The 6 best circular walks around the UK
Who doesn't love a circular walk? Our expert’s choice of walks include an island loop, a waterfall circuit and a mountain lake route.
Who doesn't love a circular walk? Our expert’s choice of walks include an island loop, a waterfall circuit and a mountain lake route.
An absolute stunner and I was lucky enough to have wall-to-wall sunshine when I completed it.
This has a bit of everything – a sweet village, sand dunes, crashing waves and a castle. When planning this route just make sure you check the tide times as you could find yourself stranded on Holy Island.
The walk starts in the village and takes you past the ruined priory and along the harbour-front to the castle. From there you’ll join a footpath that follows the east coast of the island north. Continue past quiet coves (perfect for lunch stops) until you reach a series of sand dune and then the causeway road.
Cross this and join another footpath, this time along the west coast of the island and continue back to the village to finish.
There is a choice of pubs, restaurants and shops in the village on Holy Island. I ate at The Ship Inn right in the centre, but the Crown and Anchor is also very good.
The gentle walk starts in Burford, one of the most beautiful towns in the area and takes you through honey-coloured Cotswolds villages, rolling countryside and along the River Windrush.
Waterfalls, woodland and well-maintained paths make this is a perennial favourite and takes in Thornton Force which falls over 14 metres.
This trail is on private land and is one-way in a clockwise direction.
An entrance fee is charged.
Glen Affric is often described as one of the most beautiful glens in the Scottish Highlands and this walk around the loch is surrounded by Munros (peaks over 3,000ft). The glen is also home to one of the largest tracts of remaining ancient Caledonian Forest.
It is a big day walk for a big landscape. The walk stays mostly above the loch and passes through pinewood and moorland scenery, with views of the mountains high above.
This short walk is a cracking introduction to some of the most dramatic mountainous scenery in the UK. It's suitable for novice walkers as well as the more experienced. It's a beautiful spot and one I return to time and again.
You'll follow a clear path from the Idwal Cottage YHA up to the ice-sculpted Cwm Idwal – a bowl-shaped hollow filled with crystal clear (and freezing cold) water. The area is world famous for its rock formations and rare and fragile plant life.
The walk explores one of London’s best known and loved open spaces. It ascends the viewpoint of Parliament Hill, then skirts the edges of the Heath past the Hampstead and Highgate Ponds, then returns along some of Hampstead’s most delightful streets.
It's the perfect escape from the pressures of city life.
(Hero image credit: GettyImages)
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