1. Alton Brae Trail and Miss Bristow’s Trail, Castle Fraser
Inverurie, Aberdeenshire
About 16 miles west of Aberdeen sits the stunning Castle Fraser, one of the grandest of Scotland’s baronial tower houses.
Although the castle itself is closed until March, you can explore the beautiful grounds all year round. The estate contains mixed woodland and open farmland, with two waymarked walks giving magnificent views of the local hills.
The Alton Brae Trail is 1½ miles long, includes the Broad Walk and the Flight Pond, and takes around an hour to complete. Miss Bristow’s Trail, which goes via the pump house and a natural spring is slightly shorter.
Route maps are available to download from the website.
nts.org.uk/Property/Castle-Fraser-Garden-and-Estate/Walks
2. Calton Hill
Edinburgh
Developed as one of the crowded city’s first public recreation spaces in the 18th century. This mile-long walk starts at Waverley Station before heading along Princes Street. Cross the road, now Waterloo Place, and continue slightly uphill until a set of steps is reached on the left.
At the top of the steps continue on the surfaced walkway, curving round to the right on the north side of the hill for a superb view over Leith and the docks and across the water to Fife.
The views over the south side are dominated by Arthur’s Seat. The route also takes in the Nelson Monument, the National Monument and the Dugald Stewart Monument as well as the Royal Terrace.
walkhighlands.co.uk/lothian/calton-hill.shtml
3. Hodge Close
Coniston, Cumbria
This manageable two-hour, low-level walk provides great views of the Langdale Pikes and surrounding fells, along with some unique insights into the area’s industrial past along the way.
The three-mile walk passes by Cathedral Quarry, a small network of interlinked quarries above Little Langdale. The main chamber, standing 40ft high and lit by two windows off the main quarry, is well worth a look.
The walk also takes in Hodge Close Quarry – a huge cavern with a waterfilled bottom which dominates the landscape, along with large slate-mining spoil piles.
nationaltrust.org.uk/tarn-hows-and-coniston/ trails/hodge-close-walk
4. RHS Garden Harlow Carr
Harrogate, North Yorkshire
The walk runs from east to west, making the best of the morning and late afternoon sun which lights up the fiery stems and outlines the sculptural shapes of the bare trees
The Winter Walk is a magical part of the garden, especially when low light and frosts highlight the shapes, textures and colours, from striking stems and intricate seed heads to rich berries.
The walk runs from east to west, making the best of the morning and late afternoon sun which lights up the fiery stems and outlines the sculptural shapes of the bare trees.
Treat yourself to a hot drink in Bettys tea rooms along the way.
Adults £10, children, £5, rhs.org.uk/ gardens/harlow-carr
5. National Memorial Arboretum
Alrewas, Staffordshire
The 150-acre site has an abundance of wildlife, and children will enjoy exploring the many habitats and natural features of the site, including a maturing wildlife pond.
Situated on the edge of the National Forest, the arboretum is the UK’s year-round centre of remembrance. The maturing woodland landscape is home to 330 memorials and more than 30,000 trees and is an ideal place for a walk with the whole family.
The 150-acre site has an abundance of wildlife, and children will enjoy exploring the many habitats and natural features of the site, including a maturing wildlife pond.
6. Trentham Gardens
Trentham, Staffordshire
The beautifully restored gardens, which lie at the heart of the Trentham estate, provide a spectacular seasonal show. Enjoy the Winter Willow Decoration Trail and discover larger than-life sculptures.
For more magic, follow the popular Fairy Trail, with sculptures of fairies and giant dandelions, which begins in the Shopping Village and then winds along the lakeside walk and on to the fringes of the world-famous Italian Garden.
Adults £8.70, children £7.50, trentham.co.uk
7. The Silver Circuit: National Forest
Barton under Needwood, Staffordshire
2016 marked 25 years since the first trees were planted in the National Forest. As part of anniversary celebrations, the Silver Circuit was created.
This eight-mile circular walk passes through Needwood Forest and down into the Trent Valley. It was designed to create a loop from the National Forest Way, which it follows between Tatenhill and the Trent & Mersey Canal.
Along the route you are likely to see buzzards and pheasants, and will have a wonderful vantage point for a lovely view of the historic Dunstall church.
visitnationalforest.co.uk/view/?id=-The-Silver-Circuit-
8. Sherwood Forest Country Park
Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
Once part of a royal hunting forest, Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve covers 450 acres and incorporates ancient areas of native woodland where slender birch trees grow alongside more than 1,000 veteran oaks, most of which are more than 500 years old.
The largest and most famous of these is the Major Oak – linked throughout the world to Sherwood’s legendary hero, Robin Hood.
It is well worth joining a guided walk through the country park on New Year’s Day (10.30am-12.30pm) – booking is essential, on 01623 823 202.
Adults £3, children £1.50, experiencenottinghamshire.com
9. The Wherryman’s Way
Norwich, Norfolk
There’s also a great pub in Loddon – The Loddon Swan – to enjoy a pint and lunch; children are well catered for, too.
The Wherryman’s Way starts in Norwich and follows the Yare Valley through to Great Yarmouth, passing through beautiful broads landscapes.
It also has a series of 12 circular walks along its length, including several near Norwich, such as a leisurely two-mile walk around Whitlingham Great Broad at Whitlingham Country Park, just outside the city centre, near Trowse.
A further suggestion is to start the walk in Loddon, a market town just over 10 miles from Norwich, where the Wherryman’s Way can be picked up to enjoy a series of circular walks.
There’s also a great pub in Loddon – The Loddon Swan – to enjoy a pint and lunch; children are well catered for, too.
wherrymansway.net/circularwalks.html
10. Harbour, Marshes and a Bracing Beach
Southwold, Suffolk
This 2.8-mile walk around Southwold takes you both on and off the beach. Visit the elegant seafront and walk around the traditional harbour and the open marshes.
The Southwold Pier, with its innovative water clock designed by Tim Hunkin and its cheeky design, is also sure to entertain. There are cafés, restaurants, shops and an arcade on the pier. The pier is open daily from 9am.
thesuffolkcoast.co.uk/shares/Southwold_ Explorer_Guide-AONB.pdf
11. Brandon Country Park
Brandon, Suffolk
Brandon Country Park in Thetford Forest has many options for a hike through the wilderness.
The park has a red (1½ miles), purple (3½ miles) and orange (six miles) trail, as well as a short tree trail, which shows off the False Acacia, Monkey Puzzle and Giant Redwoods dotted throughout the 30-acre site.
Walks are self-guided; leaflets are available at the park’s visitor centre. Open daily.
12. Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Cambridge
The Winter Garden brings together coloured stems, bark and foliage texture with winter flower and fragrance. Follow the gently curving path and watch the light of the setting winter sun flood into the shallow valley.
Adult £5, child under 16 free, botanic.cam.ac.uk
13. Tring Reservoirs
Tring, Buckinghamshire
Tring Reservoirs lie on the edge of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty alongside the Grand Union Canal. The clear water attracts lots of plants, fish and insects, and large numbers of breeding, wintering and migrating birds.
All the reservoirs in the area offer the chance to see many wildfowl and waterside birds, notably the black tern and the great crested grebe. Walks vary from 2½ miles to 5½ miles.
Stop off at Bluebells Restaurant next to the reservoir or explore the towpaths of the Wendover and Aylesbury canal arms and visit the pretty villages of Marsworth and Wilstone.
canalrivertrust.org.uk/walking
14. Blenheim Palace
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Visitors can still explore the new Christmas Light Trail (until 2 January), where the estate will be illuminated for an hour-long, afterdark festive trail along winding paths, beside tranquil waters and through extraordinary Parkland landscaped by Capability Brown. Other walks are available to download.
Christmas at Blenheim: adults £16, children £10, blenheimpalace.com
15. Dunham Massey
near Altrincham, Cheshire
Set in a magnificent 300-acre deer park, Dunham Massey has colours and scents to delight the senses throughout winter. There are plenty of routes, but the highlight this time of year has to be exploring the seven-acre winter garden.
The largest of its kind in England, it has more than 700 plant species and 1,600 shrubs, trees and evergreens.
Adults £8, children £4, nationaltrust. org.uk/dunham-massey
16. Seven Sisters Country Park
Seaford, East Sussex
Offers excellent opportunities for walkers to enjoy a beautiful landscape. There are three main footpaths and trails in the park – further information and trail maps can be found in the visitor centre.
The most popular is The View from Seaford Head. The three-mile circular route takes you from the park in the direction of Seaford. Follow the footpath, which heads in the direction of the sea. At the end of the path you will see the coastguard cottages. For the best view, walk up the hill past the cottages.
To return, walk down to the beach below the cottages and follow the riverbank back to the roadside footpath.
17. The Winter Walk at RHS Wisley
Woking, Surrey
Photographers will be delighted with the wonderful views, and the colours reflected across the lake.
Leads you on easily accessible paths from the food hall and restaurant on Seven Acres, around the lake in a complete circuit past the glasshouse and back again.
Striking colour combinations from carefully selected plants create a wonderful palette of reds and oranges, with highlights of white and yellow.
Up close, the winter scents and textures of plants close to the pathway will be easy to appreciate. Photographers will be delighted with the wonderful views, and the colours reflected across the lake.
Adults £13, children £6.50, rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley
18. Winkworth Arboretum
Godalming, Surrey
Nestled on a hillside in the heart of Surrey, Winkworth’s wintry woodland is the perfect spot for a quiet walk in the crisp, clean air.
With a mixture of level walkways and challenging hills, there’s a route for everyone; dogs are welcome, and a disabled car park at the bottom of the arboretum provides access to the meadow and lakeside walk.
With its flourishing winter garden and twisting Holly Walk, this internationally significant landscape is a wonderful place for a stroll in the winter.
There are guided walks on 2 January 2017, while the Winter Wonders Childrens Trail is open every day until 2 January.
Adults £7.25, children £3.60, nationaltrust.org.uk/winkworth-arboretum/features/winter-walkingat-winkworth-arboretum
19. Cheddar Gorge
Cheddar, Somerset
At 120m deep and three miles long, this is England’s largest gorge, and with its weathered crags and pinnacles, one of the country’s most spectacular natural sights.
This four-mile moderate walk begins on a steep path, which is the most strenuous part of the route – but it’s well worth the climb for the views from the cliff top.
Cheddar Gorge plays host to a varied community of specialised plants and wildlife, many of which you’ll get the chance to spot on this exhilarating circular walk.
nationaltrust.org.uk/cheddar-gorge
20. The Huff Duff, Northern Commons
New Forest, Hampshire
The New Forest heathlands areas beautiful in winter as they are in summer.
The New Forest heathlands areas beautiful in winter as they are in summer. Try this four-mile walk on a crisp morning to see stunning areas of wilderness and wood, frost-covered spider webs and hardy New Forest ponies.
Take in breathtaking views from Ibsley Common, an area steeped in military history, and visit the Huff Duff (an old directional station) and associated bunker. Descend to a calming valley at Dockens Water before crossing the stream to Rockford Common.
nationaltrust.org.uk/new-forestnorthern-commons
21. Westbury White Horse and Bratton Camp
Westbury, Wiltshire
This enjoyable and undulating 3¾-mile walk presents fabulous views from the northern aspect of the Imber Range Perimeter Path.
Beginning in the village of Bratton, the route takes in Westbury White Horse, Wiltshire’s oldest and best-known equine decoration, cut in its present form in 1778.
From the superb vantage point at the Horse, on a clear day the Cherhill and Alton Barnes White Horses can also be seen in the distance. For history lovers, the walk passes through “Bratton Camp”, an Iron Age hill fort.
22. Devon’s Little Switzerland
Lynmouth, Devon
The poet Robert Southey and the Shelleys were among the early visitors who praised the area, calling it “England’s Little Switzerland”.
This five-mile circular walk is based on the scenic little town of Lynmouth, on Devon’s Exmoor coast. Lynmouth was “discovered” as a scenic and romantic location in the early 19th century.
The poet Robert Southey and the Shelleys were among the early visitors who praised the area, calling it “England’s Little Switzerland”.
The steep hill on the right, next to the pub, was the original main road into Lynmouth, giving some idea how isolated it was then. A walk of contrasts, its outward leg follows the valley of the East Lyn River, while the return is a high, airy walk along the valley top.
Look carefully when you reach Watersmeet and follow the river. You may see dipper songbirds on the stones or river bed.
When the path joins the Two Moors Way (look out for signposts with an MW symbol), you will climb to the top of a hill through some woodland. This is Myrtleberry, an Iron Age settlement site.
23. Chagford to Drewsteignton, Two Moors Way
Drewsteignton, Devon
The Two Moors Way is Devon’s coast-to-coast walk. The entire walk runs between Wembury on the South Devon coast and Lynmouth on the North Devon coast, passing through tmjnwo national parks.
It is approximately 117 miles long if the route is strictly followed. This four-mile section is an easy stretch.
Initially it follows the River Teign on its way to the spectacular Teign Gorge below Castle Drogo. The route then climbs along the top of the gorge, with wonderful views: a fitting goodbye to the Dartmoor section of the route.
24. Botallack to Higher Bal walk
St Just, Cornwall
Enjoy a walk along the spectacular South West Coast Path, where you’ll see the remains of two of Cornwall’s mines, Levant and Botallack.
This 3¾-mile walk begins at Levant car park, next to Boscregan Shaft, Levant Mine. It then follows the coast path towards Botallack for just over a mile to Botallack Mine.
Turn right at the first shaft; on your immediate left are the stone walls that mark the site of the miners’ changing house.
Shortly afterwards, you’ll see the remains of Botallack’s 19th century copper-dressing floors. The walk also takes in the Crowns Engine Houses and the Count House, which was the residence and offices for the captain and staff of Botallack Mine.
nationaltrust.org.uk/levant-mine-and-beamengine/trails/botallack-to-higher-bal-walk
25. The Great Orme
Llandudno, Conwy
Whether your interests lie in history, bird-watching and natural history or simply walking or enjoying spectacular views, the Great Orme has something to offer.
This limestone headland is two miles long and just one mile wide, making it the perfect place for a fun-filled family walk, with a tramway or cable car to the summit, and lots to do when you get there.
There are two Great Orme Historical Trails (4.2 miles and 3.2 miles long respectively), which can be combined to make a longer walk, with spectacular views of Liverpool Bay, the Carneddau range, the Menai Strait and Anglesey.
The Great Orme Nature Trail is a circular walk around the headland, starting and finishing at the summit, with the option of a slightly shorter route.
The trail is clearly marked with a specific logo disc to aid walkers, and an accompanying leaflet describes just some of the Great Orme’s wildlife. The long route is four miles, the short 3½ miles.
Or you could try the Great Orme Summit Trails – three scenic walks from the town of Llandudno to the Great Orme summit, with wonderful views of the town and beyond.
The trails are clearly way marked with the Summit Trail logo disc. Choose from Haulfre Gardens Trail (one mile), Happy Valley Trail (1½ miles), and the Zig Zag Trail (one mile).
26. Penmaen to Three Cliffs
Penmaen, Swansea
An enjoyable 2½-mile walk, and depending on the route you take, relatively easy, with long stretches of sandy beach. It also offers the option of a few rock scrambles if you wish to take them.
From several places there are superb views of Three Cliffs Bay. This route is affected by tides, so do check before you set off.
27. Credenhill Park Wood
Credenhill, Herefordshire
Credenhill Park Wood is located between the villages of Credenhill and Tillington Common, about five miles north-west of Hereford.
Once the site of a busy Iron Age tribal capital, Credenhill Park Wood has also been a Roman army depot and a medieval deer park.
Today, the 220-acre wood clothes the slopes of a free-standing hill, which rises above the valley of the River Wye.
There are several walks around the site, or you can climb the hill to the fort to enjoy terrific views and let all that history capture your imagination.
woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/wood/5522/ credenhill-park-wood
28. Ballaglass Glen
Isle of Man
Winter is a beautiful time to visit the Isle of Man – the frosty atmosphere turns the natural world into a stunning blank canvas, while the landscape is uncompromised, with breathtaking views.
Winter is a beautiful time to visit the Isle of Man – the frosty atmosphere turns the natural world into a stunning blank canvas, while the landscape is uncompromised, with breathtaking views.
A revitalising walk all year round, Ballaglass (meaning “place of green” in Manx) comes into its own as the cooler months set in, when the landscape is enhanced by bird song and the babbling sounds of the river, leaves crunching underfoot and the potent smell of wild garlic.
Perfect for a quick blast of fresh air if you’re visiting for the weekend, the Glen can be circled in approximately 45 minutes by foot.
29. Giant’s Causeway trails
Bushmills, Co Antrim
Flanked by the wild North Atlantic Ocean and a landscape of dramatic cliffs, for centuries Giant’s Causeway has inspired artists, stirred scientific debate and captured the imagination of all who see it.
Experience the world-famous basalt columns on one of four trails. The Blue Trail is a direct route of less than a mile, which leads directly to the stones. The Red Trail is a bracing cliff-top walk with spectacular views of the Causeway Coast and North Channel.
The wheelchairand buggy-friendly Green Trail is fenced off from the cliff top, making it ideal for little ones. And the Yellow Trail starts at Runkerry Head and ends at Hamilton’s Seat, marking the perimeter of the World Heritage Site.
nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway
30. The Narnia Trail, Kilbroney Park
Rostrevor, Co Down
The Narnia legends are interpreted along a short family loop trail, entered like the magical world itself.
Few parklands surpass the beauty of Kilbroney, where mountain, stream, sea lough and valley conjure up a scenic wonderland. The 97 acres which form the park lie close to the shore of Carlingford Lough in the shadow of the forest-clad Slieve Martin.
A series of trails in Kilbroney Park bring to life the story of Narnia and other myths and legends associated with this special area of the Mournes.
CS Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, spent boyhood holidays in the village and reportedly said: “That part of Rostrevor which overlooks Carlingford Lough is my idea of Narnia.”
The Narnia legends are interpreted along a short family loop trail, entered like the magical world itself, through a wardrobe, leading the visitor to several interpretative stations with themes including The Tree People, The Beavers House and The Citadels.
A more challenging walk has been created to Cloughmore Stone, linking another legend – that of the Giant Fionn McCumhaill – to the Narnia theme. The trails vary from 1¼ miles to 4½ miles, and take visitors to various areas within the forest to enjoy the many magnificent views of the woodlands.
