Southern England

Explore the coasts and countryside of southern England on foot or by bike on the South Downs National trail, enjoying the broad views, hospitable villages for overnight stays, and the exhilarating rollercoaster of the Seven Sisters to Eastbourne. A collection of 40 day walks in the South Downs National Park explore Beachy Head and many prehistoric sites, while mountain bikers will enjoy Mountain Biking on the North Downs and the South Downs. England's longest National Trail is the South West Coast Path, while there is also the Norfolk Coast Path for coastal walking. Other trails follow rivers such as the Test Way, the Lea Valley Walk and Thames Path, or beautiful chalk and limestone ridges such as the Ridgeway National Trail and throughout the North Wessex Downs. For easier long-distance walking, you can follow the 94 mile Kennet and Avon Canal between Reading and Bristol, or explore the Great Stones Way between Barbury Castle near Swindon and Old Sarum on the outskirts of Salisbury, passing close by to Avebury and Stonehenge.

The Cotswolds are a favourite area for walkers, as well as the thousands of tourists who visit the area, concentrating themselves in iconic villages such as Broadway, Chipping Campden, Painswick and Bath. The Cotswold Way runs for 102 miles close to the line of the escarpment and dipping down to visit many of these villages. Further exploration of the area is possible in a selection of 30 walks in the Cotswolds, or by cycling, including a 200km 'tour of the Cotswolds'.

Day walks of all types can be found is a collection of books for southern England counties, including Essex, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cornwall. The Chiltern Hills are covered in a collection of 35 walks, and the New Forest National Park guidebook has a collection of 30 walks of between 3 and 10 miles suitable for most abilities.

Further to the south and west there are islands to visit, such as the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey, the Isle of Wight, and the Scilly Isles. Long distance walking can be enjoyed throughout southern England – The North downs Way runs from Farnham to Dover covering 130 miles, while The Pilgrim's Way overlaps in part, it's 138 miles begin in Winchester and lead the walker to the cathedral city of Canterbury.