New guided walks offer outdoor fitness on Marsden Moor

Exercise with a view on Marsden Moor

The natural setting of Marsden Moor offers the opportunity to kick start your fitness resolution this month with a selection of new guided walks.

It's part of the National Trust's top 10 calorie busting walks, which are taking place throughout January.

Alison Mills works at the National Trust at Marsden Moor.

She said: "A lot of the walks that we have are fairly long so you are out for quite a while so you are going to use up a lot of energy."

Outdoor gym

The idea is that people view these treks as an outdoor gym.

From guided walks that wander past castle battlements and temples to lakeside follies and rushing rivers, the National Trust's 'Calorie Burn-o-meter' will let you know just how many calories you're using up as you walk amongst some of the UK's most stunning settings experience.

You can see across to Manchester and all down the Colne Valley Alison Mills, National Trust Marsden Moor

Alison Mills suggested: "It's beautiful walking across picturesque moorland with all the different plants and birds.

"You can see across to Manchester and all down the Colne Valley."

There's a good variety of countryside as the walks occasionally take you off the Marsden Moor estate itself.

The January walks include shorter routes which take place on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

Gentle stroll

They are an hour and half long and not too hard and designed as a gentle stroll for walkers to come along to regularly.

The calorie burning walk takes place on 15 January and is a longer route of about 10 miles.

Dubbed the Milestones and Waystones it's a hike along stony lanes and across the moors, with some steep slopes - the reward being beautiful views across the Peak District.

It aims to burn up to 1200 calories in the day.

Alison Mills said: "People who are visiting the area make more of an effort to find out what's going on, this is a chance for locals to get fit and enjoy countryside on their doorstep."