Ramblings

Almost 80 years since the Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout, Clare Balding joins ramblers from Manchester and Sheffield to mark this inspirational moment in walking history. On April 24th 1932, around 400 ramblers from Lancashire set off from Bowden Bridge quarry near Hayfield to walk up onto the plateau of Kinder Scout, the highest point in the Derbyshire Peak District, in protest at the lack of the right to roam on open land. As they scrambled upwards towards the moorland plateau of Kinder, the trespassers were met and confronted by the Duke of Devonshire's gamekeepers. A group of ramblers from Sheffield, who had also set off that morning from Edale, did eventually reach the plateau and the two groups met up before turning and retracing their steps. The following day six of the Manchester ramblers were arrested and imprisoned, a move which was to outrage many people and serve only to highlight and sympathise with the ramblers cause, resulting finally in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act in 2000Today Clare joins members of the Sheffield Ramblers, as well as Manchester-born broadcaster and avid walker, Mike Harding. They represent the two groups of ramblers that set off from Edale and Hayfield respectively, to take part in the Mass Trespass back in 1932. Leaving from Bowden Bridge, just as the original trespassers did, the group walk towards Kinder Reservoir and on to William Clough, where the Duke of Devonshire's gamekeepers were waiting. As they walk, the old cross-Pennines rivalry is still in evidence as the Sheffield walkers remind Clare that it was their group that had actually reached the top all those years ago. But everyone on that day 80 years ago shared a common passion for the hills and the moors around which, as folk singer Ewan Maccoll wrote, no one man should have the right to own. The Mass Trespass of Kinder Scout was one of the most inspirational moments in the history of the rambling movement, inspiring walkers and campaigners of access to open land for years to come. It wasn't the only trespass to take place - there were others before it and many more inspired by it. But it lives on in the memory of all those who believe that all should have the right to roam. Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Helen Chetwynd.

In the third in a series of inspirational walks for Ramblings, Clare Balding is in Cornwall where she is joined by writer and storyteller, Anna Maria Murphy. Inspired by the story of Mary Kelynack, an 84 year old Cornish fishwife who walked from Newlyn to London in 1851, Anna decided to walk all over Cornwall meeting people along the way and gathering stories to inspire her writing. Using ancient routes and seldom used footpaths, Anna set off with a notebook and pen and describes her journey as possibly the single most inspirational thing she has ever done in her life. Today, Clare joins Anna to walk from the small coastal fishing town of Looe to Polperro, the village where Anna was born. Although this route usually forms part of the popular South West Coast Path, Clare and Anna choose to head inland following woodland footpaths and the 'roads less travelled' of Cornwall before heading to Talland Bay where they pick up the coast path for the last section of the walk. Who will they meet along the way?Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Helen Chetwynd.

In the second in a series of inspirational walks, Clare Balding joins members of the Wee Binnians, Northern Ireland's biggest walking club. The walking club was set up in 1987 by Veronica McCann who, over the years, has inspired countless people to join her in walking the hills and valleys of Northern Ireland's Mourne Mountains. Described by Veronica as 'a social group that walks, the Wee Binnians Walking Club is open to anyone over 16 and the club is the embodiment of a cross-community, cross-border group whose members share a passion for walking. Today Clare joins just some of the 300 club members to climb to the summit of Slieve Binnian, the third highest mountain in Northern Ireland. She hears from Veronica, a self-confessed non-walker beforehand, about what inspired her to set up the group, why it is so important to her and then from some of the members about what the club - and Veronica - mean to them.Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Helen Chetwynd.

Clare Balding returns with a new series of Ramblings in which she joins people who have either been inspired, or have inspired others, to walk in the British countryside. In the first of the series Clare joins keen walker and Director General of the National Trust, Dame Fiona Reynolds, to walk a section of the new Octavia Hill Centenary Trail in Kent. Co-founder of the National Trust, Octavia Hill passionately believed that green space was essential for a healthy lifestyle and spent her life campaigning to save these disappearing open spaces from development. Beginning at Toys Hill in Kent, one of the places that Octavia managed to save, Clare and Fiona set off to walk part of the Trail which has been created to mark the centenary of Octavia's death. A keen walker herself, Fiona tells Clare why she finds Octavia Hill's legacy so inspirational and why walking and the British landscape is so important to her.Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Helen Chetwynd.

Clare Balding joins Gordon and Caroline Luff and their son, Sam, to walk a section of the South West Coastal Path from Hope Cove to Salcombe. This is thought to be one of the most beautiful stretches of the 630 mile long distance footpath where kestrels and peregrine falcons can be seen flying above the cliffs and seals can sometimes be seen down below. The walk is one that Gordon and Caroline have done several times but, after surviving breast cancer in 2001, Caroline then faced agonising back pain resulting in spinal surgery in 2010. Throughout both her treatment for cancer and surgery on her back, Caroline was determined to continue with the walking that she loves. The last time Gordon and Caroline walked from Hope Cove to Salcombe ended in tears with Caroline convinced that she would never walk again. Along with their son Sam, Clare joins Gordon and Caroline as they return to the aptly named Hope Cove to walk the route to Salcombe, something that Caroline can now do pain-free. And when the group reach Soar Mill Cove, nobody can resist taking off their walking boots and running into the sea for a paddle.Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Helen Chetwynd.

In the fifth of this series of listener's walks, Clare Blading sets out three people who live in Lincolnshire and share a passion for the Wolds. Listener, Mike Garrs, invited Clare to join him in the landscape that he loves and where he walks regularly with friends. They are joined by Pete Skipworth, who has traced his ancestry in the Lincolnshire Wolds back to the fourteenth century and who has also been walking the area for 30 years, and Louise Niekirk from the Lincolnshire Countryside Service which organises the annual Lincolnshire Walking Festival. In a walk which begins in the village of Tealby and passes through Walesby and the centuries-old Ramblers Church before arriving at Normanby-le-Wold, Clare discovers that Lincolnshire is not as flat as most people think as the path reaches the dizzy heights of around 500 feet with stunning views across the landscape.Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Helen Chetwynd.

In the fourth in a series of listener suggestions for Ramblings, Clare Balding walks part of the ancient track of the Pilgrim's Way in Kent. Often thought of as a 'corridor', the county that travellers pass through en route to somewhere else, the Kent countryside has much to offer, as Clare discovers . Clare joins a group of friend who, since retiring, meet regularly to walk some of the 4,000 miles of footpaths that Kent has to offer. To date, the group have walked around half of these and today they follow the ancient Pilgrim's Way over the North Downs from Chilham to Wye. The Pilgrim's Way is the historic route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent. Visited by tourists worldwide, Chilham is located in the valley of the Great Stour river. It is well known for its beauty and has been the location of choice for several film locations and tv dramas. The walk then goes on to Kings Wood, home in spring to the 'best bluebells in Kent' and also the location in the past for the HQ of England's secret underground army, the auxiliary units before ending at the historic village of Wye.

In the third programme in a series of walks suggested by listeners, Clare Balding joins Colin Speakman, creator of the Dales Way and campaigner for walkers' rights. The Dales Way is one of Britain's most popular and cherished routes and for over 40 years walkers have followed its route from Ilkley in Yorkshire to Bowness-on-Windermere, passing through the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the foothills of southern Lakeland. Clare and Colin are joined by Colin's wife, Fleur and listener Chris Grogan who, along with husband Tony, created the Dales Highway, a sister route to the Dales Way which does what it says on the tin and follows a higher level route from Saltaire to Appleby-in-Westmoreland. As they follow the course of the River Wharf, through the dale of the same name, Clare hears from Colin and Chris about their passion for walking in this landscape. Colin explains about the imagination of the Romantic writers who who inspired generations of people to enjoy the countryside, his love of long distance walking, his passionate belief in rights for ramblers and his fight to keep paths open and accessible for all.Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Helen Chetwynd.

In the second of a series of walks suggested by listeners to Ramblings, Clare Balding explores the area around the gritstone escarpment of The Roaches on the edge of the Peak District. The Roaches form a prominent rocky ridge situated above Leek in Staffordshire and this spectacular rocky escarpment, worn into weird and wonderful shapes over centuries by the elements, almost seems to stand guard over all below it. On a clear day from the summit of the Roaches it is possible to look out over the Cheshire Plain towards the Welsh Hills with spectacular views all around.Clare is joined by listener, Professor Mike Bode, and local author and historian, Doug Pickford, both of whom were born and brought up in Leek and share a passion for this landscape. Steven Bell, from the Peak District National Park, also guides Clare on the first part of her journey as she climbs up on to the gritstone edge of the Roaches. Before beginning the ascent, Clare visits the Bawdstone, where it is said that passers by can remove the devil from their backs by scrambling underneath. Climbing onto the ridge itself, Clare passes Rockhall Cottage, a tiny cottage literally built into the rock face, which was once the gamekeeper's residence and is now a converted climbing hut. Eventually reaching the top, Clare heads towards the "bottomless waters" of Doxey Pool, said to be the home of Jenny Greenteeth, a seductive mermaid or water spirit who lures her unsuspecting victims to a watery grave. But, after continuing along the Roaches and descending towards Gradbach and Back Forest, it is Lud's Church that provides more than its fair share of myth and mystery. This huge natural cleft in the rock is a deep chasm, around 400ft long and 50 ft deep, with a cold, damp, feel. There are many legends linked with Lud's Church. It was almost certainly associated with the Lollards, followers of early church reformer John Wycliffe, but Lud's Church is also thought to be the inspiration for the setting of the Green Chapel in the classic medieval poem, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". Looking around, Clare can easily see why.Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Helen Chetwynd.

Clare Balding returns with a new series of walks based on suggestions from listeners to the programme. The series begins as Clare joins John Jones, lead singer and melodeon player of the folk rock group, Oysterband. Back in 2009, John decided to bring together the two passions in his life, walking and music. Marrying the private and public for the first time, he set off on the Feet Don't Fail Me Tour, in which he walked from gig to gig sometimes covering up to 20 miles a day before arriving in the next town for the next evening's show. Since then, John has completed two further walking tours, the latest being the "Spine of England" in May 2011 during which he walked with his group the Reluctant Ramblers across the Pennines. Playing gigs in and around the Peak District, he picked up friends, fans and fellow musicians along the way. Today Clare joins John high up in the Chiltern Hills. They take one of the most spectacular paths down the chalk escarpment and on to the Ridgeway, walking through the villages of Crowell and Chinnor before descending into the Vale of Oxfordshire. Accompanied by Darren Spratt, Walks Leader with the Chiltern Society, they pass through red kite country and follow ancient footpaths to arrive at the Towersey Folk Festival where John will perform at the end of the walk. Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Helen Chetwynd.