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12 Sept 2023

England

Can you recommend any quieter or less popular walks?

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Asked by: A traveller
Simon Heptinstall
Answered by: Simon Heptinstall

Ours is a compact and densely populated nation, but it’s surprisingly easy to find a quiet corner even in the most touristy honey-pots. Some of my favourite lesser-visited walking spots include the Blackdown Hills in Dorset, the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire or the Wolds in Lincolnshire or Yorkshire. There are some brilliant little-known walks around Offa’s Dyke in Herefordshire, in the crazy up-and-down Shropshire hills and in the surprisingly craggy countryside of West Yorkshire.

OS, our national treasure of a mapping agency, produces a handy rundown of the country’s most popular walks. If it’s peace and quiet you’re after, just do anything but these!

Simon Heptinstall

Simon Heptinstall

Simon is a TV writer turned travel journalist and photographer who specialises in walking and hiking holidays in the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond. He writes on walking holidays in England for the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, among others.

Site link linkedin.com/in/simon-heptinstall-writer/

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