Great Britain is a country so often overlooked by the adventurer and the traveller, known mostly for its quaint accent and vibrant London city streets rather than the heathered moorland and ancient woodlands known only to those who stray beyond the beaten path. There is more to this island nation than one could ever imagine, if only you would take a moment to look beyond the well-trodden and explore further than where the guidebooks lead. From mountain to sea, fell to river, here is a country bursting with wild landscapes and dramatic vistas, where the curious are rewarded with intimate wildlife encounters and psychedelic sunsets spreading out across the sea and into the horizon - truly showing Britain at its best.
A land as aged as this is littered with timeworn trading paths and crumbling monuments, myths and lyrical legends, all best discovered at a pace which slowly, gently trundles. Here we explore the country’s greatest journeys, where the elements are celebrated and the unseen discovered.
By Foot – Wainwright’s Coast to Coast, Cumbria
Starting in St Bees on the Cumbrian coast before traversing through the Lake District, clipping the Yorkshire Dales, scaling the Pennines, hiking the North York Moors and ending looking over the ocean in Yorkshire’s Robin Hood’s Bay, this 192 mile route takes in an England seldom seen by many. Tough, hilly terrain, waterfalls and glassy lakes make this long-distance hiking route a dream for nature enthusiasts, while the bracing ocean which bookends the trail offers lazy beach days and refreshing dips. Take 12 days to walk the whole path or cherry-pick sections for a day’s rambling in northern England.
Where to stay: Aquila, Bramblewick, Bay View
By Rail – London to Penzance
Speed from the graffiti-strewn streets of London and rumble 305 miles through rural England to the end of the line in Penzance, Cornwall, where the sea breeze lifts the soul and smugglers’ tunnels still run underground from the harbour to the pubs. Here is a trip where the journey is as wonderful as the destination; rolling hills covered in carpets of wildflowers, mile-wide estuaries strewn with shimmering rivulets and oystercatchers, and wide expanses of ocean which stretch on for thousands of miles. At the end, depart from the train and wander across the promenade, looking out across Mount’s Bay and St Michael’s Mount.
Where to stay: Nevada, The Chalk House, North Rock Beach House
By Car - South to North Wales
Swooping mountain passes and luscious, emerald valleys, chocolate box villages and winding roads; Wales is a dream driving destination filled with scenes usually reserved only for television screens. Starting in the soaring Brecon Beacons before easing west to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, take in hills and long stretches of golden sand, stopping for photo opportunities and bracing wild swims along the way. As you wind north, snowy peaks dip in and out of view before swallowing the sky and leaving explorers in a state of awe in Snowdonia. Climb Wales’ highest peak by foot or hop on the train from llanberis to the summit, surveying your kingdom from the lofty heights of Snowdon.
Where to stay: Hinterland Cabin, The Cable Hut, Faraway House, Seren Mor, The Wilds
By Sea - West Scottish Coast
Whether chartering a boat or paddling the Scottish Sea Kayak Trail, there’s one thing for certain, Scotland’s west coast is as magnificent as it gets. Wide open spaces allow lungs to breathe deeply, secret beaches inhabited by no one but sunbathing seals encourage summer skinny dips and cliffs bursting with wildlife dwarf the waves. Watch the sun rise from mainland UK’s most westerly point at Ardnamurchan, eat seafood in the country’s remotest pub on the Knoydart Peninsula, find hidden caves off the Hebrides and experience this wild world from the bellows of Mother Nature’s most humbling force.
