Julia Bradbury’s back!
Julia Bradbury is playing DJ in TV’s biggest ever countdown of classic walks…
“GET THE BEERS and the popcorn in, take out an OS map and put your feet up,” says Julia Bradbury. “This is a fabulous night of telly if you love a good walk.”
She’s talking about Britain’s
Favourite Walks: The Top 100, an evening’s TV bonanza of which she is the welcoming smile and walking wisdom.
CW has to tread carefully, as the show is being broadcast as we hit the shelves and will be available on catch-up throughout February. So this is a spoiler-free zone – you’ll have to see the show to meet the winning walks. But the experience has been special for Julia.
“It’s like a proper old-school chart countdown,” she says. “I feel like a DJ – it’s a dream come true!”
Julia has been revealing fabulous walks across Britain and beyond since her series Wainwright Walks debuted in 2007. Ten years on, she has explored canals, railways and European trails, and revealed Britain’s Best Walks with a View. But this show is a bit different.
“This one came from a public vote, rather than being something me and my team have put together,” she explains.
“Over 8000 people had their say, and the list we ended up with was wonderful. There were so many classics and corkers, but also a lot of surprises. It’s amazing to see how people connect to, and speak up for, the walks they love.”
Among the classics and corkers are walks in the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Peak District and the South West, as well as trails like the West Highland Way and big climbs like Ben Nevis.
“I’d have been gobsmacked if those places didn’t appear in some form,” Julia admits. “But within them there was a huge variety of walks, from woodland to mountaintop. ” And the surprises? “So many people chose city walks, and revealed special parts of their cities that are almost totally secret,” she says.
“London, Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh – they all have hidden green corners, and people treasure them.”
Julia and her co-presenter Ore Oduba (BBC sports reporter and 2016 Strictly champ) were then dispatched to report from some of the big-hitting locations.
“It’s a nice combination: he’s the enthusiastic newcomer finding out about all these wonderful places – I’m the old bird who knows stuff.”
Julia’s next project is a joint campaign between her website The Outdoor Guide and the Canal & River Trust, aimed at promoting disabled-friendly trails.
“This is something I’m really passionate about,” she explains.
“People in wheelchairs or with limited mobility have every ounce of wanderlust that a walker has, and canal towpaths are often the easiest and loveliest way for them to explore the countryside. We want to make more disabled people, and their able-bodied friends, aware of these wonderful gateways to the country.”
She says Britain could learn a thing or two from Germany, where barrier-free footpaths have been built into the countryside infrastructure for decades.
“We took my wheelchair-bound friend Debbie to Bavaria and there were so many walks she could tackle. The freedom of it made her incredibly emotional. I wish we could build that mentality here in the UK.”
In the meantime, she says, she’s still enjoying her DJ gig.
“The last show ITV did in this format was Britain’s Favourite Elton John Song,” she points out.
“Well I’ve always said walking is the new rock ’n’ roll…”