The Best Walk Awards - 2009

Also known as my favourite walks of the year, in three seperate categories. So:

BEST WALK WITH IVC
Well there was quite a few good ones, and a few so so ones as well. I did particularly enjoy the Bank Holiday walk from Eastbourne to Seaford back in April (which was the opposite way to how I have otherwise done it). Also the walk we did the previous day from Leigh to Tunbridge Wells was also a cracker. In fact coming to think of it, the expedition from Brighton to Newhaven which I criticised at the time, seems to have hung long in the memory. However the winner in this category is: Arundel to Amberley – (West Sussex) – 27/09/09 – 10 Miles – IVC. which was a perfect late Summer's day walk.

BEST WALK ON MY OWN
Nowadays the majority of my walks are on my own (an expanded innovation from 2008), which means because they are repeated often they now only feature as a footnote on this blog (unless it is a new walk). So despite some late competition from my Leith Hill Circular walk, the clear winner is: Sidmouth to Exmouth – (East Devon) – 01/04/09 – 10 miles – N/Trust W/Hol. – Myself. which was a continuation of a coastal walk I began five years prior (which itself was my introduction to Country Walking). What made this extra special (besides the fact that it was a coastal walk which I love) was that it was a fantastic seventy degree Summer's day, on the 1st of April.

BEST WALK WITH HELEN
Some very strong contenders here especially: the walk over Mam Tor (slightly spoiled by the people and flies at the beginning), and the Upper Derwent Reservoirs circular (this time slightly spoiled by the road walking on the last third of it). So basically it came down to two walks (or more to the point two climbs). Now by rights our walk over Skiddaw and Little Man should really be the winner, as it basically had everything going for it, and unlike the winner it didn't involve me having to watch my footing coming downhill. Nevertheless I have chosen as the winner: Haystacks Circular (including Buttermere Lake) – (Lake District – Day 6) – (Cumbria) – 11/09/09 – 8.5 Miles – Helen (luther & Molly) because as well as a great ascent and descent of Haystacks in perfect conditions, it also included a complete circuit of Buttermere Lake (which unlike Skiddaw, didn't require us to go straight into a climb after stepping out of the car).

WORST / SADDEST MOMENT OF THE YEAR
No need to dwell on what occured on 15th May (as those people who should know do already), save that it would be wrong not to at least make some sort of footnote of it.

Other than that I wish all my readers GOOD WALKING IN 2010.