Rugged coastlines, green moors and snow-capped mountains - arm yourself with a map, slip on a pair of hiking boots and set off to discover the UK's most beautiful trails.
The rugged coastline of Pembrokeshire, UK. ©Michael Roberts/Getty Images
Southern Upland Trail
This trail (340 km), which crosses southern Scotland from coast to coast, is not the longest in Britain, but it is one of the most challenging. This route is also suitable for those who are comfortable on their own. As the area does not boast any particular tourist attractions, it is not very popular with hikers.
You will encounter impassable mountains, imposing forests and desolate moors. You need to be self-sufficient, handy with bivouacs and accustomed to a certain kind of environment - but what a satisfaction to walk from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. If only it would stop raining... In Scotland it rains all year round, but in June and July the chances of good weather are greater.
Pembrokeshire Coast Path
Constantly buffeted by the wind, Pembrokeshire is a wide peninsula jutting out into the Irish Sea at the south-western tip of Wales. Rugged cliffs and pretty villages dot the coastline and frame vast beaches.
The best way to enjoy this landscape is to tackle the Coast Path, a 299 km trail from Amroth to St Dogmaels. It takes two weeks to walk the entire path; for a taste, base yourself in St Davids, Britain's smallest town, and head for the beach at St Brides Bay. The coast is renowned for its restaurants.
Top Withens along the Pennine Way in West Yorkshire, UK. ©Andrew Montgomery/Lonely Planet
Pennine Way
Hiking enthusiasts know what it means to tackle Britain's longest footpath. This ruthless 429-kilometre trek traverses three extraordinary national parks following the island's mountain ridge from Edale in the Peak District (Derbyshire) to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders via the Yorkshire Dales.
It takes three weeks to cover the whole route, but if you don't have that kind of time, a day trip is enough to get the idea. The villages of the Yorkshire Dales offer breathtaking scenery and quaint pubs - blistered feet will appreciate the healing qualities of a pint of real ale. Perched on a lonely moor overlooking the Swaledale Valley, the Tan Hill Inn is the highest pub in the country (528m) and a must-see along the Pennine Way.
Kintyre Way
For the uninitiated, Scotland's national animal is the pesky Highland midge, which infests the coastline in spring and summer. But this should not deter you from tackling the beautiful trek across the south-west of Scotland.
The 165 kilometres between Tarbert Harbour and Dunaverty traverse extraordinary coastal landscapes, lapped by the waters of the Atlantic. Opened in 2006, this trail is relatively unknown even in Britain - so hurry before it is stormed by hordes of walkers.
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Cotswold Way
If the English Tourist Board were to choose a trail as the symbol of this country, it would promote this 164-kilometre route that winds through rolling limestone hills between Bath and Chipping Campden. If you're looking for high mountains or jagged ridges, you're in the wrong place - the gentle slopes of Cleve Cloud will be the most impassable peak you'll encounter.
This is the England of elegant residences and afternoon tea: after a week of strenuous trekking, there's nothing better than a hearty scone with clotted cream. The 15th-century Badgers Hall Tea Room in Chipping Campden is as English as fish and chips; try the rich afternoon tea accompanied by sandwiches and scones.
Snowdonia National Park, Wales, UK. ©Justin Foulkes/Lonely Planet
Yorkshire Three Peaks
The challenge of Britain's 'Three Peaks' is to climb the three highest peaks in Scotland, Wales and England - Ben Nevis (1334 m), Mt Snowdon (1085 m) and Scafell Pike (978 m) - but you need a car to get from one mountain to the other. Yorkshire's three highest peaks are lower, but no easier. The circular route, which touches on the peaks of Whernside (736 m), Ingleborough (723 m) and Pen-y-Ghent (694 m), is 42 km long and has an elevation gain of 1600 m. The objective is to complete the route in 12 hours, after which you can take refuge in a pub and celebrate the fact that you have not travelled a single kilometre by car. Start and finish times are marked on a gimmick in the Pen-y-Ghent Cafe in the village of Horton-in-Ribblesdale. If you are not back by a certain time, help will be alerted!
The landscape from Cape Cornwall, between Cornwall and West Devon, UK. ©ian woolcock/Shutterstock
South West Coast Path
Hiking through green countryside and rugged coastlines is one of the British people's favourite activities, and for them, a hike cannot be called one unless you return home with sore legs and blistered feet. Such is the case with the South West Coast Path, a 1011-kilometre trail along the coasts of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset.
It takes six weeks to complete the route, but many prefer to tackle shorter sections, such as the one leading to Tintagel Castle in Cornwall where, according to legend, King Arthur was born. Tintagel Castle is located on Cornwall's rocky coastline near the town of Bude.
Offa Wall Trail
At a time of civil unrest and territorial disputes, the most powerful of the Anglo-Saxon kings, Offa, had a huge rampart dug in order to separate Mercia from Wales. This 130 km long, 1.8 m high and 18 m wide rampart, built 1200 years ago, has withstood the erosion of time.
The Offa Wall Trail follows the 286 km of the Anglo-Wales border and stretches between Sedbury and Prestatyn on the North Wales coast. It takes two weeks to walk it, through landscapes rich in history. It is Britain's most varied and eclectic trek.
Thames Path
The Thames is often associated with London's distinctive skyline; in fact, much of the Thames Path's 296-kilometre route allows you to see some of England's most beautiful scenery. The route follows the river from its source near Cirencester in Gloucestershire to London, passing through the heart of England and passing the exclusive rowing club of Henley and the spires of Oxford.
Often snubbed by real walkers, it is an itinerary that perfectly combines urban culture with bucolic postcard landscapes.
Hadrian's Wall at sunset, Northumberland National Park, UK. ©Dave Head/Shutterstock
Hadrian's Wall Trail
When the Romans decided to build a wall to defend the Anglo-Saxons, subjugated to Rome, from the Pictish tribes from Scotland, they could not have imagined that one day this route would become one of the most beautiful in the country.
Embarking on this 135-kilometre hike from Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria to Wallsend in Tyne and Wear, one can discover the cultural heritage for which Britain is famous. Large sections of the wall are still standing, as is the Roman fort at Segendunum, where there is an interesting museum.