Can walks be tailored to different levels and abilities?

Yes – on a self-guided walking holiday. Most of the major long distance walks have fairly well established itineraries for different paces. For example you can do Hadrian’s Wall in anything from 8 to 12+ days, depending on how much distance you want to cover each day.

Beware of a walking holiday operator’s grading of walks. I usually find them geared to inexperienced walkers. I’m not an athlete but I’ve sometimes done a route in half the time they’ve specified.

My best tip in England would be to talk to locals along the way. They’ll often know – and love describing – some little magical detour that those who mapped your route might not have discovered.