Ordnance Survey – Great Britain's national mapping agency

National Trust highlight top ten walks

04 January 2008

Walking experts at The National Trust® have compiled a list of the top ten trails that will bring ramblers closer to nature.

For each of the walks the Trust has created a ‘simple “walking” leaflet’, complete with a map and route directions as well as highlights to look out for on the way.

The leaflets, which cover walks that take ramblers over hillsides and through historic parks, can be downloaded from The National Trust's website.

Arnside Knott on the Cumbrian coast tops the list, due to the loud ‘pichoo’ call of the marsh tit walkers can hear from the local woodland and the rare butterflies that grace the area.

The two-mile walk travels up a hill ridge and gives ramblers ‘fantastic views’ overlooking Morecambe Bay on one side and the Lake District on the other.

Hertfordshire is next on the Trust's agenda, with the county's Ashridge Estate being singled out as an area perfect for a family ramble due to the wide, level paths that run through the ‘beautiful Chiltern woods’.

Famed for its bluebells, Ashridge is also home to gliding red kites and has a discovery centre where visitors can learn more about the area.

Other areas The National Trust recommends include Brownsea Island in Dorset, Calke Park and Abbey in Derbyshire and Crom in Northern Ireland.

The National Trust is a registered trademark of The National Trust For Places Of Historic Interest Or Natural Beauty.

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