Walking holidays in England

• Distance: 630 miles/1,014km
• Duration: 30 – 60 days, or shorter sections
• Start point: Minehead, Somerset
• End point: Poole, Dorset
• Difficulty: Moderate to hard, with repeated climbs and descents
• Suitable for: There’s a small scenic section for everyone but the whole route is for those with time and stamina.

Of all my favourite walks in the UK, this one easily tops the list.

The South West Coast Path is England’s longest trail but also one of its most famous and highly rated. In the Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain it is the first attraction mentioned and often features in lists of the world’s best walking trails.

Very few walkers complete the path in one go; for most it’s a longer-term project that’s broken up into more easily-manageable sections. Exactly how you split it up depends on how much time you have for each stretch, and how challenging you want to make it.

• Distance: 190.5 miles (306.5km)
• Duration: 14 days
• Start point: St Bees
• End point: Robin Hood’s Bay
• Difficulty: Moderate to hard – very hilly through the Lake District stages; poorly waymarked in places, particularly over the Pennines; expect rain and boggy ground at times
• Suitable for: Fit walkers with a sense of adventure

Considered by some to be the best long-distance walk in England, Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Path has many remarkable qualities, but it’s the walker camaraderie that is so often the stand-out take-home of this hugely popular cross-country hike. The scenery is at times stunning – looking at you, Lake District – but the sense of community you experience with fellow walkers is felt here on this walk perhaps more than on any other in Britain.

Best for: hill walking holidays

Perhaps the most famous walking region in the UK, the Lake District offers a chance to wander lonely as a cloud amid impressive landscapes of mountains and water.

The choices for walkers range from England’s most serious climbing routes to gentle lakeside circuits. The two main hazards to consider are that the main roads and towns get very busy with day trippers and tour buses in the summer months, while the fells include challenging terrain to be taken very seriously.

Across the Lakes the transport network can be a limiting factor. Roads are narrow and sometimes jammed. Nevertheless there is a huge range of places to stay, from farm B&Bs and hostels to luxury hotels and suiting either inn-to-inn or centre-based walking holidays.

Best for: shorter or centre-based walking holidays

The Peak District was the UK's first national park, established in 1951 to carve out a protected space between the encroaching industrial cities of the midlands and northern England. The national park and the UK's 'right to roam' laws owe their existence to the struggles of ordinary working people who, in the 1932 Kinder Trespass, forced private landowners to grant public access to the nation's beautiful but previously restricted countryside.

Divided by a geological fault line between the gritstone 'Dark Peak' and the limestone 'White Peak', the landscape switches from open, even severe-looking, moorland to the north and secluded dales and quaint farming villages to the south.

Its proximity to motorways and several major cities means the Peak District gets busy in places, particularly around pleasant but popular honeytraps such as Dovedale, Castleton and Matlock. But with nearly 2,000 miles of public footpaths and rights of way, it's still very easy to find yourself alone and enjoying empty trails and wide open views. The northern Dark Peak is generally quieter, as is the far south on the border with Staffordshire.

Aside from the Pennine Way, which starts in Edale, there are no major long-distance walks here. It's more a place for a short walking break, perhaps based in one of the ten magnificent YHAs to be found in the Peaks.

• Distance: 84 miles (135km)
• Duration: From Six to 10 days
• Start point: Wallsend, Newcastle
• End point: Bowness-on-Solway
• Difficulty: Moderate to easy – well-marked route; few steep gradients; some stiles to negotiate
• Suitable for: Any reasonably fit walker, including families.

This unique walking trail not only crosses the width of England, but also follows the course of Britain’s largest Roman monument – a 1,900-year-old, 73-mile long fortification that once marked the northern boundary of the Roman Empire.

Accommodation is plentiful along the route, and includes campsites, hostels and B&Bs. Where you break for the night depends not only on how far you’re able to walk each day, but also on how interested you are in the numerous Roman sights along the way. It can take a few hours to visit a museum or the ruins of a Roman fort, but not every walker visits them all, so factor this into your plan.

• Distance: 268 miles (431km)
• Duration: Three to four weeks, or shorter segments
• Start point: Edale, Derbyshire
• End point: Kirk Yetholm, Scottish Borders
• Difficulty: Moderate/strenuous – hilly, often remote upland, long stretches between accommodation
• Suitable for: Experienced walkers

This iconic trail follows the rugged ridge forming the backbone of northern England. Don’t be deceived by crowds of day walkers at popular spots, the full route is a tough, varied but memorable undertaking.

• Distance: Approximately 184 miles (296 kilometres)
• Duration: Typically 12-14 days (or shorter segments)
• Start Point: Kemble, Gloucestershire, England
• End Point: Thames Barrier, London, England
• Difficulty: Mild

The Thames Path is a scenic long-distance walking route following the course of the River Thames in southern England. Beginning in the rural Cotswolds at Kemble, it extends to the Thames Barrier in London, covering approximately 184 miles of rural southern England landscapes. This path winds through tranquil meadows, historic cities like Oxford and Windsor, and eventually the urban sprawl of London. Along the route, you’ll encounter various iconic points of interest , including Oxford University, Hampton Court Palace, and the Tower Bridge. The journey can be completed in roughly two weeks, but walkers often opt for shorter, more manageable sections.

• Distance: 615 miles/990km
• Duration: 30 - 60 days, or shorter sections
• Start point: Worcester
• End point: Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex
• Difficulty: Easy to medium
• Suitable for: History fans and walkers who enjoy discovering little known patches of rural England

Here's another left-field suggestion you won't find in all the obvious contenders, but one I feel deserves inclusion for its historical interest as much as the walking.

The Monarch’s Way loops down from the West Midlands to the south coast of England, following the lengthy route taken by Charles II to evade capture following defeat by Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

The Monarch’s Way is so long that it is usually broken into three sections for convenience of description and mapping. It’s customary to start at Worcester, as Charles did. He escaped rapidly after watching the Royalist defeat in the final battle of the English Civil War from the cathedral tower, so the grand gothic church is a good place to begin.

• Distance: 99 miles (159km)
• Duration: Nine days
• Start point: Winchester
• End point: Eastbourne
• Difficulty: Moderate to easy – relatively short and very easy to navigate; few very steep climbs, though a lot of walking up and down small hills
• Suitable for: Any reasonably fit walker, including families; can also be cycled

You’ll walk through landscapes of rolling hills and breezy fields of corn, passing numerous pretty villages with thatched cottages, historic pubs and gardens bursting with blooms. And there’s a fitting final-day climax as you rollercoaster your way up and down the majestic chalk cliffs known as the Seven Sisters before reaching the beaches of Eastbourne for a celebratory ice cream.

Most of the gradients are reassuringly manageable along the pleasant chalk hills of the South Downs Way, and the weather down here is usually pretty favourable.

• Distance: 94 miles/151km
• Duration: 5 – 8 days
• Start point: Circular route
• End point: Circular route
• Difficulty: Moderate, with some hills
• Suitable for: Walkers who like history, legends… and great views

The White Horse Trail is a circular long distance walking route through the Wiltshire countryside linking eight white horse chalk figures and visiting historic sites like Avebury, Silbury Hill and the Kennet and Avon Canal.

The eponymous chalk figures are famous sights across the Wiltshire Downs and each has a different story and associated legends.

It’s a very rural trail using well-established paths across classic chalky hills and neat Wiltshire farmland. It can be muddy but there are no wilderness sections.

It’s rated moderate because there’s a fair amount of clambering up the sides of chalk hills - all the horse figures are cut on the sides of escarpments. The total elevation of the White Horse Trail is 6,703ft/2,043m and the highest point is 932ft/284m.

• Distance: 70 miles/113km
• Duration: 4 – 6 days
• Start point: It’s a circuit – but any of the ferry terminals make most sense
• End point: Wherever, it’s a circuit, see above!
• Difficulty: Moderate with a few gentle cliff climbs
• Suitable for: Seascape admirers and those who like a sense of achievement

As a long distance walk, the Isle of Wight coastal path is quite short but it provides an opportunity to walk right round the shoreline of England’s largest island. You might find that on return to the start point there’s great satisfaction in completing an island’s circumference, regardless of the length!

Along the way, the Isle of Wight offers a surprisingly varied sequence of landscapes, including jagged chalk headlands, long sandy bays, salt marshes and estuaries. There are certainly no boring stretches on this route.

Many islanders are keen walkers and many visitors try at least part of the coast trail. This means the local authority keeps the path well maintained and signposted. It also means you are likely to see other walkers at any time, especially round Tennyson Down and the Needles. Nevertheless the round-the-island walk is generally less crowded than mainland coastal trails simply because it’s harder for most people to get there.

• Distance: 79 miles (127km)
• Duration: six days
• Start point: Hessle, East Yorkshire
• End point: Filey, North Yorkshire
• Difficulty: Easy to medium
• Suitable for: Relaxed walkers who prefer quiet rural exploration over star attractions at every turn

Yorkshire isn't known for its modesty, especially not when it comes to the well-known (and busy) Dales, Moors and Peak District. In comparison, the Yorkshire Wolds is a quiet and unpretentious stretch of gentle countryside and very quiet paths. The Yorkshire Wolds Way is the best long distance walk you've never heard of; expect homely inns, B&B’s and guesthouses, real ales and hearty traditional food.

The route wends its way from the banks of the expansive Humber estuary, across the tranquil countryside and unspoilt villages of the Wolds to reach the spectacular headland of Filey Brigg on the North Yorkshire Coast.

There are no cities on the route and no serious hills either. Don’t imagine it’s dull though: this is rural England at its best. It’s an area that seems to have bigger skies with wide panoramic views. It’s easy to see why artist David Hockney spent years painting landscapes here.

Yet the Wolds Way is never crowded. In fact, this has been called ‘Britain’s least known National Trail’ by the BBC. Nevertheless, the path is generally well mapped, maintained and way-marked.