500 parkruns

Back in 2014 when I got my 50th parkrun Milestone T-Shirt I imagined a time in the far future when I get my 500th. It seemed so far off it was like Science Fiction back then. Based on a rough calculation of completing an average of 45 parkruns per year I worked out that I could complete 500 before my 50th birthday.

That plan would have happened if it wasn’t for Covid thwarting 70 weeks of parkrun opportunities. As we entered 2025, my year of turning 50, I worked out that I would do my 500th run just 6 weeks after my birthday. It also nicely coincided with a planned weekend in Bath with friends.

Having already done Bath Skyline earlier in the year I planned to do either Shepton Mallet or Somerdale Pavilion. My excitement grew when I noticed a brand new event pop up at Brickfields Park. It would also link to another obsession of mine, Disused Railways. With that the venue for my 500th run was set. It also set in motion a series of coincidences that would unfold during the day.

On hearing that my 500th would be in Bath, Paul, a colleague and fellow parkrun tourist, decided to also plan a weekend in Bath with his partner around the event. Coincidence #1 was that their hotel was just round the corner from our B&B. We planned to walk to the event together but after a late arrival on the Friday and some complicated logistics we decided to drive separately and meet at the start.

I arrived at 08:30 with my wife and the friends that we were staying with. Shortly ahead of the First Timers Briefing, Paul texted me to say they had parked a mile away and were on their way. That checked out as we also parked a mile away at the stadium. By the time of the start I couldn't see him but figured that he must be at the back of the group and I’d see him on the out-and-back sections. I didn’t see him at all so I thought that something must have gone awry.

On finishing the run I checked my phone to see a message from him at 09:01 to say “it’s Bath Skyline, right?”. I replied with a Facepalm emoji. He’d travelled from Manchester for a weekend away to be at the wrong parkrun. It was all caused by something wrong with his 5k app not showing new events, so Bath Skyline was the only Bath parkrun event that showed up for him.

The situation also meant that I had two 500 Milestone pre-event shoutouts at two different events on the same day. Yet another coincidence was that Paul had unknowingly booked dinner at the same restaurant at the same time as us later in the day.

The final coincidence was having an accidental race to the finish line with Danny Norman, host of the parkrun With Me Now Podcast. I had met Danny once before but too long ago that I didn’t recognise him. What I did notice was a guy in a 500 milestone T-shirt just ahead of me as I closed in on the finish line. My wife was at the line waiting to video my 500th finish and I thought it would be fun to cross the line next to a runner in a 500 shirt. I sped up a bit to slightly overtake him to get both of us in the video. It was only later in the morning when a different friend of mine noticed Danny in the results 1 second behind me.

As well as all the funny coincidences, it was a lovely day for the run. It was a bright, warm summer day with a field of 282 runners and walkers. As a Disused Railway geek I loved the out-and-back on the old Somerset and Dorset Railway line.

First finisher was Harry McMurtrie coming in at 17:19 with a good spread of timings through to just over 1 hour. There were 174 First Timers to Brickfields Park and 32 PBs.

As always, a huge thanks to all of the volunteers who made the event possible. If you’ve not volunteered before or it’s been a while since you last did it, please consider signing up for one of your next events.

Thanks to everyone who helped make my 500th parkrun at Brickfields Park a fun and memorable event. A final special thanks goes to Neil Chapman who took me to my first parkrun on Boxing Day 2012. Saturday mornings have not been the same since.

More parkrun posts

parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:

Richard gowerRun, parkrun, NCN, Disused Railway, Somerset, EnglandComment
Walking the River Wey Part 8: Guildford to Godalming

Where the North Downs Way crosses the Wey Navigation

Start: Guildford Station, Guildford GU1 4UT
Finish: Godalming Station, Godalming GU7 1EU
Distance: 8.9 km (5.5 miles)
Elevation Change: +49m / - 42m. Net +7m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (walk): Wey Navigation Footpath, Wey-South Path, North Downs Way, Scholar’s Trail, Guildford and Shalford Disused Railways Walk, The Fox Way
Other Routes Touched (cycle): Surrey Cycleway
Cafe / pubs on route: Several at the start and end at Guildford and Godalming. Plus: The Ragged Robin (6.3 km in)
Map: Guildford & Farnham Map | Godalming & Farnborough | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 145
Links: Wey Navigation, River Wey, River Wey and Godalming Navigations (National Trust), Guildford, Godalming

This is the eighth of a series of short circular walks along the River Wey and the Wey Navigation canal in Surrey. The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

Similar to Section 7 this is a station-to-station walk with a train connection between them. We parked near Guildford Station for the start of the walk and returned from Godalming Station at the end. There’s plenty of parking options at Guildford Station however we started 1 km away at Dapdune Wharf which has free parking for National Trust members.

Navigation is especially easy for this section as it follows the towpath on the north-western side of the canal for most of the way, crossing over to the southern side at Bridge Road Godalming. The only part to watch out for is at the start where the path across the islands at Millmead has been temporarily closed and you need to take a diversion of ~0.5km along Millbrook (A281), returning to the towpath after the Weyside pub.

Along the route you’ll pass the bridge where the North Downs Way crosses the canal with a very small beach next to it. We were there on a warm summer’s day and a lot of dogs were making the most of the beach for a dog party. Further down you’ll pass the disused section of the railway that once connected Shalford station to the mainline heading south. There’s also several WW2 Pill-boxes on the route guarding over the canal.

At Godalming you’ll reach the end of the navigable / canalised section. Beyond this the river Wey continues west towards Tilford where it splits with 2 sections leading to different sources. This is the final section of the Wey Navigation walks, but there’s one more walk that follows the river to Eashing.

Previous section (north): Walking the River Wey Part 7: Worpleston to Guildford
Next section (south): Walking the River Wey Part 9 - Godalming and Eashing (blog post coming soon)

Richard gowerTrek, Canal, National Trust, Surrey, EnglandComment
Carn a'Ghille Chearr: Morayshire County Top

After the rain: descent of Carn a'Ghille Chearr

Significance: Historic County Top for Morayshire (formerly Elginshire)
Member of: UK County Tops, Scotland County/Unitary Authority High Points, Marilyns
Parent Peak:
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Creagan a' Chaise
Elevation: 710m
Date climbed: June 13th 2025
Coordinates: 57° 21' 4'' N, 3° 25' 53'' W

Route Start & Finish: Car park at Ballcorach off the B9136
Route Distance: 11.6 km (7.2 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 497m
Subsidiary tops on route: Carn Eachie (705m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
OS Trig Pillar: TP2604 - Cromdale
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: OS Explorer OL61 Grantown-on-Spey & Hills of Cromdale
Links: Wikipedia: (Morayshire), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Carn a'Ghille Chearr is the Historic County Top for Morayshire and the 33rd highest of all of the UK County Tops. We bagged it in 2025 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the Historic County Tops of Nairnshire, Aberdeenshire and Banffshire.

In our original plan we were going to do Ben Macdui on the Saturday of our weekend away but, on checking the weather, we moved it to the dryer Sunday and went for the shorter, easier walk of Carn a'Ghille Chearr instead. It turned out to be a good choice, but did mean that we hardly got any views. In Jonny Muir’s UK County Tops book he describes it as “a miserable trudge through sopping bog over grassy tussocks” on a miserable day. We had a miserable day and Jonny was 100% correct.

The start of the route is a small free car park at Ballcorach off the B9136. Before you start take a few minutes to walk down to the banks of the River Avon for a nice view of the river and the bridge that you will have just driven across. To start the walk, first head north keeping to the western side of the river. After ~200m take the footpath on the left heading towards the mountain.

The route is straightforward with just one path leading up to the Trig Pillar at the summit. The path is well defined for most of the way but loses itself in the bog near the point where is curves towards Carn Eachie. We were in drizzly cloud by then so we relied on the GPS to keep us on track. We had read that there’s remains of a crashed plane between Carn Eachie and the summit but we couldn’t find anything despite a bit of hunting. Maybe it would have been obvious on a clear day.

On the return to strayed off route a bit, taking a more direct route to the start, cutting off the big curve that we came up on.

Richard gowerTrek, UK County Tops, Trig Pillar, Mountain, Scotland, MorayshireComment
Càrn Glas-choire: Nairnshire County Top

Summit of Càrn Glas-choire

Significance: Historic County Top for Nairnshire
Member of: UK County Tops, Scotland County/Unitary Authority High Points, Marilyns,  Grahams
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Geal-charn Mor
Elevation: 659m
Date climbed: June 13th 2025
Coordinates: 57° 20' 22'' N, 3° 50' 36'' W

Route Start & Finish: Parking spot 200m south of farm track to Aucherteang Cottage on the B9007.
Route Distance: 13.1 km (8.1 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 385m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
OS Trig Pillar: TP1956 - Carn Glas Choire
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Lochindorb, Grantown-on-Spey & Carrbridge Map | Caingorms National Park | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL60
Links: Wikipedia: (Nairnshire), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Càrn Glas-choire is the Historic County Top for Nairnshire and the 40th highest of all of the UK County Tops. We bagged it in 2025 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the Historic County Tops of Morayshire, Banffshire and Aberdeenshire.

We picked Càrn Glas-choire as the first of our weekend walks as it’s roughly 45 minutes from Inverness airport and on the way to Aviemore where we were staying. There’s not many options for parking but fortunately it’s not a popular mountain so it wasn’t a problem. We found a parking spot next to a gate a few minutes walk to the south of the route.

First find the track off the B9007 with the sign to Auchterteang Cottage and follow it in a north-easterly direction through the farm. The path soon crosses over Duthill Burn and continues to meander up the mountain to the trig point at the summit. It’s a well maintained path and navigation is simple. The only time that we needed to rely on our GPS was to check the return route down from the cloudy top.

We returned by the same route, completing the whole trek in just over 3 hours. After returning to the car we headed for a whisky at Glenlivet Distillery, a 10 minute drive away. It was a nice warm-up for the weekend but I don’t think this one will stand out in our memories of the full set of County Tops.

Richard gowerTrek, UK County Tops, Trig Pillar, Mountain, Scotland, NairnshireComment
Epsom Downs and Langley Vale Wood Circular Walk

Post 130 At Epsom Race Course

Start & Finish: Tattenham Corner Station, Epsom, KT18 5QD
Distance: 11.1 km (6.9 miles)
Elevation change: + / - 160 m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 22
London Coal Duty Posts: 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, (132), 133, 134, (135), 136
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Bell (just off route at 7.6 km), several in Tattenham Corner High Street
Map: Dorking, Box Hill & Reigate Map | Leatherhead & Caterham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 146
Links: Coal Duty Posts, Tattenham Corner, Epsom Downs Race Course, Epsom Downs, Langley Vale Wood, Tadworth

Similar to the Banstead Heath Circular, this walk takes advantage of having several Coal Duty Posts in close proximity. On the 11 km walk through Epsom Downs and Langley Vale Wood you can visit posts 125 to 136. Note that post 135 is no longer visible as it’s in a private garden hidden by a large fence and bushes. Even if you’re not into bagging the Coal Posts, this is a very pleasant walk.

The route crosses the Epsom Downs Race Course on public rights of way which are occasionally closed during race events. Check before you go to make sure that the paths are open.

The start of the route is from Tattenham Corner Station where there’s also 2 car parks. From the station walk along Tattenham Crescent toward the race course then take a right onto Tattenham Corner Road heading north, The first Coal Post (132) is near the Tattenham Corner Pub. Take a left onto National Cycle Route (NCN) 22 heading in a south-westerly direction through the race course. Along this 2.2 km stretch you’ll pass posts 129, 128, 127 and 126 either on or just off the cycle route.

At Post 126 leave NCN 22 and take a right to follow the path through Langley Bottom Farm then take a left to the path that runs close to the southern edge of Langley Vale Road in a south-westerly direction. You’ll find post 125 near the junction of Langley Vale Road, Headley Road and Downs Road. Keep on the path running next to Downs Road then a left onto Headley Road to the entrance of the Langley Vale Wood Woodland Trust site.

The next 2.5 km meander through Langley Vale Wood. This was farmland purchased by the Woodland Trust in 2014 and is now one of four First World War Centenary Woods remembering those killed in the war. Its a beautiful place to walk though. Follow the paths until you reach Post 136 at the corner of Motts Hill Lane.

Take a left to follow Motts Hill Lane in a northerly direction but keep on the path when Motts Hill Lane curves to the right at (the hidden) Post 135. Keeping on the path you’ll pass Post 134 and, when the path meets Epsom Lane North, you can squeeze through the hedge for Post 133 on the eastern side of the road. Just after Post 133 you’ll see Post 130 on the opposite side of the race-course. Cross the track on the footpath to visit it. Cross back over to visit Post 131 on the small hill overlooking the race-course and then follow Royal Drive to return to Tattenham Corner Station.

The Coal Duty Posts

Richard gowerTrek, Coal Duty Post, Surrey, London, EnglandComment
Walking The Shakespeare's Way: The Chilterns Section

Rotten Row

The Shakespeare’s Way is a 235 km / 146 mile mile long-distance path connecting Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon with the Shakespeare's Globe (Theatre), Southwark, London. A 34km section of the path cuts through the Chiltern Hills National Landscape in a south-easterly direction. Our walks take in short sections of the Shakespeare’s Way and loop back to the start on other paths. The Shakespeare’s Way is reasonably well marked however you’ll need a map or GPX route to keep on track for the return sections of the loops. The guidance below will help but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide.

Point to Point: Britwell Salome to The Grand Union Canal at Yiewsley

Start: Britwell Salome, Watlington, OX49 5LG
Finish: Grand Union Tow Path, Yiewsley, West Drayton, UB7 7XN
Distance: 59 km (36.7 miles)
Elevation change: + 665 / - 755m. Net +90m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Maps: See individual section posts linked below.
- Chiltern Hills West Map | Henley-on-Thames & Wallingford | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 171
Links: Shakespeare’s Way (LWDA), See individual section posts linked below for other links.

Walking The Shakespeare’s Way Chilterns Section in 12 Circular Routes

If you’re not up for an 59 km walk in one go, you can take in the Shakespeare’s way in 12 circular walks of between 6 and 13 km each. We chose this option, completing all 12 sections over a few years from 2020 to 2025. The advantage of this option is exploring more of the villages and side paths close to the route. After Route 12 you can follow the Beeches Way to reach Yiewsley and the end of the Chilterns Section of the Shakespeare’s Way.

Note that these walks take you through the Chilterns Hills National Landscape. See the Walking The Beeches Way post for the continuation from Cookham to Yiewsley

Each number refers to a circular walk below. Base map: Esri Topo via RideWithGPS

Part 1: Britwell Salome and Lower Warren

  • Distance: 7.8 km (4.8 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 123m

  • Shakespeare’s Way section covered: Britwell Salome to The Ridgeway: 2.2 km

Part 2: Swyncombe and The North

  • Distance: 8.1 km (5 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 176m

  • Shakespeare’s Way section covered: The Ridgeway to Cookley Green: 3.8 km

Part 3: Swyncombe and Park Corner

  • Distance: 9.9 km (6.2 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 199m

  • Shakespeare’s Way section covered: Cookley Green to The Chiltern Way near Maidensgrove: 2.1 km

Part 4: Nettlebed, Park Corner and Maidensgrove

  • Distance: 8.5 km (5.3 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 159m

  • Shakespeare’s Way section covered: The Chiltern Way near Maidensgrove to Park Lane: 1.2 km

Part 5: Russell's Water, Pishill and Maidensgrove

  • Distance: 9.2 km (5.7 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 166m

  • Shakespeare’s Way section covered: Maidensgrove Common to farm at south Maidensgrove: 1.32 km

Part 6: Stonor and Turville Heath

  • Distance: 10 km (6.2 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 208m

  • Shakespeare’s Way section covered: Farm at south of Maidensgrove to Southend: 5.9 km

Part 7: Southend and Skirmett

  • Distance: 12.3 km (7.6 miles)
    Elevation change: +/- 216m
    Shakespeare’s Way section covered: Southend to Hambleden: 5.4 km

Part 8: North-east Hambleden Circular

  • Distance: 9.7 km (6 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 145m

  • Shakespeare’s Way section covered: Hamble Brook to Rogues Plantation: 2.9 km

Part 9: Bovingdon Green and Shillingridge Wood

  • Distance: 10.9 km (6.8 miles)
    Elevation change: +/- 152m
    Shakespeare’s Way section covered: Rogues Plantation to Pullingshill Wood: 2.5 km

Part 10: Marlow and Harleyford

  • Distance: 10.2 km (6.3 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 94m

  • Shakespeare’s Way section covered: Pullingshill Wood to The Thames Path at Marlow: 3.4 km

Part 11: Marlow Donkey

  • Distance: 11.4 km (7 miles)

  • Elevation change: + / - 65m

  • Shakespeare’s Way section covered: The Thames Path at Marlow to Bourne End Rail Bridge: 3.4 km

Part 12: Bourne End, Cookham and Wooburn

  • Distance: 8.2 km (5.1 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 83m

  • Shakespeare’s Way section covered: Bourne End Rail Bridge to Broad Lane, Widmoor: 3.9 km

Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Thames, National Trust, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Colne Valley, EnglandComment
Chiltern Walks: Southend and Skirmett

View to Turville and Fingest from the edge of Great Wood

Start & Finish: Car park next to the Stag and Huntsman, Hambleden, Henley-on-Thames RG9 6RP
Distance: 12.3 km (7.6 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 216m
Shakespeare’s Way section covered: Southend to Hambleden: 5.4 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): The Chiltern Way, Shakespeare’s Way
Other routes touched (cycle): Chiltern Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Stag and Huntsman at the start and finish, The Frog at Skirmett (closed for refurbishment when we passed)
Map: OS Explorer 171: Chiltern Hills West, Henley-on-Thames and Wallingford
Links: Hambleden, Skirmett, Southend

The Shakespeare’s Way is a 235 km / 146 mile mile long-distance path connecting Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon with the Shakespeare's Globe (Theatre), Southwark, London. A 34km section of the path cuts through the Chiltern Hills National Landscape in a south-easterly direction. Our walks take in short sections of the Shakespeare’s Way and loop back to the start on other paths. The Shakespeare’s Way is reasonably well marked however you’ll need a map or GPX route to keep on track for the return sections of the loops. The guidance below will help but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide.

For this walk we parked at the car park next to the Stag and Huntsman in Hambleden and took Pheasant’s Hill (lane) in a northerly direction out of the village. After approximately 300m take a footpath on the left to join the Chiltern Way and continue following it north until Shogmore Lane. Take a left then a right onto Fingest Lane. Shortly after The Frog pub in Skirmett, take the first footpath on the left and follow it until it rejoins the Chiltern Way. Take a left onto the Chiltern Way and follow it in a south-westerly direction to Drover’s Lane in Southend.

Take a right onto Drovers Lane, continuing on the Chiltern Way to connect with the Shakespeare’s Way. Take the first footpath on the left to follow both the Chiltern Way and Shakespeare’s Way back to the start in Hambleden.

Shakespeare’s Way previous section (west): Stonor and Turville Heath
Shakespeare’s Way next section (east): North-East Hambleden Circular

Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment
Cycling The NCN 2 from Dover to Hastings

Early morning start in Hastings

This was a 2-day cycle adventure continuing our occasional crawl around the south-coast of England, 1 weekend at a time. We picked up where we left off the previous summer at Dover Waterfront and headed towards Brighton. As well as being well-spaced for a 50(ish) mile a day trip, the towns were also good for trains to and from London. Our main consideration was that the outbound train from London Victoria to Dover Priory has to be after 19:00 to avoid Friday evening rush-hour. It got us into Dover after dark but it was only a 10 minute cycle to the Dover Premier Inn where we were staying. There were no restrictions on the return trip from Brighton to London Victoria on the Friday.

Day 1: Dover to Hastings

Start: Dover Priory Station, Priory Station Approach Road, Dover CT17 9SB
Finish: Hastings Pier, 1-10 White Rock, Hastings, TN34 1JY
Distance: 97.4 km (54 miles)
Elevation change: + 602m / -609m (Net -7)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Saxon Shore Way, North Downs Way, King Charles III England Coast Path, High Weald Landscape Trail, 1066 Country Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 1, 2, 17, Cantii Way
Pubs / Cafes on route: Lots, but we stopped at Pedaler on the Port, Dover (1.5 km in), The Star, St Mary in The Marsh (40 kmi in), Brew at 32, Lydd (51 km in), The Lookout, Rye (66 km in)
OS Trig Pillar: TP4139 - Jurys Gap
Maps:
- Dover, Folkestone & Hythe Map | England Coast Path | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 138
- Romney Marsh, Rye & Winchelsea Map | Tenterden & New Romney | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 125
- Hastings & Bexhill Map | Battle & Robertsbridge | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 124
Links: Dover, Folkestone, Abbots Cliff Sound Mirror, Hythe, Royal Military Canal, Romney Marsh, St Mary In The Marsh, Lydd, Camber Sands, Rye, Whichelsea, Hastings

 

Our trip started at 10:30 on the Saturday after Dover Waterfront parkrun and a slow breakfast at the Pedaler on the Port cycle cafe. The 87 km route was mostly flat but bookended by steep climbs at the start and end of the day. The early climb came right after Dover town as the NCN 2 ascends Shakespeare Cliff to Capel-le-Ferne before a steep descent into Folkestone. Watch out for the Sound Mirror next to the Millennium Milepost at 8 km which gives you a good excuse for a rest around half-way through the climb.

The first part of the flat section under Radnor Cliff in Folkestone and along the Royal Military Canal is a highlight of the route. We bypassed Hythe town but, in hindsight, we would have stopped there for some food as pubs and cafes are few and far between in the marshland west of Hythe. By the time we reached St Mary In The Marsh at 40km we more than ready for a rest in The Star pub. As it happened we were too late for lunch and too early for dinner so, after a short rest, we pressed onto Lydd to have a longer rest and some good food in the cycle-friendly Brew at 32.

After Lydd it’s only 6 km back to the coast at Jury’s Gap, although the strong wind in our face made it feel like 20 km. After another pub stop in Rye we pressed on towards Hastings via the steep climb at Fairlight. After 80 km of wind I had no interest in trying to keep in the saddle and decided to push the bike up most of the hill. The steep down into Hastings was the reward, as was the warm meal and early night ahead of day 2.

Day 2: Hastings to Brighton

Start: Hastings Pier, 1-10 White Rock, Hastings, TN34 1JY
Finish: Brighton Station, Queens Road, Brighton and Hove, Brighton, BN1 3XP
Distance: 72 km (44.7 miles)
Elevation change: +507m / -475m (Net +32m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Motoring Heritage Trail, 1066 Country Walk, Wealdway, South Downs Way, Vanguard Way, Sussex Ouse Valley Way, Newhaven-Brighton Clifftop Path, Greenwich Meridian Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 2, 21, 90, Cuckoo Trail, Prime Meridan Cycle Route
Pubs / Cafes on route: Lots, but we stopped at Pevensey Starbucks (17.5 km in), Arlington Tea Garden (31.5 km in), The Ark, Newhaven (54.3 km in) and a chip shop near the beach in Brighton.
Maps:
- Hastings & Bexhill Map | Battle & Robertsbridge | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 124
- Eastbourne & Beachy Head Map | Newhaven, Seaford, Hailsham & Heathfield | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL25
- Brighton & Hove Map | Lewes & Burgess Hill | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL11
Links: Hastings, Bexhill-on-Sea, Pevensey, Cuckoo Trail, South Downs National Park, Alfriston, Seaford, Newhaven, Peacehaven, Rottingdean, Brighton

 

With no parkrun to work around we set off early along the Hastings to Bexford seafront with the aim of finding breakfast around 15km in. After passing several sea-side places that weren’t quiet open we settled for a Starbucks next to a petrol station in Pevensey. Not the nice coastal stop like we found in Walmer on the previous trip but it did the job.

Our original plan for this second day was to come off the NCN s at Pevensey, sticking to the coast through to Eastbourne then crossing the South Downs through Jevington. In the end we decided to stick to the NCN 2 through Polegate, Arlington and Alfriston. Although it takes a wide path away from the coast, it’s an interesting route through pretty villages.

After the South Downs section the NCN 2 took us back to the coast at Seaford. We were on familiar territory having visited Peacehaven, Rottingdean and Brighton on previous cycle trips.

Our final section took us along the coast to Brighton Pier with a quick stop near the beach for chips before heading north to the station to get the train back to London. The next section will likely be in 2026 with a return to Brighton for the next section to Poole.

The Full 2-Day Route

Day 1 in red, day 2 in blue

The Millennium Mileposts

Dotting the UK's National Cycle Network are over 1,000 unique markers known as the Millennium Mileposts. Unveiled in 2000, these cast-iron sculptures are more than just waymarkers. Designed by four artists, one from each nation of the UK, they celebrate the diversity of the cycling routes. These artistic mileposts come in various shapes and can be found in both bustling towns and scenic landscapes, adding a touch of artistic charm to a cycling adventure.

Here’s the 26 Mileposts that I spotted on the 2 day cycle trip. The first 22 were on Day 1 and the final 4 were on day 2.

Richard gowerCycle, NCN, Coast, Disused Railway, National Trails, National Trust, Trig Pillar, South Downs, National Park, Canal, Kent, Sussex, EnglandComment
Ales & Trails Chiltern Valley 10k

When: May 18th 2025
Where: Chiltern Valley Winery & Brewery, Old Luxters, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 6JW
Organiser: Racing Line Running
Distance: 10 km
Elevation: +/- 167m
Course: 8 km loop of farms and woodland to the west of the Winery 7 Brewery with a 1 km out-and-back from the start/finish. Mostly farm track, woodland paths. Hilly
Other routes touched: Chiltern Way, Shakespeare’s Way
Finish time: 1 hour, 1 minute, 57 seconds

Richard gowerRun, 10k, Chilterns, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment
The Lap 75k Ultra Marathon

Ascent of Latterbarrow

When: May 10th 2025
Start and Finish: Low Cunsey Farm, Cunsey, Far Sawrey, Ambleside, LA22 0LU
Organiser: The Lap
Distance: 77km (47 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 2681m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Windermere Shore Footpath, Windermere West Shore, Dales Way, West Windermere Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 6, 637. Lakes and Dales Loop
Other routes touched (run): Rothay Park parkrun
Summits: Latterbarrow, Loughrigg Fell, Wansfell Pike, Wansfell, Baystones, Orrest Head, Brant Fell, Gummer’s How
OS Trig Pillars: TP4549 - Loughrigg Fell, TP3536 - Gummers How
Map: The English Lakes: South-Eastern Area Map | Windermere, Kendal & Silverdale | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL7
Finish time: 14 hours, 51 minutes, 24 seconds
Links: Lake Windermere, Graythwaite Estate, Far Sawrey, Skelwith Bridge, Ambleside, Troutbeck, Windermere (Town), Newby Bridge, Finsthwaite

This was my 14th Ultra and my 5th with my friend Mark. It was also my first big Ultra since the 100k Race To The Castle in 2021. Since then I’d had a few years of local 50k Ultras, waiting for another big one to excite me. After another friend had completed The Lap the previous year and loved it, I signed up straight away.

The Lap is a 75km circuit of Windermere, England’s largest lake. It takes a scenic, hilly route away from the lake with some tough climbs paid back by some great views. With the climbs, I found it hard to estimate what my finish time would be so I decided that finishing would be good enough and coming in before dark would be amazing.

As we arrived at the basecamp for the 06:00 start, the sun was coming up over the hills to the east of the lake. As usual at the start-line, I reminded myself not to get over excited and start too quickly. I need not have worried as the narrow country lanes and single-track through woods kept everyone at a slow, often walking, pace.

After the first feed station at Far Sawtry the pack was more spread out and we could speed up. Latterbarrow was the first climb at 11 km with a short steep climb up to the monument then an equally steep down. Shortly after the descent I saw road signs to Ambleside and decided that we were making very good time and would be there by our target of 09:30. I was wrong. I had forgotten that the route veers away from the lake at its north-west corner and climbs Loughrigg Fell before descending to Ambleside. It was at the second feed station at Skelwith that I realised we were actually an hour behind plan. It was also now getting hot and we still had the 2 big climbs to do. The new plan was “forget the plan”.

The northern section of the route has the 3 big climbs, Loughrigg Fell at 335m elevation and Wansfell at 487m. By Lake District standards, they’re both easy fells to walk but on an Ultra on a hot day they were killers. By the time we were down from Wansfell at the Troutbeck half-way feed-station, most of my running ability was gone.

Mark and I stayed mostly together until Gummers How, the final climb at 57 km. Mark is faster than I am so I generally lose him by the half way point. I often gain a bit of time at feed-stations as I don’t like to stop for long which gives me a bit of distance before Mark catches up with me again. Mark did a great job of encouraging me to run a few extra times rather than speed walk. That probably shaved up to 2 minutes off my total time.

My low-point of the route was a long stretch after Windermere of very similar-looking plantation and not many people around. Mark and I re-connected for the ascent of Gummer’s How. By the time we met Timea, our support crew for the day, we were both a bit tired and grumpy. I was still recovering from a cold and any running was now giving me a headache. Timea saved us with a pasty and some painkillers and we were back on the route.

Timea met us several times on the early evening southern section of the route greatly helping my motivation. After Newby Bridge the route turned back to the north for the final 10 km to the finish line. Although behind my “optimistic” plan, I had some new energy and felt that I could reach the finish before dark. I crossed the finish line at 20:51, well before dark and under 15 hours. Mark very kindly finished 18 minutes ahead of me so that he could be ready to video my finish.

It was in the top 3 most difficult Ultras that I’ve done but also in the top 3 most enjoyable.

Richard gowerRun, Ultramarathon, National Trust, Lake District, National Park, EnglandComment
Snaefell: Isle of Man High Point

Snaefell Station and Cafe with the summit marked by the transmitter on the right

Also known as: Sniaull (Manx). Snaefell comes from old Norse, meaning Snow Mountain or snaufjell - “area above the tree line”.
Significance: Country and Island High Point for the Isle of Man
Member of: Marilyn, Hardy, Island High Points, European Country High Points
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Iron Cragg (Cumbria, England)
Elevation: 621m
Date climbed: May 3rd 2024
Coordinates: 54° 15' 47'' N, 4° 27' 42'' W

Route Start: Snaefell Mountain Railway - Summit Station
Route Finish: Manx Electric Railway - Laxey Station.
Route Distance: 8.2 km (5.1 miles)
Route Elevation change: +29m / - 593m. Net - 564m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (walk): Isle of Man Cycle Route 6
OS Trig Pillar: TP6035 - Snaefell
Pubs / Cafes on route: Snaefell Summit Restaurant & Café
Map: Isle of Man Map | Port St Mary, Castletown & Ramsey | Ordnance Survey | OS Landranger Map 95
Guidebook: Walking on the Isle of Man: 40 walks exploring the entire island (Cicerone)
Links: Wikipedia: (Isle of Man / Snaefell, Laxey, Snaefell Mountain Railway, Snaefell Mine), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

The Snaefell walk was the highlight of an especially enjoyable 4 days on the Isle of Man. Having completed Nobles parkrun on the morning we set off for Laxey to bag the island’s High Point. In our first plan for the walk we looked at doing a circular route starting at Mountain Box on the A18 that crosses the side of Snaefell. We got excited by taking the old electric train up so we decided on a train-up, walk down combination. It was an amazing day and I’m very happy that we chose that option.

The Snaefell Mountain railway starts at Laxey Station near the island’s west coast. There’s good options for free parking or you can also get there via the Manx Electric Railway from Douglas or Ramsey. We weren’t able to book online so we got tickets from Laxey Station and waited for about an hour for the first train with availability. From Laxey the train takes around 30 minutes to climb up the valley to the summit station. Sit on the right hand side of the train going up for the best views of the Laxey Wheel and the valley. The left hand side has better views as you approach the summit.

Although we were there on a dry sunny week, the summit was extremely windy so take warm clothes to the top whatever the weather is like in Laxey. We stopped in the cafe for a while before completing the short walk up to the Trig Pillar at the summit.

From the summit take the path due south to The Bungalow Station (Mountain Box) at the A18 crossing. The safest way to cross over the road is to take the footbridge then follow the path that returns to cross the railway to the east of The Bungalow. Once on the northern side of the railway follow the path down the valley in a north-westerly direction to the Great Snaefell Mine. Watch the video below to learn about the history of the mine and the disaster that closed it.

After passing the mine take a right onto the old mine road and follow it for 3 km to the small village of Agneash. Take a right at the T-junction and continue following Mines Road to the Laxey Wheel. We stopped here for an hour to explore the Wheel and the old mine entrance. After the Wheel it’s less than 1 km walk back to Laxey Station

Richard gowerTrek, Trig Pillar, Mountain, Country High Points, Island High Points, Isle of ManComment
Walking The North Downs Way Part 8 - Westerham Hill to Otford

North Downs Way near Chevening

Start: The Velo Barn, Unit 1, Betsoms Farm, Pilgrims Way, Westerham TN16 2DS
Finish: Otford Memorial Hall, 28A High St, Otford, Sevenoaks, TN14 5PQ
Distance: 12.8 km (7.9 miles)
Elevation change: +128m / -225m. Net -97m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Berry’s Green Circular Walk, Darent Valley Path
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Velo Barn at the start of the route, Rose & Crown Sevenoaks (10 km in), several in Otford High Street
OS Trig Pilllar: TP4287 - Knockholt Beeches
Map: Sevenoaks & Tonbridge Map | Royal Tunbridge Wells & Westerham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 147
Guidebook: The North Downs Way National Trail from Farnham to Dover (Cicerone)
Links: Chevening, Otford

This is the eighth of a series of short point-to-point walks along the North Downs Way. The full trail is a long distance path stretching from Farnham in Surrey to Dover in Kent. Our walks took in short sections of 10 km to 13 km which we did with a friend over the course of a couple of years when our schedules coincided. The North Downs Way is well sign-posted however I highly recommend taking a map or GPX route to keep you on track. The Cicerone book on the trail is a great guide to the points of interest along the way.

Our original plan was to only walk the first seven sections covering Surrey before the driving from home started getting to long. It was only when I was completing my quest to bag all OS Trig Pillars within the M25 that I realised that I needed to do one final section and get the Knockholt Beeches Trig Pillar to complete the set.

Picking up from the Velobarn at Westerham Heights we continued east along the North Downs Way. This was a bright, sunny day in mid-April and a nice change from the gloominess of the previous section that we did nearly 18 months ago. The first 5 km of this section stays high on the ridge with great views to the south across open fields. At around 4.7 km you can take a very minor diversion to the north of the trail to find the Trig Pillar hiding in a bush along a field fence-line.

Shortly after the Trig Pillar the trail enters Cooper’s Wood. Watch out for the cutting in the trees where you can see down to Chevening House, the official country residence of the British Foreign Secretary. You can also get a good view of the estate as the trail descends out of the woods, across farmland to Sundridge Road. When we were there in April 2025 a diversion was being put in place to cut off part of the route that follows Sundridge Road. We chose not to take it, prefering to stick to the route that we had on the map. In hindsight I wish we had taken the diversion as there’s no pavement on some of the road and very fast cars wizzing by.

Shortly after crossing over the A21 on Morrants Court Road you’ll reach the Rose and Crown at the 10 km point. It’s the first pub to stop for a rest on this section. The final 3 km after the Rose and Crown also follows the Darent Valley Path into Otford. This is a pretty village with some well kept old buildings and several information boards detailing its history.

Richard gowerTrek, National Trails, National Trust, Trig Pillar, Kent, EnglandComment
Walking the River Wey Part 7: Worplesdon to Guildford

Woodbridge Crossing, Guildford

Start: Worplesdon Station, Woking, GU22 0RN
Finish: Guildford Station, Guildford GU1 4UT
Distance: 11.9 km (7.4 miles)
Elevation Change: +/- 52m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (walk): Wey Navigation Footpath, The Fox Way
Other Routes Touched (cycle): Surrey Cycleway
Cafe / pubs on route: The Olive Tree (2.5 km in), The Row Barge (9.1 km in), Cafe at National Trust Dapdune Wharf (just off route at 11 km in), many in Guildford Town Centre at end
Map: Guildford & Farnham Map | Godalming & Farnborough | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 145
Links: Wey Navigation, River Wey, River Wey and Godalming Navigations (National Trust), Worpledon, National Trust Dapdune Wharf, Guildford

This is the seventh of a series of short circular walks along the River Wey and the Wey Navigation canal in Surrey. The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

In a change to the circular routes of previous sections, this one is a station-to-station walk with a train connection between them. We parked near Guildford Station and took the train one stop north to start the walk at Worplesdon Station. From Worplesdon Station entrance walk north to meet Prey Heath Road and take a right. You’ll now be on the Fox Way which you’ll follow in an easterly direction until you reach the Wey Navigation between Sutton Green and Fell Hill. Note that the Fox Way isn’t well sign-posted so a map or GPX route is important here.

You’ll reach the Wey Navigation at the marshy island where section 6 left the canal. Cross over to the eastern side of the canal and take a right heading south. From here the rest of the route is very simple with 8.5 km of towpath walking all the way back to Guildford Station. When you get to the Woodbridge Crossing (as featured on the banner photo above), around 11 km in, it’s worth taking a short diversion over the footbridge to the National Trust property at Dapdune Wharf. There’s exhibitions about the Wey Navigation, a cafe and and old barge.

Richard gowerTrek, Canal, National Trust, Surrey, EnglandComment
The One In The Woods - Danesfield Trail 10k

When: March 16th 2025
Where: Danesfield, Buckinghamshire
Organiser: Onerace Events
Distance: 10 km
Elevation: +/- 188m
Course: Single hilly loop around Pullingshill Wood, Rogues Plantation and Rotten Row with a short out-and back section at the start and end from Danesfield School.
Other routes touched: Shakespeares’s Way, Chiltern Way
Finish time: 1 hour, 8 minutes, 58 seconds

Richard gowerRun, 10k, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment
Walking The Chiltern Heritage Trail

View to the Chess from the Latimer Estate

The Chiltern Heritage Trail is a 83 km (52 mile) circular long-distance footpath in Buckinghamshire. Created as a Millennium project, this trail links the towns and parishes within the district, offering stunning scenery, charming villages, and points of historical interest. Along the way it passes through Chesham, Latimer, Chorleywood, the Chalfonts, Amersham, Penn, the Missendens and Chartridge. We completed the trail in a series of shorter circular walks.

Point to Point: The full Chiltern Heritage Trail

Recommended start points:
- Chesham Underground Station (51°42'19"N 0°36'40"W)
- Chalfont St Giles High Street (51°37'56"N 0°34'13"W)
- Chalfont St Peter High Street (51°36'26"N 0°33'24"W)
- Seer Green Railway Station (51°36'35"N 0°36'28"W)
- Old Amersham High Street (51°39'59"N 0°36'60"W)
- Great Missenden Railway Station (51°42'13"N 0°42'33"W)
Distance: 82.9 km (51.9 miles)
Elevation change: +/-933m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Maps:
- Chiltern Hills North Map | Aylesbury, Berkhamsted & Chesham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 181
- Chiltern Hills East Map | High Wycombe, Maidenshead & Rickmansworth | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 172
Links: Chiltern Heritage Trail (LDWA), See individual section posts linked below for other links.

Walking The Chiltern Heritage Trail in 17 Circular Routes

If you’re not up for an 83 km walk in one go, you can take in the Chiltern Heritage Trail in 17 circular walks of between 7.5 and 13 km each. We chose this option, completing all 17 sections over a few years from 2020 to 2025. The advantage of this option is exploring more of the villages and side paths close to the route

Each number refers to a circular walk below. Base map: Esri Topo via RideWithGPS

Route 1: Ashley Green and Whelpley Hill

  • Distance: 10.5 km (6.5 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 113m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Chesham Vale to Orchard Leigh: 6.5 km

Route 2: Orchard Leigh and Botley

  • Distance: 6.9 km (4.3 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 58m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Orchard Leigh to Tyler’s Hill: 3.4 km

Route 3: Chesham & Tylers Hill

  • Distance: 9.3 km (5.8 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 84m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Tylers Hill to Lower Bois: 4.49 km

Route 4: Chesham & Bois and Wychfield Spring

  • Distance: 7.8 km (4.8 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 166m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: River Chess at Lower Bois to Blackwell Hall Lane: 4.4 km

Route 5: Latimer and Codmore Wood

  • Distance: 7.7 km (4.8 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 120m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Blackwell Hall Lane to Stoney Lane: 3.2 km

Route 6: Little Chalfont and Latimer

  • Distance: 7.5 km (4.7 miles)
    Elevation change: +/- 91m
    Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Latimer to Carpenters Wood: 3.3 km

Route 7: Phillipshill Wood and Hanging Wood

  • Distance: 9.1 km (5.7 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 101m

  • Chilterns Heritage Trail Section Covered: Carpenters Wood to Newland Gorse: 3.5 km

Route 8: Chalfont St Giles and Newlands Park

  • Distance: 8.6 km (5.3 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 75m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Newland Gorse to Chalfont Common: 4.6 km

Route 9: Chalfont St Peter, Seer Green and Chalfont St Giles

  • Distance: 13.1 km (8.1 miles)

  • Elevation change: + / - 124 m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Chalfont St Giles to Hodgemoor Wood: 10.3 km

Route 10: Amersham and Coleshill

  • Distance: 11.5 km (7.1 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 118m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Bottrells Lane to Amersham: 5.2 km

Route 11: Amersham, Winchmore Hill and Penn

  • Distance: 12.5 km (7.8 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 119m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Coleshill to Toby’s Lane: 8.1 km

Route 12: Little Kingshill and Little Missenden

  • Distance: 9.9 km (6.1 miles)

  • Elevation change: + / - 104m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Beamond End Lane to Little Kingshill Recreation Park: 6.2 km

Route 13: Great Missenden and Little Kingshill

  • Distance: 9.2 km (5.7 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 114m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Little Kingshill Recreation Ground to Buryfield Car Park: 4.4 km

Route 14: Great Missenden and Ballinger

  • Distance: 9.8 km (6 miles)

  • Elevation Change: +/- 113m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Buryfield Car Park to Ballinger Common: 3 km

Route 15: Lee Common and Ballinger

  • Distance: 7.5 km (4.6 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 65m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Ballinger Common to Chartridge: 5.2 km

Route 16: Chartridge, Asheridge and Buckland Common

  • Distance: 9.5 km (5.9 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 97m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Hightree Wood to Buckland Common: 5.1 km

Route 17: Cholesbury and Asheridge

  • Distance: 11 km (6.8 miles)

  • Elevation change: +/- 103m

  • Chiltern Heritage Trail Section Covered: Blue Ball Braziers Lane to Ramscote Lane: 7.8 km

Cycling The Chilterns Heritage Trails

If you have completed the Chiltern Heritage Trail walking routes there’s also 3 cycling routes in the area. Each route is a circuit so can be started at any point, however Amersham New Town is an obvious base. Amersham has a direct rail and Underground connection to London and good parking options.

The 3 routes are:

  • Milton Route, named after John Milton who was an English Poet and Civil Servant.

    • Distance: 42km / 26 miles. Elevation Change: +/- 391m

  • Hampden Route, named after John Hampden, who was an early parliamentarian.

    • Distance: 41km / 25.5 miles. Elevation Change: +/- 352m

  • Harding Route, named after Thomas Harding who was burnt at the stake in 1532 for possessing a Bible when this was still forbidden.

    • Distance: 40 km / 24.8 miles. Elevation Change: +/- 385m

Click here for more information on the Chiltern Heritage Trail cycle routes.

Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment
Walking to the Tajogiante Crater, La Palma

Tajogiante Crater

Tajogiante

Also known as: Jedey or Cabeza de Vaca
Significance: New crater formed by the 2021 La Palma eruption.
Elevation: 1,120m. At the time it was not possible to access the highest point.
Date “climbed”: February 25th 2025
Coordinates: 28°36′46″N 17°51′58″W

Start / Finish: Parking spot on the LP-301
Distance: 7.5 km (4.7 miles)
Elevation Change: +/- 305m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (walk): Camino Cabeza de Voca, PR LP 14 El Paso - Refugio del Pilar. SL LP Coladas de San Juan - Llano de Jable
Cafe / pub on route: None
Links: Wikipedia (La Palma, Tajogiante), Centro de interpretación Caños de Fuego

 

A highlight of our 2025 winter-sun trip to La Palma was learning about Tajogiante, the new volcano created after the island’s 2021 eruption. We had booked our hotel in Puerto Naos in the south-west the island not knowing how impacted the town was by the eruption. We soon found out on our drive from the airport along a newly built highway across the lava fields.

The best place to learn about the eruption and its after-effects is the Visitors’ Centre (Centro de interpretación Caños de Fuego) near Las Manchas. The knowledgeable staff, videos and displays describe the events of both the 2021 and 1971 eruptions. You can also visit one of the lava tubes with a guide and walk along the raised platform over the lava fields. You can visit the larger lava tube (Cueva de Las Palomas) but you’ll need to use a separate tour company. You can find details of these companies at the Visitor Centre reception. Several of them also do the guided tours to the Tajogiante Crater.

We chose La Palma Natural for our 3-hour guided walk to the crater. Note that you can’t do the walk without an authorised guide and you’ll be stopped by a ranger at the hut near the start of the walk. We met our guide plus the 4 other guest at the Tourist Office in El Paso and were driven to trail-head on the LP-301 road. From there it’s a beautiful 4 km walk descending down to the nearest point you can get to the crater. As with the Roque de los Muchachos trip earlier in the week, we were blessed with warm, dry weather and a clear sky so the views were amazing. The return to the start followed a different route, gradually ascending to the road.

Richard gowerTrek, Mountain, Canary Islands, SpainComment
Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma High Point

View to Tenerife from Roque de Los Muchachos

Roque de los Muchachos

English Translation: “Rock of the Boys”
Significance: Highest point on the Island of La Palma, Canaries, Spain
Elevation: 2,428m
Date “climbed”: February 23rd 2025
Coordinates: 28° 45' 15'' N, 17° 53' 5'' W

Start / Finish: Small parking area at Mirador de Roque de los Muchachos, Ctra. al Roque de los Muchachos, 38788, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Distance: 1.3 km (0.8 miles)
Elevation Change: +/- 84m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (walk): GR 131 El Baston
Cafe / pub on route: None, nearest refreshments are vending machines at the Observatory Visitors Centre
Map: La Palma Tour & Trail Super-Durable Map (David Brown)
Guidebook: La Palma and El Hierro Walking Guide (Sunflower Guides)
Links: Wikipedia (La Palma, Roque de los Muchachos), Peakbagger,

 

At the end of February we always escape the UK winter to go somewhere warm for Timea’s birthday. The Canary Islands have been a good choice for us for winter sun and we’ve been working our way through them one per year. As well as a bit of relaxation we always attempt to tick off each island’s highest point. Unfortunately, often due to weather, we’ve missed out on a few of the summits. That’s why I was excited to see that you can drive to La Palma’s highest point. I wasn’t completely sure that we would reach it though. My friend Joel had visited the island 6 weeks before and the the access road was closed. The weather was on our side with no issues getting to the top.

While you’re there, it’s well worth visiting the space observatories located near the high point. We booked a 90 minute tour with Ad Astra which included a tour of the Gran Telescopio Canarias, the largest optical-infrared telescope in the world. The high point is a 10 minute drive from the Observatory visitor centre.

The main thing to know about the car at the high point is that it’s very small and gets very busy, especially right after the Observatory tours. We made a point of leaving the Observatory Visitor Centre straight after the tour had finished to get ahead of everyone else. The car park was full when we got there but we only had to wait a few minutes to get a space. Those that came after us had to wait on the tricky hair-pin bends for spaces to become available. We found the guy at the top in the hut to be especially unhelpful at managing the traffic so Timea had to get out to be an unofficial car park supervisor. Without that nobody would have got in or out for ages.

Once parked you’ll find the Trig Pillar at the northern edge of the lot with great views across to the observatories. From here you can take a 1.3 km out-and-back walk down to the Mirador del Espigón del Roque. We were especially lucky as it was a clear day and we had views across to Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro.

Richard gowerTrek, Mountain, Canary Islands, Spain, Island High Points, Trig PillarComment