Cheviot Walks website sees 15% increase
May 5 2009 by Brian Daniel, The Journal
A WEBSITE of walks in the Cheviot Hills has seen an upsurge in hits during the credit crunch.
The site, www.cheviotwalks.co.uk , saw a 15% increase in hits in April on the same month last year, the fourth highest monthly total since it was established in January 2006.
The site was created by outdoor writer Geoff Holland, who celebrates his 61st birthday today, and lives at Hermiston, Monkseaton – a village he has called home for 34 years.
Geoff has many years experience as a fell runner, hill walker and mountain biker in the Cheviots, and admits it became “a wee bit of an obsession”.
He had long planned to set up the site as a means of putting something back and fulfilled that pledge on his retirement.
Geoff believes the rise in hits is down to recession-hit Brits struggling to afford foreign holidays and instead looking to explore what this country has to offer.
He said: “We continue to be surprised by the ever-increasing number of walkers who visit the website and are delighted by the many favourable comments we receive from users from both within and outside the region.
“The Cheviot Hills offer walking of the highest quality where it is still possible to walk all day without seeing another walker.
“The website is regularly updated and, in the months ahead, new and exciting routes will be added.”
