1. Northamptonshire
2. Merseyside
3. south London
4. north London
5. for the future

I grew up here and loved the river, the lakes resulting from gravel extraction (the 'gravel pits'), the old quarries and the dismantled railway lines.

I have explored the dismantled railway lines around Thrapston. In 2003 I walked the Brampton Valley Way, which is a dismantled railway line between Market Harborough and Northampton. Here is an interesting web site about a walk along a dismantled railway line in western Northants.

I visit Liverpool often and used to live there. I have often walked through Princes Park to Sefton Park, with its lovely Palm House. Sometimes I walk through Otterspool park and along the river bank. I have also been to the derelict grounds of the Liverpool International Garden Festival.

I love to go on Merseyrail to West Kirby. People walk to the Hilbre islands at low tide. There is also a dismantled railway line running south from the centre of West Kirby. It has been made into the Wirral Country Park

I have recently walked along part of the Liverpool Loop Line. This is a dismantled railway that runs through Liverpool and has a tarmac path suitable for bikes.

I like to walk from my home in Thornton Heath through Mitcham Common to the Wandle valley. In previous centuries Mitcham Common was a center of lavender and opium production. The valley of the Wandle had a role in the early Industrial Revolution, and had many water mills to power early industry. It also had one of the earliest railways. At weekends I sometimes go to Merton Abbey Mills where a water wheel and many buildings still function. There are many craft stalls and other attractions.

A short distance up the valley is Deen City Farm and riding school. It is possible to walk long distances along the valley. There is much open ground and many trees. Parts of Mitcham Common are like countryside. Between Mitcham Common and the Wandle valley I pass the Gypsy museum and an ancient dovecote.

Once I continued my journey, across Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park, ending up near Richmond Bridge. Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park are very close together. It took all day, but it is worth it.

Another walk I like to do is to get the 450 bus to Lower Sydenham Sava Centre. Behind the Sava Centre is a small river that people can follow for miles northwards. It joins another river and can be followed easily till halfway between Catford and Lewisham. I walk into Lewisham and I have walked as far as Greenwich, which has a couple of markets and is nice down by the river.

The 450 bus also takes me to Crystal Palace. There are several ways for me to walk back home, often via South Norwood lake.

From Thornton Heath I can get the X68 but to Russell Square. This is good for Covent Garden, Oxford Street, Chinatown, Soho and especially the British Museum, but so far I have only used it to get to Camden Lock market. From Russell Square I like to walk north along main roads, past Euston Station, to get to Camden.

I used to think that Camden Lock Market was a wonderful place to buy lunch. It seemed that there was takeaway food from all over the world, but now it seems that it is nearly all Chinese food. There is so much competition between food stalls, food is cheap but I am not to sure that standards are kept high.

The market is interesting, but I am bored with that now. What I have done and I will do again is to walk along the canal towpath, either east or west. I have walked east all the way to Limehouse near the Thames. There is a lot of interesting local history there. I also discovered a strange little garden centre next to the station at Limehouse, built on different levels.

I wouldn't go on Saturday. It is too busy. There are so many people whizzing past on bikes that it just takes away the enjoyment. Other walks I have been on are just full of dog walkers on a Saturday, and they don't seem willing or able to control their dogs.

I love the idea of walking along prehistoric tracks like the Ridge Way and the Icknield Way. I am very attracted to the idea of 'green lanes', especially those that have sunk below the level of the surrounding land due to hundreds or thousands of years of use (known as 'holloways'). If only I could find one.

There is something very special about a sunken track that I know from the cuttings of dismantled railway lines. I don't know what it is; perhaps it is a feeling of being surrounded by nature. When I was a teenager I went to a narrow valley in south Wales with vertical walls of rock. It was magical, but I have never been able to locate it again. Lydford Gorge in Devon must be something like it. I have visited the Samaria Gorge and others in Crete, and I tried to get to the Garganta del Chorro when I was in Andalucia. I would have liked to walk the Camino del Rey, but as far as I can tell it is still closed.

Shanklin Chine sounds interesting.

In south-eastern Jersey the tide goes out far and there are guided walks over the sea bed at low tide. There is also a reef called the Minquiers between Jersey and France that would be lovely to explore.