Walking tours

 (Photo courtesy of the Empress Hotel)

Guided walks, hikes, and treks in England, Scotland, and Wales

It may be slow going, but there's no way to see the Olde World like a walking or hiking tour through Britain.

From strolls through the streets of London to walks through the Lake District, hikes in the Yorkshire Dales to treks across the Scottish Highlands, seeing the British countryside at a stroller's pace is a time-honored tradition, and "walking" is a cherished national passtime (the Brits will call a two-week hike across the country a "walk;" they're a hardy breed.)

For millennia, walking is how anyone not rich enough to afford a horse got around, and the United Kingdom is still very much built to a human scale, crisscrossed with ancient pathways, scattered with tiny villages and hamlets with welcoming inns each within a day's walk of the last.

Even if you don't want to walk from town to town through the countryside, you may be happy to spend a day walking around town with an experienced guide. There’s no better way to bring a city’s culture and history to life than through a professional guide’s anecdotes, character sketches, jokes, and tons of background details. And the easiest (and cheapest) way to get one is to sign up for a guided walking tour.

Hiking