What is classed as long distance walking? Data | Miles | Stats

Some links on posts are affiliate links and will earn us a commission from qualifying purchases

The more we walk regularly, the more our thoughts turn to the possibility of doing some long distance walks. But just what is classed as long distance walking?

Long distance walking can be classed as one of the following two things:

• A walk of 20 miles or more, or;
• A walk that lasts multiple days.

What is the appeal of a long distance walk?

A long distance walk is a real chance to escape your everyday life, to immerse yourself into nature, and to get rid of all your stresses and worries.

Being out from dawn to dusk walking allows you the chance to really relax, and allows you to see the beauty of nature all around you. There’s something quite exciting the day before, knowing that you are about to head out for the whole day, and obviously preparation is key. More on that shortly.

Expand that walk over several days and you have a challenge, one that you can plan weeks or months in advance. It may be that you want to visit an area that you have never been to, and rather than do the sightseeing tours, you truly want to immerse yourself into the local life and get a feel of what it’s like to live there.

How fit do I need to be to do a long distance walk?

Obviously, if you are going to go for a walk that lasts a week, you need to have built up your fitness levels. It’s not like going for a 5 mile walk that you probably usually do every weekend. You need to be able to walk 10-20 miles every day, over a prolonged time if it’s more than one day.

But you can’t just decide to do it, you need to prepare your body and your mind as well, as no doubt it will get tough at times. Build up your fitness levels so that you can tackle the distances involved with confidence.

Look to increase a long walk at the weekend gradually. You should be walking several days a week, and as most people will be doing their longer walks at the weekend, look to increase these each week by no more than 10%. So if you usually walk 10 miles on a Saturday or Sunday, increase this by a mile each week.

This gradual increase in length allows your body to adapt without putting it under too much stress. Over this time you will build muscle and improve your blood supply around your body. Increase too quickly and you’ll increase your chances of injury, which will set you further back in your quest and may even stop you completely from meeting your challenge.

You need to be able to complete a 20-25 mile walk in your training, at least twice in the weeks leading up to the walk. And you also need to be able to fit longer walks into consecutive days, so that your body gets used to this before you set off.

Train with the equipment you will use

Don’t forget that you need to train with the equipment that you will be using on your long distance walk. Most people will know that it’s no good buying a new pair of walking boots, they need breaking in, but what about other equipment such as rucksacks or walking poles?

It’s no good preparing your body and mind, testing your boots so that they don’t cause blisters, if you buy a new rucksack and find that it rubs on your shoulders as the straps are not suitable. Or that you buy new walking poles that you’ve never used before, only to find that the handles are uncomfortable. And you also need to factor in that if you do need to replace gear, that these are tested too!

Long distance walk planning

Ok, so you are getting your fitness levels up in the months ahead, but what else needs planning, I hear you ask? Put quite simply – lots!

Where shall I walk?

There are numerous places you can plan your long distance walk, both here in the United Kingdom, or if you fancy exploring other countries and continents, then that is certainly possible, although there are many other factors to consider.

You’ll see towards the bottom of this article I have listed out walks for you in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, sorted alphabetically in each country. Whilst not an extensive list, I’m sure there’s plenty of choice for you.

I believe that we are so lucky to live here, and there’s so much wonderful scenery, that exploring different parts of the United Kingdom would be enough for most walkers.

Planning the route

Of course, you don’t have to stick to one of the routes listed below, you may want too make up one of your own. Whilst there’s an advantage in taking on a pre-defined route in that it will be signposted well, if you are good with a map and compass then why not plot out your own route and schedule.

Even if you are using one of the pre-defined routes below, you may not want to stick to the suggested schedules. It may be that you are combining your walk with a trip to see friends and family, perhaps for a wedding or other celebration; maybe a visit to a particular landmark or place of interest, such as The Eden Project in Cornwall or The Falkirk Wheel and The Kelpies. It’s always good to put in a rest day or two from your walk – especially if boosting yourself with friendship or knowledge.

Planning your accommodation

Where are you going to put your head down at the end of the day? Will you be camping? If so, you’ll need to carry your tent and equipment, which adds a lot of weight to your rucksacks.

Or maybe you’ll be staying in hostels – if so, these will need to be booked well in advance, and obviously will dictate your schedule too. The same goes for b&b’s or hotels. So a good plan and schedule is definitely required.

It is possible to hand over this task to specialist companies, and that may well be a good option if this is your first long distance walk. They will also know the best places to book for walkers, and can also arrange for transfer of your equipment from place to place, thus limiting the amount that you need to carry on your back.

Who are you going to walk with?

You may be alone, and there’s nothing wrong with that, you know your own limits and capabilities. But you may want to walk with others, so will you be walking as a couple, with friends, or maybe join a walking group through a specialised company?

Whilst myself and Nicky are quite happy to walk together, the pressure it may put on some couples having no-one else may be testing. Perhaps you have long-standing friends that you enjoy a walk with? But a long distance walk over a number of days is somewhat different than a weekly dog walk at the weekend. You may want to walk in an organised group with people that share that same love of walking; but of course that would seem awful to some people.

we are all different but this does need serious consideration before you get too far into your plans.

Food and drink

You need to seriously consider the amount of food and drink that you will need whilst walking each day. You need to keep nourished and hydrated whilst you walk, but how much do you take with you each day?

Are you going to rely on finding cafes and pubs en route? If so, you’ll need to ensure you carry enough money with you, or at least know where you can get to a cashpoint machine, although most places will take cards nowadays.

If you are going to pick up provisions en route, you’ll need to know what is available in the ways of shops at the start or end of the walking day, although you may come across farm shops selling goods en route.

Make sure you take every opportunity to top up water bottles so that you have enough water to drink every day.

Weather

Depending when you walk will also be a factor to what you need to take with you. If you are walking in winter, then you will need to factor in layers, whereas if you are walking in summer you will hopefully be ok wearing shorts for large parts of the days.

But of course, being in our beautiful land, the weather is quite changeable, so it would be good to do some research with locals to ensure that you know what to expect. It may be a really dry spell here in Kent, but head further north and they may be having intermittent showers.

First Aid kit

It’s imperative that you have a decent first aid kit that you can carry with you. There’s a very good chance you will get some blisters, although if you are wearing good shoes and socks hopefully these will be kept to a minimum.

But you’ll also need to consider insect bites and stings, sunburn and possibly grazes from falls and stumbles. It will be better to be prepared than have to hobble on to the next town in agony.

---

Long distance walks in the United Kingdom

As I stated earlier, this is not an extensive list, as you can plan your own routes anywhere you want. But the tables below will give you lots of choices for a pre-defined route. These will be sign-posted well, which if you are like us and get lost often, is always a good help! I hope you enjoy the lists!

Long Distance Walks in England

Name	From	To	Miles	Difficulty	Days	Elevation
Chiltern Way	Boxmoor	Boxmoor	134	Medium	8-11	9,840 ft
Cleveland Way	Helmsley	Scarborough	105	Medium	6-8	10,870 ft
Coast to Coast walk	St Bees	Scarborough	182	Medium	12-17	21,976 ft
Cotswold Way	Chipping Camden	Kingsmead	100	Medium	6-9	11,155 ft
Cumbria Way	Ulverston	Caldewgate	74	Medium	5-7	7,648 ft
Dales High Way	Saltaire	Appleby-in-Westmorland	90	Medium	5-7	12,222 ft
Dales Way	Ilkley	Windermere	80	Easy	5-7	5,217 ft
Dartmoor Way	Buckfastleigh	Buckfastleigh	84	Medium	5-7	8,501 ft
Grand Union Canal Walk	London	Ladywood	139	Easy	8-11	2,759 ft
Hadrian’s Wall Path	Benton	Bowness	86	Easy	4-6	4,003 ft
Herefordshire Trail	Ledbury	Ledbury	156	Medium	9-13	1,326 ft
Herriot Way	Aysgarth	Aysgarth	50	Medium	3-4	6,145 ft
Hertfordshire Way	Royston	Royston	160	Easy	9-13	7,389 ft
Icknield Way	Chinnor	Knettishall	136	Easy	8-11	6,637 ft
Jurassic Way	Banbury	Stamford CP	89	Easy	5-7	4,354 ft
London Loop	Erith	West Thurrock	152	Easy	8-12	6,880 ft
Mendip Way	Weston-super-Mare	Great Elm	49	Medium	4-5	6,693 ft
Midshires Way	Chinnor	Stockport	225	Easy	12-17	11,283 ft
North Downs Way	Farnham	Dover	127	Medium	8-11	9,886 ft
North East Coast path	Scarborough	Amble	156	Easy	9-13	7,576 ft
North West Coast Path	Allonby	Whitehaven	22	Easy	1-2	663 ft
Northumberland Coast Path	Cresswell	Kyloe	63	Easy	3-4	3,314 ft
Offa’s Dyke Path	Tidenham	Prestatyn	179	Medium	11-15	23,318 ft
Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path	Knettishall	Great Yarmouth	134	Easy	6-9	2,638 ft
Pennine Bridleway	Middleton CP	Ravenstonedale	169	Medium	8-11	17,901 ft
Pennine Way	Edale	Braehouse	261	Medium	15-22	29,037 ft
Pennine Way – 2-3 day	Edale	Oldham	29	Medium	2-3	4,377 ft
Ribble Way	Longton	Ingleton	71	Easy	4-6	4,403 ft
Saxon Shore Way	Milton	Hastings	164	Easy	9-13	7,126 ft
Severn Way	Wales	Old City	226	Easy	13-18	6,083 ft
Shakespeare’s Way	Stratford-upon-Avon	Southwark	131	Easy	7-10	5,506 ft
South Downs Way	Bar End	Eastbourne	100	Medium	6-8	9,105 ft
South Downs Way – 4 day	Washington	Eastbourne	46	Medium	3-4	4,479 ft
South East Coast Path North	Hopton-on-Sea	Weybourne	47	Easy	3-4	1,096 ft
South East Coast Path South	Camber	Ramsgate	62	Easy	4-5	2,277 ft
South West (North) Coast Path	Brean	Minehead	58	Easy	4-5	1,329 ft
South West Coast Path	Minehead	Studland	640	Medium	41-58	83,013 ft
South West Coast Path – 2-3 days	Exmouth	Lyme Regis	31	Medium	2-3	4,456 ft
South West Coast Path – 3-5 Day	Minehead	Combe Martin	37	Difficult	3-5	8,504 ft
South West Coast Path – 4-5 days	Clovelly	Tintagel	47	Difficult	4-5	9,105 ft
St Cuthberts Way	Melrose	Holy Island	64	Medium	4-6	6,001 ft
Teesdale Way	Dufton	Warrenby	96	Easy	5-7	3,770 ft
Thames Path	Coates	New Charlton	183	Easy	9-13	1,723 ft
The Great British Walk	Durness	Lizard	1,076	Easy	47-67	116,532 ft
The Ridgeway National Trail	West Overton	Ivinghoe	87	Easy	5-7	5,289 ft
Trans Pennine Trail	Hornsea	Birkdale	214	Easy	12-17	4,584 ft
Two Moors Way	Wembury	Lynton and Lynmouth	108	Medium	6-8	11,175 ft
Viking Way	Barton-upon-Humber	Oakham	151	Easy	8-11	4,954 ft
Wessex Ridgeway	Marlborough	Lyme Regis	137	Medium	8-12	12,753 ft
Yorkshire Wolds Way	Hessle	Scarborough	78	Medium	4-6	5,830 ft

---

Long Distance Walks in Scotland

Name	From	To	Miles	Difficulty	Days	Elevation
Arran Coastal Way	Brodick	Brodick	65	Easy	4-6	3,461 ft
Ayrshire Coastal Path	Smyrton	Skelmorlie	93	Easy	6-8	3,603 ft
Borders Abbeys Way	Melrose	Melrose	67	Easy	4-5	4,636 ft
Cape Wrath Way East	Fort William	Scotland	231	Medium	15-21	29,335 ft
Cape Wrath Way West	Upper Achintore	Scotland	234	Medium	15-22	33,279 ft
Cateran Trail	Blairgowrie	Blairgowrie	66	Medium	4-6	7,008 ft
East Highland Way	Fort William	Aviemore	82	Medium	5-7	6,178 ft
Fife Coastal Path	Kincardine	Newburgh	118	Easy	7-10	5,040 ft
Formatine and Buchan Way	Dyce	Fraserburgh	42	Easy	2-3	1,079 ft
Forth and Clyde – Union Canal Towpath	Auchentorlie House	Tollcross	63	Easy	4-5	1,824 ft
Great Glen Way	Fort William	Haugh	74	Medium	5-7	5,998 ft
John Muir Way	Helensburgh	Dunbar	133	Easy	7-10	6,050 ft
John o’ Groats Way	Haugh	John o’ Groats	147	Easy	8-12	9,617 ft
Kintyre Way	Tarbert	Machrihanish	100	Medium	6-9	10,178 ft
Loch Lomond and Cowal Way	Portavadie	Coiregrogain	57	Medium	4-6	7,294 ft
Pennine Way	Edale	Braehouse	261	Medium	15-22	29,037 ft
Rob Roy Way	Drumbeg	Pitlochry	80	Medium	5-7	8,350 ft
Skye Trail	Shulista	Broadford	80	Medium	5-7	9,423 ft
Southern Upland Way	Portpatrick	Woodend	215	Medium	13-18	24,621 ft
Speyside Way	Buckie	Kincraig	73	Easy	4-6	4,498 ft
St Cuthberts Way	Melrose	Holy Island	64	Medium	4-6	6,001 ft
The Great British Walk	Durness	Lizard	1,076	Easy	47-67	116,532 ft
West Highland Way	Milngavie	Fort William	94	Medium	6-8	10,043 ft

---

Long Distance Walks in Wales

Name	From	To	Miles	Difficulty	Days	Elevation
Beacons Way	Abergavenny	Llangadog	101	Difficult	7-10	18,613 ft
Cambrian Way	Castle	Conwy	298	Difficult	19-27	55,262 ft
Glyndwrs Way	Knighton	Welshpool	137	Medium	8-12	19,184 ft
Offa’s Dyke Path	Tidenham	Prestatyn	179	Medium	11-15	23,318 ft
Pembrokeshire Coast Path	Brynhenllan	Amroth	156	Medium	10-14	11,592 ft
Severn Way	Wales	Old City	226	Easy	13-18	6,083 ft
Snowdonia Way	Forge	Bethesda	96	Medium	4-6	16,290 ft
Snowdonia Way – Mountain Route	Machynlleth	Bethesda	121	Difficult	6-9	32,794 ft
Wales Coast Path	Saltney	Chepstow	873	Easy	52-74	53,234 ft
Wales Coast Path – 3-4 days	Conwy	Caernarfon	29	Easy	2-4	1,204 ft

---

Long Distance Walks in Ireland

Name	From	To	Miles	Difficulty	Days	Elevation
Avondhu Way	Clonmel	Dromore	63	Medium	4-5	6,293 ft
Barrow Way	Robertstown ED	Glebe	72	Easy	4-6	676 ft
Beara Breifne Way	Killaconenagh	Tuam ED	428	Easy	24-34	28,407 ft
Beara Way	Kilcaskan	Kilcaskan	130	Medium	8-12	18,055 ft
Bluestack Way	Donegal ED	Ardara ED	36	Medium	2-3	2,753 ft
Bull Island and Howth Cliff Walk	Clontarf East B ED	Howth ED	16	Medium	1-2	1,135 ft
Burren Way	Ennistimon	Corrofin	47	Medium	3-4	4,000 ft
Cavan Way	Yugan ED	Belcoo East	14	Medium	1-2	1,071 ft
Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail	Castlebar	Croaghpatrick	41	Medium	1-2	3,035 ft
Dingle Way	Tralee	Tralee	114	Medium	6-8	8,176 ft
Dublin Mountains Way	Shankill-Shanganagh ED	Tallaght-Oldbawn ED	26	Medium	1-2	2,832 ft
Dulhallow Way	Dromore	Doocarrig	42	Medium	2-3	4,255 ft
East Clare Way	Killaloe	Killaloe	98	Medium	6-9	9,515 ft
East Munster Way	Carrick-on-Suir	Clogheen	47	Medium	3-4	4,715 ft
Grand Canal Way	Gollierstown Bridge	Shannonharbour ED	72	Easy	4-6	643 ft
Kerry Camino	Tralee	Dingle Urban ED	35	Medium	2-3	2,756 ft
Kerry Way	Killarney	Killarney	116	Medium	7-10	13,797 ft
Lough Derg Way	Custom House	Monsea	41	Easy	2-3	2,392 ft
Mid-Clare Way	Shannon	Shannon	95	Easy	5-7	3,911 ft
Miner’s Way and Historic Trail	Drumshanbo ED	Dowra ED	73	Medium	4-6	5,998 ft
North Kerry Way	Tralee	Ballyheige	30	Easy	1-2	1,475 ft
Royal Canal Way	Ballybough	Glebe	91	Easy	4-6	817 ft
Seven Heads Peninsula	Courtmacsherry	Courtmacsherry	29	Medium	1-2	2,136 ft
Sheep’s Head Way	Bantry Urban	Bantry Urban	56	Medium	3-4	6,073 ft
Slieve Bloom Way	Capard ED	Capard ED	54	Medium	4-5	5,883 ft
Sligo Way	Kilmacteige ED	Drumahaire ED	49	Easy	2-3	2,820 ft
South Leinster Way	Lackabeg	Carrick-on-Suir	65	Medium	4-5	5,499 ft
Stradbally Mountain Loop	Stradbally	Stradbally	16	Medium	1-2	2,638 ft
Suck Valley Way	Killeroran	Killeroran	65	Easy	3-4	1,421 ft
The Ireland Way	Killaconenagh	Ballycastle	629	Easy	36-52	42,919 ft
Tipperary Heritage Way	Clonmel	Cashel Urban	36	Easy	1-2	1,417 ft
Tochar Phadraig	Castlebar	Croaghpatrick	20	Medium	1-2	1,875 ft
Western Way	Fough West	Ballycastle ED	112	Easy	6-8	6,989 ft
Wicklow Way	Ballinteer-Marley ED	Clonegal	80	Medium	6-8	11,712 ft
Wicklow Way – 4 day	Ballinteer-Marley ED	Knockrath	39	Medium	3-4	6,618 ft

---

Conclusion : What is classed as long distance walking?

Just a reminder, a long distance walk can be an all day event or a walk over several days, or if you tackle one of the major walks above, many days. Make sure you are fit enough to tackle the walk of your choice, and make sure that you have planned every aspect before you set off. Things will always crop up to throw you off slightly, but the more you have planned the less that this will upset your rhythm.

What next?

Check out this post on keeping your motivation going whilst on long distance walks.