May 8th, 2013 at 3:00PM: Not feeling healthy? Go hiking. Two new studies from the UK show that a hike, or even a good walk around the city streets, boosts mental and physical health.
A new survey by Ramblers, the British walking charity, found that a quarter of adults in Britain walk for an hour or less a week. And when they're talking about walking, they don't mean hitting the trails in the local nature reserve, they ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
hike posts
Go Hiking: It's Better For You Than You Thought
May 8th, 2013 at 3:00PM: Not feeling healthy? Go hiking. Two new studies from the UK show that a hike, or even a good walk around the city streets, boosts mental and physical health.
A new survey by Ramblers, the British walking charity, found that a quarter of adults in Britain walk for an hour or less a week. And when they're talking about walking, they don't mean hitting the trails in the local nature reserve, they ...Springtime In Green Spain: Time To Get Out Into The Countryside, And Under It!
Apr 29th, 2013 at 10:00AM:
Green Spain has finally emerged from a miserable winter into a glorious if unreliable springtime, so it's time to get out and enjoy the region's natural beauty.
The northern coastal strip of Spain consisting of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Region has the best outdoor and underground adventures the country has to offer. Its combination of scenic hikes and extensive caves is ...GPS Guided Hikes Explore Mysterious Yorkshire Rock Art
Sep 16th, 2012 at 4:00PM: Yorkshire, in northern England, is famous for its beautiful countryside where hikers pass through remote moors and climb rugged hills. They can also explore an enduring mystery of Europe's past.
Yorkshire has some of England's largest concentrations of prehistoric rock art. Drawings of recognizable animals or objects are rare. Instead, most are abstract images like these "cup and ring marks," ...Scottish Wildcat May Go Extinct Within Months
Sep 14th, 2012 at 4:01PM:
A new survey by the Scottish Wildcat Association of the endangered Scottish wildcat has revealed only about 35 purebred individuals, prompting the group to announce the cat may go extinct within months, the BBC reports.
It was previously thought that their population numbered about 400. Another survey, funded by Scottish Natural Heritage and published last month, estimated about 150 breeding ...Hiking A Roman Road In England
Sep 4th, 2012 at 2:00PM:
At first glance this looks like a muddy field with an Australian contract lawyer walking away into the middle distance. Look again, though, and you'll notice something strange. Why is there no substantial vegetation in a big straight swath through this field?
The answer is that it's a Roman road. Only a few inches below the soil are the original stones laid down 2,000 years ago when this was ...How To Create A Successful Hiking Route
Aug 31st, 2012 at 4:00PM:
A couple of years ago, I spent six enjoyable days hiking the East Highland Way and wrote a series about it for all you fine folks. Back then this trail through Scotland had only just been established by devoted hiker Kevin Langan.
I felt like a real pioneer when I did this route. The 82-mile journey from Ft. William to Aviemore was unmarked and there was no guidebook yet. Kevin was kind ...
Police Urge Hikers To Learn Orienteering Instead Of Relying On Smartphones
Aug 16th, 2012 at 12:00PM: Police in northern Scotland have issued a call for hikers to learn orienteering rather than relying on their smartphones for navigation, the BBC reports.
Grampian Police have had to lead four separate groups to safety in the past week. The latest rescue included the use of mountain rescue teams and a Royal Navy helicopter to retrieve 14 hikers. The hikers were in the Cairngorms, a rugged ...Shapinsay: Visiting A Wee Scottish Island
Jul 27th, 2012 at 2:00PM:
No trip to Orkney is complete without seeing some of the smaller islands. They offer plenty of natural and historic sights as well as peaceful solitude.
Little Shapinsay can be seen from the main harbor at Kirkwall, but visitors often overlook it. Even though it only measures six miles long at its longest and has only about 300 residents, it's served by a regular car ferry from Kirkwall. My ...Five great hikes in Scotland
Mar 14th, 2012 at 11:00AM:
Scotland is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. With a varied landscape of lush glens, steep mountains, and rugged coastline, there are plenty of great hikes in Scotland to satisfy any hiker. Here are five of the best.
West Highland Way
One of Scotland's most popular hikes runs 96 miles from Milngavie to Ft. William. The trail offers a good sampling of many of Scotland's ...English wildlife and nature to get more protection
Mar 1st, 2012 at 9:00AM:
I've said it before and I'll say it again--on a good day there's no country more beautiful than England. Fans of hiking, nature, and wildlife have a real treat with England's wild places, and those places just got a boost to the tune of £7.5 million ($12 million) in additional funding.
The government has selected twelve Nature Improvement Areas where nature will be protected and ...Hiking in Spain: Santoña's rugged coastline and Napoleonic forts
Feb 20th, 2012 at 1:30PM: One of the great things about hiking in Europe is that many trails pass places of historic interest. Whether you're hiking along Hadrian's Wall or to a medieval castle, you can learn about the past while living in the moment amidst beautiful scenery.
Spain offers a lot of these hikes. One is an 11km (7 mile) loop trail near Santoña in Cantabria, northern Spain.
My hiking group and I ...America's baddest badlands
Jan 17th, 2012 at 10:30AM:
One of the greatest things about the United States is its environmental diversity. From towering forests of pine to sun-hammered deserts, from snowy peaks to steaming swamps, this nation has it all.
Some of the most compelling places are also the harshest. Take this view of the sand dunes of Death Valley, taken by talented photographer John Bruckman. This is the worst part of the Mojave ...Video of the Day: Remote camera captures action on Maine hiking trail
Dec 19th, 2011 at 6:30PM:
One of the best aspects of hiking is the escape that it provides from your everyday life. Getting lost - even briefly - in nature allows you to forget that the rest of the world exists. But what happens when you leave the trail and return home? Someone up in Maine decided to plant a remote camera along a trail that cuts through his property. Along with hikers, he recorded footage of moose, ...
Two day hikes in the mountains of Cantabria, Spain
Nov 30th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
As I've mentioned on this blog before, I've moved from Madrid to Santander, in Cantabria in northern Spain. This region is part of what's often called Green Spain, made up of the four northern regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, and the Basque Country. I'm loving life by the sea and I've been busy exploring Cantabria's countryside, which offers some of the best hikes in Spain. Green and ...Enjoy nudist hiking? Rethink that holiday in Switzerland
Nov 18th, 2011 at 3:00PM: Last year we reported on a major victory for nudist hiking in Switzerland. A hiker in the conservative Swiss canton of Appenzell got fined for baring all, appealed, and won.
Now that victory has turned into defeat. The BBC reports that Switzerland's highest court has ruled that local authorities can fine people for hiking in the buff. Naked hiking isn't illegal per se, but but public indecency ...Historic stretch of Hadrian's Wall repaired
Oct 15th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
A stretch of Hadrian's Wall, the famous fortification in northern England that for centuries marked the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire, has been repaired.
After 2,000 years, parts of the fortification meant to keep out northern barbarians are in pretty bad shape. People have stolen stones over the past several centuries and you can see parts of the wall in local farmhouses and ...The Way: Martin Sheen treks the Camino de Santiago
Oct 7th, 2011 at 1:30PM: I'm often skeptical when Hollywood forays into the realm of 'travel films'.
Don't get me wrong; there have been some wonderful movies in recent years that capture the true essence of the world of travel & the beauty of venturing on a grand journey: Lost in Translation, Into the Wild, L'Auberge Espagnole, Before Sunrise, Up in the Air, and The Beach (did you really think I wouldn't mention ...Hikes near Madrid: a new guidebook shows you the way (in English!)
Sep 30th, 2011 at 1:00PM: Every year, thousands of English speakers visit Madrid on holiday or to teach English. Most never explore the many hikes near Madrid, and that's a shame. The Sierra de Guadarrama offers some challenging and varied routes, and the lowland areas of the Comunidad de Madrid offer pleasant rambles. One of the best spots is La Pedriza, which can be a tough slog and easy to get lost in.
One of the ...Hiking in Cantabria, Spain: my first day out
Sep 20th, 2011 at 11:00AM: As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm no longer living in Madrid and have moved to Santander, a port in Cantabria on Spain's northern coast. Cantabria is part of Green Spain, the area that includes the regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, and El País Vasco.
This strip of land situated between high mountains and the sea gets plenty of rain and doesn't look at all like the common ...Woman killed by cows serves as warning to walkers
Sep 2nd, 2011 at 11:30AM: A woman has been trampled and killed by cows yesterday on the outskirts of Cardiff, Wales, the South Wales Echo reports.
Marilyn Duffy, 61, was walking her dog through a farmer's field. It's believed the cows were frightened by the dog and attacked. Cows are calving at this time of year and can become easily frightened by dogs or even lone people. Farmers say it's best to give cows a wide berth ...
