Get ready to walk this Way
Use time indoors to plan a walking holiday in the UK or Ireland, advises Sarah Marshall
Along with limiting our social interactions, the UK’S lockdown will play havoc with personal pedometers. There’s only so many steps you can clock up between the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, after all.
Once restrictions are lifted, we’ll all be yearning to stretch our legs and venture on expeditions more exciting than trips to the supermarket.
If you dream of striding over hills and up mountains, or rambling along coastlines and through forests, consider one of these exhilarating hikes in the UK and Ireland.
A novel escape
Where: The Hardy Way, Dorset Victorian poet and novelist Thomas Hardy captured the essence of rural England in many of his great works, romanticising locations throughout the Dorset countryside. Keen rambler and literature lover Margaret Marande joined the dots between many of these famous spots by creating a long-distance 220-mile walking trail, documented in her book, The Hardy Way – A 19th Century Pilgrimage. Spend the night at The Inn in Cranborne where Hardy once stayed, visit Win Green, featured in Tess of the d’urbervilles, and head to
Shaftesbury – referred to as Shaston in Jude The Obscure.
How: Inntravel (inntravel.co.uk, 01653 617 000) offers four-night A Taste of Hardy’s Wessex from £490pp (two sharing), including some meals, route maps and notes, and luggage transfers between hotels. Available until 31 October, 2020.
Emerald trails
Where: The Wicklow Way, Ireland Few cities are within such easy reach of wilderness, but the Wicklow Way starts literally from the doorsteps of Dublin’s southern suburbs. A series of self-guided walks makes up the network, which passes through the forests, uplands and mountains of County Wicklow. Walk through the valley of Glendalough, home to the ruins of a monastic city visited by pilgrims for more than 1,000 years, pass by the Powerscourt Waterfall, and marvel at the “Guinness Lake”, where black waters contrast with a white sand beach.
How: Wilderness Ireland (wildernessireland.com, +353 (0)91 457 898) offers the six-night Hiking The Wicklow Way guided tour from €1,870pp (two sharing), including accommodation, some meals, transfers and guide). Depart 27 June , 2020 or 10 April, 2021.
Wide open adventures
Where: The West Highland Way, Scotland
History and folklore sweep through the lochs and glens of Scotland. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, this trail starts from Milngavie on the outskirts of Glasgow and stretches 154km to Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis in the Highlands. Highlights include climbing Conic Hill for views of Loch Lomond, a look at the carved stone seat believed to contain a sword belonging to Robert the Bruce, and a vertigo-inducing ascent of the Devil’s Staircase.
How: Wilderness Scotland (wildernessscotland.com, 01479 420 020) offers the seven-night Wilderness Walking The West Highland Way guided tour from £1,695pp (two sharing), including accommodation, some meals, guide and luggage transfers. Departures until October 2020.
Peak performance
Where: Snowdonia, Wales Containing one of the highest peaks in the United Kingdom, Snowdonia National Park is a playground of popular walking trails. Some walks cover tourist towns such as Beddgelert and Betws-y-coed, while quieter routes pass through remote sheep farms and vestiges of the Welsh slate industry.
How: Ramblers Holidays (ramblersholidays.co.uk, 01707 817
Clockwise from main: Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland; Gold Hill, Shaftesbury; Snowdonia National Park
432) offers a six-night The Wonders Of Snowdonia guided tour from £769pp (two sharing), including halfboard accommodation, transport and tour leader. Available in August and September.
Castles in the sand
Where: Northumberland Coastal Path
Dotted with castle turrets and fringed by silky sands, Northumberland’s coastline is an area of historical interest and remarkable beauty. Undulating dunes back vast beaches along the 100km Northumberland Coastal Path, gazing out to islands famous for their birdlife. There are more castles here than any other county in England: explore Alnwick, where you can take part in Harry Potter-themed activities; discover Bamburgh, which sits on a basalt crag overlooking the sea; or admire Dunstanburgh, which sits on a breezy headland. But the highlight is the Holy Island of Lindisfarne and its famous tidal causeway.
How: Headwater (headwater.com, 01606 369 121) has an eight-night Walking the Northumberland Coastal Path holiday from £795pp, including B&B accommodation, luggage transfers between hotels and route directions and maps. ■