The UK boasts countless breathtaking hikes and walking trails (find Time Out’s picks of the best ones here), but all too often the start and/or end points of those treks are only accessible by car. For those of us that can’t or don’t want to drive, we’re stuck either walking a long way to an already-lengthy-hike or relying on dodgy rural public transport.
In other words, a ranking of the UK’s best hikes that are also accessible by train sounds like a very valuable thing indeed – and that’s what has just been published by outdoor retailer Blacks. The company’s researchers ranked trails by taking into account factors like popularity (in terms of Google Search volume), quality (judged by AllTrails reviews) and distance from the nearest train station.
Top spot was awarded to the Seven Sisters Cliff Walk, which runs between Eastbourne and Seaford in East Sussex. Offering views of some of the UK’s most dramatic cliffs and the rolling greenery of the South Downs National Park, this out-and-back trail totals 33 kilometres. Both Eastbourne and Seaford have train stations, and you can find the route’s AllTrails guide here.
Second place in Blacks’ list went to the Mam Tor Circular walk in the Peak District. The view-tastic Derbyshire trail boasts an impressive 4.8 score on AllTrails, and you can start it at the village of Hope – which has a rail stop on the line between Manchester and Sheffield.
The bronze medal went to the Box Hill Circular, an eight-mile walk in Surrey. Box Hill is one of the most accessible day trip destinations from London, and this walk is a short saunter from Box Hill & Westhumble station, which has services to London’s Victoria and Waterloo rail hubs.
The best walking routes in the UK that are accessible by train
Here is Blacks’ full top 10 rail-accessible walking trails in Britain.
- Seven Sisters and Seaford, East Sussex
- Mam Tor Circular, Hope, Derbyshire
- Box Hill Circular, Box Hill & Westhumble, Surrey
- Arthurs Seat, Edinburgh Waverley, Edinburgh
- Whernside and Ribblehead Circular, Ribblehead, North Yorkshire
- Kent Estuary and Arnside Knott Circular, Arnside, Cumbria
- Dover White Cliffs Walk, Dover Priory, Kent
- East Strand, Portrush, County Antrim
- Cleveland Way: Scarborough to Filey, Scarborough, North Yorkshire
- Ilkley Moor and Cow & Calf Rocks, Ilkley, West Yorkshire
Up for a hike this bank holiday weekend? Get more inspo from this walk in Northern Ireland, which was crowned the best in the UK by one study, and this cross-nation trail in England, which was named among the world’s best walks.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.