UK Walking Holidays For Beginners

If you think hiking in the UK is all about interminable days on long-distance paths, or scaling Ben Nevis in the driving rain, it’s time to reassess your idea of what a walking holiday can entail.

Many beginners are deterred for fear of getting something wrong or being out of their depth. In fact it’s easy to plan an easy-going walking holiday for virtually all abilities.

Just be honest with yourself about your capabilities. Challenges are good but if you’ve never walked up a mountain it might be rash to plan a holiday doing it every day.

Nevertheless, even beginners can have fun making plans for tackling a long route. A walking holiday in the UK is never an Everest expedition. It doesn’t really matter if you forget to bring enough socks or don’t fix a lunch stop on day six. You’ll get by, and tackling the challenges the route throws up is all part of the adventure.

It’s more about recognising your own limits and setting a schedule that fits. Organise something that is going to be an enjoyable holiday.

Read on for our recommended gentle and beginner-friendly walking holidays in the UK.

If you're a complete walking novice and unsure of your abilities, it may be best to start with a 'centre-based' walking holiday. This is where you base yourself in the same place for several days and take day hikes as and when you desire.

But there are also a few easy-going inn-to-inn walking routes that are suited for beginners. Here is a handful of our favourite UK walking holidays for beginners.

The Norfolk Coastpath is 84 miles in full and can be completed in six to eight days, or in shorter segments. Norfolk is famously flat and perfect for a beginner's walking holiday. But this coastal path proves that flat doesn’t have to mean boring. The route from Hunstanton to Hopton-on-Sea explores misty marshes, pine woods, sandy beaches, grassy dunes and atmospheric coastal villages.

En-route facilities are good and the walk’s highlights may include the grey seals at Blakeney Point, Hunstanton’s red-and-white striped cliffs and Holkham’s sandy shores, sometimes voted Britain’s best beach.

Generally flat, although with more ascents than the Norfolk Coastpath, this way-marked coastal walk offers a pleasant and easy-going route through nature reserves, broad sandy beaches and dunes, and across low rocky headlands.

Landmarks like Lindisfarne and Bamburgh Castle are highlights but walkers will also appreciate a series of unspoilt coastal villages and towns, all with friendly pubs and B&Bs to eat and stay.

Tamer than most of Scotland's long-distance trails, this well-signed route passes through picturesque seaside villages, old smuggling caves, and fabulous beaches. In summer it is very beautiful. There are many historical castles and sites too in addition to the stunning sea views; Fife is bounded by the Firths (estuaries) of the Forth and Tay, to the south and north respectively, and juts east into the North Sea. You can even take a boat trip to one of the islands.

For beginner walkers the route lends itself to hiking in multiple sections if that takes your fancy rather than one big undertaking.

Basing a walking holiday in a popular Lake District centre like Ambleside means you have a vast choice of accommodation, outdoor shops and walking routes. It can be crowded and won’t feel like ‘getting away from it all’ but with all those resources on hand it can be perfect for beginners. Walkers can find paths ranging from tricky fell ascents to gentle hikes around lakes, right from their doorstep.

Snowdonia’s answer to Ambleside is another outdoor centre nestling among trees amid an inspiring mountainous landscape. The picturesque riverside town is a tourist honeypot but walkers can avoid day-tripper crowds by setting off on a wide choice of routes in all directions, then return for quieter evenings among a wide choice of restaurants and accommodation. Highlights could be easy but impressive waterfall walks or tackling one of many routes up Snowdon.

One of the UK’s quietest, least known canals isn’t even connected to the rest of the network but offers a leafy, flat, easy walking adventure through the Usk Valley. Historic towns like Crickhowell and Abergavenny provide en-route facilities while walking highlights will include an aqueduct, tunnel, locks, lifting bridges… and fine Brecon Beacons views.

This section of the Wales Coast Path packs a spectacular series of coastal landscapes into a short and, apart from a couple of steep cliffs, mostly easy walk. The route passes some of Britain’s best beaches, swaying marshes, caves, castles and churches. Landscape highlights include Worm’s Head and Three Cliffs Bay. It’s impossible to get lost and walkers find plenty of accommodation and luggage transfers available.

The route through the Speyside Valley winds through pine forests and farmland amid many of Scotland’s famous distilleries. The picturesque area between the Moray coast and Aviemore in the Cairngorm foothills teems with wildlife as well as whisky. The well-marked riverside trail leads through a series of attractive villages offering good rest and refreshment options.

The little-known south-eastern corner of Yorkshire between Hessle on the Humber and Filey on the North Sea is a rural landscape of gentle hills and valleys. There are no big towns; instead this well planned route wanders across pretty farmland, with possible stays at B&Bs and inns. The best bits will be the deserted medieval village of Wharram Percy, the picturesque remains of Londesborough estate and the East Riding’s big skies and panoramas.

The first part of this 184-mile national trail leads from the river’s source in the Cotswolds along its banks to the outskirts of Reading. There’s continual walking interest through Cricklade, Lechlade, Oxford, Abingdon and Wallingford with classic English countryside between, including memorable spots like Wittenham Clumps and Oxford’s water meadows. It’s safe, sheltered, flat and walkers will be well supported with facilities.

Enjoy relaxed walking over rolling chalk grassland in South Downs National Park, England’s newest national park, with a chance to stay at cosy B&Bs or quality country inns. It’s a well-marked and maintained route between Winchester and Beachy Head. Facilities include luggage transfers, public transport and plentiful teashops and the holiday highlights may be famous natural landmarks like Devil’s Dyke, Seven Sisters and Old Winchester Hill.

For walking novices, there a few things to remember: Bad walking boots or shoes can spoil the holiday. Make sure they’re well worn in and comfortable before you set off. Similarly, decent wet weather clothing and a comfortable backpack could save your day.

For absolute peace of mind, a centre-based trip is probably the most beginner-friendly walking holiday. This means you can choose when you walk, when you rest, and how far you walk in any given day.

If you feel like tackling a multi-day or point-to-point walk, there are plenty of ‘easy’ to ‘moderate’ rated routes, and many long-distance paths can be shortened into more manageable sections. Look for routes which follow towpaths or old railway lines, with plenty of facilities along the way. These may be the more popular paths and bases but they offer a risk-free way to get started, and they’re popular for a reason: they pass through some of the UK’s best landscapes.

Luggage transfer services are well worth it on a point-to-point trip, converting a self-supported trek into a much more manageable series of day hikes. They can be booked as a standalone service, via walker-friendly accommodation, or as part of a self-guided walking holiday package.

If you are unsure about what to do for your first walking holiday, a group and/or guide does take away some of the worry but you could alternatively opt for a simple centre-based holiday in a spot with plenty of walking options, say Windermere in the Lakes or Brecon in South Wales, and see how you get on.

With a centre-based holiday there’s nothing to stop you taking a day off or changing your routes day by day. If you’ve committed to a long distance route you may have accommodation waiting for you up ahead and there may not be much leeway.