Walking Holidays in England

Overview of England's Paths

England is generally flatter than Scotland, Wales and Ireland, however you will still find an enormous amount of variety - including vigorous hill walking, coastal walking and gentler hikes through picturesque villages.

For a more challenging walk with dramatic scenery, head to the north of England. There you will find the most mountainous and least populated region of England, particularly as you near the Scottish border. The area is dominated by the Pennines, a mountain range running down the central spine of northern England. To the west is the scenically impressive Lake District, explored via the Cumbria Way, and to the east is the wild landscape of Northumbria. Head north towards the Scottish border, and you’ll find an area of enormous historical significance, best explored via the coast to coast Hadrian’s Wall path.

Those looking for a more easy-going pace, with an abundance of beautiful country villages and green, rolling hills - should head south. The Cotswolds offer particularly scenic walking, whilst other highlights include the South Downs, the Shropshire Hills and the Thames River. Here, you will also generally enjoy the best of the UK’s weather. Excellent coastal walking can be found across England. The Northumbria Coast offers a windswept beauty with misty, deserted beaches, whilst a walk along the South West Coast will take you along white cliffs, green fields and sandy little coves. For a slightly different coastal experience, we also offer a number of island walks including the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey.

How to get to England

By Plane: The most popular city to fly into in England is London. London has 3 major airports - Heathrow, Gatwick and Stanstead. All of these airports have excellent connections, however it is worth noting that Stanstead is approximately 1 hour north-east of London and so the least convenient of all the London airports. London airports are particularly useful when visiting the south of England, however they do all have good transport links into central London and then onto every city within the UK.

If you are visiting northern England, you may prefer to choose a closer city to fly into. Manchester is the biggest airport in northern England and is convenient for visits to the Lake District and Yorkshire. Those visiting the most northern parts of England including Northumbria, will find Newcastle to be the most convenient.

By Ferry: Those visiting from Europe may wish to consider travelling to the UK by Ferry. All of the UK’s main ferry ports are located in the south of England. The busiest and quickest is Dover on the South East, which serves Calais. Also convenient is Portsmouth on the south coast (connections to Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre, St Malo, Bilbao, Santander and the Channel Islands). Both have good bus and train connections into London and onto the rest of the UK.

Eurotunnel: The Eurotunnel connects to the UK in Folkestone on the south-east coast, close to Dover.

By Train: The UK can be reached by train from Paris, Brussels and Lille using the Eurostar. The Eurostar arrives in London, and from there you will find excellent train and bus connections onto the rest of England.