Other Walking Sites

A selection from the many walking sites out there. I've tried to organise them in some sort of order, though they by no means cover everything.

If you can recommend any places to stay or eat, or things to see along the way, please let me know and I'll include them. If there's a web site, include the URL. All tips gratefully received and fully acknowledged!

I found very few personal accounts of what it's actually like to follow a particular trail, which is a pity. If I've missed any, please let me know. In the meantime, get writing!

Organizations

Ramblers Association The first port of call for walkers in the UK. Info on the Cotswold Way, the Thames Path, the Test Way, the South Downs Way and the Two Moors Way, as well as accommodation options, including b & bs, hostels and camping barns.
National Trails: including the Cotswold Way, the Ridgeway, the Thames Path and the South Downs Way.
Walking Pages: introduction to the Cotswold Way, the Kennet And Avon, the Ridgeway, the Thames Path, the South Downs Way and the Two Moors Way.
Rural Ways is a site covering the south-eastern counties. There's some basic information on the Ridgeway, the Thames Path and the South Downs Way.
Youth Hostel Association Sadly the YHA is not what it once was - seems to cater for tourists rather than walkers these days - but still, it's somewhere to start when looking for accomodation. Ghastly website too... who designed THAT?
Independent Hostels: an alternative source of accomodation.

General sites

David Cotton's comprehensive site, britishwalks.org has sections on the Ridgeway, the South Downs Way, the Thames Path and part of the K and A.
Walking And Hiking a general site with articles about walks and walking.
The Walking Englishman Mike Brockhurst's excellent site. Well worth a visit.
Long Distance Footpaths in Britain This site, by Thomas Keijzer, has been around for a few years now. Covers a number of trails, with some nice photos.
Walker-welcoming cottage in Scotland Had to put this link in, as I built the website! It's on the shores of Loch Duich in the Western Highlands, not too far from Skye. Check out the photos!

Kennet and Avon

Have a look at:

britishwalks.org: this link is the first of several pages covering the section from Bath to Newbury (use the arrow at the bottom of the page to navigate through them).
Walking Pages: contact details for local Tourist Information Centres and public transport.
KA Trust: information about the canal, links to schematic maps, plus a history of the waterway.
Jim Shead's site: some interesting stuff, including a useful table of distances.
Overview of the route by Peter Hardcastle.
Slowtravel UK: some general information.

Test Way

No descriptions as such. Try:

Hantsweb: Hamphire County Council's page has a useful overview.
Ramblers Association: accommodation service and route information.
Test Valley: another official-type site with some accommodation info.

New Forest To Oxford

Two Moors Way

Descriptions:

John Harlow's page.
John Butler covered most of the route as part of his end-to-end walk. Stacks of pics.
And Roy McKee ran it!
Photo journal by a couple of BBC Radio Devon reporters. Not much text, but a good visual overview.

General information:

Ramblers Association: accommodation service, route information.
Walking Pages: contact details for local Tourist Information Centres and public transport.
Ivybridge Tourist Website: a nice downloadable leaflet about the walk. It gives the address of the Two Moors Way Association, if you want to obtain their accomodation list in advance (if you're not worried about prebooking you can get this from Lynton or Ivybridge TIC when you set off).
Devon County Council: includes some TIC and transport details.

Ridgeway

Descriptions:

I have a sentimental fondness for this article by Peter Chatfield. It was reading it some years ago which inspired me to start creating my own site. So you can blame him!
David Cotton's account.
Foxy's Island Walks is a well-illustrated travelogue covering some far-flung places - New Zealand, Cyprus, the Greek Isles... even a stroll up Mount Sinai (did that one myself, many many years ago). Interesting stuff! Closer to home, there's an English Walks section, including parts of the Ridgeway.
Another one, though I'm not sure who by.

General information:

Friends of the Ridgeway: more about the walk.
Ramblers Association:accommodation service, route information.
National Trails
Rural Ways

South Downs Way

I could only find four descriptions of the SDW, apart from my own.

David Cotton describes the walk, from west to east.
Clinton Andrews walked the trail in sections, while based on the South Coast. With photos.
Peter Chatfield's article about his trip. With photos.
Anthony Beggs is actually a cyclist, but it's a nice site, and there's some interesting general information plus photos.

General information:

Ramblers Association: route info and accommodation details.
National Trails
Rural Ways

Cotswold Way

Descriptions:

Phil Andrews' page.
John Butler's account of the Way.
Mark Moxon, another end-to-ender, followed the Cotswold Way from Bath to Painswick.
Focalplane Travelogue (whatever that is!) covers the first 30 miles of the walk, starting at Chipping Campden. Doesn't seem to say who wrote it. Well-presented site with good photos.

General information:

Ramblers Association: route info and accommodation details.
National Trails

Gear

How to save weight! Kurt "Onestep" Cedergren's excellent website deals with just that. The equipment he evaluates is mostly American and may not be available elsewhere, but there are pages of tips on the various ways of cutting down on the amount you carry. Plus links to other eccentric Ultralight Backpackers' sites. Fascinating stuff.
v-g's website contains some useful and interesting information on walking gear, along with photos and details of various walks.

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