walks.

My ideal day out would be a drive into the Peak District starting the day off with a hearty breakfast at a village cafe,the Old Smithy at Monyash- http://www.oldsmithymonyash.com is a fabulous choice with the full English for me and scrambled egg on toast for Angie.Then off on a walk around the countryside guide book in hand,the walk being at least 5 miles but no more than 10 miles.Stop off after 2-3 miles(depends on the walk length) for refreshments depending on the time perhaps a swift pint or a latte,then at the end of the walk some lunch in one of the fabulous pubs the peaks have to offer.Over time we have built up a great portfolio of walks that we enjoy and more importantly have some great pubs on route.I will touch on the City and town walking at a later time(London is our favourite City of all).