Our Top 10 Walking Holidays for 2026
With so many walking holidays to choose from it can be tricky to know where to start. Whether you’re a first-time walker, looking for the perfect introduction, or a seasoned long-distance explorer adding to your list, sometimes the best way to discover what you love is to sample the tried and tested favourites, the people’s choice if you like. The ten walks featured here are shaping up to be our most popular picks for 2026, offering a fantastic mix of landscapes, experiences, and challenges. From the wild moorlands of northern England, to the gentle rolling hills of the South Downs and Cotswolds, the dramatic Highlands of Scotland, the stunning coastline of Wales, the charm of Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula, and the sun-drenched shores of Jersey, there’s something here for every taste. Each route has its own character, history, and scenery, offering a little taste of the very best of its region. Walkers will find panoramic views, historic towns, charming villages, wildlife-rich habitats, and opportunities to explore both cultural heritage and natural beauty. These ten walks, featured simply in alphabetical order, are the kind that leave you with memories to savour long after you’re back home, and they may just help you…
Top 6 Historical Sites to Visit Along the Cotswold Way
The Cotswold Way is a stunning 102 mile trail that winds through some of England’s most picturesque landscapes. As you walk along this iconic route, you’ll encounter a wealth of fascinating historical sites, each of them offering a glimpse into the past. In this blog, we’ve highlighted six must-see landmarks that showcase the region’s diverse history – from ancient burial sites to medieval castles and grand abbeys. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply looking to explore the timeless beauty of the Cotswolds, these sites offer something truly special along the way. Broadway Tower Perched on Middle Hill, the second-highest point in the Cotswolds, Broadway Tower is a striking folly with a fascinating history, and some of the most spectacular views along the Cotswold Way. Designed in the late 18th century by the renowned landscape architect Capability Brown, this elegant tower was built at the request of Lady Coventry, who wished to see if a beacon on the hill could be viewed from her home in Worcester – over 20 miles away. Over the centuries, Broadway Tower has served as a countryside retreat, a printing press for William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement, and even a wartime observation…
Why you should walk the Cotswold Way
The Cotswold Way is a charming and much cherished long-distance trail stretching 102 miles from the market town of Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire to the historic city of Bath in Somerset. Walking the Cotswold Way is a truly rewarding experience for those who appreciate the combination of history, heritage, and beautiful landscapes on their travels. Here we take a closer look at why we think you should consider this amazing trail as your next great adventure. The Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is characterised by its gently rolling hills, picturesque villages, and lush green patchwork fields. On your journey you’ll find yourself immersed in the natural beauty of the English countryside as you head through ancient woodlands, flower filled meadows, and along the Cotswold escarpment. Day after day, this delightful trail serves up enchanting landscapes that seem straight out of a storybook. The golden-hued stone walls and idyllic thatched cottages add to the quintessential charm. This is a place where time appears to slow down, allowing you to savour the beauty and tranquility of this unspoiled countryside. As you make your way along, you’ll pass through attractive Cotswold towns and villages such as Chipping Campden, Winchcombe, Painswick, and…
Anne-Marie’s Cotswold Way Adventure
Any of you that are regular readers of our Mickledore blogs will know that last year on my familiarisation trip, my friend Sarah and I got rather wet on the West Highland Way. So, this year, I requested to head south in the hope of getting some warmer, dryer weather on the Cotswold Way. Incredibly, when I asked Sarah if she would join me again, she said yes and she headed back to the UK from her home in Uganda, Africa. I started my adventure by driving to Bath, leaving my car there so I could pick it up at the end of the walk and catching a train back North to Chipping Campden. As usual it was raining at home but once I passed Lancaster on the M6 the sunglasses came out of the glovebox and I felt my shoulders relax and my walking legs begin to warm up with anticipation. Sarah started her journey at the other end of the country in Guildford, Surrey and we had a fairly ambitious plan to meet on the same train in Oxford. Unfortunately, these plans were slightly more ambitious than we originally thought and we arrived in Chipping Campden 2 hours…
Quality time in the Cotswold countryside
Last September I was delighted to be given the opportunity to walk the Cotswold Round as my Mickledore familiarisation trip. Living in the Lake District I’m certainly very lucky to be able to run and walk in our beautiful mountains, but I was very happy to have the opportunity to head south to experience some very different terrain, scenery (and hopefully a little bit of sunshine too)! Having only visited the Cotswolds once (and on that occasion only really passed through), I was keen to spend some quality time in the lovely Cotswold countryside and to see a few of its beautiful, picturesque towns and villages. Due to time constraints, I’d chosen the shortest itinerary on our Moreton-in-Marsh circuit which is a circular walk of approximately 45 miles starting and finishing, as the name suggests, in the market town of Moreton-in-Marsh. On this itinerary the daily mileages are somewhere between 9 and 13 miles, which would be perfect for us and would allow us a bit of spare time each day to explore the charming villages without feeling the need to rush. After a lengthy drive down from Cumbria we arrived in Moreton on a quiet Sunday afternoon. We checked…
Top 10 Highlights on the Cotswold Way
Stretching just over 100 miles from the medieval market town of Chipping Campden in the North Cotswolds to the historic City of Bath in Somerset, the Cotswold Way is one of England’s finest National Trails. The Cotswold landscape is an officially designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and its enthralling blend of parkland, neat fields with dry-stone walls and patches of lush woodland are testament to that. Choose to walk the whole route in one holiday over 6 to 11 days, or savour it over two shorter 5 day adventures with the northern ‘Escarpment and Villages‘ section and southern ‘Long Barrows and Baths‘. Could the Cotswold Way be your next great adventure? To help you decide we’ve put together our Top 10 Highlights on the Cotswold Way. It could easily have been double, it’s such a beautiful trail. Some can be enjoyed as part of your walking day, others will probably require a rest day to fully appreciate them. Chipping Campden Chipping Campden embodies quintessential English charm with its honey-coloured limestone buildings, quaint streets, and rich history. As the starting point of the Cotswold Way, this historic market town captivates visitors with its beauty and cultural significance. At the heart…
Paul Titley tackles five Mickledore holidays in 18 months!
Paul Titley and his wife Dawn are great travellers with our sister company KE Adventure Travel, also based in Keswick. They’ve used the last 18 months to tick off some long-standing UK walking ambitions and already have done five Mickledore trips! Paul, who owns a B&B in Keswick and was formerly the mayor of our town, is a passionate photographer, creating amazing photobooks of his holidays. He meticulously takes a photo every mile of each day’s walking. He’s been kind enough to share these with us and we’re delighted to be able to show you just a few of the highlights. Here’s what Paul has to say about his walking holidays with Mickledore, accompanied by his pictures, of course: “We decided to stick to walking in England and not bother going abroad this year, probably the first time in 10 years we haven’t travelled overseas. Our recent ‘career’ with Mickledore started off fairly locally, walking along Hadrian’s Wall. It was so good, we booked another couple of holidays immediately afterwards. What we like about Mickledore is that the accommodation is always reliably first class – with a previous company we have actually been given a barn! No kidding! We also…
Uncovering UK History on Walking Holidays
There is Nothing Like Being There There are some beautiful history books out there, some stunning documentaries and artwork that can evoke a sense of wonder, terror or nostalgia, but there is nothing that exhilarates the history buff quite as vividly as actually setting foot on the places where historical events actually happened. Walking is perhaps the best way to take in historical landscapes and sites because, for most of history, that is the way most people would have experienced them, up close and personal. If you want to ponder the world of Stone Age migrants; imagine what it would have been like to be a Roman soldier from the far south, posted on a cold wall at the Scottish borders; or plod the regular route of a towpath worker along the Thames, the best way to experience it is on foot. Area, or Era? There are a lot of walks based on particular areas of natural beauty, and beautiful scenery is often the main consideration for people choosing where to walk. Many routes have a variety of historical points of interest which span wide-ranging periods of time. The walks that are right for you are best chosen with a…
Katie and Shelley’s Search for Knowledge on the Cotswold Way
This article was written by Katie Armitage during her time with Mickledore and reflects her first-hand experience of the route. My colleague Shelley and I recently walked the Cotswold Way with the aim of enhancing our knowledge of the route as well as getting to know a few of our wonderful accommodation providers. Day 1: Chipping Campden to Winchcombe We started our Cotswold Way adventure from Chipping Campden. The trail started with a nice easy climb out of the village. We past several thatched houses and even spotted the house Graham Greene (famous English writer) once lived in! We continued the trail over stunning rolling hills with open views towards the South. After a few short climbs we arrived at Broadway Tower. Which is known for being the highest littlest castle in the Cotswolds. From there we made our way down to the picturesque village of Broadway. We happily stumbled upon a local food festival and as it was lunch time we tucked into some local delights! The next few miles we we’re treated to some outstanding views over the rural farmlands. We learnt that the Cotswold Way trail is made up of 83% of farmland. We found many benches…