...nothing but footprints

Autumn...the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.  At the end of September, when the first signs of autumn had begun to appear, we returned to Sutton Bank on the western edge of the North York Moors National Park.  This area has always been a particular favourite of ours, and although there wasn't really any mist to speak of, there was certainly plenty of mellow fruitfulness all around us. Our walk began at the North York Moors Visitor Centre, at the top of Sutton Bank.  From here signs direct to you to "the Finest View in England".   Opinions naturally vary as to whether this claim is accurate (and I can certainly think of many other views which I'd consider to be finer), but nevertheless there's no denying that what awaits those who follow the direction signs is nothing short of stunning. This way to a very fine view... Following the signs from the visitor centre led us along a clear pathway that winds its way through shrubby undergrowth.  At the st

As much as I'd like to be able to, I can't go walking in the Lake District every week.  It's just a little too far to travel there and back in a day.  And the Yorkshire Dales, whilst closer to home, also entails just a little too much travel time to make regular walking there feasible, particularly as the hours of daylight decrease.  Although we seem to favour the North York Moors for most of our weekend walks, the Yorkshire Wolds occasionally provide us with a contrasting alternative.  In mid September, on a calm, mild and overcast day, we decided to revisit a section of the Yorkshire Wolds Way, with a circular walk beginning from the village of Settrington, near Malton.  It had been raining heavily when we had walked this section of the Wolds Way, back in May, and the low cloud had robbed us of any kind of a view from the higher ground.  So, although the light was far from crystal clear, I nevertheless hoped to at least catch a glimpse of what we had missed the last time

When I first began my mission to climb all 214 Wainwright Lakeland fells (just over a year ago), I also started my own sub-list with the heading "Lakeland Priorities".  Let's face it, 214 hills/mountains is very ambitious, particularly for someone like me, who until quite recently had struggled to get up Roseberry Topping.  And although I am something of a completist, I'm by no means bagging hills and mountains just for the sake of putting ticks in boxes.  To be honest, if I don't climb all 214 Wainwrights it won't really bother me.  My main objective is enjoyment.  And so with that in mind I started a list to prioritise the hills and mountains I'm especially keen to climb.  In early September we decided that we would like to become better acquainted with the Cumbrian town of Penrith.  It's one of those places I've passed through many times in my life without ever actually stopping to take a proper look around.  Over the past year we've often