National Trails and Long Distance Footpath Directory

This section of the Walking Englishman website is dedicated to my passion for long-distance walking. I first caught the bug when I completed Alfred Wainwright’s Coast to Coast walk across Northern England in 1994. Since then, I have completed the spectacular Coast to Coast again (in the reverse direction), the Dales Way, the Yorkshire Wolds Way, the southern coast of Cornwall (part of the South West Coast Path), and my personally designed Dales Celebration Way, which covers 130 miles of classic Yorkshire Dales walking.

In the future, I aim to walk more of Britain’s long-distance footpaths. You can explore National Trails like the Cleveland Way, the Cotswold Way, and Scotland’s West Highland Way using the navigation menus below. For the most comprehensive listing of British long-distance footpaths on the internet, visit the Long Distance Footpath Directory.

There are many of us who love the challenge of undertaking a long-distance footpath. For example, it is reported that 50,000 walkers tackle part of the West Highland Way each year, and similar figures apply to the Pennine Way. Add in all the walkers on the very popular Coast to Coast and numerous other routes, and that totals a significant community of long-distance walkers.

However, completing a long-distance footpath requires a considerable amount of planning. Walkers must first consider what equipment and clothing to take, whether to carry everything throughout the trek or utilize baggage transfer services, and how far to walk each day. Stage lengths are critical when factoring in local terrain, walker ability, and available accommodation. Transportation to the start and from the finish must also be arranged, alongside contingency plans for illness or injury.

When planning walks online, I often found myself frustrated when trying to locate relevant information—particularly walker-friendly accommodation, as many providers are reluctant to accept single-night bookings. This directory is designed to provide a comprehensive list of useful resources for planning a long-distance walk in Great Britain, featuring curated web-based resources for major long-distance footpaths.

Every long-distance footpath covered in the directory includes selected websites offering route guidance, planning tips, accommodation listings, guided walking providers, safety advice, emergency services contact details, and journals from fellow walkers. This selective approach ensures you can use your valuable planning time productively.

Suggestions for new routes or valuable planning websites are always welcome. You can suggest a long-distance footpath not yet mentioned or share resources to help build a professional database for the walking community.