Welcome to the website of the
Four Points Ramble Association
A walking, writing, and charitable fundraising project
The Four Points Ramble is a charitable project to support and promote wildlife and heritage
conservation, as well as the relief of suffering resulting from illness
or deprivation.
A major means of achieving
these objectives is through the making of grants to selected charities:
either grants of money raised by selling books and other items, or grants of books
which the charities may sell, keeping the proceeds of all sales.
The books describe a ramble round England.
About us
The Association is a small group whose main function is to oversee the
financial side of the project, in particular the channelling of books
and funds to the beneficiary charities. They also help to encourage the
walker & writer to keep going.


Donations to the Association, other than payments for books, go into the General Fund, and may be put towards
the printing costs of the next book in the series, or to top up payments to beneficiary charities. The profit margin from each book sold (in most cases the full purchase
price) goes to the beneficiary charities for that book.
We also raise money for charity through sales of home-made
chutney, home-made whistles, tunebooks, cafetière cosies, Four
Points Ramble teatowels etc, and thus support charities at fairs,
coffee mornings, bring-and-buy sales and similar events, as well as
giving illustrated talks on aspects of long-distance walking and
writing.
Contact
Address: Four Points Ramble Association, 18 Bullfinch Walk, Manchester M21 7RG
Email: saxton_s@yahoo.co.uk
Note that we also have a Facebook page,
which contains a wealth of pictures and further information:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Four-Points-Ramble-Association/402323480386
The Ramble
The Four Points Ramble challenge is to walk to each of
the four extremities of England (that is, the northernmost,
southernmost, westernmost, and easternmost tips of the mainland), then
return to the starting point. The Four Points Ramble is not a continuous, day-after-day exercise to
be started and finished in one go; that would transform a journey that
should be enjoyed into one to be endured. Neither is it creating
a new Trail or Way; if others wish to undertake the challenge, the
suggestion would be to walk the Four Points by whatever route seems
best at the time.
Part of this project is to write books which describe
the walk but
with digressions related to incidents on the walk or with local
connections.
The digressions reflect interests in wildlife, history,
literature, music, biography, industrial archaeology (in particular,
canals and railways in the age of steam), genealogy, ecology and
biodiversity, politics, heraldry, church
history, topography and story-telling. As a sidetrack, three
fictional books have been written describing imaginary journeys and
places (see below).
The books are sold mainly through, and wholly on behalf of,
local charities. Each charity keeps
the full price of any books bought directly from that charity.
The purchase price of books that are sold through the Four Points
Ramble Association is divided between the beneficiary charities.
Progress Report
Grant making progress As
of July 2023, grants totalling
£15,572.51
have
been made to over 40 beneficiary charities from central sales, mainly
of books, but also of other items such as teatowels or home-made
chutney. In
excess
of £1450 has additionally been raised for six of those charities
through music concerts, and a further £1000 (including Gift Aid)
was
raised for Macmillan Cancer Support by three Association members doing
a sponsored walk on the Macmillan Way as part of the route of Book 5.
In addition many hundreds of books have been supplied direct to
charities who can thereby raise funds themselves. In recent years many
donations for Four Points Ramble products have been made direct by
purchasers to beneficiary charities without money going through our
account.
Walking progress.
As of July 2023 the furthest point south reached remains Lifton in Devon (as shown by the red line on the map above). This
represents 1036 miles on a continuous route from Lindisfarne in
Northumberland. Due to the recent pandemic, onward walking progress has not yet resumed.
Writing/publication progress. Book 1 was published in May 2007; Book 2 in March 2008; Book 3 in
November 2008; Book 4 in November 2009; Book 24 in
September 2010, Book 5 in November 2011, Book 6 in
December 2012, Book 23 in November 2013, Book 7 in October 2014, Book 30 in November 2015, Book 22 in November 2018,
Book 8 in December 2019, Book 31 in April 2020, and Book 32 in September 2021. All books except Books 30, 31 & 32 cost £7.99; Book 30 costs £10, and Books 31 & 32 £5.99. They can be purchased post free from the
Association by emailing, Facebook messaging, or writing to the Four
Points Ramble address above.
Cheques
payable to the Four Points Ramble Association. Alternatively (the easy way) the
Association will post books and trust the purchaser
to make an online
donation direct to an appropriate charity. This has the added advantage
of making it possible for the charity to claim gift aid. Teatowels
(£6 but currently out of stock) and tunebooks (£5 for 'Over One Hundred' and £15
for 'Footed upon the Sod') can also be purchased in the same
way, but we will not trust chutney through the post. Jars of
chutney (check for current flavours available) can be delivered in
Greater Manchester or nearby.
Writing plans. There is not likely to be any progress on Book 9 (or possibly Book 21) until late 2023 or 2024.
Book One: Ramble Through West Yorkshire
Book One is a diary of the first 54 miles of the walk
(from Gargrave to Hollingworth Lake, via Skipton, Keighley, Haworth,
Hebden Bridge, and Todmorden). It follows the towpaths of the Leeds
& Liverpool Canal and the Rochdale Canal, as well as sections of
the Pennine Way, the Worth Way, the Brontë Way and the Calderdale Way.
The four charities that have agreed to participate as beneficiaries are:
Book Two: Ramble Past Manchester
Book Two covers a 37-mile journey through the Pennine
foothills and valleys east of Manchester, starting at Rakewood, passing
through Delph, Diggle, Uppermill, Mossley, Stalybridge, Woodley, Romiley
and Marple, and finishing at the Bowstones, high above Lyme Park.
Trails and paths followed include the towpaths of the Huddersfield Narrow and Peak
Forest canals, as well as the Rochdale Way, the Oldham Way, the
Crompton Circuit, the Tameside Trail, the Cown Edge Way, the Goyt
& Etheridge Valley Way, the Trans-Pennine Trail, and the beginning
of the Gritstone Trail.
Click
on the image of the cover to view a sample chapter of the book:
The four charities that have agreed to participate as beneficiaries are:
Book Three: East Cheshire and North Staffs Ramble
Book three covers a 60-mile section of the journey south, taking
in the East Cheshire and North Staffordshire hills and valleys,
followed by the urban landscape of the Potteries. It begins above
Lyme Park, near Disley, passes through Macclesfield, Leek, Burslem,
Hanley and Stoke, and ends by the canal in Stone. Trails and
paths followed include the Gritstone Trail, the Staffordshire Way, and
the towpaths of the Macclesfield, Caldon, and Trent & Mersey Canals.
Click
on the image of the cover to view a sample chapter of the book:
The four charities that have agreed to participate as beneficiaries are:
Book Four: Ramble Through the Heart of England
Book Four covers a hundred-mile section of the journey
south, starting in Staffordshire and entering four more counties
(Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, and Northants) as the route
swings through the very centre of England. It begins in Stone,
passes through Stafford, Lichfield, Moira, Measham, Stoke Golding,
Bedworth and Rugby, and ends, also canalside, in Braunston,
Northants. Trails and paths followed include the Heart of England Way, and the towpaths of eight different canals.
Click
on the image of the cover to view a sample chapter of the book:
The four charities that have agreed to participate as beneficiaries are:
Book Five : Northants & Oxfordshire Ramble
The route covered by this book begins in Braunston, Northants,
and first runs east through Welton and Long Buckby to Great Brington,
before following the Macmillan Way south-westwards for 37 miles via
Farthingstone, Chipping Warden, Claydon, Warmington and Shenington
to Traitor's Ford. It then proceeds south via Hook Norton, Great
Tew, Steeple Aston, Woodstock, Church Hanborough and Eynsham and
finishes in Wolvercote near Oxford.
Click on the image of the cover to view a sample chapter of the book:
The four charities that have agreed to participate as beneficiaries are:
Book Six : Upper Thames & Wiltshire Ramble
The route covered by this book begins in Wolvercote near
Oxford, and runs through Oxford City, down the River Thames to
Sandford, then south via Nuneham Courtenay, Clifton Hampden and Long
Wittenham to Didcot; north again via Culham to Abingdon, then west via
Marcham and Kingston Bagpuize to the Thames at Duxford, along the
Thames via Bampton to Buscot; then south via Coxwell to Ashbury, along
the Ridgeway to Chisledon, south via Marlborough to Pewsey; west again
along the Kennet & Avon Canal, then along Wansdyke, to Devizes; then via
Lacock and Melksham to finish at Bradford-on-Avon.
Click on the image of the cover to view a sample chapter of the book:
The four charities that have agreed to participate as beneficiaries are:
Book Seven : Ramble Through Somerset
The route covered by this book begins in Bradford-on-Avon,
and follows the Macmillan Way into Somerset, via Beckington, Nunney,
Stourhead, Bruton, Castle Cary, Langport, Aller, Burrowbridge and
Moorland. It then leaves the Macmillan way, following the
Bridgwater & Taunton canal to Taunton before crossing the Quantocks
to Nether Stowey, then recrossing the Quantocks to Bicknoller, Williton,
Watchet, Washford, Dunster, Minehead and Porlock, finishing at Culbone.
Click on the image of the cover to view a sample chapter of the book:
The four charities that have agreed to participate as beneficiaries are:
Book Eight : The Two Moors & Six Rivers Ramble
The route covered by this book begins in Culbone
in Somerset, and follows a number of long-distance footpaths, including
the Samaritans Way South West, the Exe Valley Way, the Two Moors Way,
the Dartmoor Way, the West Devon Way, and several others, southwards
over Exmoor into Devon, towards and then onto Dartmoor, before turning
westwards as far as Lifton, close to the Cornish border. It passes
through Exford, Dulverton, Bampton, Tiverton, Crediton, Chagford,
Widecombe and Lydford on the way.
Click on the image of the cover to view a sample chapter of the book:
The book is sold in aid of local charities.
Book Twenty-two: Ramble Through Northumberland
The
route covered by this book begins on the island of Lindisfarne, and
follows the coast through Berwick to the Northernmost Point in England,
before turning south again and up the rivers Tweed and Till towards
Crookham and Wooler, then via Whittingham, Rothbury, Wallington Hall, Bellingham, Wark and Haltwhisle to finish at
Alston in Cumberland. Trails and paths followed include sections of St
Cuthbert's Way, St Oswald's Way, the River Tyne Trail, the Pennine Way,
the Hadrian's Wall Path, and the South Tyne Trail.
Click on the image of the cover to view a sample chapter of the book:
The book is sold in aid of local charities.
Book Twenty-three: Cumberland & Westmorland Ramble
Book 23 begins in Alston in the North Pennines and takes a route
through Penrith, past Ullswater to Patterdale, over the ridge to
Thirlmere, then via the Vale of St John to Keswick. From Keswick it
goes over Catbells and High Spy to Honister, then via Moses' Trod and
Aaron Slack to Esk Hause, before descending to Langdale. From there it
climbs Swirl How, then skirts Lake
Coniston, crosses Windermere, passes Staveley and Kendal, and finishes in Arnside by Morecambe Bay, the starting-point of Book 24. Trails and paths
followed include short sections of the Cumbria Way, the Dales Way, and the Limestone Link.
Click
on the image of the cover to view a sample chapter of the book:
The four charities that have agreed to participate as beneficiaries are:
Book Twenty-four: Ramble Through North Lancashire
Book 24 begins in Arnside by Morecambe Bay, and takes a route through
Carnforth and Lancaster before climbing into the hills of the Forest of
Bowland. It then descends to Chipping and Whalley before
traversing Pendle. From Barrowford, it proceeds north-eastwards
to Gargrave and the starting-point of Book One. Trails and paths
followed include the towpaths of the Lancaster and the Leeds &
Liverpool canals, as well as the Wyre Way, the Pendle Way, and the
Pennine Way.
Click
on the image of the cover to view a sample chapter of the book:
The four charities that have agreed to participate as beneficiaries are:
The Four Points Ramble Association is very grateful to the Co-operative
Bank for a grant of £500 towards the printing costs of this book
from their Community Directplus Customer Donation Fund.
Book Thirty: Ramble Through Nossex
Book
30 recounts a turning aside from onward progress in the journey
southwards, and an exploration of the curious and little-known county
of Nossex. The gradual discovery of the peculiar culture of this
most secret of counties, partly through interaction with the
contemporary inhabitants, and partly through hearing thirteen of the Twelve Tales
of Nossex, gives opportunities to reflect on the nature of Christian
community.
Click
on the image of the cover to view two sample chapters of the book:
This book is sold in aid of a number of different Christian charities.
Book Thirty-one: Ramble through West Anglia

Book 31 tells of another briefer sidetrack from south-westward
progress, offering an evaluation of a philanthropic and idealistic
project to promote eco-friendly community life, and an update on the
experiences of several Nossex characters after five years have elapsed.
Click
on the image of the cover to view a sample chapter of the book:
This book is sold in aid of a number of different charities.
Book Thirty-two: Twelve more Tales of Nemet and Nossex

Book 32 provides 12 more tales, mostly historic, a few contemporary,
giving more insight into the origins and characteristics of the hidden
and guarded county of Nossex, or Nemet as it was known before the 7th
century, or the Nine Hills as it seems to have been known before around
500BC.
Click
on the image of the cover to view a sample chapter of the book:
This book is sold in aid of a number of different charities.
Over One Hundred English and Scottish Dance Tunes

A collection of contemporary compositions in traditional dance music
styles, including jigs, reels, marches, polkas, strathspeys, hornpipes
and waltzes. Half of the collection is by an Englishman, and includes a
number of tunes and some songs that appear piecemeal in the Four Points
Ramble books. The other half is by a Scotswoman, including tunes mostly
composed to honour individuals and special events.
This book is sold in aid of a number of different charities.
Footed upon the Sod

An introduction to and celebration of the ancient 3/2 hornpipe,
commonplace in the 17th century, wildly popular in the late 17th and
early 18th centuries, then gradually forgotten until the late 20th
century. This book is a compilation containing some simple and
basic tunes, some old and traditional hornpipes with sets of
variations, some polished and sophisticated melodies by geniuses such
as Purcell and Handel, and a selection of contemporary tunes in
traditional style, by modern folk musicians both professional and
amateur.
This book is sold in aid of a number of different charities.