Old Fashioned Rambling Holidays

The United Kingdom is the quintessential destination for rambling, hiking and walking holidays. The UK offers exceptional scenery and gives the walking holidaymaker an adventurous climbing and walking holiday, experiencing the world up close and personal.


Walk along the river banks and fill your senses with the lushness of the foliage adorning the banks and the cliffs. Walk past sheltered bays and blowy hilltops with marvellous views, complete with hundreds of species of wild flowers or to the foot of a mountain thousands of years old.


Route descriptions and maps can usually be found online or in guide books and most paths are well marked. For unguided walks and a good sense of direction and map reading skills are essential. Look online and ask locals about walking routes for information about the best countryside and visit places of interest.


Hiking boots should be well broken in; they should have a pretty good tread on the bottom, for any stumps, steep terrain, and rocks that you might be going through. You should be able to lace them pretty snug all the way up to the top.


Pack layers of clothing for the trip that will allow you to adapt to the wide swings in daytime temperature that you will experience while hiking. Thin light weight layers means that you can add or remove clothing, and don’t end up with a heavy rucksack weighting you down.


There are a number of small day packs and waist pouches on the market that may come in handy for a short trek or hike. Whilst technically they may not constitute a back pack, they can come in very handy, and are so small and light weight that you will forget you are wearing them, which means you are free to enjoy the hills without carrying a large burden.


Accommodation in the rambler hotspots of the UK caters well for visitors looking for outdoor leisure and adventure activity holidays. Accommodation includes B&B, hotel, guest house, holiday cottage or hostel/activity centre have special features for walkers and cyclists alike. Accommodation rates usually include half board with the option of having a pack up made for you at an additional cost, but make an ideal picnic solution.

Shining a Light on England's Black Country

By Darby Patterson

The wind was biting cold and a gray pallor coated the industrial city of Dudley where nail making, iron and steel, and coal mining once drove everyday life. This is the land of the working man, woman and child of England's past, a history of great contrast between rich, and poor and the north and south of this powerful island nation. Dudley is tucked into the midlands and is generally off the beaten path for tourists. It is, however, a unique culture and landscape worthy of visiting. Certainly, the Black Country Museum is an attraction that in itself, puts the region on the map for tourism.

It was perhaps the perfect weather for our trip to the Museum because it was easy to imagine the hardship and meager existence of people who built the industry that fueled England's growth at a dear personal price. At least 40 buildings - humble abodes, cottages and shops where people plied their trades - have been moved to this 10 hectare (about 26 acres) site in an effort to preserve the distinct local history that endowed the museum with its name. It is said that in the mid-19th century smoke from the factories and mills filled the air with particles so dense the sun barely shone through, and every surface was coated with a dusting of dull, sooty black. However, coal, iron and industry were indigenous to the Black Country from as early as the 16th century - and the deepest and thickest seam of coal and iron in Great Britain lies beneath its surface.

Life for the workers in these mines was brutal, short and dangerous. It was anything but profitable, except for the elite who owned and ran the mines. Child labor was a given. The abundance of coal in the Black Country made way for the construction of canals - narrow waterways that led to major ports in Manchester and Birmingham. I am told my great-great grandfather worked on one of the narrow canal boats such as those that today sit serenely in the carefully reproduced environment of the Black Country Museum. Colorful long canal boats continue to be a feature of the many waterways that wind through the Black Country and beyond. In some measure, their beauty belies the human pain that made them useful.

But the Black Country Museum does not shy away from this dark era of the region's history. It reveals the truth in re-enactments and demonstrations that take place in historic buildings - some moved brick by brick from their original location and lovingly reassembled on the museum's expansive open air environment. One such building is the Darby End Church. It was taken down one brick at a time, and pew by pew to once again welcome people as a centerpiece at the museum. According to local legend, the church was first dubbed Darby Hand Church - dedicated to the men and women who worked for the powerful Darby coal and iron empire.

Throughout the recreated Black Country village are tiny shops with proprietors in authentic costume and character, eager to talk with visitors and impart local history. There's a mercantile shop, a chemist's, a black smith workshop, candy store and bakery and, of course, a tavern. There are many tiny living spaces that show how laborers shared warm spaces and families survived with little hope of a better life. On this cold December day, coal fires burned on grates and the few, brave visitors to the museum huddled close, like long lost friends to share the warmth.

But the work of the Museum's dedicated volunteers continued despite the bite of winter. At the nail maker's shop, Kevin Lowe put the bellows to a coal fire where rods of iron heated to a glowing red. My cousin Stephen and I were the only audience willing to endure the nip of the cold and follow through the process of nail making. We had a personal interest as our common ancestor was a nail maker - Joseph Darby, a proud looking gent who smoked a crooked pipe and wore a jaunty cap. We knew, of course, that our good Darby name was not related to the famous Abraham Darby who developed the technology to cast iron and helped spawn the Industrial revolution. No, our family, like thousands of others, was at the very bottom of workingman's ladder, stoking the fires and wielding the tools of the trade.

As Kevin deftly worked he explained that nail making was generally a family affair, with children as young as 4-years old working the bellows. A family, he said, could produce 6000 nails a week for which, if they were lucky and not cheated by a middleman, they were paid one pound. The region was so intensely worked around the clock it became known as "Black by day and red by night." Despite the heat from the coal glowing in Kevin's shop, we could still see the vapor from the cold as he talked us through the process.

The nail making trade was highly valued and the call for nails extended well beyond the shores of England. Nonetheless, the families worked in virtual servitude and endured financial and physical abuse throughout the era that lasted from the 1700s to the mid-19th century.

By then, there was great unrest and some workers united. "It was a circle of poverty you couldn't get out of," said Kevin in his Black Country brogue. "And, they kept a blacklist of rebellious nail makers." Inevitably, there was a rebellion. Thousands of nail makers joined the Dudley Riots of 1842. The target of the nail makers was the nail masters - many known for cheating workers of the little they earned. Although the workers were successful in uniting and bringing attention to the plight of nail makers in the Black Country, their rebellion did not succeed. Their leaders negotiated in good faith with the bosses only to be betrayed. While talks took place, dragoons arrived from Birmingham. On horseback with their swords drawn, they drove the crowds back and quelled the riots.

Throughout this narrative, Kevin heated iron rods, pounded them with hammers, twisted and snapped off the ends and flattened the heads. Finally feeling he'd made a proper nail, he presented us with one. Kevin's hands were the hands of time - calloused and blackened from his labors, no different than the hands that worked the same thankless trade centuries ago. The nail was, indeed, perfect, and amazingly, I was able to take it onto the plane to California with me without raising an eyebrow or an alarm!

The entire 26 acres of the Black Country Museum is veritably alive with this rich history. Its authenticity and the dedication of its volunteers make the site a hidden treasure among England's many historic attractions. There's an underground ride through a coal mine - a delight for kids - convincing shop keepers playing their roles and imparting interesting tidbits of history. Modern amenities such as trolley cars and trams ferry visitors around most of the year. Of course, in December such niceties were not available, and Stephen and I braved the cobbled streets on foot, warmed by glowing coal fires and the great hospitality of the good folk of the Black Country.

Darby Patterson is a California-based writer with a strong connection to England. She is a former award winning journalist and currently writes Web content and creates affordable Web sites for non-profits, small business and individuals.

Please visit http://www.writer4webpages.com to see her work.
In addition, Darby loves to write fiction and has posted a number of her short stories at [http://www.writingbydarby.com]

Canoe Or Kayak Camping

By Charles Milburn

This is about some of the basics of river camping. The things and the skills you need to do a simple river trip.

Aha, you have just put in on a somewhat lazy river. The canoe is all loaded up with camping gear. As you paddle ahead you see the mountains rising in the distance and the abundance of rich green vegetation growing along the bank. The water is crystal clear; you could read a newspaper on the bottom in 8' of water. The morning sun feels rejuvenating on your face. The air is as fresh as it can be. A slight breeze puffs up the river and all of a sudden you see thousands of cottonwood blossoms fill the air. It almost looks like snow. My wife calls them tree fairies. I think she gets euphoric out on the river with all that fresh air. Actually, the blossoms or fairies are cottonwood seeds; they have a fuzzy puff of hair like stuff around them and are lighter than a feather.

You see a rock sticking out of the water to your right. You pick up your fishing rod and cast. Right on the money just behind the rock then the water explodes with a nice Smallmouth bass about a 1 ½' out of the water in the air. Now, after getting your heart under control, you think to yourself "let the games begin." After a battle on rod and reel you unhook the bass and release it back into the water.

In the distance we here the roar of water, rapids are coming up. So you check the map and see a set of class one's coming up. We put on your PFD's and tie down all loose gear. As we approach we make a plan for how we're going to get thru them. We pick up our speed and head for the main channel knowing at the bottom we have to cut a little to the right to pick up the channel that drops into a 5' chute thru an intimidating ledge across the river. As you execute your plan, you can't help feel the excitement building as you execute each turn. What a great feeling you have as you fly down the chute to still water knowing we did everything right. That's the third endorphin rush in an hour.

Sounds nice!

Canoe or kayak camping is a great way to camp. It is our favorite and we spend as much as 4- 5 weeks a year on rivers. We often put in for a week or 10 days at a time. We plan ahead of time for re-supply stops, ice, sodas fresh foods (if close by), dry meals and swap out our used clothes for clean. Sometimes, we leap frog our vehicles to an access point downriver. You lose a little time shifting vehicles around but get gain clean cloths, fresh food, ice and things you forgot and left in the truck.

We don't paddle every day. Usually, we'll make camp by a rapid. The sound of them at night is fantastic plus the fishing is usually good. It seems that a lot of wild life frequent rapids particular Otters. Rapids are entertainment too, we like watching others come thru. Some are very funny, while others are very skillful. We swim in the rapids when it's hot, sometimes we tow 2-stacked sit on top kayaks behind our canoe to play in the rapids, fish, explore or do day trips out of camp. I do a little fly fishing from time to time and rapids are a prime spot. We may stay an extra day or two, and then push on to another spot. Canoe or kayak camping is a relaxing way to camp; we are never in a hurry.

Before you jump off and rent a canoe or kayak for your first trip down the river, there are some things you need to know. First off, knowing how to swim or at least be very comfortable in moving or rushing water. Second, having canoe or kayak skills from packing to paddling. Third, experienced camping skills, as these will pay off later. You need to see a raw site and make it home for a night or couple of days without harming the environment. Being able to handle a rainstorm, or other adverse weather. Having the right equipment, like dry bags instead of backpacks. Know how to maintain a fresh water supply and how to make a campfire with wet wood. You need a little more than KOA skills. And lastly, having the right attitude. Not everything is going to be perfect but you make it perfect or the best you can. Remember this is a water sport as well as camping. You might get wet from time to time and you have to be OK with that. Canoes and kayaks sometimes turn over or a sudden rainstorm comes up and your rain gear is in the bottom of the pack. No time to pull a "chicken little" thing.

Setting up camp in the rain or a storm can be challenging, it isn't that hard just an inconvenience. By the numbers, first set up the campsite rain fly, next the tent under the campsite fly. Then after your tent is up with the tent rain fly on, you move it to where you want it to be. Next, is gathering firewood, and drying it out as in the article on "Campfires." Next is unloading the rest of the gear you will need for now. Sleeping gear, cooking kit & food bag, cooler, clothes bag, and chairs if you have them. Next, get that fire going and get on dry clothes. I can't tell you how good a cup of hot chocolate would taste at this moment sitting by a warm fire.

Hey, come on guy's this is fun. It's the adventure, the challenge; you made it happen, anybody that knows how can set up a camp on a bright sunny day. In the rain and blowing wind it's different, but that hot chocolate will never taste as good as it did above, that's what we call "right on." While you don't plan on a storm they sometimes happen and you can't run from them. With good camping skills you can deal with it. What separates a good camping trip form a bad one is how you handle the things that go wrong. And you know, that's the trip you might remember most. Remember that time we set up camp in the rain, or the trip when we left the tent poles in the truck.

It's good to always plan a rain day on long trips, as it's hard to get an accurate weather forecast that far in advance. It will rain, we just don't know when your are going to have it until our NOAH radio tells us. Once we were out on a 10 -15 dayer and we had a good spot to hold over for a day while the rain passed. The next day our weather radio predicted more rain. Rather than lose a day, we elected to pack up and paddle on. This is where having good rain gear helps the comfort zone. We traveled 5 miles, shot 3 rapids and caught a bunch of bass that day. Late afternoon, the rain stopped, as we neared our planned camping spot. We are often GPS guided. We set up and had another nice night in the neighbourhood.

So, now you have it, we think canoe camping is the greatest. We love it.

1. Knowing how to swim or at least be comfortable in moving or rushing water

2. Experienced camping skills

3. The right equipment

4. Canoeing or kayak experience with light white water if doing any.

5. The right attitude. We are going to have a good time if it kills us.

You put all that together and you got a great trip. Leave out one ingredient and you could be inviting a disaster. Read the "Bloopers" when it's finally written, an article on every thing that has gone wrong and how we handled it and hear about our experiences as well as our friends, this could be funny. We have no regrets, as this is our experience as to how we got to where we are today.

Try renting a canoe for a day trip and see you like it. While you are out there try to imagine what it would be like camping out for a night. Most likely you may not have any neighbors (fellow campers).

If this sounds like your cup of tea, you can contact me thru the website below and I can hook you up with one of half dozen-affiliate outfitters along the upper Potomac River WVA or the Shenandoah River in VA & WVA. They have canoes to rent and river maps and can transport you to your put in. If you are on your own I can give you directions to or Waypoints for Put in's and Takeouts.

Author: Charles Milburn and we are WayPoint Adventures Inc at My CampFire Outfitters. My wife and I have 25 years combined experience as campers and 5 years experience as outfitters and guides. This year we opened a website because we know camping gear and what works. A lot of people (beginners) are being taken advantage of by on line dealers with inferior camping gear or higher priced camping gear. Our goal is to guide the beginner into the right gear until they know if camping is for them. It's not about the money as we are a small mom and pop business. We are hosting a few articles to help them in the transition with out being taken advantage of, like "how to do or how to buy" articles. We also have tips and secrets to share and confessions of all the things that have gone wrong while out in the wild. We also cater to the more experienced campers, canoers, bikers, and backpackers as well. We offer over 700 camping items from economy, mid range and high tech - wherever you feel most comfortable. We carry close to 100 models of tents by 11 manufactures. We have Camp Stoves, Camp Cookware, Sleeping Bags, Camp Tools, First aid, GPS's, SPOT's, Weather Radios, and hundreds of other misc. items. For some this might not be the right website as we have to many choices to pick from. So come on in take a look and maybe you just might want to take a trip on the wild side.

http://www.MyCampfireOutfitters.com
Also check out "Canoe Camping Tips" http://www.mycampfireoutfitters.com/articles/article/7429229/140367.htm

Hot Air Balloon Rides Over Somerset

By Eve Ashwell

Somerset is as famous for its Cheddar cheese and strong ciders as it is for its coastal towns, sweeping beaches and areas of outstanding natural beauty. A hot air balloon ride over the area provides the perfect opportunity to view many of the county's landmarks from a completely new perspective - or more specifically from anything up to 5,000 feet.

If you're looking to explore southern Somerset, then a hot air balloon ride from the county town of Taunton - 'town on the River Tone' - is a fantastic way to start. In fact, anything else just wouldn't be cricket: the town sits in the spectacular Vale of Taunton Deane between the Quantock and Blackdown Hills and its skyline is dominated by several impressive churches including that of St James, which towers over the grounds of Somerset County Cricket Club'.
Whilst ballooning over Taunton, it is possible to see beautiful Vivary Park, home of the annual Taunton Flower Shower, and Taunton Castle, which dates back as far as the Anglo Saxon times of 710. The Bridgewater and Taunton Canal is a fantastic sight to see too as colourful barges can be seen wending their way along the waterway. More unusually, military pill-boxes can be seen on the banks of the canal as it was planned to be a Stop Line to halt invading enemies during WWII.

Ilminster is another great launch site in south Somerset. This charming market town lies half way between Yeovil and Taunton, close to the A303, and takes its name from the 15th Century Minster church and the nearby River Ile. Well known for its striking architecture, Ilminster's church is one of the most noticeable of all. Its perpendicular structural design and ornate stained glass make it a beautiful building which stands tall above the market square's medieval patterned streets. Described as Ileminstre, meaning 'The church on the River Isle', the town is noted in the Doomsday book of 1086, although records of Ilminster date as far back as 725.

North east of Illminster is the infamous town of Glastonbury. Today the town is best known for its famous festival when the world's top musicians and stars descend on the nation's most famous farm for a 100,000 strong annual music marathon. If that's not your scene then you'll most probably adore the serene picture of rural perfection that is Glastonbury for the other 363 days of the year. Just a short distance from the historic Cheddar caves and just a hop skip and a jump from beautiful Devon, you can be sure that a flight from Glastonbury will be a feast for the eyes.

Further north, Bristol is the UK's home of hot air ballooning as it plays host to the Bristol Balloon Fiesta every year. Now an internationally renowned festival, attracting over half a million visitors, the balloons launch from the Ashton Court Estate - 850 acres of woods and grassland, once the gracious home of the Smyth family.

A Bristol hot air balloon ride also offers the opportunity to view Isambard Kingdom Brunel's masterpiece - the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The great Victorian engineer never lived to see his creation finished but today it attracts a huge number of sight-seers as it has become the symbol of the city. You may also be able to catch a glimpse of the S.S. Great Britain - Brunel's other great contribution to the maritime world. After a life as a luxury liner, troop ship, cargo vessel and floating warehouse, she was towed back to Bristol from the Falkland Islands in 1937 and restored to her former glory.

Just a stone's throw away is Bath, 'the finest place on earth, for you may enjoy its society and its walks without effort or fatigue' according to 18th century traveler James Boswell.

With its well-preserved Roman remains and famous baths, compact centre, historic buildings, pretty shops and set in spectacular countryside, Bath truly is a ballooning paradise. It is brimming with heritage and beauty and without a skyscraper in sight! Within minutes you might find yourself looking down on the atmospheric village of Lacock, virtually untouched since the 18th century. It will come as no surprise, when viewed from the basket, that this village often features in television and cinema such as the BBC's Cranford, Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

A flight in any direction from this great city will lead you over some adorable villages and ancient landmarks including the mysterious and evocative circle of enormous rocks that is Stonehenge.

For more information on ballooning in Somerset or Bristol hot air balloon rides visit Virgin Balloon Flights. Submitted by Eve Ashwell, Digital Marketing Executive at Virgin Balloon Flights. Virgin Balloon Flights operate the largest fleet of hot air balloons in the UK, offering the experience of hot air ballooning from over 100 launch sites across the country.