Warwickshire man who’s planning to camp out at every English county’s highest point

Published: 09:08, 08 December 2023

A RETIRED vet is planning to wild camp at the highest point of every county in England.

Martin Foster, known to many from his four decades as an animal doctor in Shipston, is a seasoned hiker and camper.

Looking for a project to “keep busy” after quitting his day job, he came up with the idea of climbing to the highest point of all 48 counties and camping there solo overnight.

Martin, who has three adult children, has already completed the challenge in three counties: Warwickshire’s Larkstoke Hill, near Ilmington, Cleeve Hill in Gloucestershire and the Worcestershire Beacon.

The night he camped more than 500ft up, at the very top of Larkstoke Hill, there was a huge storm and lashing rain, which he said “sounded really good from inside the tent”.

When climbing up to the top of the Worcestershire Beacon, he didn’t set off until after it was dark.

Retired vet Martin Foster getting in some wild camping practice in his Welford garden. Photo: Mark Williamson

“There had been sightings of the Northern Lights from up there the night before and word had got around, so while I was there, the local running club showed up followed by the local cycling club, so it was like Piccadilly Circus,” he said.

Unfortunately, he missed out on taking photos of the spectacular sunrise from the 1,400ft vantage point the following morning, as his mobile phone ran out of charge.

The night spent in his one-man tent at the summit of Cleeve Hill, 1,083 feet above sea level, was “really peaceful” and he enjoyed “the crisp night and total silence”.

“It was absolutely idyllic,” he recalled.

It’s a balancing act when it comes to equipment, he explained, weighing up the minimum kit versus enough equipment to stay safe and warm including extra clothing and layers, chocolate and energy bars and even a duvet to put on top of the sleeping bag on very cold nights.

The best bit, he reckons, is brewing up a cuppa the next morning.

The 64-year-old told the Herald: “I suppose it could be a little creepy up there in the dark on your own, but I love traipsing off solo on hikes and camping, so that’s never a problem for me.”

His years as a vet are useful, he believes, as they’ve taught him to stay calm and think quickly.

Past solo wild camping trips include to the Cairngorms in Scotland, the Norfolk beaches and Dartmoor, while the highest point he’s climbed is the 11,424ft Mulhacén in Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountain range.

The county high-point challenge is a long-term project, as Martin’s planning to take a short break for the coldest winter months before tackling the remaining 45 counties in spring and summer next year.

And as the weather warms, he’ll be switching from a tent to a bivvy bag, so he can sleep out under the stars.

He added: “I like the outdoors, the solitude and the sense of freedom – I find it liberating.

“It’s not a polar expedition or a high challenge, but to me, it’s just an interesting thing to do.”

The highest points

THE highest spots at all of England’s 48 ceremonial counties, in height order.

Cumbria: Scafell Pike

Northumberland: The Cheviot

Durham: Mickle Fell

North Yorkshire: Whernside

Herefordshire: Black Mountain

Derbyshire: Kinder Scout

Lancashire: Green Hill

Devon: High Willhays

West Yorkshire: Black Hill

Cheshire: Shining Tor

South Yorkshire: High Stones

Greater Manchester: Black Chew Head

Shropshire: Brown Clee Hill

Staffordshire: Cheeks Hill

Somerset: Dunkery Beacon

Worcestershire: Worcestershire Beacon

Cornwall: Brown Willy

Gloucestershire: Cleeve Hill

Berkshire: Walbury Hill

Surrey: Leith Hill

Wiltshire: Milk Hill

Hampshire: Pilot Hill

West Sussex: Black Down

Dorset: Lewesdon Hill

Leicestershire: Bardon Hill

West Midlands: Turners Hill

Buckinghamshire: Haddington Hill

Oxfordshire: Whitehorse Hill

Warwickshire: Larkstoke Hill

Tyne and Wear: Currock Hill

Kent: Betsom’s Hill

East Sussex: Ditchling Beacon

East Riding of Yorkshire: Bishop Wilton Wold

Greater London: Westerham Heights

Hertfordshire: Pavis Wood

Bedfordshire: Dunstable Downs

Isle of Wight: St Boniface Down

Northamptonshire Arbury Hill

Nottinghamshire: Newtonwood Lane

Rutland: Cold Overton Park

Merseyside: Billinge Hill

Lincolnshire: Normanby le Wold Top

Bristol: Dundry Hill

Essex: Chrishall Common

Cambridgeshire: Great Chishill

Suffolk: Great Wood Hill

Norfolk: Beacon Hill

City of London: High Holborn

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