Top 5 UK Hikes
Like many of you, we’re not great at being stuck in one place for too long and so we’ve been itching to get exploring again as lockdown has finally started to ease here in the UK. With the uncertainty of surrounding foreign travel, we’ve been using this time to explore more of the UK - an incredible set of islands that we feel are far too often overlooked.
So when Charlie, founder of The Runners Beans asked us to share our top tips for UK hikes it was a great opportunity to remind ourselves of some of our favourite adventures to date.
Below is our top 5 UK hikes to suit every taste and ability :
1. Cadair Idris, Wales
Located in the Southern end of the Snowdonia National Park, near the town of Dolgellau, Cadair Idris certainly packs a punch when it comes to stunning landscapes and views. Often referred to as Snowdon’s sister (it’s comprised of the same rock), it’s not only an incredibly scenic hike but also offers the perfect opportunity for a wild swim in its stunning turquoise lake, Llyn Cau. It really is up there as one of the most beautiful wild swims we’ve been lucky enough to enjoy and the perfect way to ease weary legs at the end of the walk. There are several routes up this mountain so an added bonus is that you can avoid sharing the trail with too many other people.
2. Holkham Beach & Nature Reserve - Norfolk
Miles and miles of vast sandy beaches and a surprising lack of tourists, this stretch of Norfolk coastline has to be one of our favourite for beach walks. Instead of starting your walk from the Holkham car park, we actually suggest putting ‘Sand Dunes’ into your Google Maps which will take you 5 minutes further down the road. Here you can walk to the beach across a wooden boardwalk which will take you through the National Nature Reserve, famous for it’s birdlife and amazing to watch at any time of day.
Once you get to the dunes, there’s still plenty more to explore… at the far end of the beach on your right is a vast pine forest that runs into the sand which highly recommend exploring and the dunes themselves offer the perfect spot for a picnic before a dip in the sea. If you’re lucky with the weather, the sunset over the water as you cross the reserve on the way home is nothing short of incredible.
3. Stac Pollaidh - Scotland
Scotland has been the setting for many of our favourite UK adventures, however if we had to pick one hike from here it would be the hike to Stac Pollaidh. When it comes to effort vs payoff, this hike is a clear winner. After a fairly short but steep hike, (don’t be fooled into thinking it’s a stroll in the park though) you reach the summit, from which the views are spectacular. We hiked Stac Pollaidh in mid-winter; if you’re making the trip at this time of year too, be warned the weather can be very changeable and the wind at the top strong enough to take you off your feet if you’re not careful! That said it also makes for an incredibly moody and beautiful landscape that Scotland does so well - 360 degree views of dramatic mountains and gorgeous lochs.
4. Cotswolds
With an appetite for adventure and off-the-beaten-track experiences, the Cotswolds wouldn’t be our usual go to destination for a hike, however the beautiful rolling-hills, fields of golden crops and quintessential villages here offer something a bit different and are a great way to spend a day/ afternoon out and about without overexerting yourself. We don’t have one particular walk to recommend here because there’s a vast network of trails that meander between the villages meaning you can find something to suit your needs depending on the time your have, of whether, like us you plan to finish your walk with a delicious pub lunch and beer in the sun at one of the many cosy country pubs there.
5. Wistmans Woods and the Tors - Dartmoor
When we first saw pictures of these woods they looked like some sort of scene from Lord Of The Rings, the ancient, moss covered trees, bend and entwine around enormous boulders in strange almost human-like shapes - creating a mystical and very intriguing sight. And seeing them in real life only exacerbated this feeling. Unlike the towering Oak trees you normally expect to see, these ‘stunted oaks’ are miniature, twisted, bent and covered in moss to create this magical setting. Some of these trees are over 400 years old are all that is left standing of what was once a vast forest. A short 15 minute walk from the carpark at Two Bridges, these are a must see if you find yourself in this part of the country. For those wanting a longer walk, you can continue walking north-east from the woods to explore the Tors, starting first with Longaford Tor, from where you can enjoy amazing views of the moors. There are a number of different routes you can take from here depending on how long you want to keep exploring. To top things off, Dartmoor is the only place left in England that you can wild camp, making it one of our favourite spots for going off grid for a couple of days.
Conclusion
We are spoilt for choice here in the UK - 4 countries, 10 national parks and thousands of miles of coastline providing a wide variety of gorgeous hikes to cater for all appetites for adventure. And with Covid changing international travel for the foreseeable future at least, there has never been a better time to start exploring what's on our doorstep.