This clifftop walk really blows away the cobwebs with those stiff winds and autumnal sun reflecting off the English Channel – a good place to come and pretend summer never ends! This is quite a long walk but it is all worthwhile when you treat yourself to a warm tea in one of the many tea shops in the sheltered town of Polperro.

The walk takes you round the harbour entrance onto the coast, with excellent view of Looe Island nearby. Then the path rounds the coast, past the National Trust beach at Portnadler and through the small village of Talland, before arriving into Polperro.

If (as we were!) you are feeling a bit tired after the long and sometimes challenging walk, then it’s definitely not cheating to take the bus back to Looe, we wont tell anyone if you don’t!  You will have earned it no doubt and you get your timings right it will be far too dark to walk back anyway…

Length: 5 miles                     Difficulty: Easy/medium                      Best time of year: Autumn

 If you want alp-like scenery without leaving the UK then this could be the walk for you. Situated to the East of Loch Lomond and offering great views over the famous Loch this spot is definitely worth the car ride. The area is especially beautiful in Winter when the mountains gain a healthy sprinkling of snow.

 As you can see from the photo there is a real sense of drama that is difficult to get in other parts of the UK. Given that Ben Lomond is very popular with the local Glaswegians we suggest that you take the Ptarmigan route to try and beat the crowds. The route is no less beautiful or dramatic it’s just not as well known (so don’t tell everyone…).

The route starts at the amply sized car park in Rowardennen and you should head North following the West Highland Way (WHW) until you reach a fork in the path, then take the right hand turn. Carry on over a bridge and aim for the forest that you should see a couple of hundred metres in front. Continue past the Ranger centre and White cottage then take the right hand path away from the WHW. There should be a nice area of trees to make you way through (no need for a machete). A sheepfold should then come into view, walk past this and through the gate and then follow the zig zag path that goes steeply up to a false summit (unfortunately). As soon as the path goes away from the stream you should start to cross the hillside just below the exposed rocks. You should then reach the beautiful Tom Fithich summit, which allows you to get a lovely panorama of the whole Ben Lomond National park as well as sneak in a well-earned rest.

After the brief rest continue North the Ptarmigan mini summit then walk Northeast to the Ben Lomand summit, well done you’ve made it! You will hopefully be able to see a view similar to the one below Once you have soaked up all the wonderful views and invigorating mountain air start to head South East to a ridge and follow this until a forest is in view then start to veer Southwest back towards your starting point. Once you have finished there are plenty of pubs to take on some liquid and again look out over the Loch. It can get pretty chilly in Autumn and Winter so make sure you are suitably equipped and ready for any weather eventuality. As we all know too well, the weather in the UK is not the most reliable!

For car Sat navs: G63 0AR

Hi! and welcome to the first edition of the outdoorscene blog. As we are new to all this we thought we would start with a nice and easy blog.. A top 5 series with a new addition every couple of days. so make sure you come back soon!

The Autumn is here (boooo) but that doesn’t have to mean the end of your outdoor adventures. So here are our top 5 walks that really come alive during this period.. so here goes.. wish us luck!

Our first walk centers around the beautiful Winchester Water Meadows, somewhat of a hidden gem these meadows are located within a stones throw of the beautiful town of Winchester in Hampshire. Try and get yourself there and witness for yourself the place that inspired Keats to write his famous ‘To Autumn’ piece. To get there from Winchester is a nice walk in itself only taking 15 leisurely minutes but it’s when you arrive at the Meadows that the area comes alive.

Walking around you will be amazed at how this place is relatively unknown and it will become pretty obvious why Enjoy England says that ” the meadows are at their best at this time of year [autumn] when the leaves are beginning to turn a warm golden brown and the hedgerows are full of berries with the colours reflecting the crystal clear waters”(you can breathe now). You get the idea.. so get out there and enjoy it! But make sure you wrap up warm with a fleece and a waterproof, as we all know what the Autumn weather can be like! 

Stay tuned for the next update!

Outdoorscene blog

This was East Sussex in the UK this morning on one of our local walks. It’s been such a beautiful day and we haven’t been to the woods for a little while (on account of Georgie eating something nasty and getting very sick). So we all enjoyed the change and kicking around in the Autumn Leaves (cue song . . . )

Both dogs love to drink from the base of the trees. Here’s Jessie having a quick break from important explorations.

And Georgie in a classic Retriever pose – on her back in the leaves having a good old rub in the dirt!

Finally, Jessie notices something move in the trees – I just caught her before she raced off.

The leaves in the house were proof we’d been there today. I’m still pulling bits off Georgie’s tummy!