There’s really no better time to explore some of Britain’s best walking trails than during Spring, when the weather warms, blossom blooms, colour replaces the greys of winter and many are able to take some time off over the Easter holidays.
To help Brits choose the best Spring walk for them, self-guided walking specialist Celtic Trails has unveiled a selection of its favourites, from roaming woodland paths in Exmoor and exploring the Cotswolds’ many castles and arboretums to discovering remote beaches in Wales and wondering through wild forests on Scotland’s Isle of Arran.
Gardens, Castles and Arboretums – The Cotswold Round, England
This round-route starts and ends in Moreton-in-Marsh and links some of the most picturesque villages in the Cotswolds, with extensive gardens and arboretums that come alive in Spring. Walk along forest tracks, through kissing gates and across wildflower meadows to explore the pretty market towns of Winchcombe, Stow-on-the-Wold, Broadway, Chipping Campden and Bourton-on-the-Water. Plus visit Sudeley Castle and Stanway House, the beautiful filming locations of Vanity Fair. A five-night walking holiday is available from £465pp based on two sharing a range of guesthouses on a B&B basis including luggage transfers, personal transfers where necessary and a walk pack with maps and a personal itinerary.
Villages, Scores of Seals and Remote Beaches – Llŷn Peninsula, Wales
Stretching into the Irish sea, the Llŷn Peninsula offers a relaxed escape where landscape, tradition and language has been left largely unchanged. Once an ancient pilgrim route, this route follows the coast across remote farmland, sand dunes, pretty villages and hillsides with stunning views towards the Irish coast, Snowdonia and Anglesey. En route, spot 12th century castles, Britain’s largest Iron age hill fort and a wealth of wildlife including seals, porpoises and seabirds. A five-night walking holiday is available from £480pp based on two sharing a range of guesthouses on a B&B basis including luggage transfers, personal transfers where necessary and a walk pack with maps and a personal itinerary.
Woodland Paths and Roaring Fires – The Coleridge Way
This walk follows the woods and valleys of Exmoor to some of the places that inspired Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s most famous poems, via woodland paths dotted with bluebells and crossing a landscape scattered with pretty thatched cottages and stonework pubs, from Somerset towards the Quantocks (England’s first recognised AONB), the Brendon Hills and Exmoor National Park before finishing with a stroll along the sea at Lynmouth. A five-night walking holiday is available from £435pp based on two sharing a range of guesthouses on a B&B basis including luggage transfers, personal transfers where necessary and a walk pack with maps and a personal itinerary.
Wild Forests, Waterfalls and Empty Beaches – The Isle of Arran, Scotland
Starting and ending in Brodick, this walk follows a path around the Island’s edge, surrounded by sea on one side and the peaks of Goatfell on the other, where walkers will stumble upon empty beaches, rugged mountains, wild forests, waterfalls, green hills, herds of wild deer and caves nestled within the coastline. And due to its position in the Gulf Stream, the isle is much more temperate than the rest of Scotland, where even palm trees are a common sight. A seven-night walking holiday is available from £645pp based on two sharing a range of guesthouses on a B&B basis including luggage transfers, personal transfers where necessary and a walk pack with maps, guides and a personal itinerary.
For more information, or to book any of Celtic Trails’ walking holidays, please call 01291 689774 or visit www.celtictrailswalkingholidays.co.uk.
