Best places to go walking in the UK

Walks link A with B, but the best walking vacations don’t limit themselves to merely getting you from one place to the next. They immerse you in those places as well, with the past and with life there now, introducing you to the people who live in them. You’ll come away feeling that you haven’t just passed through a place; you’ve experienced it. And your stay has a positive impact, benefiting the local economy and helping to make sure that the routes you’ve taken will be preserved for others to enjoy in future.

Our walking vacations in the UK encompass peaks and valleys, islands and coasts, lakes, lochs, rivers and canals. They follow ancient pilgrimage routes, show you how to mindfully appreciate your surroundings, and how to dig and spend the night in a snow hole. They roam every part of the nation, from England’s national parks and the wild Welsh coast to Scotland’s Orkney archipelago and the highest mountains in Northern Ireland. They give you the confidence to head out on your own on a long-distance epic, and they show you the value of a good guide. This is not a large country, but it is criss-crossed by more than 225,000km of walkable routes – from A to B and everywhere in-between.

The Northern Ireland walking vacations that Andrew Magowan and his Inside Trek team have developed focus on the Mourne Mountains and Antrim Hills. Andrew says: “I want people to see Northern Ireland for the cracking, creative country it is. I want to help develop more sustainable tourism here. I know from personal experience the value of a good guide who knows their stuff and goes out of their way to make a vacation special, and I also realise that plenty of people don’t know Northern Ireland at all, and if they do they view it through the Troubles of 30 years ago. And I know that I want to show people what’s off the beaten track – what’s been missed in walking tourism here so far. We put all of this together.”

The Causeway Coast, of which the famous Giant’s Causeway is just a tiny part, is another scenic Northern Ireland walking destination.

Walk in the Lake District, popularised by writers like Wordsworth and Wainwright. Keswick, Coniston and Windermere are thick with tourists in summer, but it’s a big enough national park that you can find space. Local guides are key to avoiding the most crowded paths.

The Pilgrims’ Way, from Winchester Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral and the shrine of Thomas Beckett, is a long-distance pilgrimage walk but – as Mandy Bright from our vacation partner Walk Awhile points out – uncrowded.

“Compare walking here with the Camino de Santiago,” says Mandy. “You can go all day and not meet another person. The history is a highlight – there are a lot of castles on the route, such as Leeds Castle where you can walk through the grounds. You can dine in a medieval pilgrims’ hall in Aylesford Priory. The Pilgrims’ Way is quite a challenge, but you’re rewarded with lovely views throughout, from the Surrey Hills to the Downs, and the Medway Valley in Kent. There are orchards, lavender fields, hops growing, and once you get Canterbury way, some excellent vineyards where you can stop and stay over.”

The South West Coast Path is another long-distance route – and at over 1,000km, the longest waymarked footpath in England. You’ll only walk a section on a vacation of a week or so, but our partners ensure that they are some of the most scenic. For more inspiration, our top 10 walking vacations in the UK span all four nations, including the Thames Path and South Downs Way.

At our walking vacation partner The Inside Trek, founder Andrew Magowan likes to describe their trips as “walking and talking”. Itineraries are tailor made, but you’re accompanied throughout by a local guide passionate about showing people the area.

“Northern Ireland’s history and culture can be tricky to understand,” says Andrew, “and people who don’t know it can have misconceptions. Our trips are about enabling understanding. We want people to leave feeling a sense of connection, and a lot of that comes from knowledge.”

Small group walking vacations are just that – numbers limited to minimise your impact on rural, out-of-the-way locations. “We don’t have a standard group,” says Andrew, “but the ideal is just a few people that already know each other, because I think it’s easier to slip into a good atmosphere. There’s a big difference between walking with 4-6 people and 10. I think that the smaller the group, the more personal and special it feels.”

This kind of vacation is ideal for those who enjoy meeting new people with similar interests, and perhaps not confident enough yet to organise their own walks.

There are also plenty of tailor made walking vacations across the UK, and these are often long-distance, point-to-point walks. Routes are clearly way-marked, but you’ll also be provided with comprehensive notes and maps to ensure you know where you’re going. They allow you to set your own pace, stop for a snack or a rest whenever you fancy one, and of course there is support available just a phone call away should you need it.

Tackling the 14 Peaks in Snowdonia will put you to the test, as will attempting to follow the Mourne Wall from start to finish in Northern Ireland. And winter walking in Scotland’s Cairngorms will have you asking for seconds at dinner every evening. But for the most part, our UK walking vacations are designed to be very accessible. Long-distance routes are broken up into manageable chunks so that you can take your time each day to enjoy the scenery instead of rushing, and if you want to have a rest day now and again, either choose a tailor made walking vacation or a center-based trip.

The distances covered, time spent walking each day and type of terrain all vary according to where you’re going and what type of trip you choose. But if you’re a regular walker, if you can handle the odd steep gradient, and you’re happy to put up with the occasional rain shower, then most of these UK walking vacations will be well within your capabilities.

“We benefit from a temperate climate, so we don’t get too many extremes,” says Mandy Bright. “During our main walking season of March to October, you might expect a few wet days but that’s it.”

That’s pretty much true of wherever you are in the UK – the best time to go on a walking vacation is from spring to autumn. A notable exception, however, is the Cairngorms National Park, where hardier types can happily trek up and down snowy mountains, even spending the night in a snowhole they’ve dug themselves.

Every season in the UK is distinct and has its own charms – and its own disadvantages. Orkney and the West Highlands in Scotland are beautiful in the summer, which is the perfect time for wildlife viewing. But it’s also midge o’clock, and the little pests can be a real nuisance. The summer months are great in Snowdonia, the Lake District and Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast, but the popular routes become very crowded.

Autumn and spring are typically less busy, with colourful foliage in the countryside, although you do need to be aware that the UK weather, always changeable, is particularly unreliable in the shoulder months.