Each month in Country Walking we invite you to spice up your miles with a fiendish, foolish or fascinating side-quest, courtesy of our monthly mini-challenges, for the chance to win a money-can’t-buy golden badge… Here are the latest winners!
Seen you’ve won? Email walk1000miles@countrywalking.co.uk with your address to claim your prize!
56: Find an interesting door
Sue Grubb has walked past this door hundreds of times and wondered about its history. “The bungalow is no longer lived in but I discovered it was built on the site of a tidal swimming pool from the River Deben! The pool is gone but its outline can still be seen in Ariel photos”.
Dave Gent discovered this tiny door in Cambridge: “There are 14 of these doors in Cambridge all placed by an anonymous couple who describe them as a petite portals into another world” he says.
Jane Hodgson visited Christ Church in Oxfordshire and discovered this small gateway door with a Royal connection “King Charles I fled to Oxfordshire from London and set up his court there and home at Christ Church. However, Charles’ wife - Queen Henrietta Maria a Roman Catholic (who he was happily married to) moved to neighbouring Merton College. Because of her faith she was not allowed into Christ College. Therefore, Charles use to visit her privately via this door! Later he fled to Scotland and in 1649 he was executed. Queen Henrietta Maria went back to France.”
Linda Davies found this amazing door – “One of the best church doors I have ever seen. It’s located in Barrow Gurney Somerset. The church was built in the 12th Century and was part of a large estate called Barrow Court. It was rebuilt in the 1880s when this beautiful door was installed.”
Mo Grady found a door in the Shire: “Lincolnshire that is!” and says it’s anyone’s guess what's behind it…
57: Take a photo and tell a lie
Karen Smith was walking in the ancient woods of Padley Gorge when she came across a very rare sighting of the magical woodland chameleon: “He stood so very still and for a while I was convinced he was a tree trunk, such was his natural capability of disguise, but as I passed he slowly blinked his eye! I have visited many times since but have never seen him again…he is a very elusive creature!” she says.
Martin Eastwood was visiting the Peak District, when he was lucky enough to witness the Aurora Borealis: “We walked from our room in the stable building to the main pub for our evening meal. When we apologised for being a few minutes late for our reservation and explained why, half the pub ran outside to see what we’d seen!” he says of this photo he faked using a shot of Northern Lights he did actually take in Coniston in 2017.
Richard Inns took this photo at Castle Crag in the Lake District he says: “The rubble you see is all that remains of the original 4th century castle which was the dwelling of Prince Alfred. The castle was destroyed during the battle of Grange, the battle instigated when the village leader, Dale, refused to return a number of horses which he’d borrowed. The castle was also famously known for being one of only two castles in Britain to have been built completely from slate.” Fascinating!
Nick Yates managed to find the actual tree Andy Dufresne left Red the details of, in Zihuatanejo, made famous from The Shawshank Redemption. Extraordinary find.
58: Walk under a dark sky
Top night prowlings by Susan Darragh, Nicola Fast, Michelle Martin and Alvin Denovellis!
59: Wear an unflattering hat
Fantastically unflattering headwear on show from Rebecca Johnson, Maura Donoghue, Jackie Price and Leslet Stapley!
60: Spot a tiny mammal
Karen Dee wins the cutest critter by a mile: “Hubby rescued her while out and about. She weighed only 115 g. Too small to survive hibernation. We found her in our street as we were about to go out for a walk. 4 weeks on and now with our neighbour who rescues them, she is nearly at full weight...190g. But still won't be hibernating this winter. They need to be 250g +.”
Oh no actually Sharon Kimber does: “4 mile walk today to check 50 dormouse boxes. We were lucky to find this little male snoozing away quite happily” she says.
Kathryn Woods was approached by this beauty on a track: “I wondered if perhaps I was a Disney princess! If I burst into song, would small birds and other woodland creatures flock around me? (I guarantee if I burst into song, nothing would want to get closer!)” she says.
Lynn Hanson says: “This wee vole made its way across the path in front of me, then happily sat in the grass eating and allowing me to get quite close to take a photograph. It really did make my day!”
