England’s National Trails are not only wonderful walks, they’re the perfect way to delve feet first into the roots of the country’s most celebrated regions.
Extending over hills, dales, clifftops and moors, these spectacular footpaths also provide gateways into other activities; be it visiting caves and castles, bird reserves and museums, or even eating local dishes and meeting local characters.
To help ignite your next adventure, England’s Great Walking Trails has created a range of taster trips. These three- to five-day adventures, based along sections of these trails, pack in a bit of everything: awe-inspiring hikes with hands-on experiences, impressive sites, delicious food and drink and charming accommodation.
It means those who don’t have the time (or inclination) to hike hundreds of kilometres can still experience the diversity and drama of the trails.
Ready to plot a marvellous microadventure with England’s Great Walking Trails? Here are just some of the many possible walking and exploring breaks that await you...
This North Yorkshire trail is a route of two halves: part moor, part coast. Spend a few days fully immersed in the seaside section. Charming Filey, with its beautiful beach, laidback air and welcoming guesthouses, is a great base. From here you can combine bracing clifftop walks with watching half a million birds at Bempton Cliffs (one of Britain’s greatest wildlife spectacles). For a taste of history, clamber up to Scarborough’s ruined castle, having a go at making your own stained glass and sailing out to look for whales and seals. Also, expect the very best fish and chips plus a dram of Yorkshire’s only single malt whisky, direct from the distillery.
Glorious honey-stone Bath, where the Cotswold Way comes to an elegant end, makes for a marvellous walks-and-more break. As well as rambling in the surrounding countryside, you can stroll the city’s Georgian streets, which look as though they've been ripped straight from a Jane Austen novel or the set of Bridgerton. Then there are its Roman ruins and the glorious River Avon, which you’re free to explore by paddleboard before sinking into the warm waters of the Thermae Spa. Bath combines brilliantly with the classic Cotswolds village of Painswick, the place for bucolic walks, cosy pubs, Rococo gardens, a vineyard tour and a glass of local fizz overlooking the rolling hills.
Roam through two millennia of history along the east-central part of Hadrian’s Wall. A five-day focus will allow you a deeper immersion into the region’s Roman heritage. The ruins of Corbridge, Chesters, Housesteads and Vindolanda are all here and, with more time, you can explore the sites, get hands-on in their world-class museums and walk striking sections of the Wall. There are also medieval abbeys to marvel at, market towns to browse and breweries to tour and taste. Astonishing nightlife will also take on a whole new meaning for you here as you look up (alone or at an observatory, with an expert) and admire Northumberland’s stellar dark skies.
A four-day delve into and behind the Deep History Coast in North Norfolk is full of surprises. As well as hopping between classic seaside towns – not least Cromer, renowned for its traditional pier and succulent crab – you’ll discover fossilised footprints and woolly mammoths, magnificent Jacobean mansions and Norfolk’s highest point (albeit only 105m). Combine gentle walks, both by the seaside and inland, with rides on stream trains and inside tanks. Finish in the traditional market town of Aylsham, one of only five ‘slow food’ centres in the country – it’s the perfect place to eat, relax and watch the world go by.
A four-day break based around Dover, the grand finale of the North Downs Way, offers high drama indeed: this is the edge of England, with its famed chalk cliffs, history of pilgrimage and conflict, and bountiful produce from land and sea. Numerous long-distance paths, nature trails, cycle routes and train lines intersect here, so it’s easy to explore car-free, combining spots such as quaint Deal and medieval Sandwich with Tudor castles, seal-watching trips, micropubs, Second World War tunnels and treat-filled tearooms.
With the Pennine Way stretching for 435km, right along the backbone of England, there’s a lot of short-break potential along its route. The southern end, where the National Trail strikes across the Peak District National Park, is a great place to start. Over three active days here you can combine walks along craggy gritstone ridges and through bucolic green vales with other adventures: a tour into stalactite-draped caves, world-class rock climbing (suitable for beginners), afternoon tea at the regal Chatsworth House and even a tasty lesson on how to make your very own Bakewell pudding.
For an easily accessible mix of adventures on both land and on sea, you really can’t beat the North Cornwall coast. A five-day escape based around lively Newquay and peaceful Portreath will allow you to pack in clifftop hiking (complete with jaw-dropping views and UNESCO-listed heritage) plus wild swimming, rock-pooling, paddleboarding and lessons on riding some of the country’s best waves – not to mention the laidback surf culture that comes with them. After a day of fun, you can spend your evening unwinding in one of North Cornwall's many beachside bars, watching the sun sink into the sea.