Classic mountain days (four to nine hours, some steep ground)

Helvellyn via Striding Edge and Swirral Edge (Lake District, 950 m). Britain's favourite walk in the 2018 ITV and National Trust poll: about 15 km and 850 m of ascent from Glenridding, six to seven hours, with a solid grade 1 scramble along Striding Edge. Not for a windy day, not in winter without an axe and crampons, and not a first mountain.

Kinder Scout circular from Edale (Peak District, 636 m). 12 km and four and a half to five and a half hours from Edale station via Jacob's Ladder onto the peat plateau where the 1932 mass trespass happened. Graded challenging by the National Trust because of the navigation on top.

The Yorkshire Three Peaks (Yorkshire Dales). 38.6 km (24 miles) over Pen-y-ghent (694 m), Whernside (736 m) and Ingleborough (723 m) with about 1,600 m of ascent, ten to twelve hours, traditionally from Horton-in-Ribblesdale and best from spring to early autumn. It is the most popular long day walk in England and a proper test of fuelling; you burn something like 4,000 to 5,000 kcal doing it, which the hiking calorie calculator will confirm for your weight, and it is the walk on which more of our customers first tried high-calorie hiking bars than any other.

Old Man of Coniston (Lake District, 803 m). Around 10 km and 700 m of ascent from Coniston village, four to five hours, past the old copper mines and Low Water. Number eight in the favourite-walks poll.

Cadair Idris by the Minffordd Path (Eryri, 893 m). 9 km and 788 m of ascent from the Dôl Idris car park, six hours, graded hard, with the cliffs above Llyn Cau as the centrepiece. Quieter and, to many people, better than Snowdon.

Ben Lomond (Loch Lomond, 974 m). The most southerly Munro and, with around 30,000 ascents a year, the most climbed: 12 km, 990 m, four and a half to five and a half hours from Rowardennan.

Goatfell (Arran, 874 m). 10.5 km and 874 m of ascent from the Cladach visitor centre near Brodick, four and a half to six hours, with the whole of the Firth of Clyde below you.

Cairn Gorm via the Northern Corries (Cairngorms, 1,245 m). 11 km, 775 m and five to six hours from the ski centre car park, taking in the rim of Coire an t-Sneachda and Coire an Lochain. Serious winter ground; a summer classic.

Buachaille Etive Mòr (Glen Coe, 1,022 m). The most photographed mountain in Scotland by the Coire na Tulaich route from Altnafeadh: 13 km, 1,110 m, seven to nine hours, graded 4 out of 5, with a steep scree gully near the top.

Stac Pollaidh (Coigach, 613 m). Only 4.5 km and 510 m of ascent, two to four hours, but with a rocky crest that feels like a real mountain and views across Assynt that belong on another planet. The true summit needs a short scramble.

Suilven (Assynt, 731 m). 20 km and 947 m in seven to nine hours from the Glencanisp road end near Lochinver, most of it on a long approach track before the steep climb to the Caisteal Liath summit. One of the great mountain days in Britain and missed by almost every "best hikes" list.

Slieve Donard via the Glen River (Mourne Mountains, 850 m). Northern Ireland's highest mountain from Donard car park in Newcastle: about 9 km round trip and 800 m of ascent, four to five hours, graded very strenuous by WalkNI, with the Mourne Wall to guide you to the top. The longer round over Commedagh and Bearnagh from the Trassey Track (14 km) is the Mournes at their best.

Cuilcagh Boardwalk Trail (Fermanagh, 665 m). The "stairway to heaven" boardwalk across the bog to the summit ridge of Cuilcagh is roughly 12 km round trip and three to four hours, strenuous on the final staircase. Groups of more than 20 need consent and parking is charged.

The hardest hikes in the UK (scrambles and ridges)

Aonach Eagach (Glen Coe). The narrowest ridge on the British mainland: 9.5 km, 1,100 m and eight to nine hours over Meall Dearg (953 m) and Sgòrr nam Fiannaidh (967 m), grade 2 scrambling with no escape once committed. Walkhighlands' top difficulty grade.

The Cuillin Ridge (Skye). The full traverse of the Black Cuillin (11 Munros, around 12 km of ridge and roughly 4,000 m of ascent and descent over one to two days) needs rock-climbing skills and a rope; the BMC calls it the undisputed king of British ridge scrambles. Sgùrr nan Gillean or Bruach na Frìthe give a taste for strong scramblers.

Tryfan North Ridge (Eryri, 917 m). Grade 1 with occasional grade 2 moves, ending at the Adam and Eve summit pillars. Number six in the favourite-walks poll and, in the National Trust's words, not for beginners.

Crib Goch (Eryri). A 500 m knife-edge at grade 1, usually done as part of the Snowdon Horseshoe from Pen-y-Pass. More mountain rescue call-outs than almost anywhere else in Wales.

Ring of Steall (Mamores). Four Munros in one loop from Glen Nevis: 16 km, 1,676 m, nine to twelve hours, grade 5 out of 5, with the Devil's Ridge as the crux.

If you want to move from these day scrambles to bigger objectives, my guide to the best mountains to climb in the UK and beyond takes the same tiered approach up to the Alps and the Himalaya.

Coast, moor and lowland classics

Seven Sisters to Eastbourne (South Downs). Seven or eight miles (11 to 13 km) and three to four hours along the chalk cliffs from the Seven Sisters Country Park at Exceat over Birling Gap, Belle Tout and Beachy Head, with the 12 and 12X buses at both ends. The best day hike near London.

Housesteads to Steel Rigg circular (Hadrian's Wall). 12.8 km and three hours along the finest stretch of the Wall, past Crag Lough and the site of the Sycamore Gap tree.

High Cup Nick from Dufton (North Pennines). A 9.5-mile out-and-back on the Pennine Way to the rim of one of the most dramatic glacial valleys in England. Almost nobody outside the north knows it.

The Lizard coastal walk (Cornwall). 11.2 km and three hours between Kynance Cove and Lizard Point, graded challenging by the National Trust for its ups and downs, on the most southerly stretch of the South West Coast Path.

Durdle Door and White Nothe (Dorset). 11.3 km of switchbacks from Lulworth Cove over four big hills, with the arch, Man o' War bay and the chalk cliffs of White Nothe.

Cheddar Gorge (Somerset). 6.4 km and three hours around the rim of Britain's biggest gorge, 400 ft above the road.

The Quiraing (Skye). 6.5 km, 374 m and three to four hours around the landslip pinnacles of the Table, the Needle and the Prison, with a little scrambling.

Giant's Causeway clifftop from Dunseverick (Antrim). Five miles of the Causeway Coast Way from Dunseverick Castle to the stones, three and a half hours, free on the public path (the National Trust also runs a guided version). Northern Ireland's finest coastal walk.

Buttermere circuit and Dunstanburgh Castle (Lake District and Northumberland). Two gentle favourites from the poll (numbers seven and nine): the lake circuit is about 7 km on the flat, and the castle walk from Craster to Low Newton and back is about 10 km of beach and headland.

The best three-day hikes in the UK

If you have a long weekend, the walks that fit it best are the Herriot Way in the Yorkshire Dales (52 miles circular from Aysgarth, three to four days), St Cuthbert's Way from Melrose to Lindisfarne (100 km, usually four days, three at a push), the Cateran Trail (a 103 km circular from Blairgowrie, four to five days, suitable for less experienced walkers), the Mourne Way and Causeway Coast Way in Northern Ireland (two days each, 23 and 31 miles), and the Great Trossachs Path (around 30 miles, two to three days). For anything longer, my guide to the best long distance walks in the UK covers all the National Trails, Scotland's Great Trails and the Northern Irish routes with days, ascent and difficulty.

What to carry, and what to eat

The kit for a mountain day in Britain does not change much between a beginner hill and a scramble: waterproofs, warm layers, map and compass (and the skill to use them), head torch, first aid kit, and more food and water than you think. My multi-day hike packing list and wild camping kit list cover the overnight versions, and if you are buying for someone who walks these routes, my gifts for hikers guide is price-checked for the UK.

On food, the pattern I see in customers who do these routes is that the walks that go wrong are the ones where people carry a sandwich and a bag of sweets for a nine-hour day. A big mountain day burns 3,000 to 5,000 kcal, and you feel the shortfall as the "second half slump" on the descent. Carry slow, dense food and eat a little every hour: my best food for hiking guide has the full list, hiking and trekking nutrition explains the timing, and the best energy bars for hikingcomparison is where our own bar sits: 120 g, 527 to 557 kcal, vegan and gluten free, deliberately not very sweet, and soft enough to eat in a cold wind on the Ben Nevis plateau. A lot of people carry two Phoenix Bars as their whole mountain lunch because it weighs 240 g for more than 1,000 kcal.

Best season and safety notes

Scottish and Lakeland mountains carry snow from November to April and sometimes into June on the highest tops; the ridge scrambles above become winter climbs that need an ice axe, crampons and the skills to use them. Coast paths are year-round. Mountain rescue in the UK is free and volunteer-run, so carry a charged phone, tell someone your route, and register your phone for the 999 text service. Check the Mountain Weather Information Service before any mountain day.

Frequently asked questions

What are the 20 best walks in the UK? In no particular order: Helvellyn via Striding Edge, Scafell Pike from Wasdale, Cat Bells, Old Man of Coniston, Kinder Scout from Edale, Mam Tor and the Great Ridge, the Yorkshire Three Peaks, Malham Cove, High Cup Nick, Seven Sisters to Eastbourne, Snowdon by the Pyg Track, Tryfan, Cadair Idris, Pen y Fan, Ben Nevis, Buachaille Etive Mòr, the Old Man of Storr, Suilven, Slieve Donard and the Giant's Causeway clifftop. All twenty are on this page with distances and start points.

What is the hardest hike in the UK? For a single day, the Aonach Eagach in Glen Coe (grade 2 scrambling with no escape) and the Cuillin Ridge on Skye (a roped traverse of 11 Munros). Crib Goch and Tryfan's North Ridge are the hardest in Wales; Striding Edge and Sharp Edge on Blencathra the hardest in England. For a multi-day route, the unwaymarked Cape Wrath Trail (228 miles) is the toughest walk in Britain.

What are some good 3-day hikes in the UK? The Herriot Way (52 miles circular), St Cuthbert's Way (62 miles), the Cateran Trail (64 miles circular), the Great Trossachs Path (around 30 miles) and a combination of the Mourne Way and Causeway Coast Way in Northern Ireland.

What is the most beautiful hike in the UK? Ask ten walkers and you will get ten answers, but Suilven, the Quiraing and Old Man of Storr on Skye, Buachaille Etive Mòr, Striding Edge on a clear day, the Seven Sisters and the Giant's Causeway coast are the ones that stop people in their tracks.

What is the scariest trail to hike in the UK? Crib Goch and the Aonach Eagach for exposure, the Cuillin for technical climbing, and Sharp Edge on Blencathra in the wet. None of them should be attempted in high wind, and none in winter without winter skills.

Does hiking lower cortisol? Moderate exercise in green space is consistently associated with lower stress-hormone levels and better mood in research on "green exercise", and a long walk on a hill is about as good an example as exists. It is not a treatment for anything, but most people come down the mountain calmer than they went up.

What is the best hike in the UK for beginners? Cat Bells in the Lake District, Pen y Fan from Pont ar Daf, Mam Tor from Mam Nick, Ben A'an in the Trossachs and the Old Man of Storr. All are under three hours with a real summit.

Flaming Phoenix is not affiliated with the National Trust, Walkhighlands, any national park authority, WalkNI or the BMC; route data was checked against their published pages in September 2026. Conditions on British hills change fast, so check the forecast and carry the right kit.