Britain's Favourite Walks

BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE

WALKS 100 OF THE BEST WALKS

THROUGH THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN BRITAIN

EASY-TO-FOLLOW ROUTE CARDS WITH MAPS

PUBLISHED BY

The Lake District The Peak District Yorkshire Dales Snowdonia The Cotswolds The South Downs Cornwall Brecon Beacons Scottish Highlands

BRITAIN'S BEST-SELLING WALKING MAGAZINE

PLUS: CHALLENGING HILL WALKS CLASSIC PUB WALKS EPIC COAST WALKS

SOUTH WEST Steepling cliffs, pounding waves, hidden coves and spectacular beaches deliver unbeatable coastal walks, while inland wild moorland gradually gives way to postcard-pretty Dorset and Cotswolds as you head east.

6 BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE WALKS

WALKS IN THIS SECTION 01 Cornwall, Lamorna Cove & Mousehole 02 Cornwall, Port Isaac 03 Devon, Branscombe & Beer 04 Devon, New Bridge 05 Devon, High Willhays & Yes Tor 06 Somerset, Dunster 07 Somerset, Ebbor Gorge 08 Dorset, Cerne Abbas 09 Gloucestershire, Painswick Beacon 10 Wiltshire, Stonehenge

9

6

10 8

5 2

7

4 3

1

t DOC MARTIN COUNTRY

Picturesque Port Isaac – the north Cornwall location for the popular TV series.

PHOTO: © SEBASTIAN WASEK / ALAMY

BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE WALKS 7

SOUTH WEST

T

HE COUNTIES OF Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire boast fabulously varied scenery and create something of a dilemma for walkers.

Should you head inland to the two vast upland national parks of Dartmoor and Exmoor; the first raw and wild in the extreme; the second rich, fertile and ablaze with wildlife as it tumbles down to the sea? Or should you heed the call of the waves and walk one of the greatest coastlines in the world, linked by the longest and best-loved of all the national trails, the South West Coast Path?

Whether you lace your boots at Lamorna Cove and Branscombe on the south coast or Port Isaac on the north, every walk on this ocean-hugging rollercoaster is a classic. Or perhaps it’s the history of Stonehenge, the cheekiness of the Cerne Abbas giant carved into the chalk hillside, or the drama of Ebbor Gorge that catches your eye.

Further east, the golden stone of Cotswold architecture creates the rural England of Hollywood’s imagination, impossibly pretty villages connected by centuries-old paths.

Every walk in this region is an absolute beauty.

SOUTH WEST

01

CORNWALL LAMORNA COVE & MOUSEHOLE

uDistance: 10.3km/6½ miles uTime: 3½ hours uGrade: Moderate

PLAN YOUR WALK

The harbour at Mousehole, which you can enjoy between Points 2 and 3.

St Agnes Redruth Camborne Falmouth Penzance Helston St Ives

St Just

Sennen Land's End

Lizard

Route

Photo: Robert Hesketh

1

Start With your back to church gate, turn R. Follow lane for 600m to Paul Garage. Turn R down lane signed as ‘dead end’.

Continue ahead on footpath ’til you reach stone stile. Cross it and immediately turn very sharp R. Follow narrow path downhill and then by steps past concealed quarry to coast road.

2

1.4km/1 mile Turn R. Follow footway past Penlee Lifeboat Station into Mousehole. Turn L down coast path opposite Parade Garage.

Follow inside of harbour past Ship Inn to car park at far end.

3

2.6km/1½ miles Continue past row of cottages facing sea. Turn R. Follow coast path slightly R up track to

T-junction. Turn L along lane.

4

3.4km/2¼ miles Turn L off lane. Follow well-defined coast path to Lamorna Cove and café.

5

6.3km/4 miles Retrace your steps past row of cottages over stream and up to path junction. Bear L and uphill through trees, past disused quarries. Turn R and follow track through hamlet of Kemyl Wartha.

Cross stone stile. Follow public footpath through fields and over stiles to Kemyl Crease.

Continue 100m past hamlet.

DonÕt miss...

Paul churchyard, where a memorial celebrates the life of Dolly Pentreath (died 1777), the last native speaker of the true Cornish language.

Planning Nearest town Penzance Refreshments Pub, Paul; pubs and cafés Mousehole; café Lamorna Public toilets Mousehole and Lamorna Public transport Buses between Penzance and Lamorna, daily Maps Ordnance Survey Explorer 102; Landranger 203 uBuy maps at: www.ordnance survey.co.uk/mapshop

2 Start

1

6

7.6km/4¾ miles Turn R over stile. Follow footpath over stiles and clapper bridge to Kemyl Drea. Follow waymarked path through farm and fields to lane at Raginnis.

3

7

9km/5½ miles Cross lane and follow track past Raginnis Cottage and round front and side of thatched cottage. Path ahead overgrown.

Turn R along grassy track to metal gate. Turn L along L field edge. Continue through three more fields along L edges to farmhouse. Cross stile. Continue along L field edges, past electric sub station. Follow track through gate into Trevithal. Turn R 40m ahead through gate. Keep hedge on your L across two fields. Cross middle of third field to Paul.

Robert Hesketh

Dylan Thomas described Mousehole as “The loveliest village in England.”

7 4

6

5

Ordnance Survey mapping ©Crown Copyright in association with Memory-Map/Bauer Media’s Media Licence number 087/14

A

s well as lovely views over Mount’s Bay, this walk includes Mousehole’s picturesque harbour and Lamorna Cove, with its natural granite bulwarks. Nowhere is gentler or more charming in calm weather, but this beautiful coast shows another character in storms.

Memorials at Paul church and Penlee Lifeboat Station recall the courageous lifeboatmen who lost their lives on December 19th, 1981.

They launched their lifeboat to save the stricken coaster Union Star and her crew.

Start/parking Street parking, Paul, grid ref SW464271 Is it for me? Coast path, footpaths and quiet lanes; several short, steep slopes Stiles 20 – some high

SOUTH WEST

02

CORNWALL PORT ISAAC

uDistance: 16.5km/10¼ miles uTime: 6 hours uGrade: Challenging

PLAN YOUR WALK

Looking east across Port Isaac Bay.

Bude

Boscastle Tintagel Padstow

T

Wadebridge Bodmin

Newquay

Launceston

CORNWALL St Austell

Liskea Saltash Tor Looe

Route

Photo: Robert Hesketh

Start Turn L out of car park.

Follow road (signed ‘Coast Path’) downhill to beach. Turn R and then L after 50m by Port Gaverne Hotel. Follow path uphill to road.

1

0.8km/½ mile Cross road onto Coast Path.

Gentle at first, path meets first steep section at St Illickswell Gug (meaning cave). Steeper slopes follow, culminating in plunge down to Jacket’s Point. After that, Tregardock Cliff is easy going.

2

signed ’Public Footpath’. Cross large field to stile. Continue across next field to double-stile near far R corner.

4

8.3km/5¼ miles Turn R up concrete track.

Continue past Tregragon’s farm buildings and farmhouse. Cross stile and follow fenceline towards sea. Turn L over two stiles and follow path downhill into steep sided Dannonchapel Valley. Path levels out and follows stream to rejoin Coast Path by Jacket’s Point.

Don’t miss...

Birds are ubiquitous on this walk. Scan the cliffs for nesting colonies of gulls and watch the skies for soaring kestrels and buzzards.

Planning Nearest town Wadebridge Refreshments Choice in Port Isaac Public toilets None Public transport None viable Maps Ordnance Survey Explorer 106 & 111; Landranger 200 uBuy maps at: ordnance survey.co.uk/mapshop

Waterfall at Jacket’s Point.

10.5km/6½ miles Divert over rocks at Jacket’s Point for dramatic view of waterfall, valley and zawn (sea gully), but beware waves and slippery surfaces. Retrace your steps to Port Isaac. First ascent is steepest, but not the last!

Robert Hesketh

5

Cliffs at Delabole, Point 2.

3 4

6.9km/4¼ miles Reaching wooden waymark (SX043842), turn R and inland for Tregardock. Turn R again after 400m. Reaching Tregardock, turn L up lane and R after 100m onto

5

3

“Most impressive is Dannonchapel Valley and the waterfall at Jacket’s Point”

Start

1 2

Ordnance Survey mapping ©Crown Copyright in association with Memory-Map/Bauer Media’s Media Licence number 087/14

B

etween the delightful fishing village of Port Isaac, setting for TV’s Doc Martin and Tintagel, with its Arthurian myths, lies one of Cornwall’s most dramatic sections of coast path. Beyond the tourist honeypots it’s also one of most beautiful and lonely – out of season you’re likely to have it to yourself.

It’s undeniably arduous too.

High cliffs are matched with vertiginous valleys through which fast flowing streams snake their way to the restless sea. Most impressive is Dannonchapel Valley and the waterfall at Jacket’s Point.

Start/parking Port Isaac, grid ref SX999809 Is it for me? Coast and inland paths, short section minor road; very steep in parts with tricky footing, plus many steps, stiles and unfenced cliffs Stiles 43

MIDLANDS

From the achingly pretty Malvern Hills to the dazzling limestone of the White Peak and rugged gritstone of the Dark Peak, this is a region to inspire walkers with its variety, drama and spellbinding views.

30 BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE WALKS

MIDLANDS

T

HE PEAK DISTRICT is possibly the nation’s most varied national park, split as it is between two astonishingly different landscapes of white limestone and dark millstone grit.

Sandwiched between the great cities of Sheffield, Manchester and Derby, yet vast and serene, the Peak offers deep-carved valleys, explorable caves and moorland plateaux to challenge any walker. Walk the ridge between the White and Dark Peaks, a runway in the sky that starts at Mam Tor, wonder at the mystery and mysticism of the Nine Ladies Stone Circle, or dive into the astonishing Lud’s Church, a cleft in the rock with the height of a cathedral.

To the south-west of the national park, feel your spirits soar on the gorgeous hilltop paths of the Malverns, which inspired the composer Edward Elgar to greatness. On the western edge of Birmingham, trails in the 150 acres of the Waseley Hills Country Park criss-cross pastures, woodland and hills with panoramic views over Worcestershire. And to the east, the rolling hills of Leicestershire and Northamptonshire offer quaint Cotswoldesque loveliness.

WALKS IN THIS SECTION 21 Herefordshire, Dorstone 22 Worcestershire, Malvern Hills 23 Worcestershire, Waseley Hills 24 Shropshire, Stiperstones 25 Staffordshire, Roaches & Lud’s Church 26 Derbyshire, Monsal Head 27 Derbyshire, Nine Ladies Stone Circle 28 Derbyshire, The Great Ridge 29 Nottinghamshire/Leicestershire, Grantham 30 Northamptonshire, Deene Park & Bulwick

28 25

26

27

29 24 23 21

30

22

RUNWAY IN THE SK Y Fog ladMist lingers in the Hope Valley below the Great Ridge in the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire PHOTO: ALAN NOVELLI / ALAMY

BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE WALKS 31

NORTH WEST With jaw-dropping views in every direction, whether from lakeside, fellside or mountain peak, the Lake District is the UK’s number one walking destination, with routes to suit every ability.

52 BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE WALKS

WALKS IN THIS SECTION 37 Cheshire, Bollington 38 Cheshire, Tatton Park 39 Lancashire, Clougha Pike 40 Lancashire, Cockersand Abbey 41 Lancashire, Pendle Hill 42 Cumbria, Red Pike to Haystacks 43 Cumbria, Loughrigg Fell 44 Cumbria, Scafell Pike 45 Cumbria, Langdale Circuit 46 Cumbria, Alcock Tarn

42 45 46 44 43

39 40 41

38

37

PEAKS OF PERFECTION The majestic Langdale Pikes dominate the head of the Langdale Valley in the Lake District.

PHOTO: © CRAIG JOINER PHOTOGRAPHY / ALAMY

BRITAINS FAVOURITE WALKS 53

NORTH WEST

I

F ALL ROADS lead to Rome, somehow all paths lead to the Lake District, a national park with unparallelled views and a network of paths to delight any walker. Whether you stick to the calming beauty of lakeside walks, admiring the fells reflected in the water, or head high to the sharp ridges and lofty peaks of the Lake District’s mountains, the rewards are endless. With 250 distinct mountain summits and two dozen beautiful lakes, walkers are spoiled for choice, whether your target is an ascent of Scafell Pike (England’s highest summit), or a more modest walk to the top of Loughrigg Fell – possibly the greatest return for the least effort of any viewpoint in the UK. But there’s much more to walking in the north west than the Lake District.

Lancashire packs a delicious feeling of wilderness into its lonely uplands; and further south Cheshire offers a rolling, Peak District-type landscape but without the crowds.

NORTH EAST

Remote moorland, intimate dales, fast-flowing rivers, steep-sided valleys, unspoiled beaches and an iconic Roman legacy... whatever your walking appetite, the north east has the paths and landscapes to satisfy it.

64 BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE WALKS

WALKS IN THIS SECTION 47 North Yorkshire, Giggleswick Scar 48 North Yorkshire, Whernside 49 North Yorkshire, Kettlewell 50 North Yorkshire, Jervaulx Abbey 51 North Yorkshire, Thixendale 52 East Yorkshire, Flamborough Head 53 North Yorkshire, Newton Dale & Horcum 54 Northumberland, Steel Rigg & Housesteads 55 Northumberland, Dunstanburgh Castle

55

54

53 48 47

50 49

51

52

WORLD CLASS WALKING Walkers can wander freely among the ancient stones of Hadrian’s Wall – a World Heritage Site.

PHOTO: ©CLEARVIEW / ALAMY

BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE WALKS 65

NORTH EAST

B

LESSED WITH TWO national parks and four Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the north-eastern corner of England is a walker’s paradise. In late spring and early summer, delicate wildflowers sparkle in the meadows of the Dales, a beautiful world of deep, wide valleys latticed by drystone walls, dotted with tumbledown barns and topped by soaring limestone hills. Later in the summer, the brooding emptiness of the North York Moors comes ablaze with purple heather. Whether you fancy a short stroll to the pub, an unforgettable afternoon’s walk or a monstrous one-day challenge over Yorkshire’s mighty three peaks of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent, there’s really no need to leave the confines of Yorkshire’s boundaries... unless of course you fancy exploring the rugged Pennines of County Durham, or the spellbinding sweep of Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, the greatest Roman artefact on British soil and for many walkers the challenge of a lifetime. And it would be remiss to overlook the castles of Northumberland’s history-soaked coastline, and the otherworldliness of Holy Island.

This really is the complete walking region.

Favourite

COASTAL WALKS With a coastline stretching for more than 10,000 miles – much of it freely accessible to walkers – Britain has some of the best coast walks in the world WELLS NEXT THE SEA NORFOLK

It won’t be there forever – erosion constantly challenges the fabulous rock arch at Durdle Door – but while it stands this is an unmissable natural monument.

See it from the cliftop, then skip down the steps to the beach for a closer look at one of the most iconic views along the south coast. The coastal path from Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door deserves to be on every walker’s ticklist.

Leave the ice creams and brightlycoloured beach huts behind, and head west from Wells through fragile pine woodland to the epic sweep of beach at Holkham. The endless sense of space is an agoraphobic’s nightmare, but for a head-clearing walk and a sense of having the world to yourself, it’s hard to beat this beautiful stretch of the Norfolk Coast Path.

SOLVA PEMBROKESHIRE

LLYN PENINSULA WALES

Sheltered in an intimate estuary from the pounding waves of the sea, Solva makes a wonderful basecamp for a walk south along this dramatic stretch of coastline.

Rocky outcrops jut into the sea, luring walkers to leave the coast path and clamber like kids for eye-widening views up and down this beautiful coastline.

The Llŷn Peninsula is an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which reaches almost 30 miles into the Irish Sea. Three trips to sacred Bardsey Island of the peninsula’s western tip, apparently equates to a pilgrimage to Rome and the peninsula’s 90-mile coastal path makes for a magical week of walking.

Photo: Tom Bailey

LINDISFARNE NORTHUMBERLAND Beware, be wise (the tide catches out unwary drivers every year), but go for one of the most unforgettable walks you’ll ever do. To take of your boots, roll up your trousers and splodge across the causeway to Holy Island is an amazing experience, while a walking circuit of the island just adds to the enjoyment.

84 BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE WALKS

Photo: Tom Bailey

DURDLE DOOR DORSET

ZENNOR CORNWALL

ROBIN HOOD’S BAY NORTH YORKSHIRE

Truth be told, you could stick a pin anywhere along the South West Coast Path and enjoy a phenomenal walk.

Zennor merits its place in the spotlight for the views from its superb headland, its rugged, granite clifs and the foaming waters that turn azure blue when the sun shines. A walk this good should be crowded, but you’re unlikely to see another soul as you loop north along the coast path. Be warned though – the constant undulations along this gnarly stretch of coastline mean you’ll be climbing almost as much as you would in the Lakes or the Peak District.

For coast-to-coast walkers, Robin Hood’s Bay is the end of the line, but it’s also the perfect launchpad for a walk north following the Cleveland Way in reverse along the magnificent clifs as they rollercoaster their way to Whitby, ‘home’ of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and mighty fine fish and chips. A regular bus service makes this a straightforward linear trail.

Gaze out to France across the Channel from the top of these whitewashed clifs, and don’t be surprised if you start singing Vera Lynn tunes into the sea breeze! The chalk grassland on the clif tops provides a habitat for unusual plants and insects like the chalkhill blue butterfly and the pyramidal orchid. It’s a wonderful walk in spring and early summer, when the delicate chalk soil flowers are at their best.

ISLE OF HARRIS HIGHLAND Britain’s own ‘Bounty ad’ location just happens to be in the far-flung reaches of the Outer Hebrides. Turquoise seas lap against dazzling white shellsand in a kaleidoscope of tropical colours, while dark mountains brood on the horizon. A walk here will reward the efort to reach it tenfold.

Photo: www.gettyimages.com

DOVER KENT

“Robin Hood’s Bay is the perfect launchpad for a walk along magnificent cliffs as they rollercoaster their way north to Whitby...”

Photo: Sean Burke / Alamy

GREAT ORME LLANDUDNO NORTH WALES Towering over the bright waters of Liverpool Bay, behind the faded Victorian seaside resort of Llandudno, the vast limestone headland of Great Orme (which means giant worm) serves up sweeping views over the seaside resort. It’s worth paying attention to attractions closer to your boots, however, where orchids and rare moths thrive in the grassland, while fulmars and razorbills swoop around the clifs and dozens of wild Kashmiri goats roam free over the headland.

BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE WALKS 85

SCOTLAND

Home to the world’s greatest walking ticklist, in the 282 Munros, Scotland has a lifetime of walks to thrill peak-baggers, but you don't have to head into the high country to find paths and trails of breathtaking beauty.

90 BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE WALKS

SCOTLAND

R

AGGED MOUNTAINS SEPARATED by deep-cut glens, sweeping lochs and the wildest terrain in Britain, make Scotland an intoxicating destination for square-jawed adventurers. This is a land of proper peaks with proper winters that demand proper mountaineering skills. But if your walking cloth is cut from a different tartan, there’s an entirely different world to explore, one of little hills with massive views, riverside paths to thunderous waterfalls, and the most sparkly night sky you’ll see anywhere, which led to Galloway Forest becoming the first place in Britain to achieve the status of a Dark Sky Park. Whether you plan to walk your first Munro (a peak over 3,000 feet above sea level), trek to the top of Ben Nevis and enjoy the status of being the highest person in the UK (until you cede the summit to the next walker), or stick to the beautiful Borders, rest assured the reward for your effort will be outstanding.

WALKS IN THIS SECTION 66 Borders, Peebles & Cademuir Hill 67 South Lanarkshire, Falls of Clyde 68 East Lothian, Gullane & Yellowcrags 69 Stirling, Conic Hill 70 Perth & Kinross, Schiehallion 71 Highland, Ben Nevis 72 Aberdeenshire, Bennachie

72 71

70

69 68 67

66

THE BONNIE BANKS Loch Lomond from the summit of Conic Hill.

PHOTO: © AA WORLD TRAVEL LIBRARY / ALAMY

BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE WALKS 91