3 things I love / about walking

1Spotting lapwings

Who can resist the call of the lapwing, a peewit that gives the bird its other name, although the beeping-burble always reminds me of R2-D2 in Star Wars. And this bird revels in flight, as it flings itself about the spring sky like a disco dancer, spreading its spatulate wings to flack from side to side – black, white, black, white – and tumbling from on high to pull up inches from impact. Even down on the ground, nesting in the open country it favours, it’s strikingly handsome, with a debonair crest and a gleaming, iridescent back.

WALK HERE: Spot them throughout Britain, notably in Norfolk around Berney Arms.*

2Rainbows

Rain can ruin a walk – unless it’s paired with sunshine. Sunlight looks white but is made of many colours and as it bounces in and out of a raindrop some light bends – or refracts – more than others, splitting into separate hues to form a rainbow. The bows always paint the sky opposite the sun with red at the top, then orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet at the base. If there’s a secondary bow, the colour-order is reversed. Typically fleeting, one over Sheffield shone for a record-breaking six hours in 1994.

WALK HERE: Bows work best where rain and sun regularly mingle, like the Isle of Harris.*

3Farm cafés

Tea and cake never taste finer than when you’ve worked up a thirst and have earned a treat. For me, the best cafés are unexpected, where you stumble across a chalkboard scrawled with ‘home baking’ pointing to a farmhouse or village hall. These bakers always know how to make good scones. You’ll need luck as opening hours tend to be whimsical, but it just adds to the serendipity when you do find one serving – like Ravenseat in the Yorkshire Dales. After battling the infamous peat bogs of Nine Standards Rigg on the Coast to Coast trek, I’ve never been happier to see a cup of tea.

WALK HERE: Visit Ravenseat (May-Sep, hours vary, www.ravenseat.com) on a Tan Hill* walk.