Simon Armitage
The Pennines, Yorkshire
The current Poet Laureate is one of the nation’s bestloved living wordsmiths. Author of numerous collections of poems and winner of hatfuls of awards, his work is often embedded in the Pennines landscape where he has spent most of his life. Since 2012, some of that work can be read on the Stanza Stones Trail. The path starts at his home village of Marsden, West Yorkshire, and runs for 47 miles to Ilkley (or 50 miles, if you take the more adventurous upland route: stanzastones.co.uk). On the way it takes in six mammoth rough-hewn stones, each engraved with a different Armitage poem entitled Snow, Rain, Mist, Dew, Puddle and Beck. However, if you fancy a slightly less challenging 4½ mile trek, start out from Oxenhope and climb south out of town on the waymarked Brontë Way. Continue on a bridleway called Hambleton Lane, turning right at a footpath to the summit of Nab Hill. The Mist Stone is just below to your right. Return to Oxenhope by following footpaths via Upper Hill Farm. The locations of the stones are marked on OS maps, making it easy to design your own walk to see one.