Feel like you could do with more of a leg-stretch than the usual walk to the shops? Look to the brand new King Charles III England Coast Path – officially the longest managed coastal walking route in the world, at 2,689 miles.
The just-inaugurated track, which blends existing pathways with more than 1,000 miles of new trail and skirts the entirety of England, is sure to be abuzz with hikers this summer. But it’s definitely not the only British walk worth your time.
Below we’ve rounded up some of the best wanders in the land, whether you’ve got just a day, a weekend or even a fortnight to stroll…
The Cotswolds Way
Do it all: Winding through some of England’s loveliest rolling hillscapes, ancient fort sites and honey-hued towns, the 102-mile Cotswolds Way National Trail links pretty Chipping Camden with historic heavyweight Bath. You’ll catch sweeping views over sheep-dotted farmland and the Severn Valley, pass by laneways lined in thatched-roof piles and trod through sleepy woodlands; at times feeling so off the beaten track that it’s hard to believe you’re in the perennially popular Cotswolds. The full shebang takes 12 days to complete on a self-guided journey with Macs Adventure (from £1,405 including B&B accommodation; macsadventure.com).
Do a bit: Only got a day to dedicate? Take in the stretch culminating in majestic Broadway Tower, walking between Chipping Campden and Broadway. You can stay at nearby Dormy House, with its luxe spa and comfy country house environs (from £465, dormyhouse.co.uk).
Hadrian’s Wall Path
Do it all: This 84-mile route skirting the north of England between Wallsend and Bowness-on-Solway gives you insight into the full, GOT-style scale of its namesake Roman fortification, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Despite the epic nature, stretching coast to coast, it’s a fairly gentle walk from which you can strike out to related sites such as Vindolanda and Chesters Roman Fort. It typically takes between six and 10 days for most people to complete; Ramble Worldwide has a seven-night self-guided itinerary from £1,009 (including B&B accommodation; rambleworldwide.co.uk).
Do a bit: If you’ve just a day to spare, take in the most scenic stretch between Once Brewed and Chollerford, around 12 miles including the Sycamore Gap Tree Memorial, Crag Lough and a number of Roman fortresses and artefacts, as well as picture-perfect sweeping views. Overnight in luxe cabin The Hiddle Hut (two nights £470, thehiddlehut.co.uk), complete with stargazing rooftop window.
The Thames Path
Do it all (kinda): When you’re not satisfied with a light stroll along the Southbank, grab your hiking poles and tackle the Thameside route properly. Stretching 185 miles from Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier in Woolwich, the Thames Path takes in highlights like Henley, Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace, as well as the thrills of our capital’s central core. While few operators offer the complete experience due to length and logistics, you can book a six-night break on the lovely stretch between Marlow and Oxford, taking in cute stops like Abingdon and Wallingford, with Inntravel (from £1,446pp, including B&B accommodation and some dinners; inntravel.co.uk).
Do a bit: Check into Monkey Island Estate (from £230, monkeyislandestate.co.uk ), right in the midst of the River Thames at Bray, so you can head out in either direction to enjoy rural yomps. A floating spa, set in a permanently moored boat, awaits on your return.
The Lake District
Do it all: The Lake District is numero uno for walkers – and bookworms. With some of Britain’s best-known poets and writers inspired by the landscapes, little wonder many wayfarers today theme their routes around locations associated with the literary. One topical tour is offered by Headwater (from £1,139pp, including B&B accommodation and luggage transfer; exodus.co.uk), where on a self-guided basis you’ll visit Beatrix Potter’s farm, Wordsworth’s family home and the spot that supposedly inspired Arthur Ransome to pen Swallows and Amazons.
Do a bit: One day is enough to enjoy much-loved Grasmere Circular, most associated with a certain Mr Wordsworth. Trace the River Rothay before taking in the poet’s grave in St Oswald’s Church, his home Rydall Hall and the Wordsworth Museum at Dove Cottage. Close by the Forest Side (from £299; theforestside.com) has elegant food and classically upscale bedrooms to contrast your muddy-boots day out.
South Downs Way
Do it all: While it was officially inaugurated in 1972 the South Downs Way covers prehistoric thoroughfares used for millennia – sewing up Iron Age hill forts and Bronze Age barrows. Undulating over the chalky escarpments and ridges of the South Downs, its 100-mile stretch can be walked in around nine days from the start in Winchester to conclusion in Eastbourne – along the way taking in wooded valleys, a sweeping patchwork of farmland and dramatic alabaster cliffs. If you want to up the challenge and do it quicker, South Downs Discovery has a six-day trip where you’ll average around 18 miles each day (from £920pp, including accommodation; southdownsdiscovery.com).
Do a bit: Pack the most dramatic stretch into a short break by tackling just the 12.5-mile leg between Eastbourne and Alfriston, where chalky cliffs rise theatrically from the sea. At start or end you have cushy The Alfriston Hotel (from £180, thealfriston.com) to look forward to, complete with bedrooms splashed in fun fabrics, a spa and a manicured lawn for summer cocktails.
Orkney Islands
Do it all: Feel like you’re journeying to the end of the earth on a guided walking holiday that takes you round some of the most remote islands in the UK. From puffin colonies to ultra-fresh seafood, Europe’s most important Stone Age village, Skora Brae, to carpets of wildflowers, this will be one of the most memorable – and transportive – walks you ever take in Britain. A seven-day itinerary is available with Explore (from £2,040, including accommodation and some meals; explore.co.uk).
Do a bit: The remote Orkney isles require a three-hour drive, plus 90-minute ferry ride, from Inverness, so aren’t the most practical for a short trip. But if you’re determined, it’s possible to visit Mainland island for a night, hiking past sea stacks at Yesnaby and North Gaulton, and to the 5,000-year-old Skara Brae. Stay at the Orkney Hotel (from £175, orkneyhotel.co.uk), built in the 17th century as a family home.
Lizard Peninsula
Do it all: Despite all The Salt Path scandals the South West Coast Path still reigns supreme as the most iconic place in the UK to walk. Each stretch has its own magic, but there’s something especially enthralling about Cornwall’s far-flung fringes surrounding Lizard Point, the southernmost spot in mainland Britain. Tracing a waterside route you’ll pass by glorious golden beaches as well as luminous coves and the iconic figure of St Michael’s Mount. A self-guided five-night trip with Headwater (from £1,029 including B&B accommodation; headwater.com) begins in quirky Penzance and carries you to Coverack, home to a serpentine stone harbour and thatched cottages.
Do a bit: Just do a walk around the very tip, from Caribbean-blue Kynance Cove – home to a National Trust car park – to Church Cove on the other side of the peninsula. You’ll see windswept headland, creamy crescents of sand and wildflowers that carpet the cliffs in springtime. While here you can also check into the most southerly hotel in mainland UK, Housel Bay (from £115, houselbay.com).
Bannau Brycheiniog
Do it all: Whether you call it Bannau Brycheiniog or the Brecon Beacons, Wales’s epic national park is ramblers’ catnip, with its wooded valleys and flat-topped sandstone peaks, steep escarpments and glacial lakes. Asymmetrical peaks create conditions to challenge all levels of walker, and patchwork lowlands with hedgerows and stone walls hint to thousands of years of human habitation. Self-guided package trips within its 520 square miles start with as little as a long weekend; three nights with HF Holidays costs from £399 per person (including B&B accommodation and meals; hfholidays.co.uk).
Do a bit: If you’re an experienced walker get the best views in the park on a day-long high-level circuit, Pen y Fan Ridge Walk – breath-taking in more ways than one. For something gentler, pass through woodlands and gorges on the Four Waterfalls Walk, lasting three to four hours. Afterwards, kick back with a pint and dinner at the Felin Fach Griffin, before crashing in one of the cosy rooms for the night (from £185, felinfachgriffin.co.uk).
White Peak Way
Do it all: Carved by dales, alive with clear streams and wind-rustled woodland, the southern corner of the Peak District gleams in emerald green hues through the warmer months. Following the rise and fall of seven dales – soaring across ridges and dropping to underground tunnels – a circular walk along the White Peak Way gives you access to some of its most enhancing scenery. Depending on your fitness level, budget, and inclination to linger at local landmarks such as Chatsworth House and cute towns like Bakewell, the route might take between four and 12 nights; Contours has holidays for whichever length you prefer (from £525pp, contours.co.uk).
Do a bit: See both sides of the district – the limestone-dominant White Peak, and the moody gritstone Dark Peak – on the 12km Great Ridge Loop, starting in Castleton. It’s just a three-mile drive from Bike and Boot Peak District (from £84, bikeandboot.com/peak-district), a comfy base with vintage prints and a bar to cheers to your walking success.
