There are hundreds of long-distance footpaths in the United Kingdom designated in publications from public authorities, guidebooks and OS maps. They are mainly used for hiking and walking, but some may also be used, in whole or in part, for

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

and horse riding. Most are in rural landscapes, in varying terrain, some passing through National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There is no formal definition of a long-distance path, though the British Long Distance Walkers Association defines one as a route "20 miles 2 kmor more in length and mainly off-road." They usually follow existing

rights of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by Easement#Easement by prescription, prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' ...

, often over private land, joined together and sometimes

waymarked Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail. A blaz ...

to make a named route. Generally, the surface is not specially prepared, with rough ground, uneven surfaces and stiles, which can cause accessibility issues for people with

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

. Exceptions to this can be converted railways, canal towpaths and some popular fell walking routes where stone-pitching and slabs have been laid to prevent erosion. Many long-distance footpaths are arranged around a particular theme such as one specific range of hills or a historical or geographical connection.

England and Wales: National Trails

National Trails are a network of long-distance paths in England and Wales (plus a small stretch of the Pennine Way in Scotland) funded by Natural England and Natural Resources Wales and maintained by local authorities under a Trail Partnership. , there are over of trails on sixteen routes. The newest trail, the England Coast Path, is not complete though more sections are planned to open over the coming months, with a planned completion date of 2020. There are 83 million visits to the National Trails each year and over 80,000 people complete a trail. File:Ivinghoe Beacon seen from The Ridgeway.jpg, Ivinghoe Beacon (the eastern trailhead) seen looking north from the Ridgeway File:Black Hill (Peak District).jpg, The paved surface of the Pennine Way on Black Hill ^†
^‡

Scotland: Great Trails

Scotland's Great Trails are long-distance "people-powered" trails (predominantly hiking trails but including cycling, horse-riding and canoe routes) in Scotland. Scottish Natural Heritage maintains the official list of Scotland’s Great Trails and is the custodian of the brand, but responsibility for creating and maintaining each route lies with each local authority through which a route passes, although Scottish Natural Heritage provides some of the finance and publicity. There are 29 routes, offering of trails in total. Each of the routes is clearly waymarked with a dedicated symbol, and run largely off-road. They range in length from , and are intended to be tackled over several days, either as a combination of day trips or as an end-to-end expedition. They are primarily intended for walkers, but may have sections suitable for cyclists and horse-riders. One of the trails, the Great Glen Canoe Trail, is designed for canoeists and

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

ers. File:Fife Coast path at West Wemyss - geograph.org.uk - 1366601.jpg,

Fife Coastal Path The Fife Coastal Path is a Scottish long distance footpath that runs from Kincardine to Newburgh along the coastline of Fife. The path was created in 2002, originally running from North Queensferry to Tayport. It was extended in 2011 with a n ...

at West Wemyss File:West Highland Way 2005 Coe.jpg, The Devil's Staircase on the West Highland Way File:Cliffs from Berwickshire Coastal path - geograph.org.uk - 323939.jpg, Cliffs from the Berwickshire Coastal Path File:A St Cuthbert's Way marker post - geograph.org.uk - 1387283.jpg, A St Cuthbert's Way marker post at the edge of the square between Grubbit Law and Wideopen Hill

Other UK long-distance paths

Those included here meet the definition of a long-distance path as being around or more, particularly that they will take more than one day's walking to complete. Some shorter paths linking between major walks (e.g. Maelor Way) are also included.

Southern England

File:The 1066 Country Walk - geograph.org.uk - 1576650.jpg, The 1066 Country Walk near Battle File:Monarch's Way - geograph.org.uk - 752202.jpg, Monarch's Way looking back at the outskirts of Wolverhampton File:West Deane Way - geograph.org.uk - 1518266.jpg, Meadows on the West Deane Way File:All Saints Church, West Camel - geograph.org.uk - 289126.jpg, Church of All Saints, West Camel, viewed from the

Leland Trail The Leland Trail is a footpath in Somerset, England. It was named after the antiquary John Leland, and runs from King Alfred's Tower in Penselwood, southwest to Ham Hill Country Park near Yeovil. History The path was established by creating ...

Thames to Mersey

File:Footpath - Derwent Valley Heritage Way - geograph.org.uk - 215806.jpg, The

Derwent Valley Heritage Way The Derwent Valley Heritage Way (DVHW) is a waymarked footpath along the Derwent Valley through the Peak District (as far as Rowsley). The walk starts from Ladybower Reservoir in the Peak District National Park via Chatsworth, the scenery a ...

along Whitewells Road File:Trent Valley Way - geograph.org.uk - 497951.jpg, A view of the former High Marnham power station on the

Trent Valley Way The Trent Valley Way is a waymarked long-distance footpath in England following the River Trent and its valley in the counties of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Originally created in 1998, to mark the centenary of the Nottinghamshire Coun ...

File:Cromford Canal - geograph.org.uk - 1522419.jpg, The

next to the

Cromford Canal The Cromford Canal ran from Cromford to the Erewash Canal in Derbyshire, England with a branch to Pinxton. Built by William Jessop with the assistance of Benjamin Outram, its alignment included four tunnels and 14 locks. From Cromford it ran ...

File:The Viking Way at Spot Height 62m - geograph.org.uk - 410384.jpg, A field of rapeseed on the Viking Way

Northern England

File:Middle Intake Farm and Bronte Way footpath - geograph.org.uk - 364521.jpg, Middle Intake Farm alongside the Brontë Way File:Bog_on_the_Coast_to_Coast_Walk.jpg, A bog on the

Coast to Coast Walk The Coast to Coast Walk is a long-distance footpath between the west and east coasts of Northern England, nominally long. Devised by Alfred Wainwright, it passes through three contrasting national parks: the Lake District National Park, the ...

next to

St Sunday Crag St Sunday Crag is a fell in the English Lake District, part of the Fairfield group in the Eastern Fells. It is a prominent feature in the Patterdale skyline, with a distinctive rounded shape. Indeed, it figures so finely in views from the upper ...

File:Harber Scar Lane - geograph.org.uk - 1606128.jpg, Harber Scar Lane which carries the Ribble Way northwards out of

Horton-in-Ribblesdale Horton in Ribblesdale is a small village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated in Ribblesdale on the Settle–Carlisle Railway to the west of Pen-y-ghent. Its population in the 2001 census ...

File:Calderdale Way Norland Moor Geograph-3119541-by-Humphrey-Bolton.jpg, The Calderdale Way at the southern end of Norland Moor

Wales

File:Marloes peninsula, Pembrokeshire coast, Wales, UK.JPG, Pembrokeshire Coast File:Wye Valley Walk - geograph.org.uk - 418324.jpg, Wye Valley Walk File:Valeways Millennium Heritage Trail - geograph.org,uk -1287786.jpg, Valeways Millennium Heritage Trail

Scotland

* Cape Wrath Trail, runs around 300 km (186 mi) from Fort William to

Cape Wrath Cape Wrath ( gd, Am Parbh, known as ' in Lewis) is a cape in the Durness parish of the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It is the most north-westerly point in mainland Britain. The cape is separated from the rest of the mai ...

; as the route is unwaymarked, different guides to it suggest slightly different routes. Se
here
*

Central Scottish Way Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

, 251 km (156 mi) from Milngavie to Byrness (just over the border in Northumberland, England) * Coast to Coast, 205 km (128 mi),

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...

– includes links to guidebooks 128 miles, *

The East Highland Way The East Highland Way ( gd, Slighe Gaidhealtachd an Ear) is a long-distance walking route in Scotland that connects Fort William, Scotland, Fort William with the ski and mountain resort of Aviemore The route was described by Kevin Langan in ...

, runs from Fort William to Aviemore *

John o' Groats Trail {{Use British English, date=December 2017 The John o' Groats Trail is a Scottish long-distance walking route from Inverness to John o' Groats, traversing back lanes, footpaths, shorelines and cliff tops of the Scottish Highlands. The trail gives ac ...

, 231 km (145 mi) from

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

to John o' Groats * Sir Walter Scott Way from Moffat,

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the counties of Scotland, historic counties of ...

to Cockburnspath,

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

Northern Ireland

* Ulster Way, runs for 1023 km (636 mi), mainly in Northern Ireland, with some sections in the Republic of Ireland

The Macmillan Ways

The ''Macmillan Ways'' are a set of paths that promotes and raises money for the

Macmillan Cancer Relief Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer. It also looks at the social, emotional and practical impact cancer can have, ...

charity.

European walking routes

Several European walking routes pass through the United Kingdom. They all use sections of UK long-distance paths. * E2 from

Stranraer Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; gd, An t-Sròn Reamhar ), also known as The Toon, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located in the historical parish of Inch in the historic county of Wigtownshire. It lies on the shores of L ...

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

, with an alternative route to

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...

* E8 from Liverpool to

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

* E9 from

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

to Dover *The

North Sea Trail The North Sea Trail is a transnational long-distance hiking trail along the coast of the North Sea. The route passes through seven countries and 26 partner areas. The aim of the project is to promote sustainable tourism and to keep alive the com ...

covers seven countries with North Sea coastlines.

References

External links

The Long Distance Walkers Association: Long distance paths databaseScottish National Coastal RouteScotland's Great TrailsMap of UK Long Distance Walks
{{UK Trails 01 United Kingdom Footpaths (long distance) Footpaths (long distance)