If you like walking/trekking in the countryside, mountains or on the coast it is important that you know the vocabulary commonly used when doing this. It's essential that you know the vocabulary used to give directions, (e.g. 'go up the...', 'go along the...' etc...). This will help you to know where to go when walking.
But in addition to knowing phrases used for directions, you also need to know the names in English of the different things you'll use to walk on and you'll find when walking or travelling in the countryside (e.g. a farm, a path etc...). Knowing the names of these will help you to understand when people are giving you directions and also when you give directions to people in English.
In this first of two online exercises on countryside vocabulary for walking, you'll learn and remember the English names for things you will use to walk on and the names of things you can see and use when walking.
The vocabulary in this exercise is also useful for people who are only visiting the countryside and not going on long walks.
After you have done this exercise, I would recommend that you do the second part of this exercise to learn more vocabulary you'll need when walking in the countryside.
In both of these exercises, you will learn the names of things which are man-made (made by humans). To learn the English names of natural things you will find in the countryside, I recommend that you do the online exercises on 'Water landform names', 'Coastal landform names and the sea' or 'Mountain landform names'.
In the following conversation, Peter gives directions to his friend Juan on where he needs to go on a walking trip he is going to take in the countryside.
From the context, try to guess what the object or place the words in bold are. Then do the quiz at the end to check if you are right.
In this text, phrases used to give directions (e.g. 'go pass...', 'carry on until...' etc...) are used. If you don't know how to give directions in English well, I recommend that you do our exercise on the vocabulary used to give directions, before doing this exercise.
Juan:'We're going walking on Saturday around Malham in the Yorkshire Dales. You know the area really well, don't you?'
Peter:'Yes, I do. We often go walking around Malham in summer. Remember, Malham is a small village with only about 50 houses and no supermarket. So, buy any food or drinks for your walk before you arrive in the village.'
Juan:'Will do. Do you have any recommendations of where we can go?'
Peter:'It depends. Do you want to do a short walk or a long walk? There are different routes you can do around there. My favourite route takes 3 hours and it takes you up to the lake and back to the village. I think it's called the 'lake route'.'
Juan:'That sounds good. Do you know where I can find a copy of the route, so we don't get lost?'
Peter:'You can get a map with the route on it from the web. But to be honest, I don't think you need one. The route has signposts on it, wooden posts which point you in the direction of where you have to go in. The route also has markings, arrows and coloured lines are painted on the ground and on some of the trees which show you which route you are on and where you have to go. So, I think you won't get lost.'
Juan:'Ok. So, where does the lake route start from?'
Peter:'If you are at the car park at the edge of the village (the place where people leave their cars), you need to leave the car park and walk on the road which goes through the village. Go over the bridge that crosses the river. The route starts after the bridge. You have to leave the road here and start walking on a path (which is only for people to walk on, so no cars) that goes through a park on your right.'
Juan:'So, take the path on the right after the bridge.'
Peter:'Don't worry, it's easy to find. There's a signpost on the road pointing at the path which says 'lake route' on it and there's a bench which is used to sit on just in front of it.
At the end of the park, the path starts to go up a hill. So, you have to walk up some steps on the path for about 20 metres.'
Juan:'Steps?'
Peter:'Steps are like the stairs in a house that people use to go from downstairs to upstairs.'
Juan:'Ok. I know what they are.'
Peter:'Carry on walking on the path after the steps. After you've been walking for 2 minutes, the path reaches a stream.'
Juan:'How do I cross the stream? Do I have to walk through the water?'
Peter:'No. There's a footbridge you can use to walk over the stream. It's not very wide because it's only for people, not cars, to use. After crossing the footbridge, you have to leave the path and start walking on a track.'
Juan:'A track?'
Peter:'A track is like a big path, which both people and vehicles can use to travel on.'
Juan:'You get tracks on or near farms, don't you?'
Peter:'That's right.'
Below is a photo/picture of each of the words in bold from the above text. Now choose the word from the question's selection box which you believe matches the photo/picture. Only use one word once. Click on the "Check" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.
When the answer is correct, two icons will appear next to the answer. The icon contains extra information on the word/phrase. In the icon, you can listen to the pronunciation of the word/phrase.
Now do the second part of this exercise to learn more vocabulary you'll need when walking in the countryside.
Now that you understand the meaning of the words/phrases and when to use them, practise using them by creating your own sentences with them in English. Also click on the icon next to each correct answer and listen how each is pronounced correctly.
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