Kit and Preparation
Paper map and phone: using both without fuss
A phone is a fine helper and a bad only map. Paper still works when the battery, the signal and the blue dot do not.
Kit and Preparation
Choosing socks for a long day on your feet
The right sock manages damp and seams. Cotton, wrinkles and a sock that slips will end a walk before the hill does.
Kit and Preparation
Stopping a blister before it stops the walk
Blisters are easier to prevent than to walk on. Fit, socks, a stop at the first hot spot, and a pharmacist if it worsens.
Kit and Preparation
What belongs in a hip-belt pocket
A hip-belt pocket should hold what you need without stopping. Everything else belongs in the sack, or at home.
Kit and Preparation
Walking poles or none: a fair comparison
Poles help some knees and some crossings. They hinder stiles, quiet wildlife and any path that needs your hands.
Wildlife Watching
Habits that quietly scare wildlife away
Most wildlife is not scared by a walker on a path. It is scared by a loose dog, a drone, a shout or a shortcut.
Wildlife Watching
Hedgerow berries and the birds that follow
Haws, sloes, hips and bramble feed the winter hedge. Take a look, leave most of the fruit, and watch who comes to eat.
Wildlife Watching
Watching waders without putting them up
Waders feed on a timetable set by the tide. Watch from the sea wall, and leave the roosting flock alone.
Wildlife Watching
Bats at dusk around a village green
At dusk a village green can fill with bats. Stay on the path, skip the bright torch, and let the roost stay a secret.
Wildlife Watching
A walker's notebook habit for wild flowers
A small notebook turns a verge into a record. Sketch the flower, name it later, and leave every plant where it grows.
Wildlife Watching
Otter signs on a riverbank walk
You may never see an otter. Tracks, spraint and a slide on the bank are the sighting most walkers actually get.
Wildlife Watching
Autumn fungi: look, photograph, leave them be
Autumn woods are full of fungi worth seeing and not worth picking. Look closely, name them later, and leave them in place.