Before we start, I shall quote from the Exmoor National Park Facebook page.
Leave footprints – NOT litter.
Make memories – NOT fires.
Take pictures – NOT risks.
Bring home smiles – NOT ticks.
England, Wales and Scotland (so far).
I have collected numerous suggestions for you to use as resources (rescue) if you are looking for places to walk, bicycle or camp.
Local Knowledge
Where ever you find your self, locals in the shops or pubs reliable a source of original nuggets of information. Look out for local newspapers and websites.
As you know I am keen to grow the website so, if you have any nuggets and gems of good websites/apps etc, please Contact me.
In alphabetical order.
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
There are 46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with over 12,000 miles (19,300km) of footpaths and bridleways passing through them.
England
Arnside Silverdale
Blackdown Hills
Cannock Chase
Chichester Harbour
Chilterns
Cornwall
Cotswolds
Cranborne Chase
Dedham Vale
Dorset
East Devon
Forest of Bowland
High Weald
Howardian Hills
Isle of Wight
Isles of Scilly
Kent Downs
Lincolnshire Wolds
Malvern Hills
Mendip Hills
Nidderdale
Norfolk Coast
North Devon
North Pennines
North Wessex Downs
Northumberland Coast
Quantock Hills
Shropshire Hills
Solway Coast
South Devon
Suffolk Coast and Heaths
Surrey Hills
Tamar Valley
Wye Valley
Wales
Anglesey
Clwydian Range & Dee Valley
Gower
Llŷn
Wye Valley
Northern Ireland
Antrim Coast and Glens
Binevenagh
Causeway Coast
Lagan Valley
Mourne
Ring of Gullion
Sperrin
Strangford Loch
BBC Country File
The TV show’s website has a diverse and wide selection of ‘go out doors’ including National Parks, and ‘best of’s'” – wildflower meadows, coastal and rivers. There are also walks for ‘Well being’ – huh? thought every walk was about Wellbeing….
Your Local Council
A selection of “For examples” in England, Wales and Scotland
Surrey County Council What you can do/walking
Norfolk County Council – Out and About/Norfolk trails/12 brilliant walks
Birmingham County Council –Where can I cycle/family routes
Cambridgeshire.gov.uk – Enjoying the Countryside
Rutland www.discover-rutland.co.uk which describes “Rural Rutland is a walkers wonderland”.
Dartmoor www.dartmoor.gov.uk and Dartmoor Walks, @dartmoorwalks e.g.Fernworthy to Ashburton.
Chiltern Society (www.chilternsociety.org.uk) covers walks which are not far London and Reading.
Manchester
www.visitmanchester.com/thingstodo/
There are numerous parks in the Manchester area from small such as Beech Road to large Heaton Park is a focus for walking and running, the start of marathons and fun runs, Lantern parades..
Alternatively, try www.wildaboutmanchester.info and hunt local nature reserves.
The link above has numerous routes for taking children for walks in the Leeds area.
A site which those living in Leeds and around will find helpful is: https://yorkshiretots.com/family-walks-west-yorkshire/
Canal and River Trust
The Canalrivertrust.com has several suggestions for walks along canals such as the Circular walk from Leeds Station, Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Aire and Calder Navigation Main line.
Leeds-List.com includes a 20 mile ,“Daddy of all walks”, the Dales Way, to the easier Calverley Tithe Circular.
Bakewell, Peak District, Peak District National Park
Dove Dale, Ashbourne, Derby in Peak District,
The Peak Forest Canal is one of the recommendations by the CanalRiverTrust.If it rains there is the Legoland Discovery Centre for younger children.
You could walk in the nearby Pennines such as Rivington Pike or one of many canal side walk for example Wigan Pier to Leigh Bridge
Trans Pennine Trail
From the website:
‘The Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) is an exciting route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders linking the North and Irish seas, passing through the Pennines, alongside rivers and canals and through some of the most historic towns and cities in the North of England.
The Trail from coast-to-coast between Southport and Hornsea is 215 miles (346km) long.
A north-south route connecting Leeds and Chesterfield, a spur to York and a spur to Kirkburton means there are approximately 370 miles (595km) of Trans Pennine Trail available to explore.”
English Heritage.
Cares for over 40o historic buildings, monuments and sites’. From Stone Henge to Hadrians Wall. All excellent for education (Battle of Hastings 1066) and exercise.
From the EH Website: “Palaces, houses, hill figures, castles, abbeys, industrial sites, Roman Forts and even deserted medieval villages.”
The GREAT BRITISH ADVENTURE MAP ” published by Marvellous Maps.
All kinds of places and adventures are illustrated on this map.
In the “Top 50 Adventures” the maps shows a diverse and wide selection of walks, riding, swimming. It also includes “Beaches”, “Great Views”, “Long Distance Routes” and Waterways.
Great “Beaches”, the list includes:
The Outer Hebrides, (‘for white sand and azure seas – the isles of Harris (Scarista, Luskentyre), Berneray, Barra and Vatersay really do set the bar”.
Cornwall ‘with its staggering combination of quantity and quality – Porthcurno, Kynance Cove, Sennen, Pedn Vounder, the beaches of the Lizard Peninsualas, hundreds more”
“Islands” for example:
Fair Isle “Britain’ most remote inhabited location, half way between Orkney and Shetland.
And, Lundy “England’s only marine nature reserve, off the coast of Devon, with good lighthouse too”.
National Parks.
There are 15 National Parks, throughout the UK.
10 in England
3 in Wales
2 in Scotland.
‘Britain’s breathing spaces’, which provide innumerable routes for exploration. Many of the parks have similar boasts: beaches, mountains, moorland and waterfalls. Several of the National Park encompass “Dark Sky Reserves” where the stargazing is particularly spectacular. The Reserves run special events.
Exmoor’s website makes a claim which could apply to many, ‘A different world class view around every footpath corner.’
As does Pembrokeshire’s claim of a ‘wonder-filled coast’ offers ‘serene to the extreme’, and, ‘new discoveries await you on every footpath, beach and wave…’
And, the Cairngorms claims ‘mother nature had dealt .. a handful of aces’.
Suffice to say these are special places to be respected, where we leave only footprints.
The descriptions in www.nationalparks.uk will extol the glories of ‘some of our most breath-taking and treasured landscapes.’ If you sign up for the newsletter/App/ Instagram or Twitter e.g. @natparkengland, @northyorkmoors, @ExmoorNP you will get a taste of the wide variety of parks from experts and enthusiasts. Ironically one Lakeland app site recommends turning off your phone and just immersing yourself in the landscape and playing monopoly in the evening!
You may have a list of activities:
- Walking/hiking
- Coasteering
- Climbing
- Bicycling
- Horse riding
- Canoe-ing/kayaking
- Surfing
- Star gazing
A little far side maybe, but spare a thought for the character and energies of each area. Why were the particular stories, folklore and legends born out of the mountains or beaches or moorland?
If the weather closes in the beautiful views and activities are rained off, do you want access to a city such as Norwich in the Broads, or Southampton near the New Forest or Glasgow near Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
For gentle family jaunts, walkways look out for ‘Miles without stiles”, Grade 1 or “easy,”.
This link will take you to 15 walks for families within the National Park. Below are some examples:
Glenmore Phototrail, Caingorms National Park www.caingorms.co.uk
Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. www.breconbeacons.org.
Exmoor National Park
www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/enjoying/walking
Dunster Castle, Exmoor
Luss Village Paths, Loch Lomand and Trossachs National Park
Lochlomand-trossachs.org/thingstodo/walking&hiking.
Lake District National Park
Lake District www.lakedistrict.gov.uk
For the ambitious, older family they may like to attempt one of the 214 Wainwrights. Alfred Wainwright, 1907 – 1991 mapped the Lake District, writing seven guidebooks, which include sketches and an intense love of the Fells.
New Forest National Park
Look out for .Standing Hat Circular walk.
New Forest
www.newforestnpa.gov.uk ThingstoDo/ Routes. You will find 27 walks in the Forest.
Others walks in National parks include those in Northumberland, North Yorks Moors, Pembrokeshire coast, Snowdownia and the South Downs and the Yorkshire Dales.
Ifootpath.com (Merging with trails)
National Trust
The National Trust protects “Britain’s glorious buildings, landscapes and coastlines”. (NT website)
‘The protection of our natural environment and historic places over the past 100 years has been core to the work of the Trust but it has never been just about looking after our own places,’ says Helen Ghosh, our Director General.
There are numerous houses, coastal areas and woodlands owned by the Trust where families can play. During the holidays and half terms extra activities are organised for example Halloween spookies and Easter Bunny hunts. Membership of the National Trust is quite a good present for a Grandparents or Aunts and Uncles to young parents.
RAMBLING
Go into ‘Where do you want to walk?”. Put in your postcode and up come walks. (See also the Ramblers: Top Tips for Fun Family Walking.)
BBC Radio Programme/Podcast RAMBLING
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006xrr2
This popular Radio 4 show has numerous ideas. There are numerous TV shows with celebrities exploring idyllic places and meeting the locals. Look up “Clare’s Top 30” and “Iconic Walks”.
One of my favourite walks. The Gallops near Whitsbury, Hampshire. 360 views.
The Royal Geographic
“Discovering Britain” Every landscape has a story to tell discover the story of Britain through walks.
“Whether you have a spare 15 minutes or are planning a day out, there is something for everyone to enjoy. New activities are added all the time, so visit Discovering Britain to get started”.
Discovering Britain brings geography alive for everyone. Break a long car journey by stopping at a viewpoint, find a short family trail or really get stuck into the landscape on a longer walk.
This site takes a quirky point of view, literally, “Walks” or “Trails”, in Urban, Rural or Coast.
“We’re the charity making it easier for people to walk and cycle”.
Sustrans is a Bristol based charity which has grown since their start in 1974 with aim to encourage walking and cycling. This is taken from Sustrans’ information : “The National Cycle Network was launched by Sanstrans in 1995 with the aim of giving people safe and pleasant to walk and cycle. …. Today the Networks extends to over 14,000 miles, taking in towns and cities, villages and countryside throughout the UK”.
For more ideas have a look at the website, Walks Around Britain with children.. It will open in another tab, so you can come back to us!!
Another helpful read is 10 Easy Walks in Britain for Younger Families, Jen and Ben Simpson for The Guardian.
Scotland
Edinburgh.gov.uk – Explore Quietroutes
Walk Highlands.co.uk
Glasgow Government – Heritage Trails.
Www.viewranger.com. Enter a postal code and off you go.
Walkies in the Movies Walks where films were made.
The AA publishes a series of 50 walks around the UK e..g Peak District, West/North Yorkshire, Cotswolds, Snowdonia, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. https://www.theaa.com/books/50-walks/peak-
What 3 Words is useful to have for finding locations. See all Google
Other resources..
https://www.educationalappstore.com/best-apps/best-walking-apps
And more …..
Mapmywalk, Fitbit, Footpath Route Planner, Go Jauntly, Steps App Pedometre, Strava.
The Story of the British Isles in 100 Places by Neil Oliver
Whilst on the “British Isles” I would recommend as a companion read Neil Oliver’s, “The Story of the British Isles in 100 Places”, an informative and inspiring read about these islands of ours. (Neil Oliver is the Scottish one with long hair on the BBC’s programme, “Coast”).
Ways
Trails and Ways
Lincolnshire County Council – Viking Way
Staffordshire County County Council – Newcastle Way
East Riding of Yorkshire – (including Hull) Walking, riding and cycling
As I said at the top, I am keen to grow this website so if you have any recommendations for resources and information about walking and bicycling please send them to Contact