Walking
If you're an active sort of person who likes exploring an area intimately, there's no better way than on your two feet. A walking "holiday" might sound like an oxymoron: what's relaxing or enjoyable about pounding the miles? If you've never tried long-distance walking, you might be surprised how contemplative and restful it can be. Indeed, if you spend your working life hunched over a desk, getting out and walking might be just what you need. Here are our top tips for organizing the perfect walking break.
General tips
Start small
If you've never done much walking before, don't go mad to start with. Try a weekend's walking before you book in for Land's End to John O'Groats. Try walking 10-20 miles in a day and see how you get on. You may find any more than this impossibly tiring, especially over a period of days.
Try a pre-set trail
If you're not really sure where to walk, you could try one of the dozens of ready-made walking trails all over the country. They range from the South West Coastal Path (~1000 km or 630 miles of wonderful coastal, cliff-top walking around Devon, Cornwall, and Dorset) to short, simple inland walks. There are all sorts of themed walks around the country that take in particular aspects of an area's heritage or wildlife. Ask at the local travel office. You may find they do a leaflet of ready made walks.
Photo: The South West Coastal Path near Swanage, Dorset.
Go equipped
The further you're walking, the better equipped you need to be. Walking boots are not necessarily essential (you can usually manage with comfortable, sturdy shoes or trainers), but they're a good idea in autumn and winter. Don't make the common mistake of setting out on a lengthy hike in brand-new boots. Buy your boots a few weeks in advance and break them in gently beforehand (even just wearing them around the house for 15 minutes a day for a couple of weeks will help). You'll need to be prepared for the weather. Lightweight, breathable, waterproof clothing is a godsend for walkers and far better than cheap nylon waterproofs that make you sweat till you're soaked. Providing it's not windy, you might find it easier to walk with a small umbrella than carry a heavy coat. A lightweight rucksack is pretty helpful. Pack things like your maps, water bottle, dried fruit for snack food, wallet, and so on. Spare socks and blister plasters are always a good idea. What about a compact pair of field glasses on the off-chance you spot a dodo? And how about the digital camera?
Photo: A solid pair of Brasher walking boots.
If you're walking in extreme areas (remote parts of coastal paths, remote hills, or up highland mountains), be particularly careful to check the weather conditions. Be prepared and be sensible. Plan for an emergency. Don't just take a mobile phone (cellphone), because you may not be able to get a signal in places like this. Make sure you have other emergency equipment too. Tell someone where you're going and when to expect you back.
Maps
Even if you're following a predetermined trail, a map is almost essential. Look out for the Ordnance Survey Explorer/Outdoor Leisure series if you've not seen them. There are about 50 of them covering the most popular walking areas over Britain. The newest ones show "right to roam" areas opened up by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. These are places where you can walk pretty much where you like (obviously respecting the country code).
Countryside Code
The Countryside Code was first published in the 1950s and it's just as relevant now as it was back then. If you're a city dweller, some of it might not be obvious to you'but most of the points are simple common sense. It's surprising how many people are happy to drop cigarette ends in the countryside because they don't consider that litter. A cigarette end isn't biodegradable. It's made mostly of plastic fibres and it can take 15 years or more to disintegrate (assuming a bird hasn't eaten and choked on it first, mistaking it for food).
Accommodation
Lots of B&Bs describe themselves as "walker friendly". That
means they're a bit more sympathetic to your mud-clogged boots tramping
up and down the stairs! Typically, it also means the owners are walking
enthusiasts themselves with lots of great tips they can pass on.
Depending on when you're walking, it might be possible to find
accommodation for the night as you go along. But that's a bit risky in
the middle of summer when a lot of popular tourist towns (and
especially seaside resorts) will be fully booked. So it's best to book
at least a day or two ahead. The local Tourist Information Office
(virtually all tourist towns have one) can usually help you book
accommodation, so that's the place to head for if you're suddenly
caught short.
Transport
The great thing about a walking holiday is that you're getting away from that filthy beast: the motor car. Sometimes a car is a very handy thing when you're walking. Othertimes, it's little use at all. For example, most of the South West Coastal Path follows cliff paths far from roads. If you're planning to walk 20 miles of that path, you're either going to have to give up your car altogether or figure out some way of getting back to where you left it each evening. Either way, public transport is going to be involved, so make sure you research things like bus and train timetables before you set off. Rural bus and train transport in the UK is far patchier than it is in urban areas (buses, in particular, tend to disappear after about 5.30pm unless you're very lucky).
Program these numbers into your mobile phone before you set off:
- National rail enquiries:
Enquiries about all train journeys in the UK: 08457-484950.
- Traveline: Help with
planning a journey by bus, coach, or train: 0871-200-2233.
- Numbers for local train and bus companies
- One or two numbers for local taxi companies (look these up each day before you set off).
If you stay at a walker-friendly B&B, your hosts may be willing to pick you up from local bus or railway stations or take you out to the start of your walk. It's always worth asking.
Be sure to carry plenty of change for the bus. A lot of bus operators do give change, but drivers get a bit grumpy after ten people in a row have each given them twenty pound notes.
The explorer in you
Another alternative is to head for an area you like the look of, buy the local map, and just pick out a few walks that look interesting from public footpaths. Inevitably there's a certain amount of luck involved here: you can never quite tell what a footpath's going to be like until it's scrunching or squelching under your feet. But this can add greatly to the fun. Make sure you can read a map if you're going to do this. It helps to walk the route in your mind before you start.
Do it right...
Do it right... and walking will take you to another time zone. Relaxed, carefree, and taking time to feel at one with nature. What could be better?
Some helpful links
General
- Ramblers Association: Leading walking organization for the UK mainland.
- Walking Britain: Excellent walkers' website.
England
- Walking in England: Official tourist information.
- Natural England: Information for countryside visitors: Lots of helpful information for walkers, cyclists, and horse riders.
Scotland
- Walk in Scotland: Visit Scotland's minisite helps you plan a walking holiday or long-distance hike in Scotland.
- Walk Scotland: "An independent, non-profit making website for hillwalkers, backpackers, mountaineers and everyone who loves exploring Scotland's countryside."
- Forest Commission Scotland: How to "Explore, experience, and enjoy" the woodlands of Scotland.
Wales
- Walking in Wales: Official tourist information.
Ireland and Northern Ireland
- Discover Northern Ireland: Walking: Official guide from the Northern Ireland tourist board. Includes a selection of popular walks.
- Walking and hiking in Northern Ireland: Official guide from the Northern Ireland tourist board. Includes a selection of popular walks.
- Walking in Ireland: Official tourist guide.
