YHA Blog
On a crisp winter’s day, there’s nothing quite like a Cornish coastal walk to snap your synapses into gear: wind stippling the waves, seabirds wheeling overhead and the immensity of the Atlantic stretching out to the horizon. The Gregorian calendar might be a...
For almost all of human existence, mountain environments have been seen as places to avoid. They were climbed only to drove livestock for trade, or to meet with people from the next village. And even then, the end-goal for those on foot was always the passes, the...
The longest walk in England leads right the way around the country’s coastline. It’s called the King Charles III England Coast Path, and when it’s finished it will stretch for 2,700 miles. If you were hiking for 10 miles a day, it would take you almost nine months...
The first stirrings of spring may be not far away, but the early months of the year are still a time of limited daylight. A reliable headtorch should be an essential inclusion in your backpack at any time of year, but never more so than over winter. Here we review...
Winter walking in the hills of England and Wales is its own experience. It’s colder and wetter than summer, and the days are shorter. That said, with a low sun shining on the slopes, for our money it’s the best time of the year. Snow on steep ground requires an ice...
When facing periods of stress, being outside and walking outdoors has the most beneficial impact on your mental wellbeing. Breathing in fresh air, hearing birdsong, connecting with nature, all contribute to making a difference to how you feel. With that being said,...
It must have been a magnificent way to arrive in Keswick, the train from Penrith rushing down into the steep-sided wooded valley, then crossing the River Greta again and again, eight times in all, across elegantly curved bowstring bridges, designed so they didn't...
Snow-capped fells, syrup smooth lakes and beautiful higgledy-piggledy houses dotted in amongst miles of glistening frosty landscapes can only mean one thing: tis the season for festive fun in the Lake District. Whether you wander for miles through a winter...
This is a city walk with a difference — for a city with a difference. There’s nowhere quite like Bath, where wellbeing has been a way of life for 2,000 years, where townhouses stand on stately Georgian terraces, and where you still half-expect to see gentlemen in...
Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, covering 823 square miles of north Wales, is one of the UK’s most thrilling destinations. It encompasses nine mountain ranges and a whole world of long-distance walks, dramatic coastlines, gnarly crags and steep biking trails — as...
With breathtaking rocky outcrops and waterfall trails galore, it’s no wonder why the Yorkshire Dales are so popular with so many visitors. Running through the middle of the Dales are the Pennines, otherwise known as the “Backbone of England” due to their impressive...
Can you place these buildings? The cities of England and Wales are full of striking architecture. But can you tell us where the following five buildings are found? To be in with a chance of winning the prize, simply tell us the five cities in which they’re located....
