Country walks with Arthur the dog

Country walking is now a "thing" for me since getting a dog and deciding that I needed to look after my knees. Training for and running (slow jogging) the London marathon was the painful pinnacle of my running career. I had been running from my mid-teens up until the marathon aged 31 with several ankle and knee operations along the way, mostly football related. It was very apparent at the 18th mile of the marathon (my wall) that enough was enough. I hobbled over the finish line at 4.08 minutes – the 8 minutes still haunt me – and subsequently, my doctor ordered me to take up a new sport to save my knees.

Enter Arthur, a Jack Russell, and the walking began. Whilst walking isn’t considered by the fitness industry as intensive exercise, I have found it can be if you walk quickly enough for long enough. The great thing about walking is not only that it saves heavy impact on your knees but you also have time to take in the countryside and seasons, this was nearly always lost for me in a moderately paced run…

Here are some of mine and Arthur’s favourite recent walks…

Middleton to Barbon, Cumbria (South Lakes) | Easy

Middleton is a very small village in Cumbria that I was lucky to be staying in a few weeks ago. There’s a pub, lots of sheep, and stunning countryside. What more does a walker need? The sheep breed is hardy up North, often the Herdwick or Swaledale cross and they dot the fells all year round and make a wonderful backdrop to any walk. Arthur is kept away from livestock on our walks so while I look over stone walls at sheep Arthur can only smell his woolly friends, much to his annoyance.

The walk is 2.5 miles from Middleton to Barbon. You can take the road or public footpath and on your walk, you’ll straddle the western edge of the Yorkshire Dales. Once you’re in Barbon there’s a lovely pub called the Barbon Inn and a tea shop called the Church Mouse. If you happen to be in the South Lakes then this area of the country is definitely worth a visit. Two other local towns close by that I recommend are Dent and Kirkby Lonsdale.

Bath to Freshford, Somerset | Medium

Living in Bath means we’re spoilt for choice with walks. From the centre of Bath, you can walk from the centre and out into the countryside in any direction in under 30 minutes. The most well-known walk is the Cotswold Way running between Bath and Chipping Camden (100 miles). Then there’s the old railway path between Bristol and Bath, the 13 miles is an easier distance to manage and also great for cycling.

However, my favourite walk is along the Kennet and Avon Canal which stretches 87 miles and covers the Cotswolds and Wiltshire. You can pick up the walk in the centre of Bath and walk to Bradford-on-Avon. However, I like to walk from Bathampton to the village of Freshford. This 6.5 mile walk takes 2 hours and is great cycling and dog walking territory. The narrow canal path, until you get off the canal for the last 20 minutes into Freshford, keeps you on your toes. Cyclists, boat dogs and swans keep Arthur in a state of excited anxiety for the majority of the walk. As you pass the houseboats and the walk deepens into the Somerset countryside eventually you reach the Dundas Aqueduct, a scheduled ancient monument that apparently means it’s as important as Stonehenge. A diversion off the canal and up the hill to Freshford makes for a great end to this flat and easy walk. The Freshford Inn is a great pub but book for lunch or dinner as it gets very busy. It does a great Sunday roast!

The Isle of Wight | Large breakfast required

Last October a group of us walked halfway around the Isle of Wight for charity. We set off at 7am and finished at 8.45pm. We walked the coastal path from Ryde to Brook and managed to clock up 26 miles which was 58,000 steps. Arthur’s step count was definitely much higher! The ease of the ferry from Portsmouth to Ryde makes this trip an accessible thing to do at the weekend. There are some lovely areas along the way, notably Cowes, Shalfleet and the cliffs from Freshwater to Brook.

The weather wasn’t great so if you’re going to walk the coastal path then definitely try and do it in dry weather in spring or summer. Walking this distance it was almost as challenging as running the London Marathon. Essentials for this walk are very good walking socks and boots, waterproofs, food and plenty of water! Arthur hid under his bed at the end of this walk… and I felt like joining him, it was quite a feat but worth it.

Of course any seasoned walker will tell you that you need a hearty breakfast to fuel a nice long country walk!

So here’s my recommended walker’s breakfast:

1. 2 rashers of Field & Flower unsmoked back bacon
2. 2 Field & Flower pork and black pepper sausages
3. 1 free-range poached egg
4. Toast – Hobbs House harvest loaf and Longman’s salted butter
5. Baked beans
6. Tracklement’s Sweet Mustard Ketchup

And finally, as Baz Luhrmann says in his song Sunscreen "look after your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone."