Cycle lost lanes

Wind your way through the very best of the countryside, on quiet roads, off-road paths and tracks, always striving to follow the ways least travelled. It’s an endlessly rich network with unlimited opportunities for improvisation, variation and detours. Changing weather and changing seasons (Britain sometimes boasts all four in a single day) means no two bike rides are the same, even if they follow the same route.

The journey to become a cycling connoisseur of lost lanes is a simple one and comprises three steps. First, discover the lost lanes nearest where you live. Get out the Ordnance Survey maps (the Landranger 1:50,000 are best for cycling) and look for the thinnest yellow lines. For a bird’s eye view, go to www.twomaps.com and explore the twinning of detailed map and aerial photography. Next, get to know them in the flesh. Identify the wildflowers and come back a couple of months later to see what’s changed. Listen to the birdsong, spot the trees. Take a tramp about in neighbouring woodlands.

Third, and above all, just ride. At any speed, in all seasons, for the thrill of the new or the comfort of the familiar. Alone or with friends, pack a picnic or stop at a pub for lunch, have a snooze under a tree, take some photographs – even write a sonnet if the mood takes you. Savour the beauty and wildness of these perfect threads of common ground and celebrate the very best way to see them – by bike.

In issue 14 of The Simple Things, Jack Thurston shares hand-picked routes from his latest book.

LOST LANES by Jack Thurston is priced £14.99 from Wild Things Publishing. Buy a copy for just £12.99 (£9.99 – 33% off – plus £3.00 P&P) by entering the code ST13 at www.wildswimming.co.uk/lostlanes. Offer ends 30th September 2013.

Win a cosy winter break with New Forest Living and The Simple Things

Relax, recharge, unwind. Spend a long weekend in a forest hideaway, Hunters Moon cottage in Godshill is the perfect setting for a weekend getaway...

As the summer holiday season draws to a close we’re already dreaming of winter breaks in unspoilt countryside: watching the sun rise across misty fields, warming our toes in front of an open fire. So we’ve teamed up with New Forest Living to give you a chance to win a three night weekend break in a rural idyll.*

Click here to enter now before 30th September 2013!

* The prize is a three-night self-catering weekend break at Hunters Moon cottage in Godshill (from Friday to Monday, accommodation only) for four people plus one dog, worth up to £775. The break must be booked before 14th October 2013 and taken between 1st November 2013 and 3rd February 2014 (excluding Christmas, New Year, school holidays and bank holidays), and is subject to availability.

To book a relaxing break call 0845 680 0173 or visit www.newforestliving.co.uk

WIN a woodland cabin break with Forest Holidays

Picture yourself in a woodland cabin where Argyll’s pine-clad mountains meet the shores of Loch Long, or in an idyllic setting on the edge of an ancient millpond, deep in a Cornish wooded valley. It could happen with the help of this luxury prize from Forest Holidays.

The winner can choose a break at a three-bedroom ‘Silver Birch’ self-catering cabin at any of eight Forestry Commission Estates throughout the UK (subject to availability).

Relax in your cabin with private outdoor hot tub and have the freedom of the forest. Take in the scenery at your leisure or with a Forest Ranger who will help you explore, spot animals or even show you where the wild garlic grows. If you’re feeling energetic, there are amazing locations for cycling or canoeing.

How to enter Enter online  by 30th August 2013 for a chance to win cabin rental worth up to £1000. The prize must be taken by 28th February 2014, (excluding bank holidays or school holidays). Fees apply for activities. Even if you are not lucky enough to win this time around, you can still enjoy a special offer.  Go to www.forestholidays.co.uk and enter the code SIMPLE 10% off breaks taken during 2013.

Offer ends 31st August 2013.

Sponsored post: A summer escape in Somerset

Somerset Yurts is run by husband and wife team, Mark and Emma Cavill along with our two young boys, Will and Tommy. Having spent 10 years in hectic corporate life around the Thames Valley, we decided the time was right to move back to Mark’s family farm and settle down in our beloved West Country. Spending many weekends traveling back and forth from Somerset to Berkshire, while we were still working, we really grew to appreciate the slower pace in Somerset, the countryside, big skies, and peace that the farm provided. We started hatching plans to share this slice of rural tranquillity with people looking for a break from their daily stresses; and knew that yurts, combined with the beautiful Somerset countryside, would provide a really unique ‘glamping’ experience, so Somerset Yurts was born!

Our farm is a dairy farm, with around 120 cows over 300 acres. We love showing guests around our farm, introducing our cows and calves, and showing the milking process. Children particularly love this, and it’s great to see them getting a grasp of where their milk, cheese, butter, cream and yoghurt comes from.

You will find your yurt nestled in a beautiful, peaceful field that boasts stunning, uninterrupted views over Taunton Vale and the Blackdown Hills beyond. In such serene surroundings you’ll soon unwind and find yourself immersed in the countryside.

Our four yurts are all luxuriously furnished with a double bed, double futon, dining table, throws, rugs, and a wood burner to keep you cosy and warm during your stay. You'll also find a BBQ and gas stove in your private picnic area, or you could opt for campfire cooking over the communal fire pit.

The Dutch Barn is the unsung hero of Somerset Yurts. Home to a spacious and fully equipped communal kitchen/dining area, and a large bathroom with proper flushing loo’s and hot power showers – the perfect partner to your lovely yurt!

The Simple Things readers can enjoy 10% off their Somerset Yurts glamping escape using SPRING13 in the voucher code area of the booking form.

Visit www.somersetyurts.co.uk or call 07811 350176 for more information

Pitching tents this summer, the dos and don'ts

Heading to Glastonbury this week? Or perhaps you're preparing for the first camping trip of the year, either way here's a recap of everything you've forgotten since the last time.

1. Lay the flysheet (outer layer) flat, ensuring doors and so on are zipped up.

Think: "I could be at home now, catching up on Borgen." Say: "Nobody panic! It's all coming back to me." 2. Feed the poles carefully through the sleeves and bend them up to form the tent's 'skeleton'. Lock the ends of the poles into the metal rings at the edge of the tent.

Think: "The manufacturer's given us the wrong poles." Say: "We'll be on the beach within five minutes!"

3. Look for loops on the corners, sides and guy ropes, and stake these out with tent pegs and a mallet, keeping tension equal all around. Now secure the inner tent into place using the toggles provided.

Think: "Why are we listing violently to one side?" Say: "Ta-daaa!"

Alternatively – get a pop-up tent.

Taken from Issue 10 of The Simple Things,  download a back issue now.

Photography: XPeria2Day

Sponsored post: Happy glampers in Herefordshire

If your tastes run to a touch of up-market camping accommodation set amid the glorious Herefordshire countryside, then look no further than our chic new Glamping units.

We have two high-class bell tents, which are sited on raised wooden decking. The tents are spacious and well equipped, with luxuries not normally found when camping. These include king-sized beds, a heated shower room and a separate loo.

And the comfort doesn’t end there. With compact kitchen area complete with fridge, kettle, toaster and microwave, glasses, crockery and other utensils are made available as part of the package. We’ll complete your stay by providing bedding and other necessary linen. And there is plenty of storage space too so no need to live out of damp rucksacks!

Outside each of our tents is a seating area with table and chairs where you can’t help but relax and take in the surrounding landscape. Unwind in your own private space and perhaps enjoy a BBQ.

Our units are located in three acres of serene scenery but within easy distance to the market town of Leominster. Just a few miles away you can take advantage of a variety of pubs and restaurants.

Vist the Herefordshire Glamping site you find out more or ring: 01568 720371

Wordless Wednesday: A journey through Southern Italy

Dreaming of getting lost between olive groves, discovering secret caves on the coastline, and marveling at the Baroque architecture.

To find out more about Puglia visit the Inntravel website.

Win your own classic bike with Dawes and The Simple Things

We've teamed up with the lovely people at Dawes to bring you an amazing giveaway in which you could win a Countess bike worth over £500!*

To enter, simply like Dawes on Facebook and fill in our short form.

Mobile device users enter following this link: http://bit.ly/11jLaSb

*UK only, Ts&Cs apply.

Beside the seaside

This month inside The Simple Things, we've taken the time to look back at our rather eccentric love of seaside piers, and this got us thinking about the tradition of a British seaside holiday in general and why, despite the icy shores, stoney beaches, and unpredictable weather, our love for the beaches of Clevedon and Southend-on-Sea are imprinted firmly on our hearts.

So what is it? Punch and Judy shows, a good stick of rock, hunting for crabs? Share your favourite British seaside tradition with us in the comments below.

And don't forget, we've currently got an amazing special offer on Jon Nicholson's book Seaside Polaroids (seen inside Issue 11), simply call 01206 255777 and quote the code 'SimpleSeaside', to receive 20% with free P&P.

Wordlesss Wednesdays: bank holidays by the beach

 

Wild camping: the best places in Britain

Can you hear it? The unzipping of a sleeping bag, crackling fires and chirping crickets. It's the distinctive call of the wild. Telling us its time to dust of our tents and get out into the British countryside. Inspired by our wild camping feature inside issue 10, we've picked out five of our favourite sites in Britain for an adventure under canvas.

* Note Scotland and Dartmoor are the only places to legally wild camp in Britain. If you wish to set up tent anywhere else, always seek permission from the landowner first.

1. Dartmoor

Heather clad moorland, wide open spaces - Dartmoor is the perfect place for wild camping. The right to wild camping is actually enshrined in the National Parks & Access to the Countryside Act, and the local association even provide a guide on where to pitch up in the area. Just watch out for the army - who often use the park for fire practice.

2. The Scottish highlands

Remote, with high peaks and stunning views. The current access legislation is explicit about your right to wild camp on hill land as long as the camping rules are followed.

3. Lake District

The woodlands, the lakes, the fells, idyllic. Legally wherever you camp you must have the permission of a landowner to camp on their land, though there is a tradition of wild camping in the Lake District.

4. Berwyn Mountains

The Berwyn mountains, North Wales. Some absolutely spectacular views, not for the faint of heart though if you believe the rumours of the suspected UFO landing.

5. The South Downs

Easily accessible places like Springhead Hill make this is good beginner's territory as you won't be far from civilisation if things go tent-up.

Don't forget to pick up your copy of issue 10 for more tips on wild camping, including what to pack and eat, plus tips on the type of tent to take, and how to keep warm.

My City: Helsinki

Take a special tour around blogger Lauren Memarian's home city of Helsinki not seen inside this month's magazine...

What’s your best discovery about your city? We’re still discovering new things every day about this little city- that’s one of the great things about here. I suppose the best discovery so far though has been the people! People really make a city, and the people in Helsinki make it a great place to live- especially for a foreigner who is trying to learn Finnish! Thankfully nearly everyone here speaks almost perfect English- which is helpful when words are about 30 letters long sometimes and look like the noise you make when you stub your toe. Riiuuyoaie. See?

Tell us about the colours of your city? The city’s colours are quite understated. The architecture tends to favour muted olive greens, blues, yellows and pinks, and stone doorways and building facades are common. Even the sea is a pale slate-grey. In stark contrast are the flowers outside of shops and in window boxes - they overflow with colour, and the Relandersgrund café boat is a welcome splash of bright red in the harbour.

What is the light like? Do you have long, light summer evenings, etc? The light here is fascinating. Though the winter days are short and cold, once summer arrives the days become nearly 20 hours long and we’re rewarded with beautiful, pure light. As the sun sets it gives everything a soft glow that lasts for a few hours and always makes me think of Sofia Coppola’s films!

What types of shop do you most like to visit? Have you discovered anything really special or different? I can usually be found poking about in fusty old second- hand shops, digging through old vinyl records to find that one horrendous album I can’t live without (last week it was Pia Zadora and Jermaine Jackson- the Rock Aliens soundtrack!). I also have a sad fascination with the kitchen appliance section of our local department store. They have a gadget for everything! There are so many tiny and interesting shops in Helsinki that it’s hard to narrow it down to a few favourites. Pino (Frederikinkatu 22) is a great place for design-led storage solutions, while Papershop (Mariankatu 15) is a perfect little place to find letterpressed cards and printed wrapping papers.

Do you like people watching? I am an obsessive people watcher! I like to draw the people I see, and try to work out as many details about them as I can- while trying not to totally creep them out, of course.

What games do you play as you go about your everyday life? There’s a city webcam mounted to a building looking over the harbour, and I always stop and wave to it when I walk by. I know my family like to peek in at the feed sometimes, and I always wonder if we’ll catch each other.

What keeps you in the city now? The supremely addictive cinnamon buns! (But really my husband’s job.) We’ve also made a great group of Finnish friends, and they act as our surrogate family as we’re so far from ours.

If you could change one thing about the city, what would it be? Ok, this may sound petty, but I would make at least one decent take-away. Unfortunately, while Helsinki’s restaurant scene is bubbling over with talent, the take- aways are sorely lacking. Sometimes I do miss a good Chinese...

Don't miss the rest of the tour in this month's issue of The Simple Things.

Things to do this bank holiday weekend

Three days to forget about work, remove yourself from the sofa and go out and find adventures in new places. If you're stuck for what to do this weekend, fear not. Our friends at The National Trust have put together the perfect guide to events happening up and down the country.

Here's three of our favourite activities for the weekend...

Parade along the bluebells- nothing says British springtime quite like a sea of bluebells. Find your nearest bluebell walk here.

Cheshire's Victorian May Day - from maypole dancing to Punch and Judy, and a whole host of activities in between.

May Fayre - Morden Hall Park, London - stalls, crafts, shows and live music throughout the entire weekend.

Click here to find an event in your area.

Have a happy bank holiday!

My City: Rue Cavallotti art

Writer and photographer Nichole Robertson shows us round her favourite free art show in the city of Paris. It occurs twice a day on rue Cavalotti (close to Monmarte) at dawn and closing time...

Fall in love with more of hidden Paris inside Issue 9.

Ten wandering songs...

Taken from Issue 07, here is our perfect playlist for stomping over hills and across the moors. Enjoy...

The great egg hunt

Looking for something to get out and do this weekend that's a little different? Join the alternative Easter egg hunt at the Design Museum from 29th March - 1st April from 10am - 4pm (no booking required!).

A printed trail will take visitors on an Easter journey throughout the museum's current exhibitions, crack the riddles and the clues and you'll be rewarded with a chocolaty prize and all egg hunters will be rewarded with a mini Rococo egg.

Design Museum Easter Exhibitions

Extraordinary Stories about Ordinary Things

Designers in Residence

Designs of the Year 2013

You can find out more about Rococo chocolates in Issue 4 of The Simple Things.

Ceilings & Floors | Dublin from top to bottom with Emily Westbrooks

Those who've read Issue 7 will be familiar with Emily Westbrooks, writer, blogger and resident of the wondrous city of Dublin. Today Emily has stopped by on the blog to take us on an extra special tour of her beloved city not seen inside the magazine. Take it away Emily...

I've never been the biggest fan of museums and history exhibitions, but living in Dublin has certainly changed that. The museums here are free (just not open on Mondays), which means you can pop in for a quick visit without feeling like you have to see every inch. But as an added bonus, they offer some of the best examples of Georgian architecture in the city. I've been known to spend more time gazing at the ornate ceilings and snapping photos of my feet on the patterned mosaic tile floors than at the actual exhibits! Now, in each city I visit, I make sure to look up and down to see what the other views have to offer.

Here are some of the best ceilings and floors you'll find in Dublin:

The National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street The National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street focuses on Irish history through archeology. It's the home to several "bogmen", people who were found after being preserved in peat bogs. They still have some of their clothing and hair intact! But the big domed ceiling and patterned floor, with mosaics depicting Greek mythology, in the entryway might stop you in your tracks.

Dublin City Hall (This one has a small fee for entry) Dublin City Hall holds an exhibition that shares the history of the capital city from 1170 to today, and the classic Georgian ceiling and mosaic tiled floor filled with flowers, shamrocks and images of Dublin Castle are well worth a visit.

The National Library Technically, you need a reader's card for entry into the National Library, but there are tours available for the public every Saturday at 2:30pm. Inside the main reading room, the domed ceiling is painted in shades of turquoise, which is especially striking against the dark wood bookcases and desks. The grand setting will certainly make you want to crack open a book!

EMILY WESTBROOKS writes about life, travel and DIY projects on her blog, From China Village.

Packing for adventure in Issue 7

Fact behind the mag: wooden boats are a daily sight on Derwent Water, part of the Keswick Launch Company, this boat (just scene) was moored on the shore close to the repair workshop for the boats.

‘Pull on your boots and see where your feet take you’

This month’s mag is all about finding adventure in the great British countryside. Inside we show you how to find the best routes, pick out the essential gear, and even cook up the perfect pocket picnic, but before we ramblers set off we have to face the somewhat dreaded task of packing, yikes. Luckily our friends at Millican have stopped by to show us how to prepare for a two day hike. Boots, waterproofs, snacks, maps, and poles all in one bag? No problem.

Dave the Rucksack from Millican on Vimeo.

The adventure continues inside Issue 7...

Win a wine tasting class with The Simple Things and Inntravel (closed)

Love the grape but have trouble telling your Chablis from your Chardonnay? Want to learn the difference between old and new world wine? Well, we've teamed up with our friends at Inntravel to offer you the chance to win a full day wine school experience for two at Britain's oldest wine and spirit merchant Berry Bros and Rudd. Perfect if you wish to condense all your learning into just one day, and also indulge in a mouthwatering luncheon where your new-found knowledge is put to immediate use with the wines served with lunch.

To be in with a chance to win this fantastic prize worth £490 simply click on this link and 'Like" Inntravel's page: http://on.fb.me/YkRIAw - good luck!

(Please note: Competition is open to UK residents only)