Benson Jen - The adventurers guide to Britain 150 incredible experiences on land and water

CONWAY

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK

This electronic edition published in 2018 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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First published in Great Britain 2018

Text copyright Jen and Sim Benson, 2018

Map illustrations by Trevor Reaveley

Jen and Sim Benson have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Authors of this work

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ISBN: 978-1-8448-6519-2 (PB)
ISBN: 978-1-8448-6521-5 (eBook)
ISBN: 978-1-8448-6520-8 (ePDF)

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All photographs copyright Jen and Sim Benson, except: Dr Gordon Baird: .

C ontents

I ntroduction

Welcome to

The Adventurers Guide to Britain

an inspiring collection of the best outdoor adventure experiences to be found across this diverse group of islands. Packed within the pages that follow youll discover tumbling waterfalls with rocks for scrambling and pools for plunging; soaring ridgelines through spectacular landscapes to speed along on your bike; kayak routes and wild swims around Britains intriguing coastline; and inviting, winding woodland trails where you can find peace on the run.

Were passionate about the great outdoors and weve worked together with local guides and experts to bring you the best places for adventures in every corner of the country. With clear challenge gradings and recommendations for hire, accommodation and other exciting things to do nearby, were confident theres an adventure here for everyone. We hope you have a great time!

S kills & Equipment

The right clothing and equipment and the skills to use them properly are essential to making adventures in the great outdoors as safe and enjoyable as possible.

Navigation

Heading out into high, remote and weather-affected places is part of many great adventures, but if navigation goes wrong the consequences can be serious. Throughout the book weve indicated when good navigational skills are necessary, and wed highly recommend learning the skills even if you have a GPS device. Basic maps are included for adventures where we judged this most useful, but these are no substitute for the relevant full-detail mapping.

Cycling

Our cycling adventures are predominantly off-road on bridleways and other permitted routes. We have also included a few road rides where they take in a particularly special challenge such as cycling around an island or hopping between several. All our cycling adventures come with recommendations for bike hire.

Cycling is permitted on:

public bridleways

byways open to all traffic

unclassified country roads

designated cycle routes.

The National Cycle Network and Sustrans

Walking and cycling charity Sustrans is the founder of the UKs National Cycle Network, linking major towns and cities with waymarked routes, either traffic-free or on quiet roads. For more information and route inspiration, visit www.sustrans.org.uk. Route guides and maps are available from the Sustrans online shop and theres a National Cycle Network app, which is great for finding local cycleways or as a route-finding backup when youre out cycling.

Swimming

The experience of swimming in open water is a long way from that of trawling the lanes at the pool. Its exciting, exhilarating, life-affirming stuff. But with all these extras come added risks too. Here are our top tips for staying safe in open water:

Top Tips

Take it slowly. Splash water on your face and breathe deeply before you enter the water, then allow your body to adjust to the change in temperature gradually.

Dont swim alone if you can avoid it.

If you have health issues that might be exacerbated by cold water, seek medical advice before swimming.

Never jump or dive into water of unknown depth or quality. Always check for submerged hazards before entering.