Best British walking route

The Coast to Coast Walk

It was never intended to be a fixed route, and still isn’t officially waymarked for much of its length. Yet Alfred Wainwright’s classic walk from the Irish to the North seas has grown massively in popularity since he conceived it in his 1973 book, and will doubtless grow further after recent high-profile BBC televisions series on both the route and its creator (and, of course, this Walk Reader Award!).

It’s easy to see why the Coast to Coast holds such a grip on the walker’s imagination: not only does it offer the satisfaction of crossing an entire country at its neck, but it does so via a stunning high-level trail through three national parks (the Lakes, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors) and minor settlements that get no larger in size than a couple of picturesque market towns (Kirkby Stephen and Richmond). It takes around a fortnight to complete the demanding 300km/190-mile route, which Wainwright recommended you tackle from west to east so the prevailing winds are at your back. Dominic Bates