Walking Forum
Main Boards => Long Distance Walks => Topic started by: brendan on 17:28:57, 12/07/20
-
Hi,
I am a 69 year old distance walking novice, who's very keen to start!
Now that the world is opening again (too soon! but our leader knows best!) I'm planning my first UK hike in October/November. My requirements are (1) not many people (2) good for wild camping (3) not mountainous - Problem with heights (4) can buy food en route - not a deal breaker but preferable (5) lasts about a week. (6) very keen on things like stone circles etc.
I'm in the SE, but will travel
Any suggestions most welcome.
Cheers
Brendan
-
Not sure how easy it is to wild camp this one but plenty of history
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ridgeway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ridgeway)
https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/the-ridgeway/ (https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/the-ridgeway/)
If you started at Ivinghoe Beacon you could have a grand finale at Avebury and Stonehenge
-
I'm in Portsmouth, have you considered a walk in the South. There are many good routes to follow.
If not, if you are taking your car, either hike a circular walk or try to decide on one where you can get back to it easily.
The Cotswold Way might be to your liking, trains at both ends, starts at Chipping Camden and finishes at Bath, plus a really great stone barrow en-route.
November, long nights and short days, that needs planning for.
Are you camping or B&Bing?
-
Sorry, I'm getting old, of course you are planning to wild camp. No problems I suspect in November.
-
My first thought was also the Cotswold Way, though not sure how easy that would be wild camping. Also the Two Moors Way. Have walked both and enjoyed them.
-
I would be tempted to head to southern Scotland: the Borders or Galloway, the main advantage of crossing the border is that wild camping is completely legal in Scotland.
-
Here's some suggestions for southern Scotland that don't go too high:
Cross Borders Drove Road
Borders Abbey Way
-
..and try to fit in a couple of one or two night trips beforehand just to get into the swing of things.
-
Not sure how easy it is to wild camp this one but plenty of history
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ridgeway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ridgeway)
https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/the-ridgeway/ (https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/the-ridgeway/)
If you started at Ivinghoe Beacon you could have a grand finale at Avebury and Stonehenge
I want to do that. It looks a fantastic walk, with lots of history and variety.
-
I'm also looking at The Ridgeway and considering going East to West. Most guides suggest that landowners along the way are generally ok with wild camping and on the Western section there seems to be plenty of space at the side of the trail. My concern would be where to camp East of Streatley, there's a camp site at Watlington but a few spots between there and Ivinghoe Beacon would be nice to know about.
-
Much obliged everyone! Very helpful. I'm sort of think of trying the Lake District which I believe turns a blind eye to wild camping in certain areas (anyone with particular experience of this?). Got to get up there of course and will have to decide whether it might be too difficult for a first essay into the wilderness.
-
Peddlers way and Norfolk coast path.
-
The Arran Coastal way sounds interesting. Midges should be gone by then. stone circles etc.
-
Lake Districr - Cumbria Way 75 miles (ish) Ulverston to Carlisle a South to North trail. backpackers usually take 5 days, stopping overnight in Coniston, Langdale, Keswick, and Caldbeck. All campsites but can wild camp along the way too as far as High Pike after that its mostly farmers fields so may not be as easy.Other one that finishes in the Lakes is the 84 mile Dales Way from Ilkley in Yorkshire to Bowness on Lake Windermere, lovely route, wild camping possible with care . Note campsites may not be open at the time you want to go anyway so may have to wild camp.
-
West Highland Way good choice, 95 miles mostly flat,waymarked on good tracks,no need to carry more than 2 days food and if the hostelling situation changes there are potential overnight stops should the weather turn wet. Easily fill a week with train transport at both ends
-
The Pembrokeshire Coastal Path!
-
Thinking about it more in Kent there is the Greensand Way, The High Weald Trail and the Sussex Border Path all going east to west or west to east. My favourite would be the High Weald Trail. Go to Rye and walk to Horsham, railway at both ends, or do it the other way around, so very easy, so very easy to wild camp as well.
-
Cleveland Way. 104 miles .I had no problems finding a good quiet wild camp on or close to the path..You can start in Filey or Helmsley.. I prefer Filey start along the lovely coast path to Saltburn where the path takes a complete change of scenery and cuts across the North York Moors for approx 50 miles .No problems carrying supplies or water from Filey to Saltburn as you have no need to carry anything other than a few snacks as there are holiday towns and villages all the way along .Different matter though across the North York moors where you would have to carry two and a half days worth of both water and food and still struggle to find anything other than a cafe at the popular Sutton view point as there seems to be little available..Many pubs closed, no shops in most villages .Last time on Urra moor on a hot day I was reduced to knocking on a friendly villagers door to top up my water from his outside tap . Cleveland way is underused now .Many groups do it the "modern way " staying at nightly B and B s with a taxi pick up and dropped off with luggage sent forward to the next nights B and B..
-
Hi.
Cumbria Way is a nice reasonably easy walk, interesting and best one for wild-camping. I didn't do the whole route with the kids as link copied here. But did the rest on my Lejog and 3 peaks walk. I have wild-camped all over the UK but it's sometimes difficult to find appropriate places to stop. The Lake District and Scotland are the easiest places to wild-camp.
https://wildwalkinguk.com/2019/01/27/the-cumbria-way-with-children/ (https://wildwalkinguk.com/2019/01/27/the-cumbria-way-with-children/)