Britain has an extensive network of pathways and walking routes throughout the country, allowing you to experience up close, the sweeping scenery of the Great British outdoors.
From Cornwall to the Cotswolds, The Brecon Beacons to Snowdonia, The Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and the Scottish Highlands, Britain boasts several national parks and a great many scenic areas and getting out there on foot is the best way to experience them.
In Britain, rights of access even across private land are secured along public footpaths and bridleways, while land owned by the National Trust (one of the largest landowners in Britain) including national parks is freely open to the public. Britain’s leading walking organisation is the Rambler’s Association and produces an annual Yearbook outlining routes and walking areas. myguideBritain can arrange walking holidays based in certain areas or on long distance walking routes throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Here is a rundown of where to walk in Britain.
The Scottish Highlands
The Scottish Highlands cover a vast area of the north and west of Scotland. The most popular locations for walkers can be found around Loch Lomond & the Trossachs and the Great Glen based around the 95-mile route of the West Highland Way. This long distance path winds from the outskirts of Glasgow past Loch Lomond and on to Glen Coe, Fort William and Ben Nevis (Britain’s tallest mountain), taking in some spectacular highland scenery of dramatic glens, lochs and rivers. While at the heart of the Great Glen you’ll find the mysterious waters of Loch Ness. Further north the regions of Assynt and Sutherland are places of wild remote moorland and rugged peaks, while the western Isles such as Skye also present some tough challenges for experienced walkers. If hiking up mountains is your bag, then the Scottish pastime of Munro-bagging will certainly be. In 1891, Sir Hugh Munro, a founding member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club published a list of around 500 Scottish peaks over 3,000 ft, and launched a new craze in mountaineering, that of climbing those peaks on Munro’s list – or Munro Bagging as it is known.
The Lake District
The evocative landscapes of the Lake District have inspired writers and artists for centuries and form some of England’s most popular rambling routes. There are hundreds of walks from the high peaks of Langdale, to walks up and down valleys and walks around lakes - the list endless. Bowness on Windermere (England’s longest lake) is the unofficial capital of the Lake District and forms and attractive, though congested base from which to explore the region. If you want to get away from the crowds Ambleside, Hawkshead and Keswick are all equally good bases, with a number of walking routes in the surrounding fells. While long distance walks include the 68-mile Cumbrian Way winding through the heart of the Lakes from Ulverston to Carlisle. Serious walkers and mountaineers may want to head for Great Langdale, where the surrounding peaks include Scafell Pike, measuring 977m it’s the tallest peak and one of the toughest climbs in England.
The Yorkshire Dales
Situated to the east of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales are another popular walking area. This more undulating landscape presents less of a challenge than the Lakes or the Highlands. The Yorkshire Dales National Park is split between a number of valleys, the most beautiful being Wensleydale and Swaledale making excellent bases from which to explore the scenery. There are a number of established walking routes across the Dales, winding through the centre of the region is the Dales Way an 84 mile path linking with the Lake District and passing traditional farmland, timeless villages and rolling countryside. Another excellent route is the Herriot Way, a 52-mile circular walk through the northern Dales where James Herriot’s tales were based.
The Peak District
Covering some 1400 sq km, the Peak District National Park stands at a climactic crossroads between the rugged highlands of the north of England and the gentle sweeping lowlands of the south, between the industrial towns of Manchester and Sheffield. The landscape contrasts between rolling dales, wild heather-clad moors, craggy peat bog and hidden underground caverns. Dotted around the Peak District are a number of timeworn villages used by walkers, cavers and climbers exploring the area. In the south of the area the High Peak Trail winds along mostly flat track of an old railway, through beautifully formed hills and farmland. Other walks include the Limestone Way, a 45-mile route along footpaths, tracks and quiet country lanes, while the famous Pennine Way covers an area of the Peak District from its beginnings in Edale on its arduous 250-mile journey to Scotland.
The Cotswolds
The classic English idyll of the Cotswolds boasts a number of short walks through a patchwork of farmland, mature woodland, grassy pastures, alongside gentle rivers, passing quaint little villages of honey coloured churches and cottages made from Cotswold stone. These villages, such as Chipping Campden, and Stow-on-the-Wold make ideal bases for walking, while long distance walkers may want to trek the 100-mile route from Bath to Chipping Campden, known as the Cotswold Way.
Cornwall
At the most southerly tip of Britain, Cornwall is a land set apart from the rest of the country, steeped in the legends of King Arthur with a rich heritage of its own, a mild climate and a stunning coastline. Around the Cornish coast, the South West Coast Path passes by secret smugglers coves, disused tin mines, shipwrecks, cliff-top castle ruins and fine sandy beaches. The path was once used by smugglers and hugs the cliff tops taking walkers past Lands End – Britain’s most southerly point.
Pembrokeshire
Another contender for most beautiful coastline in Britain can be found in south west Wales along the coast of Pembrokeshire. This is the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park covering 230 square miles of countryside and coast. Winding around this coastline for the 189 miles between Amroth and Fishguard is the Pembrokeshire Coast Path passing through tiny fishing villages, dramatic cliff tops and secluded sandy beaches.
Snowdonia
The rugged mountains of Snowdonia in North Wales are famed and attract serious walkers year round. The Snowdonia National Park covers an area of 840 sq miles and takes its name from Mount Snowdon, at 1113 m the tallest peak in England and Wales. There are a number of established paths to the summit of Snowdon, ranging in difficulty or you could take the easy option of the Snowdon Mountain Railway to the top. The mountains surrounding Snowdon, from Carneddau to the east to Cadair Idris in the south present challenging summit walks and there are a number of local walks through the rugged peaks and dramatic valleys. The towns of Betys-y-Coed, Beddgelert and Llanberis make ideal bases.
Brecon Beacons
Located in South Wales, the Brecon Beacons are a group of mountains forming a natural border between England and Wales. These windswept rolling mountains, table-top summits and deep valleys present less of a challenge than the peaks of Snowdonia. Sections of Offa’s Dyke Walk traverse the Brecon Beacons and the 177 mile route running along the borders with England and Wales, and includes a number of shorter walks connecting valleys, while the towns of Crickhowell and Abergavenny make for great bases.
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