1. Raby Castle
Meeting Point: Raby Castle
We begin the Big Smile in the magnificent grounds of Raby Castle. We follow a broad path through the grassy landscape where Red and Fallow Deer herds live wild. We pass the impressively maintained medieval castle, built between 1367 and 1390 by John Neville, the 3rd Baron Neville de Raby.
We wander through Ladywood and then up towards Raby Home Farm and then Shotton enjoying the beautiful countryside home to some superb flora and fauna.
Eventually, we leave the Raby estate and find ourselves heading over Cockfield fell, common land pock marked with evidence of human habitation including flint arrowheads dating back to 8000BC.
We skirt around Cockfield itself and back through the estate to finish back at Raby Castle in a wonderful start to the Big Smile Walks.
Distance: 20 km ( 12.47 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★★☆☆
Sponsored By: The Ramside Hall Hotel
1. Raby Castle
Meeting Point: Raby Castle
We begin the Big Smile in the magnificent grounds of Raby Castle. We follow a broad path through the grassy landscape where Red and Fallow Deer herds live wild. We pass the impressively maintained medieval castle, built between 1367 and 1390 by John Neville, the 3rd Baron Neville de Raby.
We wander through Ladywood and then up towards Raby Home Farm and then Shotton enjoying the beautiful countryside home to some superb flora and fauna.
Eventually, we leave the Raby estate and find ourselves heading over Cockfield fell, common land pock marked with evidence of human habitation including flint arrowheads dating back to 8000BC.
We skirt around Cockfield itself and back through the estate to finish back at Raby Castle in a wonderful start to the Big Smile Walks.
Distance: 20 km ( 12.47 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★★☆☆
Sponsored By: The Ramside Hall Hotel
Kit List
Make sure you come prepared for your next adventure
Clothing
Clothing | Urban & Lowland | Mountain, Moorland & Forest |
|---|---|---|
Pair of gloves | ✔ | One thin, one waterproof |
Hat | ✔ | ✔ |
Walking / trekking socks | ✔ | ✔ |
Spare Warm Layer sweater / fleece | Non-Essential | Recommended |
Fleece / Softshell jacket | Non-Essential | Essential |
Base Layer synthetic / breathable | Recommended | Essential |
Waterproof Trousers | Recommended | Essential |
Waterproof Jacket | Recommended | Essential |
Footwear | Walking Boots or Shoes | Walking Boots or Shoes |
Equipment
Equipment | Urban & Lowland | Mountain, Moorland & Forest |
|---|---|---|
Face Covering & Hand Sanitizer | ✔ | ✔ |
Food & Snacks | ✔ | ✔ |
Walking Poles | Optional | Recommended |
Personal First Aid Kit (Compeed, Ibuprofen, etc.) | ✔ | ✔ |
Mobile Phone (fully charged) | ✔ | ✔ |
Sunglasses & Sun Cream | ✔ | ✔ |
Water Bottle x 2 | ✔ | ✔ |
Dry Bag | Recommended | Essential |
Rucksack | Small | 20 Litre |
Notes to Recommended Clothing & Equipment List
Clothing
1. Footwear – should be waterproof, comfortable and broken in. If it is a dry day, wearing proper Walking Shoes ( not trainers ) can be better than wearing Walking Boots as they are lighter in weight and your feet don’t sweat as much. You may want to bring both and decide what to wear when you arrive based on the conditions.
2. Waterproof Jacket / Trousers – mountain weather is extremely changeable. Getting soaked might not kill you, but it’ll ruin your day. Once cotton trousers and jeans are wet ( from rain or sweat ) they stay wet. We strongly recommend you have some waterproofs in your rucksack if you aren’t wearing proper Waterproof Jacket / Trousers
3. Base Layer – nothing fancy needed, but not cotton !
4. Fleece / Softshell – useful to throw on if the group stops for any length of time eg. lunch
5. Spare Warm Layer – you might not need it, but bring along regardless
Equipment
6. Rucksack – to keep contents dry. A sturdy bin liner should suffice if you don’t have dry bags, but there is a chance it’ll tear
7. Water – avoid supermarket bottled water – the plastic bottle walls can be very thin and the bottles can burst soaking the contents of your rucksack. Carry a minimum of 2 litres total for a walk of this length.
8. Sunglasses – handy in the mountains in good weather. Suncream ( Factor 30+ ) – yes this is wishful thinking, but you never know !
9. Food & Snacks – incl fruit, cheese, chocolate, Haribo – your personal preference but some tips are :
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Use bread rolls rather than sliced bread for sandwiches – they tend to be tougher and less prone to being squashed and falling to bits
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Consider sweets, cereal bars etc. that fit in your Jacket so that you can eat on the move
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Don’t bother with a flask – bring extra water or even better water mixed with hydro tablets
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No need to bring your food in a lunchbox – it can be a waste of rucksack space – just spread it around where you can – top of rucksack, pockets etc. so that easily accessible
Some other general hints & tips:
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Do always bring the items you think you won’t need. People often turn up inappropriately dressed for a full day’s walking because they decided what to wear based on the weather outside their bedroom window, rather than what the weather was expected to be like at their destination. Bring all of the kit along with you, and we’ll decide what’s necessary before we set off - anything that isn’t needed can stay in the car.
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Pack all your kit the evening before and put it in the car ( or at the front door, ready to go ). Why ? – because faffing around early in the morning is stressful, and you might easily forget something ….the number of people who arrive at the meeting point without their walking boots is staggering!
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You don’t have to spend a lot of money on kit, not at all. As you cast your eye over the kit list, identify what you have and what you don’t have. Think about whether you have something that could reasonably suffice as a substitute. If you’ve any doubts, please get in touch.
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Packing a rucksack correctly is an artform. As a rule, the things that you’re less likely to need go at the bottom. Start with the least likely item and work your way up. Heavier items are often best positioned towards the top of the rucksack. These tend to be the things that you will need access to the most – like water, food etc. Use spare clothes to pad out the sides, so that the rucksack is equally balanced and weighted – that is guaranteed to make the day just that little bit more comfortable and enjoyable.
