The National Trails - Great British Walks

This inspirational guidebook looks at walking each of the National Trails in turn, through England, Wales and Scotland, describing what makes each of them so special and providing the practical information to help you plan your route. A definitive reference to the best of British walking.

I never consciously set out to walk all the national trails in Britain. Events just turned out that way, and not just once, either, but twice! I’m not complaining, though, as I enjoy long-distance walking immensely and I can’t think of a better way to explore the country. Travelling by train or car, the scenery flashes past and there is no real sense of connection with it. Travelling on foot is a completely different matter. The landscape is real and readily to hand, and can be viewed at leisure, and touched, smelled, heard and appreciated both in all its vastness, and in its most secret recesses. There is a sense of change as you pass through the landscape, but there is also the opportunity to stop and appreciate anything along the way simply for its own merit. On the world stage Britain is a tiny country, but those who explore it on foot, day after day, discover a land so vast in its variety that in my opinion it can put whole continents in the shade.

The national trails (known in Scotland as long distance routes, but mainly referred to in this guide as ‘national trails’ for simplicity) wriggle their way through some of Britain’s finest landscapes, making them readily accessible and allowing walkers to explore these areas with relative ease. Of course walkers must put in all the actual footwork, but they travel in the knowledge that the way ahead is open and well blazed, leading them from one splendid vista to another, while taking in heritage features that bring Britain’s long and complex history to life. Charming lowlands give way to bleak uplands, but with careful planning you will end the day in the lap of comfort, with food, drink and a bed for the night.

The trail network is rooted in the British people’s long-standing respect for public access to the countryside, and the national trails stretch the length and breadth of Britain, from the ‘garden of England’ to the ‘larder of Scotland’. They are inextricably intertwined with British history and legend, and you can follow in the footsteps of ancestors who walked some of these trails over 5000 years ago. A few routes start or finish in cities, or pass through them, but most of the time they wander from one small town and village to another, making the most of open spaces. Some trails pass through quite wild and remote countryside, but none of them are beyond the capabilities of reasonably fit and organised walkers. If you can enjoy a full day’s walk and finish in good shape, then you could probably manage another walk the following day without any problem. Even the longest trails are really nothing more than a series of one-day walks.

Walkers approach the national trails in different ways. Some walk at a leisurely pace and return time and time again to complete a long trail over a series of weekends or holidays. Others feel the need to challenge themselves, racing at record speeds from start to finish. Some plan well in advance, while others seize the day and take pot luck over the availability of accommodation. Some carry immense loads and camp in the wilds, while others have their bags carried ahead and stay in luxurious lodgings. The only ‘rule’, it seems, is to cover the distance – the rest is entirely up to you – and with over 5000km (3100 miles) of national trails available, including loops and variants, there is certainly no shortage of distance.

Wanted: A Long Green Trail

You could say it all started on 22 June 1935. An article by the ramblers’ champion Tom Stephenson appeared in the Daily Herald, entitled ‘WANTED: A LONG GREEN TRAIL’. ‘Why should we not press for something akin to the Appalachian Trail?’ he asked. ‘A Pennine Way from the Peak to the Cheviots.’ He imagined that the route would be ‘a faint line on the Ordnance Maps which the feet of grateful pilgrims would, with the passing years, engrave on the face of the land.’ Well, the engraving has gone rather deep in places (you could even claim the route was carved in stone), but that is a testimony to the popularity of long-distance walking in Britain.

Making Trails

It took thirty years of lobbying and hard work to steer the Pennine Way to its official opening in 1965, but the ground was already being prepared for more long-distance trails. The Cleveland Way was declared open in 1969, while in Wales the Pembrokeshire Coast Path was opened in 1970. Running between England and Wales, Offa’s Dyke Path was opened in 1971. Throughout the 1970s, more trails were blazed across the south of England. In 1980 the West Highland Way was the first long distance route to be designated in Scotland. Work continues to this day, with improvements to all the trails, and a long extension north for the Pennine Bridleway. Some trails link end to end, or cross over each other, or are within easy reach of each other, so there are plenty of opportunities for dedicated long-distance walkers to keep trekking through the countryside.

Trail Themes

Britain’s national trails have strong themes, usually based on landscape features or historical events. The South West Coast Path and Pembrokeshire Coast Path are splendid, rich and varied coastal trails, but other trails also include good stretches of coast, such as the Cleveland Way and Norfolk Coast Path. The longest riverside trail is the Thames Path, while other routes within easy reach of London traverse the North Downs and South Downs, twin chalk escarpments that feature wonderfully extensive views, despite being of no great height. The Ridgeway and Peddars Way are two remnants of a Bronze Age coast-to-coast trail that traversed the south of England.
Some trails are strongly linked with a particular person, such as Hadrian’s Wall Path or Offa’s Dyke Path, following ancient frontiers that helped to define the countries that make up Britain. Glyndwr’s Way wanders through the little-known countryside of mid-Wales chasing the ghost of a mighty warrior. The North Downs Way is based on the former pilgrim’s way that led to the shrine of St Thomas à Becket, while much further north, in Scotland, walkers on the West Highland Way follow a military road engineered by General Caulfeild. None of these people realised that they were laying the foundations of a trail network, but today’s walkers call them to mind as they trek through the countryside.

Many national trails simply strive to scale high hills and traverse lonely moorlands, relishing the sense of open space and fresh air. The Pennine Way was the first to do this, and the Cleveland Way and Offa’s Dyke Path enjoy high and wild landscapes as much as the Southern Upland Way does. Other trails cross much lower hills, such as the Yorkshire Wolds Way, Speyside Way or Great Glen Way. New trails are being added to the network, such as the recently designated Cotswold Way and the evolving Pennine Bridleway. There have been calls for the popular ‘unofficial’ Coast to Coast Walk to be honoured with national trail status. Walkers are assured that the national trails offer the chance to explore some of the most scenic and interesting natural and historic landscapes in Britain, in the certain knowledge that access and signposting are maintained in good order throughout.