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NEW EDITION JULY 2011
Walks Easter Ross & The Black Isle
Author: Paul Williams
rewalked 2010/11 - Richard Hallewell & Becky CoopeThe guide for Easter Ross and the Black Isle has been completely rewalked, with a couple of forest walks near Tain being added and the usual small alterations to the existing route descriptions – notably on the walks from Strathpeffer, where Forestry Commission Scotland have made some changes to the forest section of the walk up Knock Farrel and the paths and signs on the Kinellan/Ord Hill routes have changed considerably.
The area is often overlooked by walkers. It has one well-known route – the climb up Ben Wyvis, with its whale-back ridge like a golf fairway – but is otherwise largely left to the locals. This is perhaps understandable when there are more mountainous areas close by, but there are some good routes worth looking out. The coastal paths around Tarbat Ness make a very fine low-level walk, while there are other enjoyable coastal paths on the southern edge of the Black Isle and round the fine old village of Cromarty. Inland there are some good low-level moorland walks (including the excellent Orrin Dam walk, included in the guide). Oddities include the line of oil rigs in the Cromarty Firth, the spectacular Black Rock Gorge at Evanton (100ft deep but only a few feet wide) and the monument on Cnoc Fyrish – built in imitation of the gates of the Indian city of Negapatam (see left).
For more details of Walks Easter Ross, or to order a copy, click here.
NEW EDITION APRIL 2011
Walks Coniston & the Southern Lakes
Author: Richard Hallewell
rewalked 2010/11 - Richard Hallewell & Becky CoopeLast year we completely rewalked the guide for Coniston and the southern Lake District. It is a beautiful area, and as throughout the Lakes there is a great range of terrific walks. The best known, of course, is the climb up the Old Man of Coniston: one of the iconic Lake District hills. The climb is a useful introduction to the area, as it passes through not only striking mountain scenery, but also some surprisingly industrial landscapes. Coniston was a slate-mining town and the wide corrie below the Old Man's peak is full of old mines and spoil heaps – as well as the noise of the last functioning quarry. Further north, around Tilberthwaite, the walks pass some spectacular old quarries (see centre left). This description might, for some of you, bring the world of Pigeon Post to mind. This is no coincidence: Arthur Ransome spent his childhood holidays at Nibthwaite, near the southern end of Coniston Water, and the lake's Peel Island was the probable inspiration for Wild Cat Island in the Swallows and Amazons books.
There are other hill and moorland routes in the book – notably Wetherlam & Swirl How (bottom left) and the Walna Scar Road into pretty Dunnerdale – but there is a greater range of routes in this guide than in the other Lake District books. The southern part of the area covers two large peninsulas jutting into Morecambe Bay and the North Sea, and the dunes, salt marshes and shingle beaches provide some terrific low-level walking. There are also a couple of walks from the beautiful little village of Cartmel – famous for its priory, race course and sticky toffee pudding.
As usual, there were some small changes to the walks since we last looked at them, but the Lake District routes are so well-established that there are rarely any major alterations. The one exception is at Latterbarrow – the little hill walk from the village of Hawkshead, which gives a terrific view over Coniston Water. Here, there is some major tree-felling underway in the conifer forest to the south of the hill, with the result that the old route description is redundant. The path still exists, and some effort is being made to keep it signposted, but walkers will need to follow instructions on the ground until the work is completed. If this occurs before the next reprint we will update the entry then.
For more details of Walks Coniston, or to order a copy, either in book form or as a PDF download, click here.

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