Oliver Berry - Lonely Planet Best Day Hikes Great Britain 1 (Travel Guide)

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Call it a hike, a stroll, a toddle or a ramble there really is nothing that the British like better than a jolly good walk in the countryside.

Since ancient times, people have been exploring every last inch of this old island on foot, leaving behind a great web of byways, bridleways, lanes, tracks and footpaths covering practically every corner of the British landscape. And what a landscape it is: wild moors, green dales, medieval fields, heather-topped fells, gorse-covered clifftops, weird stone circles and snow-blown glens that have inspired some of the greatest poems, paintings and symphonies the world has ever known. William Wordsworth, Edward Elgar, JMW Turner, Dylan Thomas and Winston Churchill are just a few of the greats who have sought solace and inspiration tramping along Britains valleys and hilltops, and every day, no matter what the weather brings, thousands of walkers continue to follow in their footsteps.

Walking is, quite simply, in the British blood. Just remember to pack the brolly (umbrella).

ARNDALE/SHUTTERSTOCK

Few walks in Britain offer the heart-in-the-mouth, seat-of-the-pants thrills of Helvellyn and its twin arte ridges, Striding and Swirral Edge.

Walk in the footsteps of the Romans along the famous Anglo-Scottish barrier, ticking off forts and watchtowers as you go.

Last stop Britain: views of the Scilly Isles and Longships Lighthouse unfurl from Cornwalls western tip.

Tramped since ancient times, the 87-mile Ridgeway is often called Britains oldest road but you dont need to do the whole thing to experience its magic.

Gleaming white chalk cliffs form the centrepiece of Englands most celebrated stretch of coastal scenery.

Londons grandest green space offers the kind of woodlands, lakes and wildlife habitats you wouldnt expect to find in the middle of the UKs capital city.

For quintessential Highland scenery lochs, woodlands, snowy mountains and all Glen Affric steals the show.

Its far from the highest Lakeland fell, but the views over Buttermere are hard to better. No wonder it was Alfred Wainwrights favourite.

This trio of peaks make up the finest ridge walk anywhere in the Brecon Beacons and some would say in all of Wales.

Edward Elgar found his musical muse stalking the Malvern Hills, and its hard not to feel inspired by the rolling countryside.

ANDREW KEARTON/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

g WILD VIEWS

Its far from a wilderness, but Britain still has some surprisingly wild corners.

The highest point in the Peak District, Kinder Scout (pictured) feels wild in a way few areas of Britain do.

This stark gritstone escarpment broods over the Dark Peak moorlands and the Hope Valley.

The peak-baggers route par excellence, with a sky-top view over Great Langdale towards Bowfell and Crinkle Crags.

This lonely mountain forms part of the Three Peaks circuit. For us, it has the grandest views.

The peaks and pinnacles of Skyes northern peninsula are a draw for landscape photographers.

BILLY STOCK/SHUTTERSTOCK

D COASTAL SCENERY

Surrounded by sea, Britains epic coastline is home to some of its most unforgettable walks.

Ignore the rubbish theme park: Lands End is still the femme fatale of Cornwalls coastal drama.

The jewel of the Gower: a crescent of golden sand backed by a great grassy down (pictured).

Head north way north to see pyramid-shaped sea stacks rising out of the North Sea.

These sprawling golden sands comprise East Sussexs only dune system.

Ancient fossils, grassy cliffs and fishing villages straight off a postcard Yorkshires coastline is all about breezy beauty.

STEVE ADAMS/GETTY IMAGES

n WILDLIFE

Pack the binoculars and bring out your inner David Attenborough.

Free-roaming ponies, snuffling pigs and wild deer.

Spot seals, choughs and basking sharks off Lizard Point.

Golden eagles and ospreys soar over this Highland glen.

Autumn is peak season for the red deer rut.

Derwentwater is a refuge for Britains native red squirrel (pictured).

MATTHEW MICAH WRIGHT/GETTY IMAGES

v ANCIENT HISTORY

Littered with henges, dolmens and hillforts, Britain is an archaeologists textbook.

Mysterious monuments pepper the plains around Avebury (pictured).

Roman legionnaries patrolled this Anglo-Scottish frontier.

The hillfort where the Celtic Catuvellauni made their last stand.

Visit the remains of a Romano-British town.