It had begun as a mere inkling, popping up on the train as it passed through the West Country. But it had matured into trepidation as the ferry set off from Plymouth and across the Tamar. This would be my first visit to Cornwall for more than 15 years. Would it still be as special? Would it still be the same?

John and Mandy, recent retirees from the USA, share a few diary extracts from their month spent car-free walking around Cheltenham. "So, in the end, I walk 12.8 miles. From our place in Cheltenham, I walk through the town, up and over the hills and into the town of Winchcombe. I like Winchcombe so much that it’s now on our schedule for thi

For late October, the weather hadn’t been too bad. Honestly. The walk from Threlkeld to Helvellyn via the Dodds on Monday had been grey and windy, but mostly dry. The tops east of Patterdale – Beda Head then across to High Raise – had been greyer and windier, but with occasional bursts of sunshine through the low cloud.