Christopher Ridout
Christopher Ridout is a walker and writer with a keen interest in history and mythology.
Recent articles by Christopher Ridout
Four Waterfalls Walk, Brecon Beacons
Waterfall Country is a must for anyone visiting the Brecon Beacons National Park. There are several options when it comes to exploring the area, including the mesmerising 5.5-mile Four Waterfalls Walk.
Haweswater to High Street walk, Lake District
A 6.2-mile circular walk from the shores of Haweswater to High Street and Mardale Ill Bell in the Far Eastern Fells of the Lake District National Park.
Buttermere and Rannerdale Knotts walk, Lake District
This lake and fell walk includes some of the Lake District’s most beautiful trees and forests, where myth and legend tangle with the Scots pines and the golden needles of larches.
Fan y Big, Powys walk
Discover a quiet route to the summit of one of the Brecon Beacon's most dramatic mountains, Fan y Big
Holkham Beach walk, Norfolk
Take a hike through creaking woods, beside wildlife-rich marshes and along one of Britain's most beautiful beaches on the North Norfolk coast.
Walk: Clent Hills, Worcestershire
This undulating hill walk through woods, grassland and lanes culminates with a climb to the 315m-high summit of the Clent Hills, where views stride out across the Mendips, Black Mountains and the Coswolds.
Milton Abbas, Dorset
Discover a classic English woodland, a 12th-century chapel and an abbey founded by a Saxon king
on this dazzling autumn walk, starting and ending at Milton Abbas
Bike ride: Whinlatter Pass and Borrowdale, Cumbria
From high mountain passes to serene lake shores, this beautiful cycling route traces the physical and emotional journey of a couple dealing with the challenges of early-onset dementia in the romantic drama Supernova
Walk: Cribyn, Powys
Often overshadowed by its towering neighbour, Pen y Fan, this verdant mountain in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales is one of Britain's most understated peaks
Walk: Porthmelgan, Pembrokeshire
Sheltered beneath the bulk of St David’s Head and its Iron Age remains is a half-moon of silvery rock and blonde sand known as Porthmelgan – the perfect summer escape.
Walk: Carreg Cennen Castle, Carmarthenshire
Journey on foot through chestnut valleys and gilded woods to a dramatic castle ruin in Wales
Day out: Llyn Cwm Llwch, Powys
Climb to the summit of South Wales’ highest peak and cool off in the deep, dark waters of its neighbouring llyn
Day out: River Cam and the Grantchester Meadows, Cambridgeshire
Take an aquatic adventure down the River Cam, from Lord Byron’s old bathing grounds to Cambridge’s punt-filled waters
Bike ride: Exe Valley Way, Devon
Follow the banks of the River Exe from the historic streets of Exeter to the quietude of the Devonshire countryside, where otters slink and kingfishers spy
Walk: Stanley Ghyll Force, Cumbria
Rising from the crags of the Lake District’s south-western fells, this timeless flow drops through a verdant forest of moss and ferns and overhanging trees into quiet Eskdale
Day out: Godrevy Point, Cornwall
Godrevy Point and the surrounding Cornish coastline is an inspiration to all those who cast their gaze upon it, from day-trippers and wildlife-lovers to eminent modernist authors.
Day out: Win Green, Wiltshire
Explore the old hunting grounds of King John on one of Wiltshire’s highest hills
Day out: South London Downs, Greater London
London’s latest national nature reserve in Coulsdon offers a wealth of delights, from ancient oak woods, yews and red berries in winter to abundant butterflies in summer
Day out: Chapel Stile, Cumbria
Holy Trinity Church is built on the northern flank of the dramatic Great Langdale valley in the Lake District National Park; pause beneath its stained-glass tapestry then head for the glory of the fells