snowdonia national park

Fabulous Walks in UK National Parks – Snowdonia

The Snowdonia National Park

Snowdonia in northwest wales is a beautiful area to explore with mountain walks and a coastal path within easy reach. Snowdonia is a draw for walking enthusiasts from all over the world but there are plenty of easy trails as well as more challenging walks catering for walkers of all ages and abilities.

Bron Dirion is a former Gentleman’s Victorian Residence near Caernarfon with beautiful views of Snowdonia and Anglesea from the property and is an ideal base for exploring north Wales.

Bron Dirion

A short drive from Caernarfon is the village of Llanberis at the foot of Snowdon. One of a number of established routes up the mountain, the Llanberis path is also known as the tourist path as it’s thought to be one of the easiest routes up the mountain. It also runs near to the train which carries passengers up the mountain so if some of your party prefer, they can meet you at one of the stations on the route.

For further information visit:

Snowdonia Tourism

or

Llanberis, Snowden


Copyright Image: davidmartyn / 123RF Stock Photo

peak district

Fabulous Walks in UK National Parks – The Peak District

The Peak District National Park

Spanning parts of several counties in the heart of England, the Peak District is home to market towns, pretty villages and historic houses as well as famous attractions and traditional country events.

Daisy Bank Cottage near Buxton is in an outstanding location, surrounded by beautiful scenery and walks galore for all ages and abilities.

Daisy Bank Cottage

A visit to Poole’s Cavern and the surrounding Buxton Country Park to the south west of Buxton Centre below Grin Low and Grin Low Woods will provide a day full of activities for all the family. Poole’s Cavern is a 2 million year old natural phenomenon formed by the action of the river Wye on the limestone. The cavern is named for ‘The Robber Poole’ who is thought to have sheltered in the caves. During Roman times, the cave was used by a bronze craftsman who made brooches and other items there.
The surrounding area has plenty of walks along woodland trails and also a walk up to Solomon’s Tower, a brick, folly-esque tower re-built in 1896. On a clear day from the summit you can see the Mam Tor and Kinderscout, the highest point in the Peak District.

For more information visit:

Get Active Walking in the Peak District
or
Poole’s Cavern


Copyright: davidmartyn / 123RF Stock Photo

Fabulous Walks in UK National Parks – The Lake District

The Lake District National Park

The Lake District is famous for its often-changing weather, beautiful villages, glacial ribbon lakes and rugged fells. It has more historic literary associations than pretty much anywhere else in the United Kingdom and market towns such as Kendal, Keswick and Ambleside are ideal bases for exploring the area.

Stone Leys Cottage, just two miles south of Coniston, is the quintessential Lakes cottage. This double fronted slate property was built over two hundred years ago for the wheelwright at Coniston Hall and is ideally situated for exploring the lakes. There are easy walks through the fields to Coniston and to Torver along the lake through fields and ancient woodland.

Stone Leys Cottage

The Old Man or the Old Man of Coniston, is a fell in the Furness Fells and has a number of well-marked paths to the summit. The remains of abandoned slate mines are a feature of some aspects of the fell and there are plenty of inquisitive sheep around who make take the opportunity to rifle through your food bags! The extensive view from the summit on a clear day includes much of the southern Lake District, Morecambe Bay, Blackpool Tower,Winter Hill in the Pennines, the Lancashire coast and even the Isle of Man.

For more information visit:

Visit the Lake District

or

Lake District Walk

visitdarmoor.co.uk

Fabulous Walks in UK National Parks – Dartmoor

Dartmoor National Park

Dartmoor in the south west of England is a stunning landscape which provides amazing views, awe inspiring granite tors, deep wooded valleys with fast flowing rivers, and rugged, wide open spaces. The park has a huge array of gentle walks and more challenging trails depending on your level of fitness and inclination.
Dove Cottage near Yelverton is a cosy, mid-nineteenth century cottage in the peaceful village of Buckland Monachorum, perfectly situated for exploring all that Dartmoor has to offer.

Dove Cottage

There’s a mid-length circular walk starting and finishing in Yelverton which takes in part of the West Devon Way. The five and a half mile walk walk should take around two and a half hours at a leisurely pace and incorporates opportunities for lunch or liquid refreshment either in Yelverton itself or in Clearbrook roughly half way round. There is also an option for a slightly shorter walk from here if the ground is too muddy. Highlights of the walk include Hoo Meavy Bridge, a granite bridge over the river Meavy, originally built in the 1700s and the Plymouth or Drake’s Leat, a watercourse constructed in the late 16th century to draw water from the River Meavy to supply Plymouth with water and was one of the first municipal water supplies in the country.

For more information visit:

Visit Dartmoor

or

Drakes Dartmoor

cairngorms.co.uk

Fabulous Walks in UK National Parks – The Cairngorms

According to the Ramblers Association, walking has numerous benefits, namely health, social and community, economic and environmental. So, get your walking boots on and, in the next five days we will be discovering 5 fabulous walks in UK National Parks, all with an inviting Aga Cottage nearby.

The Cairngorms National Park

The Cairngorms National Park is as packed with riveting history as it is walking trails. Nearly all the villages in the park have their own community paths leaflets available which show the local trails and detail points of interest. There are also a number of longer routes including the Speyside and Deeside Ways. The park is laced with trails used by cut throat cattle rustlers and whisky smugglers and coffin carriers, transporting bodies from isolated homes in the hills for burial in villages like Chapeltown.

Beagle Cottage is a bright and welcoming home in the popular Badenoch and Strathspey village of Newtonmore, near Aviemore. There are an abundance of walks from the doorstop, including the Wild Cat Trail, among mature woodlands, open hills or beside the Spey River.

Beagle Cottage

A little further afield is the enchanting Loch an Eilein, or ‘Loch of the Island’, hidden in the forest of Rothiemurchus, this beautiful spot was once voted Britain’s best picnic spot and remains one of the most loved places in the UK. Here you can step back in time and retrace the steps of the Highland Cattle rustlers whilst taking in the views of the hauntingly beautiful Highland Castle. There are many opportunities for spotting rare wildlife such as the Red Squirrel and Scottish Crossbill. There are three self-guided walks around the estate which take between one and a half and three hours. The path around the loch is suitable for motorised wheelchairs and off road buggies and is part of a wider network of paths that constitute the 50km Rothiemurchus Way. And don’t worry if you haven’t had time to prepare a picnic, the Druie Café restaurant provides a varied menu of local produce from 9.30am to 5pm.

For more information regarding the Cairngorms visit:

Walking Trails in the Cairngorms

or

Discover Rothiemurchus

Look out tomorrow for Day 2 of our walking adventures in UK National Parks