Time
Most people have busy schedules at home and work, and it may seem almost impossible to pull together the necessary week or two to tackle a long-distance walk, especially if there are others who also have a claim on your precious holiday time. Some people are prepared to wait until retirement to chase their dream of walking a national trail, which is fair enough if you can bear to wait that long, but alternatively, you could clear a space in your diary and let nothing, absolutely nothing, occupy that space. Even if your life is filled with routines and you imagine yourself to be indispensable at home and work, you will find that most routines are easily broken, and you may be nowhere near as indispensable as you might like to think!
If you are the type who worries about whether you left the gas on at home, or cancelled the milk, or put out the cat before hitting the trail, then you probably need to relieve these worries by leaving someone in charge of things in your absence. If you like to ‘take work with you’ on your travels, then constantly phoning the office and chasing people will eat into your time on the trail, and is bound to limit your enjoyment. Moreover, if you intend to be in constant contact with the world while you walk, bear in mind that a mobile phone signal may not always be available when you want one.
My own preferred approach is simply to tidy up any remaining work, leave the house, and think no more about it until I return. Travelling by public transport to the trail, I’m happy to watch the scenery go by and take an occasional peek at my maps to familiarise myself more with the route. Loved ones will receive a postcard and my best wishes, while I make the most of the open trail and enjoy the walk to the greatest possible extent.
Swanlake Bay and West Moor Cliff, seen from East Moor Cliff near Manorbier (Day 11, Pembrokeshire Coast Path)
A well-wooded stretch of the riverside path on the approach to Reading (Day 5, Thames Path)
Who’s Going?
Some people prefer to walk on their own, others prefer company – there are no rules, but obviously anyone walking on their own is entirely responsible for their own safety. The solitary walker is a silent traveller, who probably notices more wildlife, and can please themselves when to walk, how far to walk, where to stay, where to eat, and generally is in control of everything that goes to make an enjoyable trip. On the other hand, walking with a companion is a joy shared, although a companion whose opinions and tastes differ radically to your own can either be a refreshing challenge, or a recipe for disaster.
I’m very much a solitary walker on the national trails, since I prefer the flexibility it gives me with all my arrangements. I meet other solitary walkers, of course, as well as couples and small groups of friends. Very rarely I meet a large group – either friends, or people who have enrolled for a tour offered by a guided walking holiday company. Walkers can be teenagers or senior citizens, and there are occasional families who walk the trails with very young and energetic children.
On the flip side, there are also people who seem entirely unsuited to walking long-distance routes, cursing their ill luck, or lamenting the performance of their companions, partners or children. Often enough, people you meet will be passing travellers, never to be seen again, but sometimes they will be walking your way for days on end and may become firm friends. There is no ‘typical’ long-distance walker – they come in all ages, shapes and sizes, as rich and varied as humanity itself. Some enjoy the experience, and some – sadly – seem to hate it, but they all share a common purpose on the trail.
Planning
This guide presents all the national trails to prospective walkers in a way that allows ease of comparison and contrast (see also the Route Summary table at the beginning of the book for an ‘at-a-glance’ overview). While some trails are short and easy, lending themselves to completion by beginners, others are much longer, or traverse rugged country, and are more likely to appeal to experienced walkers. Many trails have strong themes: they may follow a river or coastline, or they may traverse ranges of hills.
In this guide, simple location maps show the course of each trail, while gradient profiles show all the ups and downs. Suggested daily route breakdowns are offered, but walkers should feel free to adjust and amend these in any way that suits their particular pace and inclination. Some might split a long day’s walk over two days, while others will prefer to keep walking and may cover two days’ distance in one long day’s walk. As our American cousins would say: ‘Hike your own hike!’.
A beginner would do well to underestimate their abilities and plan accordingly. Don’t be tempted to cover huge distances in short time spans, but aim for something more leisurely. If you end up with a couple of hours to spare each day, you can be assured that the British countryside has more than enough charm and interest for you to make good use of the extra time. Ambitious schedules that are tied to pre-booked accommodation can result in disastrous trips. You may either feel the need to press on in deteriorating weather, when holding back would be more sensible, or when energy is flagging and your lodging is still a long way off, there is a temptation to call for a taxi or catch a bus, and so break the continuity of the journey.
Try to anticipate things that might go wrong or cause delays, and have some kind of contingency in mind to offset problems – if your overall plan includes a couple of ‘spare’ hours per day, these can be invaluable. If you think you may need to call on a taxi, or catch a bus at any point, be sure to collect telephone numbers and timetables well in advance, so that you don’t waste time searching at the last minute. A carefully made plan leaves you with much better control of your trip.
Public Transport
In this day and age, when most people travel by car, it is easy just to throw your pack into the boot, drive to the start of a national trail and start walking. The problems are, how do you get back to your car at the end of your journey, and will it be safe left for a couple of weeks in the middle of nowhere? In addition, is it a good idea to leave your car cluttering up someone else’s view of the countryside while you enjoy walking for days and weeks through wonderful scenery? Leaving a car at one end of a trail usually means a nightmare journey to retrieve it from the other end of the trail. In the case of the Pennine Way, for example, there are no direct services from Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders to Edale in Derbyshire, a journey that would take a whole day to complete, even with good connections.
It seems to me that the most practical approach to joining and leaving any national trail is to use public transport, and work out good connections well in advance of travelling. My own preference is to cover the bulk of the outward and return travel using comfortable long-distance trains, such as those provided by Virgin or Cross Country Trains. A good connection with another train, or maybe a local bus service, is usually all that is needed to get me to the start of, or from the end of, each trail. An early morning start might ensure that several hours can be spent walking the trail the same day. At the end of a trail, either spend the last night indoors and devote the following day to travelling home, or finish with a morning walk and leave the afternoon free to travel home. Finishing late, rushing home and suffering poor connections can make what should be a triumphant return into something fraught with frustration and bad temper!
The view upstream from Victoria Bridge near the Inveroran Hotel (Day 5, West Highland Way)
Some national trails have dedicated public transport services, such as the Hadrian’s Wall Bus or Peddars Wayfarer. Other trails, such as the Cleveland Way, run through an area with walker-friendly bus services, such as the Moorsbus. A network of interlinked bus services covers most parts
