A bucket-list hike that deserves to be up there with Land’s End to John O’Groats, the Three Peaks and the Pennine Way, this is one you might have to book a sabbatical for, though, as it’s a 2,300-mile trek that takes you through some of Britain’s most stunning national parks.
The Slow Ways National Parks Trail links all 15 of the UK’s national parks to create the most epic walk through Britain’s most breathtaking landscapes. Made up of 253 individual routes and spanning three countries, it was first completed by John Scott, who called it the UK’s answer to the Appalachian Trail, Time Out reports.
What’s the route for the Slow Ways National Parks Trail?
The new trail begins in Cromer, near the Norfolk Broads, before passing along the perimeter of the English south coast and then entering Wales at the Brecon Beacons, before rejoining England in the Peak District. It then heads north into the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District, before continuing through the lochs and glens of Scotland’s national parks and finishing at Nairn.
It is crowdsourced by Slow Ways, an initiative that is building a national network of publicly reviewed hikes. Each route needs three positive reviews on the Slow Ways website to be verified for safety. Given the size of the trail, the organisation has turned it into a challenge – the National Park Trail Challenge – asking participants to review small sections.
Speaking to The Times, Scott said: “As expected, it is not yet fit for purpose as a long-distance trail… We need more local people to join in with Slow Ways, helping to check not just their part of the national parks trail, but routes that connect other places too.”
Where does it visit in Yorkshire?
The trail heads into Yorkshire via the Peak District, making its way towards Ilkley before heading east towards the Yorkshire Coast. From there, it travels north to Whitby, before crossing the North York Moors and heading south towards Masham.
It then strides through the Yorkshire Dales, taking in places such as Grassington and Settle, before leaving the county via Sedbergh and continuing into the Lake District.
To find out more about the new Slow Ways National Parks Trail, head over to the website here.
Read More: Famous Whitby Whale Bone Arch Removed Ahead Of £70,000 Replacement
Feature Image Credit: Unsplash (image is of Yorkshire Dales and is not necessary featured on the above route)
