Not many types of holidays let you unwind and relax like a walking holiday. Not only that, you also get a ton of benefits that hiking brings, but what if you could make it even better? Yeah, try the self-guided version of those amazing trips. You will get the chance to walk at your own pace, stop when you want, and enjoy the freedom. Especially if it’s your first time doing it and you choose a location like the UK and a specialized agency like Orbisways.
This way, you’re getting not only the benefits of walking holidays, but also the pros of a self-guided trip and the advantages of letting an agency handle the annoying part.
How OrbisWays Makes Planning Easy
One of the biggest drawbacks of a walking holiday is the amount of planning it requires, and this is exactly what a specialized agency like OrbisWays comes in; they give you maps, book your stays, and move your bags for you, as well as 24/7 phone support.
When you get everything ready for you, you get a real chance to properly relax, which increases your chances of immersing in the local culture. For example, you will not end up in boring chain hotels near a loud highway. Instead, you stay in family-run bed and breakfasts full of local charm and friendly hosts.
But by far the biggest game-changer is the luggage transfer; they will carry your luggage from point to point, this way you only carry a light bag with your water, snacks, and a rain jacket.
Top UK Walking Routes for Beginners
The UK is not chosen just because I like it, but because it’s actually perfect for a beginner, which makes it the best option for anyone who’s trying to do a walking holiday for the first time. Most trails are easy to follow, well-marked, well-maintained, and there are a lot of amenities along them. On top of that, they are packed with history and an incredible culture.
Not only that, the UK weather is mild, people are friendly, and the landscape is stunning, like out of a medieval fantasy movie.
Now, the UK has hundreds of trails, but only a few stand out as great options for your first time. For example, the Cotswold Way, which is a path that takes you through stunning English villages made of stone, green hills, and woodlands. It is gentle, beautiful, and relatively easy on your knees.
Another incredible option is the West Highland Way in Scotland. While the Scottish highlands sound rugged, the paths are well-maintained, and the views of the deep lochs and high mountains will leave you speechless.
On the other hand, if you love history, then there’s no better option than the Hadrian’s Wall Path. You literally walk alongside the ancient border of the Roman Empire, and touch the stone ruins.
Finally, the South West Coast Path offers stunning but almost dramatic ocean views in Cornwall. You will get to walk past golden beaches, fishing villages, and tall sea cliffs.
Training and Preparing Your Body
Don’t worry, you won’t need to be an athlete to complete a walking holiday, but I highly recommend that you start preparing a few months before the trip. Just like you check your car for a long road trip, you must check your body too.
All you need to do is start walking, just that, a few weeks or months before the trip, head out and walk a distance that feels comfortable, then push it a bit harder and keep going until you can walk 10km in a day. Try to find some local hills to practice on, since the UK countryside is rarely perfectly flat.
The most important part of your preparation would be your boots; never ever go with a pair of brand-new boots or running shoes on a long-distance hike. If you do, you will be taking a shortcut to getting terrible blisters on the very first day, and that will ruin your entire week.
So, make sure you walk all those preparation weeks with the actual shoes you will be taking to the walking holiday.
Also, practice walking with the small daypack you plan to use. Get used to the weight of your water bottles and extra layers.
Conclusion
A walking holiday is a great way to unwind while connecting to nature and truly immersing in a different culture. On a trip like this, completely reset from your busy everyday life, it’s also a good chance to unplug from screens, breathe real, fresh air, and move your body exactly how nature intended.
The best part is that you can get it right with just a bit of planning: choosing the right route, planning the stops, booking the right hotels, and taking care of the logistics, but remember that thanks to OrbisWays, the scary parts of planning are completely erased. You do not have to worry about the logistics, carrying heavy bags, or getting lost in a foreign place. They handle the hard stuff so you can just focus on the trail.
