THE NATIONAL TRAILS
19 LONG-DISTANCE ROUTES THROUGH ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES
by
Dillon Paddy
2 POLICE SQUARE, MILNTHORPE, CUMBRIA LA7 7PY
About the Author
Paddy Dillon is a prolific walker and guidebook writer, with over 70 books to his name and contributions to 30 other publications. He has written for several outdoor magazines and has appeared on radio and television.
Paddy uses a tablet computer to write as he walks. His descriptions are therefore precise, having been written at the very point at which the reader uses them.
He is an indefatigable long‐distance walker who has walked all of Britain’s National Trails and several European trails. He has also walked in Nepal, Tibet, Korea and the Rocky Mountains of Canada and the US. Paddy is a member of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild.
Other Cicerone guides by the author
Glyndŵr’s Way
Irish Coastal Walks
The Cleveland Way and the Yorkshire Wolds Way
The GR20 Corsica
The GR5 Trail
The Great Glen Way
The Irish Coast to Coast Walk
The Mountains of Ireland
The North York Moors
The Pennine Way
The Reivers Way
The South West Coast Path
The Teesdale Way
Trekking in Greenland
Trekking in the Alps
Trekking through Mallorca
Walking and Trekking in Iceland
Walking in County Durham
Walking in Madeira
Walking in Mallorca
Walking in Malta
Walking in Menorca
Walking in Sardinia
Walking in the North Pennines
Walking on Gran Canaria
Walking on Guernsey
Waling on Jersey
Walking on La Gomera and El Hierro
Walking on La Palma
Walking on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura
Walking on Scilly
Walking on Tenerife
Walking on the Isle of Arran
Walking the Galloway Hills
© Paddy Dillon 2015
Second edition 2015
ISBN 978 1 85284 788 3
First edition 2007, reprinted 2009
ISBN 978 1 85284 504 9
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Photos and maps by the author
Printed in Singapore by KHL Limited
Updates to this Guide
While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/788/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom.
Front cover: Walking the South West Coast Path near Trevone in North Cornwall (Day 13)
Back cover: The celebrated rock arch at Durdle Door is an iconic image on the Dorset coast (Day 43, South West Coast Path)
CONTENTS
Foreword
Introduction
Wanted: A Long Green Trail
Making Trails
Trail Themes
Waymarking
Path Associations
Maps
Guidebooks
Long-distance Laughs
Websites
Accommodation
Food and Drink
Tourist Information Centres
Preparing for a Long Walk
General Fitness
Packing
Best Time of Year
Making Time
Who’s Going?
Planning
Public Transport
Daily Routine
Emergencies
South West Coast Path
South Downs Way
North Downs Way
The Ridgeway
Thames Path
Cotswold Way
Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path
Yorkshire Wolds Way
Cleveland Way
Pennine Bridleway
Pennine Way
Hadrian’s Wall Path
Pembrokeshire Coast Path
Offa’s Dyke Path
Glyndŵr’s Way
Southern Upland Way
Speyside Way
West Highland Way
Great Glen Way