As 2007 comes to a close, it's time to reflect on the year that has passed and look forward to the new year.

Highlights for me were seeing my little boy grow up (he's now 2 years & 6 months), gaining my Walking Group Leader qualification, publishing The Inn Way...to the Peak District (and it becoming the Mail on Sunday's travel book of the week), setting up teamwalking.co.uk (and getting several clients) and going on dozens of memorable walks. The best walks were undoubtedly in the Peak District with Lathkill Dale in late May a particular highlight. However, I also walked and researched the route for my Yorkshire Water Way Vol 2, which charts a route through the South Pennines from Ilkley to Langsett via Manshead End (pictured above).

Objectives for 2008? First and foremost is my family. Then, I will be bringing out two books - Yorkshire Water Way Vol 2 (spring 2008) and Walking Weekends Lake District (Dec 08). I will also be developing my website, pushing my teamwalking.co.uk and promoting The Inn Way walks (as always!).

I hope that 2008 brings you health and happiness, and I hope to bump into you perhaps in the Lake District during the summer whilst researching my Walking Weekends book.

Cheers

Mark Reid

The best walk in the Dales?
Probably the inter-valley walk between Upper Wharfedale and Littondale via Kettlewell, Starbotton, Old Cotes Moor and Arncliffe. Great views, wonderful villages, superb pubs and contrasting terrain. The Falcon at Arncliffe is one of the finest pubs in the Dales and certainly the most authentic. Did this walk last Sunday in crisp, cold and frosty conditions with a soft, misty sky and not another soul to be seen all day.

The best pub in the Dales? Well, there's plenty to choose from and depends what you're looking for. I prefer the traditional Dales inn ... stone flagged floors, open fires, low beams and good local ale. Falcon at Arncliffe is probably top of the list, with the Red Lion at Langthwaite, White Lion at Cray, Sportsman at Cowgill, George at Hubberholme, Queens Arms at Litton, Farmers Arms at Muker, Green Dragon at Hardraw... the list goes on.

What are your favourites?

It's been a while since my last blog - over 6 months in fact! Back in May I was just putting the finishing touches to my Peak District book, which was launched at the beginning of July. What had promised to be a great summer for walking and the outdoors with warm, dry and sunny weather in April and May did not materialise during July and August. Floods and disease (Foot & Mouth) did not help things and so my new book launch (which had taken me 2 years to write) was something of a wash-out. Never mind. It was still named the Mail on Sunday travel book of the week.

Since then, I've been working on Yorkshire Water Way Vol 2, which now looks likely to be published in spring 2008 as this has taken me much longer than anticipated to research, partly because of the poor summer weather but also because the walk goes through places I've never been to before so much of the research is from scratch. This all means that my 'Walking Weekends Lake District' will now be published in December 2008.

Cheers

Mark