Walkers' Britain

As a result of popular demand, for people with more time, or who want to break up some of the longer days of the original two week tour, we have given you the option to increase Wainwright’s masterpiece to 18 days! This is the quintessential English hill walking and long distance trail experience: 190 plus miles traversing three national parks and a lot of interesting landscapes, old towns and of course public houses in between! There are cozy small hotels, guesthouses and pubs to stay at on this tour and these, as well as the rich variety of the people that you meet en-route, reflect something of the great diversity of England.

The complete South Downs Way, stretching for a hundred miles over a rare area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in an otherwise crowded southern England, follows the chalk (soft limestone) ridge just to the North of the popular seaside towns on the Sussex and Hampshire coast. At intervals the hilly downlands are broken by “wind gaps” or river valleys, mixing the ridge walking with some meandering visits to beautiful rivers such at the Cuckmere, Arun, Ouse and Meon with their associated villages. Most of the route is ancient, made up out of the old droving roads that took animals and goods between the market towns of the region. There are many historical features, including a couple of remaining round towered Saxon churches, ancient “Dew Ponds” providing water on the high Downs for cattle, cross dykes and tumulus burial sites, Bronze Age hill forts and rings. This is a leisurely paced walk with extra time to explore old churches, dawdle through Cuckmere Haven, picnicking on some high down, or poking around lowland villages.

Officially opened in May 2003 after many years of negotiations with landlords and farmers to finalise the exact route which stretches 83 statute miles/133 km across town and country, forest and moorland, World Heritage Site and National Park. It is a great walk, with a lot of scenic variety from the modern, busy cityscapes of Newcastle Upon Tyne to the red sandstone hues of medieval Carlisle, from industrial Tyneside to the quiescence of Bowness on Solway. From the barren blustery heights of Highshields Crags in the Northumberland National Park; to the lime green pastoral scenes of the Eden valley. Omnipotent along the route the Wall snakes its way. In sections interrupting a housing estate here, popping up under a road there. Then from being little more than a grassy bank it transforms into stone and rollercoasters over crag tops and down into impressive fort like structures such as at Birdoswald and Housesteads.

Once upon a time in the 8th century, there was a ruthless King of Mercia called Offa. Such trouble had he from Welsh marauders nibbling at the toes of his kingdom, that once and for all he decided to define his territory and built a huge earthwork to do so, generally following the high ground with commanding views into the mountains and down into the valleys. Today the remaining 80 miles of embankment forms Britain’s longest archaeological monument and the basis of this famous walk. Criss-crossing the border between England and Wales more than 10 times, the Offa’s Dyke National Trail path follows some of the finest scenery in both countries for 177 miles (285 km). Our walk follows the southern half of this trail from Chepstow to Knighton, (about half this walking distance in total). It is a journey packed with interest through patchworks of fields, over windswept ridges, across infant rivers, by ruined castles and into the old border market towns. Traditional farming methods have more or less remained intact and the hedgerows, oak woods and hay meadows form good wildlife habitats, home of buzzards and the rare Red Kite. You might even discover the even rarer Welsh Red Dragon!

This is the longer version of the our Hadrians Wall walk, not longer in length, but with the addition of a couple of extra days it generally lessens the length of some days, thus making it better for slower walkers, or perhaps those who want to spend more time visiting museums and historical sites.

Rollup, rollup for just the first half of Wainwright’s masterpiece! This is a chance to walk part of the famous Coast-to-Coast walk, getting a taste of Britain’s long distance hikes. This itinerary traverses The Lake District national park ending at the quaint market town of Kirkby Stephen. Pass through the dramatic landscapes of the Lake District, majestic lakes, rugged mountains, working hill farms and pretty villages, many of which include a fine traditional pub. Emerging from the mountains of Cumbria and looking east towards the Yorkshire Dales you reach your journeys end; not quite Coast to Coast but a fulfilling time of walking through some of England’s best mountain scenery.

Rob Roy MacGregor fought in some early Jacobite battles against the British government, but 'settled down' to become a well-known cattleman at a time when cattle rustling was a commonplace means of earning a living. Defaulting on his loans he became an outlaw and a price was placed on his head. Escaping capture several times turned him into a folk hero and in later life due to his fame or notoriety, King George l gave him a pardon, and converting to Catholicism in later life, he died peacefully near Balquidder.The Rob Roy Way is a 124km walk linking Drymen with Pitlochry in Perthshire, which goes through areas that were his old haunts and certainly on routes where the MacGregor clan drove their cattle towards market towns in the area.The route joins paths and tracks through highland scenery, taking advantage of attractive villages and small towns. The walk begins in the pretty village of Drymen, whose Clachan Inn is the oldest registered licensed pub in Scotland and would have been known by Rob Roy as it was run by his sister! It then passes through the forests of the Trossachs, crossing the River Forth at Aberfoyle and down beside Loch Venachar to Callander, before leading out through fine glens by Loch Lubnaig and Glen Oich to Killin. From here the route climbs high into the hills on the remotest stretch of the walk, before descending to follow the quiet path along the southern shores of Loch Tay. Descend to Aberfeldy via the famous Birks, and the final stretch along the river and over the moors to Pitlochry.

The second half of Wainwright’s masterpiece, from the Pennines into the Yorkshire Dales and over the mystical Nine Standards Rig, before following the beautiful River Swale for a couple of days into the old market town of Richmond. There follows a marathon section to link up with the North York Moors National Park from where we roller coaster around to the North Sea Coast to make a triumphant entrance into Robins Hoods Bay where a celebratory pint, bottle of Champagne or ice cream whilst standing in the sea is in order. Along the way you will be amazed at the variety of the dry stone walls, the charming little villages and just how much that you get to eat for a full English cooked breakfast!