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57-750: The Marches Way is a partially waymarked long-distance footpath in the United Kingdom. It runs for 351 kilometres (218 mi) through the Welsh –English borderlands, traditionally known as the Welsh Marches , and links the cities of Chester in the north and Cardiff in the south. The route starts at Chester at Chester railway station and then follows the valley of the River Dee southwards, before turning east into Malpas, Cheshire , and down to Whitchurch, Shropshire , before roughly following

114-535: A red background, Regional Route numbers have a blue background. The system of symbols is based on that used by the Danish National Cycle Route network . The colour used may also indicate the status of the route, for example on rights of way in England and Wales yellow marks are used for footpaths, blue for bridleways, and red for byways open to all traffic. In addition to reassuring

171-463: A landmark" ( Oxford English Dictionary ). There are several ways of marking trails, including paint, carvings, affixed markers, posts, flagging, cairns, and crosses, with paint being the most widely used. A painted marking of a consistent shape or shapes (often rectangular), dimension and colour or combination of colours is used along the trail route. The system by which blazes are used to signify turns and endpoints in trails (see below) strongly favors

228-919: A large number of trekkers ( backpackers ). Typical trekking regions in Nepal are Annapurna , Dolpo , Langtang , Manaslu , Kangchenjunga and Mount Everest . In India, the Kashmir Valley is home to several trekking routes that traverse western sections of the Himalayas. Vishansar Lake , Gangabal Lake and Tarsar Lakes are accessible only through different trekking routes. Other popular trekking routes in India include Chandra Taal , Dzongri, Goechala, Gomukh , Hemkund , Kafni Glacier , Kailash - Manasarovar , Kedarnath , Kedartal , Milam Glacier , Nanda Devi Sanctuary , Pindari Glacier , Richenpong , Roopkund , Sar Pass , Satopanth Tal , Saurkundi Pass and

285-476: A minimum. By contrast, in a typical municipal, county , or state park , or any land open to a wide variety of users, or in a well-developed metropolitan area, blazes will be more frequent. Single-track hiking trails also receive more blazes than those that follow old roads or other more obvious routes. On a large piece of land, there is likely to be more than one trail. While it might seem obvious that, at minimum, trails should at least take different colours, this

342-864: A mountain hiking trail in Japan. Red ribbons usually indicate an ascent route while yellow ribbon indicate a descent route. On some mountains, a non-standard ribbon colour (white or blue) is used to identify a specific trail. Poles, colored or not, are often used to keep the trail visible during winter and under snow cover. Poles are standard trail markers in Austria , Canada, USA, the Czech Republic , Switzerland , and Slovakia . Cairns are carefully arranged piles of stones. Cairns are most commonly used to indicate trails in open areas, such as higher-elevation alpine areas , where no trees are available, or where conditions may make blazes hard to see. An ancient example

399-782: A similar system of white and coloured stripes. Slovenia, Croatia and other former members of Yugoslavia use Knafelc trail blaze . In the United States and Canada , a single colour is used, usually white, red, blue or yellow. Trails in South Africa are often marked by yellow footprints painted on trees and rocks. In Israel , trails are marked by three stripes. A painted stripe surrounded by two white stripes can indicate length with black, green, blue, or red representing short (<10 km) trails, and purple or orange representing longer trails (60 to 100 km). In addition, some trails are represented by specific colour combinations such as

456-853: A slightly staggered junction, only one trail may be signed, often with the longer or more heavily trafficked trail's blaze predominating. In other cases, such as southern Vermont where the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail follow the same path, both trails may use the same white blaze. A quite different blazing system, called mute blazes was created in the Czech part of the Giant Mountains . The blazes, cut out of sheet metal and painted red, are suspended on high poles, thus being visible to both hikers and skiers. Unlike in classic systems, they do not refer to paths or trails, but show

513-404: A trail besides those on foot. Another possible distinction is by season. In Norway, it is common to use blue for summer routes and red for winter routes. Red routes may traverse lakes and swamps, which are flat and well suited for cross-country skiing in winter, but impassable on foot in summer. Colours are often assigned simply with an eye toward making sure that no two trails that intersect use

570-480: Is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking , backpacking , cycling , horse riding or cross-country skiing . They exist on all continents except Antarctica. Many trails are marked on maps. Typically, a long-distance route will be at least 50 km (30 mi) long, but many run for several hundred miles, or longer. Many routes are waymarked and may cross public or private land and/or follow existing rights of way . Generally,

627-543: Is applicable to other rail trails that exist throughout the world: Following the route of the railways, they cut through hills, under roads, over embankments and across gullies and creeks. Apart from being great places to walk, cycle or horse ride, rail trails are linear conservation corridors protecting native plants and animals. They often link remnant vegetation in farming areas and contain valuable flora and fauna habitat. Wineries and other attractions are near many trails as well as B&B's and other great places to stay. In

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684-553: Is expected to open by the end of 2024 as the longest coastal walking route in the world and Britain's longest National Trail . These may be cross-country paths, or may follow roads or other ways, and often intersect with many other trails. Examples are Wainwright's Coast-to-Coast path in northern England, and the GR 10 in France . The English Coast to Coast route, despite being amongst the best-known long-distance walking routes in England,

741-554: Is not always done. In Mount Greylock State Reservation, which contains the highest mountain in Massachusetts , all trails other than the Appalachian Trail use the same blue blaze. Blaze type might also be mixed when different user groups (i.e., snowmobilers , horse riders , mountain bikers ) are allowed on trails. For users of faster vehicles, blazes are often larger in order to be seen better at high speeds, and sometimes affixed markers best communicate who may and may not use

798-537: Is not an official National Trail , but simply a series of connected pre-existing rights of way, roads and open country with some informal links between them. There is also a coast-to-coast mountain-bike route in northern England that has the same trailheads as the walkers' path. GR 10 is a French GR footpath that runs the length of the Pyrenees Mountains , roughly paralleling the French–Spanish border on

855-734: Is published in April in the association's magazine, Strider. The Kerry Way , in south-west Ireland, is the longest of the Irish waymarked trails and circumnavigates the highest mountain range in Ireland. Along with the adjoining Dingle Way it is noted for its scenic views of the Atlantic , loughs and mountains. Long-distance trails in Hong Kong : Japan has a network of ten long-distance trails called Long Distance Nature Trails. Their creation

912-400: Is sometimes used to indicate trail routes, but usually only for temporary or unofficial trails, most commonly when a trail route has been selected but the trail itself is under construction. Flags are sometimes used for permanent trails, but they are the most vulnerable to the elements of any trail blazing method and may be more difficult to see. Trail flagging is the predominant method to mark

969-761: Is the inuksuk (plural inuksuit), used by the Inuit , Inupiat , Kalaallit , Yupik , and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America. These structures are found from Alaska to Greenland . This region, above the Arctic Circle , is dominated by the tundra biome and has areas with few natural landmarks. Below the tree line, cairns are used less frequently, often like flagging to indicate informal or unofficial paths or just their junctions with official trails. They may become obscured by snow in areas with heavy winters and may be easily knocked over. In some areas

1026-455: Is the longest marked multi-use trail in the world, stretching 5,330 kilometres (3,310 mi) from Cooktown, Queensland , through New South Wales to Healesville, Victoria . This non-motorised trail runs the length of the rugged Great Dividing Range through national parks and private property and alongside wilderness areas . One of the objectives was to develop a trail that linked up the brumby tracks, mustering and stock routes along

1083-604: Is the result of a Ministry of Environment initiative to highlight the specific environmental, cultural or historic landscapes through which the trails pass. They also aim to allow hikers a safe and easy hike in any season, as well as raising awareness of the importance of protecting natural spaces and adopting sustainable behaviors. Long Distance Nature Trails in Japan : In Brazil, long-distance trails are regulated by two Federal Government decrees, and implemented and managed by government agencies in partnership with many NGOs, such as

1140-671: Is waymarked only in Cheshire, with black and white waymarker discs. The route crosses many different trails along its length, including: The Marches Way was removed from the Ordnance Survey map series in 2004 after being detailed on these particular maps for approximately five years. The Ordnance Survey maps that included the Marches Way between 1999 and 2004 were: Long-distance footpath A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath , track, way, greenway )

1197-762: The EuroVelo routes. Some trails follow the towpaths of canal systems. A good example is the 845-kilometre (525 mi) New York State Canal System in New York . There also numerous routes that can be followed in Europe, which may be suitable for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and canoeists. Many long-distance trails have sections suitable for equestrians, and a few are suitable for horse riding throughout their length, or have been developed primarily for horse riding. The Bicentennial National Trail (BNT) in Australia

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1254-730: The Iron Curtain Trail (also known as EuroVelo 13). The latter is a partially complete long-distance cycling route which will run along the entire length of the former Iron Curtain . During the period of the Cold War (c. 1947–1991), the Iron Curtain delineated the border between the Communist East and the capitalist West. Some of the longest walking routes worldwide: Long-distance mountain trails are of two broad kinds: linear trails and loop trails. In Europe

1311-491: The Llandegfedd Reservoir . Finally, the path heads towards its end point at Cardiff Central Railway Station via Caerphilly Common and Castell Coch at Tongwynlais. It links many of the most important historic sites on both sides of the border, drawing together the history from Roman times, passing through two important Roman forts ( Isca Augusta and Burrium ), and the turbulent medieval periods when

1368-668: The Pennine Bridleway , 192 km (119 miles), The Ridgeway , 139 km (86 miles), and the South Downs Way , 160 km (99 miles). Rail trails (or rail paths) are shared-use paths that make use of abandoned railway corridors. There are also rails with trails in the US that follow working rail tracks. Most rail trails have a gravel or dirt surface and can be used for walking, cycling, and often horse riding as well. The following description comes from Australia , but

1425-875: The South West Coast Path . The equivalent routes in Scotland are styled as Scotland's Great Trails ; they include the West Highland Way and the Speyside Way . The success of the Welsh government's 870-mile Wales Coast Path prompted an ongoing project of create a similar route for England. When completed, the King Charles III England Coast Path will be around 2,700 miles long. There are many other recognised, sometimes waymarked, long-distance footpaths in

1482-635: The Valley of Flowers . The Great Himalaya Trail is proposed to follow the Greater Himalaya Range from Namche Barwa in Tibet to Nanga Parbat in Pakistan, forming the world's highest mountain trail. A long-distance trail network in the southern Andes, the 3,000-kilometre (1,900 mi) Greater Patagonian Trail , was first described in 2014. It currently connects Santiago de Chile with

1539-667: The Via Alpina consists of five connected hiking trails across the alpine regions of Slovenia , Austria , Germany , Liechtenstein , Switzerland , Italy , France and Monaco . It is 5,000 km (3,100 miles) long, with 342 day stages. Circular routes include the Tour du Mont Blanc , which passes through the Alps of France, Switzerland, and Italy. In the Balkans region, the Peaks of

1596-1014: The 27 Brazilian states , connecting all Brazilian biomes. As of January 2022, Brazil has more than 5,500 km of managed trails and another 20,500 km planned. Long-distance trails in Brazil: These follow coastlines; examples are the Brittany Coast Path in France, the California Coastal Trail in the US, the South West Coast Path in England, the East Coast Trail in Canada, and the Otter Trail in South Africa. The King Charles III England Coast Path , in development by Natural England , will be around 4,350 kilometres (2,700 mi) long. It

1653-538: The Atlantic Ocean and the western terminus is Point Reyes , on the northern California coast at the Pacific Ocean. The Iditarod Trail connects the coastal cities of Seward and Nome, Alaska : a distance of around 1,600 kilometres (990 mi). The European long-distance paths (E-paths) traverse Europe, passing through many different countries. Among the longest are European walking route E8 and

1710-585: The B5476 road south to Shrewsbury via Wem . Once past Shrewsbury, the path scales the Long Mynd before reaching Church Stretton and Wenlock Edge and then entering Craven Arms , where there are excellent views of Flounder's Folly . The path then passes Stokesay Castle as it heads towards Ludlow . From Ludlow the route winds through the Mortimer Forest as it heads towards Leominster . From here

1767-810: The Balkans Trail and High Scardus Trail connect Albania , Kosovo and Montenegro or North Macedonia respectively through a network of combined almost 700 kilometres (430 mi). In the United States, notable linear trails include the Appalachian Trail , 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi), the Pacific Crest Trail , 4,300 kilometres (2,700 mi) and the Continental Divide Trail , 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi). The first long-distance hiking trail in

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1824-664: The Brazilian Trails Network Association ( Associação Rede Brasileira de Trilhas in Portuguese) and the Atlantic Forest Trail Institute. The aim is to create a national system of trails that are pleasant to hike, but that also generate employment and income and function as conservation tools by linking protected areas with natural corridors. There are more than 120 trails in different stages of implementation in 25 of

1881-662: The French side. It runs west to east, from Hendaye on the Bay of Biscay to Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean Sea . The American Discovery Trail is a hiking and biking trail that crosses the continental United States from east to west, across the mid-tier of the United States 10,900 kilometres (6,800 mi). Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The eastern terminus is the Delmarva Peninsula on

1938-659: The Golan Trail (white, blue, green), the Jerusalem Trail (blue, gold, blue), and the Israel National Trail (white, blue, orange). Blazes may also be painted on obvious rock surfaces or on posts set into the ground (or on utility poles, fences, or other handy surfaces) where the trail follows a road or goes through fields and meadows. In North America, Australia and New Zealand, there are trails blazed by cuts made in bark by axe or knife, usually

1995-740: The Great Dividing Range, thus allowing one legally to ride the routes of stockmen and drovers who once traveled these areas with pack horses . The Bicentennial National Trail is suitable for self-reliant horse riders, fit walkers and mountain bike riders. In the United Kingdom, the British Horse Society is developing a network of horse trails known as the National Bridleroute Network . A number of long-distance multi-use trails have been created in England, including three National Trails :

2052-580: The Netherlands, Spain and Portugal (the Alta Via (Italian), Grande Randonnée (French), Grote Routepaden or Lange-afstand-wandelpaden (Dutch), Grande Rota (Portuguese) or Gran Recorrido (Spanish)). National Trails are a network of officially sanctioned footpaths in the United Kingdom which are well maintained and well waymarked across England and Wales. Examples are the Pennine Way and

2109-805: The Southern Patagonian Icefield and explores the remote areas of the Patagonian Andes in the border region between Chile and Argentina. The entire network currently incorporates more than 16,000-kilometre (9,900 mi) of routes and provides many packrafting options. These routes have been constructed mainly for bicycle touring . Some are restricted to use by only non-motorized bikes while others are multi-use recreational (i.e. hiking, horseback riding, jogging, rollerblading or walking). Some long-distance cycling routes are hundreds of miles long, such as Australia's mainly off-road Munda Biddi Trail , or even thousands of miles, such as

2166-637: The UK which do not have National Trail status. The Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA) has the most comprehensive online database of long-distance paths in the UK, and members are able to download GPX files of routes. The association also maintains the LDWA National Trails Register, with different levels of membership for people who have completed five, 10, 15 or all 19 of the National Trails and Great Trails. An annual report

2223-508: The US was begun in 1910 and named The Long Trail . Notable circular trails include the Tahoe Rim Trail and the Wonderland Trail (which encircles Mount Rainier ). The Australian Alps Walking Track traverses the alpine areas of Victoria , New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory . It is 655 km (407 miles) long, starting at Walhalla, Victoria , and running through to Tharwa, Australian Capital Territory near Canberra . The Himalayan routes are famous for attracting

2280-445: The US, generally for a much smaller rock pile than a cairn, typically stacked just high enough to convince the observer it is not natural. For most, two rocks stacked could be a coincidence, but three rocks stacked is a duck. In some regions, ducks also contain a pointer rock (or a couple of stacked rocks) to indicate the direction of the trail. A wayside cross is a cross by a footpath , track or road , at an intersection, along

2337-398: The US, the 43-kilometre (27 mi) Cheshire Rail Trail , in New Hampshire , can be used by hikers, horseback riders, snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, cyclists, or even dog-sledders. In Canada , following the abandonment of the Prince Edward Island Railway in 1989, the government of Prince Edward Island purchased the right-of-way to the entire railway system. The Confederation Trail

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2394-502: The border lands were contentious power bases vied over by Marcher Lords , Welsh princes and the scenes of rebellions, bloodletting and political power-broking by many of the region's historical characters. The terrain of the footpath varies greatly as it proceeds from Chester to Cardiff, passing through the flat Cheshire Plain to the steep Shropshire Hills and the mountains of South Wales . The path passes through many woods, forests, riverbanks and farmland along its journey. The route

2451-466: The edge of a field or in a forest, which often serve as waymarks for walkers and pilgrims or designate dangerous places. They are particularly common in Europe, for example in Germany , Galicia and the Alps . It can be made of wood, stone or metal. Most wayside crosses are designed as crucifixes . In US wilderness areas , whether state or federal, the US Wilderness Act requires that the land seems "untrammeled by man," and so blazes are often kept to

2508-447: The former. Most often these are informal routes made by loggers or hunters , or trails descended from those routes. Originally a tree would be blazed by hatchet chops (still the dictionary definition) but today other methods have become more common, with environmental and aesthetic concerns sometimes playing a part in the choice of blazing method. Other navigational aids, such as cairns , are used where blazes are unsuitable. In 1902

2565-570: The miners of Idaho created and marked the Three Blaze "shortcut" Trail with a series of three distinctive blazes cut on the trees, usually with an axe, to define the specific route to the Thunder Mountain Mines of Central Idaho. Alternatively, more long lasting plastic, metal or even sometimes wooden markers may be affixed to trees, usually with nails. The placement of these markers requires more skill and labor than paint, as well as an area with an abundant supply of trees to which to attach them. Surveyor 's tape hung from branches or tied around trees

2622-490: The path climbs Dinmore Hill , crossing the A49 road as it navigates towards Hereford . The path passes through the town centre of Hereford, picking up the River Wye before heading towards Abbey Dore and Abergavenny where the path skirts the outer edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park, climbing and running along the ridge of the Skirrid mountain. The way then follows the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal to Pontypool before heading towards Caerleon and Newport via

2679-422: The recreational building of numerous cairns has obscured the proper use of cairns to mark junctions and crossings. In some areas of the United States, park rangers and land managers must disassemble excess cairns when they become eyesores or when they mislead navigation. Where rocks are scarce, poles can be used. Poles are also frequently used to mark ski and snow shoe trails. Duck is a term used in some parts of

2736-408: The same one, but it can go further than that. On all state land in New York 's Catskill Park , for instance, primary trails, especially longer "trunk trails" that go great distances, use red markers if they go in a generally east–west direction and blue if they go north–south. Shorter spur, loop or connector trails generally use yellow blazes. On occasions when two trails run concurrently, usually at

2793-644: The surface is not specially prepared, and the ground can be rough and uneven in areas, except in places such as converted rail tracks or popular walking routes where stone-pitching and slabs have been laid to prevent erosion. In some places, official trails will have the surface specially prepared to make the going easier. Historically, and still nowadays in countries where most people move on foot or with pack animals, long-distance trails linked far away towns and regions. Such paths followed "logical" routes, that can be approximated to least-cost paths . GR footpaths are long-distance footpaths in Italy, France, Belgium,

2850-418: The trail user that they are on the trail, the signage can alert them to imminent turns, particularly if there is some confusion about what might be the trail, and where trails begin and end. Offset blazes is a system whereby a vertically stacked pair of blazes with the upper one offset in the direction that the trail turns. This system was first used in 1970 on the Beech Trail in Harriman State Park. This system

2907-406: The two blazes indicating the angle and direction of the turn. Also, a few trails indicate turns with two stacked blazes, without an offset, but this can cause confusion as the direction is not implied. In addition, other trails may use two non-offset stacked blazes to indicate the trail goes straight at a location where there may be a tempting mis-turn. A triangular pattern with its point to the side

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2964-429: The use of paint blazes. European countries usually use systems of painted bars or shapes in more than one colour. The Czech Hiking Markers System uses three bars – usually one color in between two white bars, with different meanings attached to different colours – in a 10 cm x 10 cm square. Red is often used to mark difficult or summit trails. Arrows of similar design signal a change of direction. This system

3021-430: The way to the nearest mountain huts and adjacent towns and villages with the possibility of overnighting and catering. National Trails in England and Wales generally use an acorn symbol. The National Cycle Network in the United Kingdom is signposted using a white bicycle symbol on a blue background, with a white route number in an inset box, but with no destination names or distances. National Route numbers have

3078-512: Was also devised for eventualities like spurs or junctions, but these have not caught on. In some areas, a triangular pattern with its point up indicates that a hiker is at the point of a sharp switchback. In the Netherlands, signage usually consist of two bars above each other: white-red, yellow-red and red-blue are commonly seen blazes. An upcoming turn is indicated by duplicating the blazes: white-red-white-red, yellow-red-yellow-red, etc. Nowadays, stickers are often used, and instead of duplicating

3135-416: Was developed as a tip-to-tip walking and cycling gravel rail trail which doubles as a monitored and groomed snowmobile trail during the winter months, operated by the PEI Snowmobile Association. Waymarked A blaze in the beginning meant "a mark made on a tree by slashing the bark" ( The Canadian Oxford Dictionary ). Originally a waymark was "any conspicuous object which serves as a guide to travellers;

3192-442: Was first used in today's Czech Republic in May 1889, to mark a trail from the town of Štěchovice to a nearby spring. Today there are 42,000 km (26,000 mi) of marked trails in the Czech Republic. This system is used also in Slovakia , Ukraine , Croatia , Romania , Albania , Brazil , Philippines and Mongolia . Poland , Bulgaria and Georgia used very similar system. French, Italian, Austrian and Swiss trails use

3249-416: Was further refined to where a triangular pattern of blazes would indicate a terminus, its point up or down depending on whether that was the beginning or the end. These began to be used elsewhere and are now fairly common throughout North America, though variations of this system exist. Some trails instead use two blazes painted together at an angle to form an "L" shape to indicate a turn, with the angle between

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