The Best Long Distance Walks in the UK: 45 Routes with Miles, Days, Ascent and Difficulty
Written by James, founder of Flaming Phoenix and the maker of Phoenix Bars. Updated September 2026.
Quick answer: the best long distance walk in the UK for a first attempt is the West Highland Way (96 miles, five to eight days, waymarked, with a town every night). The best in England is the Coast to Coast (190 miles, St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay, officially a National Trail since 26 March 2026). The easiest are the Thames Path, the Yorkshire Wolds Way and the Speyside Way; the hardest are the Cape Wrath Trail, the Pennine Way and the Cambrian Way; the longest complete waymarked trail is the South West Coast Path at 630 miles. This page covers all 17 National Trails in England and Wales, the pick of Scotland's 29 Great Trails, the Wales Coast Path, the Northern Irish routes and the unofficial classics, each with official distance, start and finish, suggested days, ascent where published, difficulty and best season, then sorted by length band so you can match a route to the time you have.
What counts as a long distance walk, and why this list is different
The Long Distance Walkers Association lists more than 1,500 UK paths covering over 88,000 miles, and generally treats anything over 20 miles as long distance. The pages that rank for this search are either directories (excellent for searching, useless for choosing), tour operator lists that are three years out of date, or Wikipedia tables that still give the Coast to Coast as 192 or 197 miles when the official National Trail is 190. Every distance below is taken from the official trail body (National Trails, Scotland's Great Trails, Natural Resources Wales, WalkNI) or the LDWA database, with the check date at the bottom. I make an energy bar that a lot of long distance walkers carry, which is how I ended up with a spreadsheet of every trail in Britain; I am not affiliated with any of the trail bodies or operators named.
New for 2026: the Coast to Coast is now a National Trail
Alfred Wainwright's 1973 route from the Irish Sea to the North Sea officially opened as England's newest National Trail on 26 March 2026, with new waymarking and an official length of 190 miles (306 km) from St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay across the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. Most people take 12 to 15 days, the Lakeland section in the first three or four days is the hardest, and spring to autumn is the season. If you only ever do one long walk in England, this is it.
The National Trails of England and Wales
Pennine Way. 268 miles (431 km) from Edale to Kirk Yetholm, 19 days suggested, with total ascent greater than the height of Everest. Britain's first National Trail (opened April 1965) and still its hardest official one: moorland navigation, bog, weather, and long days between shops. Best mid-May to September. My Pennine Way food guidecovers the resupply gaps.
South West Coast Path. 630 miles (1,014 km) from Minehead to Poole Harbour, 52 days for the whole thing, with 115,000 ft of ascent and descent, usually walked anticlockwise. Most people do it in sections; the longest complete waymarked trail in Britain.
Coast to Coast Path. 190 miles, St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay, 12 to 15 days (see above).
Hadrian's Wall Path. 84 miles (135 km) from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway, seven days, described by the trail body as relatively easy, with the hardest 23 miles between Chollerford and Birdoswald. Walk it May to October to protect the archaeology.
South Downs Way. 100 miles (160 km) from Winchester to Eastbourne, nine days, walkable all year on chalk; if you can comfortably walk 12 miles in a day you can do it. The obvious first English National Trail.
Offa's Dyke Path. 177 miles (285 km) from Sedbury Cliffs near Chepstow to Prestatyn along the Welsh border, opened 1971, most people walk April to October. Hilly in the middle.
Cleveland Way. 109 miles (175 km) from Helmsley to Filey Brigg around the North York Moors and down the coast, nine days, opened 1969, best in late August when the heather is out.
Cotswold Way. 102 miles (164 km) from Chipping Campden to Bath, ten days of escarpment, villages and views west to Wales.
Pembrokeshire Coast Path. 186 miles (299 km) from St Dogmaels to Amroth, 12 days, the first National Trail in Wales (1970) and the best coastal walk in Britain for wildlife.
Thames Path. 185 miles (298 km) from the source in the Cotswolds to Woolwich, 14 days, gentle and mostly flat, with a pub every few miles. The easiest National Trail.
The Ridgeway. 87 miles (140 km) from Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon along what is often called Britain's oldest road, six days, March to November.
North Downs Way. 153 miles (246 km) from Farnham to Dover, 12 days, through Surrey and Kent to the white cliffs.
Glyndŵr's Way. 135 miles (217 km) from Knighton to Welshpool through mid Wales, described by the trail body as very hilly, rough and remote. The quietest National Trail.
Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path. Peddars Way is 46 miles from Knettishall Heath to Holme; the Norfolk Coast Path is 112 miles from Sutton Bridge to Hopton-on-Sea; together eight days and one of the gentlest trails in England.
Yorkshire Wolds Way. 79 miles (127 km) from Hessle to Filey, six days, with no serious hills. Underrated and quiet.
Pennine Bridleway. 205 miles (330 km) from Middleton Top in Derbyshire to Ravenstonedale in Cumbria, fully opened 2012, designed for horses and bikes but excellent on foot; the 47-mile Mary Towneley Loop makes a fine weekend.
King Charles III England Coast Path. Around 2,700 miles when complete and already more than half open, which will make it the longest managed coastal path in the world.
Scotland's Great Trails
Scotland has 29 official Great Trails between 24 and 210 miles. The ones that belong on a best-of list are these.
West Highland Way. 96 miles (154 km) from Milngavie to Fort William, five to eight days, 3,155 m of ascent, opened 1980 as Scotland's first long distance route. Waymarked, with accommodation every night and a bus or train back; the West Highland Way food guide explains the long gaps between shops north of Tyndrum.
Great Glen Way. 78 miles (125 km) from Fort William to Inverness along the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness, five to seven days, 1,835 m on the high route, and one of the easiest ways to walk coast to coast across Britain.
Speyside Way. 85 miles (137 km) from Buckie to Newtonmore, six to nine days, generally suitable for beginners and lined with distilleries.
Southern Upland Way. 214 miles (344 km) from Portpatrick to Cockburnspath, 12 to 16 days, 7,775 m of ascent, opened 1984. Britain's first official coast-to-coast and one of its most remote trails.
Rob Roy Way. 79 miles (127 km) from Drymen to Pitlochry, six to eight days.
John Muir Way. 134 miles (215 km) from Helensburgh to Dunbar across the Central Belt, nine to eleven days, opened 2014.
Fife Coastal Path. 116 miles (187 km) from Kincardine to Newburgh, eight to ten days.
Arran Coastal Way. 66 miles (107 km) around the island from Brodick, six to eight days, only 390 m of ascent and the best circular long distance walk in Britain.
St Cuthbert's Way. 62 miles (100 km) from Melrose to Lindisfarne, four to six days, crossing the border into Northumberland.
Kintyre Way. 100 miles (161 km) from Tarbert to Machrihanish, seven to eight days.
Cateran Trail. 64 miles (103 km) circular from Blairgowrie, four to five days, recommended by the trail body for less experienced walkers.
Scotland's unofficial epics
Cape Wrath Trail. Around 228 miles (367 km) from Fort William to Cape Wrath with more than 11,000 m of ascent, unwaymarked, with river crossings and bothy nights. The hardest long walk in the UK. The Cape Wrath Trail food guide is one of the most-read pages on this site for a reason: resupply is the whole problem.
Skye Trail. 77 miles (124 km) from Armadale to Duntulm over the Trotternish ridge, nearly 5,000 m of ascent, unwaymarked and very challenging.
Hebridean Way. 156 miles (251 km) from Vatersay to Stornoway across ten islands, linked by causeways and two ferries.
Wales and Northern Ireland
Wales Coast Path. 870 miles (1,400 km) from the outskirts of Chester to Chepstow, launched in May 2012 as the first path around an entire country's coast; with Offa's Dyke it makes a 1,047-mile circuit of Wales. Eight sections, of which Pembrokeshire (182 miles) and Anglesey (135 miles) are the most popular.
Cambrian Way. 299 miles (481 km) from Cardiff Castle to Conwy Castle over the spine of Wales with around 70,000 ft of ascent, the mountain connoisseur's route and the hardest walk in Wales.
Ulster Way. 636 miles (1,024 km) circular through all six counties of Northern Ireland, conceived in 1946 and relaunched in 2009. Most people do the "quality sections".
Causeway Coast Way. 31.5 miles from Portstewart to Ballycastle over two days past the Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede, graded very strenuous by WalkNI.
Mourne Way. 23.4 miles from Newcastle to Rostrevor over two days, with Butter Mountain (500 m) the high point and the Mournes above you throughout.
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English classics outside the National Trails
Dales Way. 78 miles (126 km) from Ilkley to Bowness-on-Windermere with about 2,250 m of ascent, gentle riverside walking and the ideal first week-long trail in England.
Cumbria Way. 70 miles (112 km) from Ulverston to Carlisle through the heart of the Lake District, nearly 3,000 m of ascent, five or six days.
Two Moors Way. Around 102 miles from Ivybridge to Lynmouth across Dartmoor and Exmoor.
Northumberland Coast Path. Around 63 miles from Cresswell to Berwick, castles and beaches, easy.
Herriot Way. 52 miles circular from Aysgarth through Wensleydale and Swaledale, three to four days.
Lady Anne's Way. Around 100 miles from Skipton to Penrith.
London LOOP and Capital Ring. 150 and 75 miles respectively around and through the capital, done in day sections from the Tube; the most accessible long distance walks in the country.
Choose by the time you have
A weekend (20 to 40 miles). Mourne Way, Causeway Coast Way, the Great Trossachs Path, the Mary Towneley Loop, two or three days of the South Downs Way from Winchester, or the Yorkshire Wolds Way in three days. If one big day is more your thing, my guide to the best hikes in the UK covers 40 of them with distances and ascent.
A week (60 to 110 miles). West Highland Way, Great Glen Way, Hadrian's Wall Path, Dales Way, Cumbria Way, Cleveland Way, Cotswold Way, St Cuthbert's Way, Arran Coastal Way, Cateran Trail, the Ridgeway, Yorkshire Wolds Way, Speyside Way. This is the sweet spot for a first trail.
A fortnight (150 to 200 miles). Coast to Coast, Pembrokeshire Coast Path, Thames Path, Offa's Dyke Path, North Downs Way, John Muir Way, Hebridean Way, Pennine Bridleway.
Three weeks or more. Pennine Way, Southern Upland Way, Cape Wrath Trail, Cambrian Way, and sections of the South West Coast Path, the Wales Coast Path and the England Coast Path.
Easiest, hardest, circular and exactly 100 miles
The easiest long distance walks in the UK are the Thames Path, the Yorkshire Wolds Way, the Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path, the Great Glen Way and the Speyside Way: waymarked, low ascent, accommodation every night. The hardest are the Cape Wrath Trail, the Cambrian Way, the Skye Trail, the Pennine Way and the Southern Upland Way. The best circular routes are the Arran Coastal Way, the Cateran Trail, the Herriot Way, the Anglesey section of the Wales Coast Path (around 135 miles) and, for the ambitious, the Ulster Way. If you want a walk that is exactly 100 miles, the South Downs Way, the Kintyre Way and Lady Anne's Way all fit. The longest is the South West Coast Path among complete trails, the Wales Coast Path among coastal routes, and the England Coast Path once it is finished.
Planning a long distance walk in Britain
Book accommodation early on the West Highland Way, Coast to Coast and Hadrian's Wall Path, where bottlenecks fill months ahead in summer. Baggage transfer services exist on almost every trail on this page and turn a 15 kg pack into a day sack. Rail access is excellent at both ends of the West Highland Way, Hadrian's Wall Path, Cleveland Way, South Downs Way, Thames Path, Dales Way and Yorkshire Wolds Way, and poor for the Cape Wrath Trail, Glyndŵr's Way and the Southern Upland Way. May, June and September are the best months for weather, daylight and midges (Scotland's midge season runs roughly June to September, and the West Highland Way's Rannoch Moor is famous for them). Carry a map and compass even on waymarked trails; my multi-day hike packing list covers the rest of the kit.
Food is where most first-timers go wrong. A 20-mile day with a pack burns 3,500 to 4,500 kcal (run your own numbers on the walking calorie calculator), pubs do not always do lunch, and the shops on the Pennine Way or north of Tyndrum are hours apart. I wrote a separate guide on what to eat on a long distance walk that covers the daily plan, the lightest high calorie foods for backpacking page ranks foods by calories per gram for anyone carrying several days of supplies, and the best freeze-dried meals comparison covers evenings on the wild trails. Our own Phoenix Bars exist because of exactly this problem: 120 g, 527 to 557 kcal, long shelf life, no melting in a hot pack and no going rock hard in a cold one, and they can be made into porridge with hot water when you are sick of cold food, which is why they have become a resupply staple for Cape Wrath and Pennine Way walkers. Customers regularly post a box of high-calorie bars ahead to a bunkhouse, and the best energy bars for hiking comparison shows how the alternatives stack up per gram. If you are kitting someone else out for one of these trails, my gifts for hikers guide is price-checked for the UK.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best long distance walk in the UK? For a first trail, the West Highland Way. For scenery and variety in one route, the Coast to Coast. For coast, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. For solitude and difficulty, the Cape Wrath Trail.
What is the longest footpath in the UK? The South West Coast Path (630 miles) is the longest complete National Trail. The Wales Coast Path is 870 miles, the Ulster Way is 636 miles, and the King Charles III England Coast Path will be around 2,700 miles when it is complete.
How far is considered long distance walking? The Long Distance Walkers Association generally counts routes of 20 miles or more as long distance paths, whether walked in a day or over several weeks. In practice most people mean a multi-day, point-to-point trail.
Are there any 100 mile walks in the UK? Yes: the South Downs Way (100 miles, Winchester to Eastbourne), the Kintyre Way (100 miles) and Lady Anne's Way (around 100 miles), plus the Cotswold Way at 102 miles and the Two Moors Way at about 102.
What does walking 20 miles do to your body? It burns roughly 1,500 to 2,500 kcal on top of your normal day depending on weight, pack and terrain, stresses the feet, knees and hips in ways that improve with each day of a trail, and drains glycogen enough that eating little and often becomes essential. Most people find day three of a long walk the hardest and day five the point where it starts to feel normal.
Can a human walk 25 miles in a day? Yes; a fit walker covers 25 miles in nine to eleven hours on good paths. Long distance challenge events like the LDWA's annual Hundred cover 100 miles inside 48 hours. Building up over several days on a trail is the sensible way to get there.
What is the most beautiful long distance walk in the UK? The Skye Trail, the Cape Wrath Trail and the Hebridean Way for wildness; the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and South West Coast Path for coast; the Coast to Coast for the Lake District days.
What is the 6 6 6 rule for walking? A fitness trend rather than a walking convention: a 60-minute walk at 6 am or 6 pm, six days a week. It has nothing to do with trails, but it is not a bad way to train for one.
Flaming Phoenix is not affiliated with National Trails UK, Scotland's Great Trails, Natural Resources Wales, WalkNI, the LDWA or any tour operator. Route facts were checked against their published pages in September 2026; if you spot an error, tell me and I will fix it.
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