All of the U.K. LDWs I've done (as of Oct 2019), ranked, with comments
Well, here it is: My ranking of the 16 U.K. LDWs I have done to date between 2013 and 2019 (I did not include the Ayrshire Coastal Path as I did not walk any 1 full day of it, but I did include some others that I did not fully complete). In order to rank them, I did a few things.
- whether I would contemplate repeating
that LDW in the future, perhaps even putting it ahead of a walk I had never
done before
- the amount of scenic variety in said
walk
- any excessive civilisation evident in
a walk
- I chose the walks in pairs, envisaged those 2 walks asking myself
which of the two would I do again if I had to do one of them. I kept doing that until I had a ranked list,
from least-liked to most-liked.
On with the countdown!!
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#16. Great Glen Way
Description:
A 6-day walk (I managed 4) from Inverness to Fort William, along the shores of lochs. Some highland walking on the
first day, but soon lapsed into a lot of pine plantation walking that lasted
through to the end of day 3. Day 4 was
half canal walking, and half woodland walking around the shores of Loch
Orch. I missed out on the final 2 days
because of an injury, but understand they comprise mostly of loch/canal
walking and more pine forest. The final section into Fort
William passes Inverlochy Castle (awesome ruins that I walked back to after making it into Fort William via bus).
Pros: The
section of woods along Loch Orch was beautiful. My first LDW.
Cons: Too many
pine forests, especially along Loch Ness.
Would I do it again?
No, except for a day-walk from Fort William to visit Neptune’s Staircase in the southernmost stage; by admitting that (and with the Inverlochy Castle ruins) perhaps this walk should be in the 15th spot instead. Also, I admit that my injury put a damper on all but the first 2 days of the walk, so maybe it isn't quite as bad I as remember.
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#15. Borders Abbeys Way
Description:
A 4-day circular walk for me (suggested to be done in 5 days) around the Scottish borders.
This is low level walking, incorporating farmland, road, forestry track,
and riverside walks. There are 4 abbey ruins
to visit, 1 of which is free due to the fact its ruins are minimal.
Pros:
There are 4 abbey ruins to visit, if that’s your thing.
Cons: 3 of the
abbeys were in a single day’s walk for me, and the other at an overnight stay,
so most days were abbey-less. No great
views. Too much road walking. Too flat.
Rapid pace due to there being very little to see/experience, then arriving at my destination just after lunch most days.
Would I do it again?
No. If someone wanted a relatively easy walk with low-level terrain I would suggest the Dales Way - it has abbey ruins also - (or even the Cotswold Way) over this.
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#14. White Peak Way
Description:
A 7-day circular walk (I did 4 of 6 planned stages) around the White Peak district.
The sections I walked were mostly short stages through low, stony valleys and farmland,
during rather wet weather. The Hathersage
– Castleton section would likely be better as it is on higher ground and offers
better views, but I took a different, valley, route through that area.
Pros: A
circular walk (if you want it to be) – I started in Buxton and went
anti-clockwise to Castleton/Edale.
Cons: Few train stations and no other convenient public
transit except from a couple of places.
A lot of shallow valley walking.
Excludes the gorgeous Stanage Edge (which you need another half-day for).
Would I do it again? Likely not, although I regret not doing the
day down to Ilam and up. Also, I can’t
comment on the north-west section (Castleton to Buxton) as I left that out. I would consider staying again in the North East and doing day walks in that region though. Having reconsidered this list months after creating it, the White Peak Way probably should not be as low (high?) in that I think it ranks better than some I've put after it (maybe slot it in at #12 instead, as it feels better than the Mendip Hills in hindsight, although that might be because of my disastrous last day on the Mendip Hills).
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Description:
An 11-day walk from west (at St. Bees) to east (at Robin Hood’s Bay) in the North
of England, crossing 3 national parks, that I am a bit biased against. The Western part consisted mostly of: up to a peak, down to
a valley, repeat ad nauseam. The central
part was mostly low level farmland except for a section either side of Keld. The eastern part is likely better seen via the
Cleveland Way. Seven of my eleven days
were wet, misty, and overcast, offering little-to-no views.
Pros: A
challenge. Includes 3 national parks.
Cons: Overrated. Too much focusing downward on foot placement in
the lakes (which meant not really being able to enjoy the views unless you
constantly stop to look up). Too wet during the time I walked it (which meant on
many days any views were obscured). The western part of the route often seems to focus too much on getting to the highest point (not my goal when walking). There is much better walking through the
Yorkshire Dales than the section in this (Lady Anne's Way, for example), and the Cleveland Way is arguably a better eastern walk/route.
Would I do it again?
No (for all of the reasons mentioned above), although I am considering an Alternative Coast to Coast that travels below the lake district in the west and does the Cleveland Way loop around to Robin Hood's Bay in the east, and overlaps less than 3 days walking in the middle with the C2C (and for one and a bit of those 3 days I did not end up walking the recommended C2C route anyway). I am also considering the Cumbria Way for a future walk, which apparently is the lake district without any peak climbing - if I do that one, it should enlighten me as to whether it is the rough, narrow higher altitude trails that I disliked about Lakeland or the scenery (I'm thinking the former).
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#12. Mendip Way
Description:
A 4-day walk from Frome to Weston-Super-Mare in the south-west of England,
incorporating both the east and west Mendip hills. There is a lot of farmland.
Pros: Wells
and Cheddar Gorge are highlights.
Cons: Not well
maintained. Not well waymarked. Possibly easy to get lost (I did in dramatic fashion twice on day 4). Sections closed.
Would I do it again?
No.
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#11. Cotswold Way
Description:
A 7-day walk
(which I did in 6, with 1 "rest" day) from Chipping Campden to Bath through many Cotswold villages and Southern England countryside.
Pros: Lots of
quaint villages. Essentially flat / low level (if that's your thing; not mine really. I prefer undulations, and fells and dales).
Cons: Lots of
quaint villages. Boring.
Would I do it again?
No.
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#10. St. Cuthbert’s Way
Description:
A 4-day walk from Melrose in Scotland to Lindisfarne Island on the Northumberland
coast. Because of my itinerary I did not
walk most of the first stage as I had circumnavigated that section while doing the Borders Abbeys Way,
but I did do the second stage twice, as I started the St. Cuthbert's Way in Kirk Yetholm after finishing the Pennine Way
and walked to Jedburgh (where I started the Borders Abbeys Way), then I walked the
reverse of that after completing the Borders Abbeys Way. I also made Lindisfarne a separate day so, technically for me, it was 4 days of adventuring even without including walking the first stage.
Pros: St.
Cuthbert’s Cave and Lindisfarne (as long as you can get away from the crowds at the latter).
Cons: The excessive
road walking, and the treacherous road walking across to Lindisfarne. Not a lot to see.
Would I do it again?
No.
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#9. Wye Valley Walk
Description:
A 7-day walk from Chepstow in Wales to the source of the river Wye. I walked the first 3 legs of this walk (over 5 days because I was supposed to do a 2-day diversion around Wales' Three Castles Walk, but didn't because I ended up in hospital overnight one night). When planning this walk I found the cost of accommodation and baggage transfers to be too prohibitive for the latter half, which explains my only 3 days and ending at Hereford.
Pros: Not just a riverside walk, as the trail often goes a different route than the river. Plenty of places to stay for the first half.
Cons: Even with SatNav and an OS map it was sometimes hard to stay exactly on the trail at one point on day 2. The heat in July was excessive
and contributed to my hospital visit. It was tricky trying to find places to stay in the second half (which I didn't walk, although doing the whole thing was the initial plan).
Would I do it again? Possibly, if I can find a cost-effective way to do the whole thing, although the Wales Coastal path is beckoning stronger (and the memory of my night in the hospital is pushing me to not reconsider this walk again).
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#8. Dales Way
Description:
A 6-day riverside (mostly) walk along Wharfedale and Langstrothdale, from
Ilkley, through the Yorkshire Dales and ending on the edge of the Lake District
near Bowness-on-Windermere. At the time the
only reason I chose this walk was because I was suffering from a back problem
and wanted something less strenuous to start my holiday, and I wanted to revisit some of the locations from when walking Lady Anne's Way.
Pros: A
beautiful riverside section on the first day, and again north of Buckden.
Cons: Quite
flat (unless that is what you are looking for). Bowness-on-Windermere.
Would I do it again?
Maybe, but there are numerous other walks I have not done yet that would take precedence (and Lady Anne's Way roughly covers days 2&3 of this anyway).
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#7. Dales High Way
Description:
A 6-day walk from Saltaire to Appleby-in-Westmorland in the Yorkshire Dales, passing through a
variety of scenery.
Pros: The variety
of the first 3 ½ days, culminating in Blea Moor.
Cons: The last
day (the rivers were flooding the day I did it), and the bit either side of Dent.
Would I do it again? Quite likely if time and opportunity arise.
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#6. Cleveland Way
Description:
A 7-day walk (I walked the first 5 stages in 2018, planned to walk the last 2 days in 2019 at the end of Wainwright's Coast to Coast but didn't as I was, stupidly in hindsight, too lazy and had some rest days instead). It runs north from Helmsley, curves through the Cleveland
Hills to the coast, and then down the coast to Filey.
Pros: Rievaulx
Abbey, the Cleveland Hills, coastal paths
Cons: From
Kildale to the coast, especially Skelton, which seemed very run down (oh, the irony).
Would I do it again?
Yes! I have done parts of it twice, where Wainwright’s C2C overlaps this LDW, and I still want to walk the Robin Hood’s Bay – Filey sections. If I end up doing the Alternate Coast to Coast in the future it will also incorporate, most (4 days) of, the Cleveland Way!
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Description:
A 6-day (although, if walking it again I would likely do it in 4) walk from Milngavie, on
the outskirts of Glasgow, north-west to Fort William, with some dramatic scenery on day 5.
Pros: Variety
of scenery, especially parts of the Glen Coe section. The fish 'n' chips I got in Kinlochleven were awesome!
Cons: Many
easy/short days. Constant traffic noise
along most of the route. The day-trippers/road
in Glen Coe. The name implies a lot of
high level walking, but there is not that much.
Would I do it again?
Yes, but in less stages/days. Unless I have many more U.K. visits though, it probably isn't in the cards as there are numerous walks I have not none yet that will likely take priority (and currently the Dava/Moray/Speyside/East Highland Ways as a continuous walk are top of any future Scotland walks, although a backwards West Highland Way could potentially tack on to the end of that).
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#4. Pennine Way
Description:
A 15-day walk through the backbone of Northern England, beginning at the
southern end of the dark peak district in Edale, and ending just over the
border in Scotland at Kirk Yetholm. Some
long sections of peat moorland, especially in the first few days. Dramatic climbs and views in the middle
(however those days were misty, so I can not vouch for the great views).
Pros: Known as
the toughest LDW in England. A great
sense of accomplishment. Many seemingly remote
sections.
Cons: Known as
the toughest LDW in England. Can have
low-visibility days. Some boring bits
that go on. Less scenic variety over
the same distance than other walks. The bog wasn't too bad when I walked it, but I would not want it any worse.
Would I do it again?
While I was walking it, especially in the beginning stages, I thought I wouldn't do it again. Now I know what to expect I think I would do it again, given time and opportunity, but I would likely do the Pennine Bridleway or A Pennine Journey first before I reconsidered the Pennine Way just for a bit of variety.
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#3. Ridgeway
Description:
A 6-day walk encompassing the East and West Ridgeway better, I think, walked
from North-East (at Ivinghoe Beacon) to South-West (at Avebury) as the historical content
gets better and better as you progress in that direction.
Pros: 2 distinct
halves. Great historical content. Easy terrain.
Cons: No cheap
baggage companies.
Would I do it again?
Definitely; it's in some of the possible future plans should COVID allow international travel (and I have the funds to go to the U.K.) again. I would likely include it in a Peddars Way/Icknield Way/Ridgeway/Great Stones Way continuous walk.
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#2. Lady Anne’s Way
Description:
I first walked Lady Anne's Way in 2015. It is a 6-day walk through the north of England and the Yorkshire Dales from Skipton
to Penrith, passing through some of the greatest countryside and farmland I
have seen. It was a toss-up as to whether this was my favourite walk or not; it probably is as it is my first and only (to date) "repeat" long distance walk, so I'd say this is tied with the next walk at the top spot.
Pros: Variety
of scenery. Yorkshire Dales! Historical sites. Castles.
Cons: The last
1 ½ sections with lots of mud and wet long grass.
Would I do it again? I already have, as I walked it again in 2019, and
I definitely would do it a third time (albeit with functioning waterproof boots) if it fits in with other plans. Although, I would like to do the Settle to Carlisle Way first, which overlaps Lady Anne's Way in a couple of places around Appleby.
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Description:
A 43-day walk (plus one rest day) from Minehead, circumnavigating the
English south-west coast, to South Haven Point near Poole. If you like views of the ocean and coastline,
this walk is for you. The reason this is ahead of Lady Anne's Way on this list is because this is much longer and therefore is an extended treat and a huge accomplishment, but really the two walks are first equal in ranking.
Pros: Amazing
coastal scenery for over 1000kms.
Cons: Requires
a lengthy time commitment. Due to the
length of time, the weather will be variable. A few places have little/no cost-effective accommodation. A number of ferries cease running in mid-to-late September for the season.
Would I do it again? Definitely, if I have the time (choosing this again over other walks is unlikely because I could do multiple other walks in the same time period, or the whole of the Wales coast path). Even if I don't do it again, I’d like to do the few short part-day sections I
missed due to injury.
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That concludes my rankings for all 16 U.K. LDWs done between 2013 and 2019 (half of which were done in 2019!). I've re-read this post a number of times and have wanted to tweak some of the rankings, but have refrained from doing so (opting instead to add some additional comments). As time goes by some walks seem better in hindsight (perhaps because at the time I was dealing with injury or inclement weather which soured my mood or obscured a more objective view, or that time makes things seem better). I have also now included mentioning a number of future walks I would like to do (that are possibly an alternate walk in the same area). As much as I would like to repeat the walks that rank highest, there are so many other walks to consider and, perhaps, repeating a walk might give me a worse experience of it than my first one and thereby alter my memories, and enjoyment, of it - although the second Lady Anne's Way experience was great. With only so much time, the inability to travel because of COVID-19, currently not working (and with a looming large and expensive house repair), getting older, the cost of doing some walks, and physically being located the furtherest I possibly could be from the U.K. I have to prioritise any possible future walks in the U.K. We will see where the next 5 years or so takes us.
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