From 30 miles to 630 miles, hundreds grand adventures criss-cross the nation. Some you can knock off in a weekend; with the longer ones you can either take a week or a fortnight and do the whole shebang, or break it down into weekend-size chunks. The gold-standard ones are the 15 National Trails (www.nationaltrail.co.uk). On these you can be sure of clear footpaths, good signposting, detailed guidebooks and sherpa services to help you with logistics. Here are some of our favourites.…
In a long weekend…
THE WHITE TO DARK
Country Walking magazine’s very own three-day trail, winding for 27 exquisite miles through the Peak District from Bakewell to Hope. Along the way you get to visit A-list highlights like Monsal Head, Cressbrook Dale, Stanage Edge, Ladybower and Win Hill. You can download all the routecards here.
In a week…
THE RIDGEWAY
Long-distance paths don’t have to be big, mountainous affairs. The Ridgeway runs for 87 gorgeous, chalky miles from Overton Hill near Avebury in Wiltshire up to Ivinghoe Beacon in the Chilterns, following the line of an ancient trade route. Along the way are Iron Age hill-forts by the dozen and the earliest known chalk drawing in the country: the 3000-year-old Uffington White Horse. www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ridgeway
In a fortnight…
THE COAST TO COAST
Despite not being an official trail (and barely waymarked), the C2C is the one most walkers aim for. Conceived by Alfred Wainwright, it crosses England from Irish Sea to North Sea along its most scenic latitude, passing through the three national parks of Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors. There’s a loosely accepted prime route of 192 miles, but Wainwright’s idea was that you craft your own variations. Either way, dip your boots in the two seas,
and carry a pebble from one beach to the other. No official website, but Googling it brings up a dozen firms that will help you plan and walk it.
In a month…
THE PENNINE WAY
Grim, gruff, gritty and glorious. The Pennine Way has its devotees and its haters, but as a challenge to yourself, and as a staircase through England’s most epic upland, it has no equal. It carries you 268 miles from Edale in the Peak District, up through the Yorkshire Dales and the Pennines, along a bit of Hadrian’s Wall, through the wilderness of Northumberland, and over the border into Scotland. It’s a heck of an undertaking but it’s beautifully set up for stopovers and sherpa services. And any walk that gives you Kinder Scout, Malham Cove (above) and the Cheviot in the same trip has to be worth a try. www.national trail.co.uk/pennine-way
In a year…
THE SOUTH WEST COAST PATH
A full traverse of the SWCP would knock off a whopping 630 of your 1000 miles. It’s by far our longest trail, running from Minehead in Somerset, right round the pointy bit at the bottom of England and ending up at Poole Harbour in Dorset. Very few have the time and stamina to do it all in one go, but spread over a year of weekends and a few week-long bursts, it’s an absolute gem. Excitement beckons around every dramatic headland (see left) – and the cream teas and ice creams are the finest on the planet. www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk
