Britain's best spring walks
From wildflower rambles to a coastline teeming with wildlife, celebrate the arrival of spring in the countryside with our pick of the best spring walks in Britain.
Walk: Roseberry Topping, North Yorkshire
Towering above Newton Wood is Roseberry Topping. Yorkshire’s Matterhorn, as it is also known, sits in the far north-west of the North York Moors National Park. It’s thought that its iconic profile may have been caused by a mine collapse in 1912. The soft clays and shales that lie beneath Roseberry Topping’s hard sandstone cap are rich in alum, jet and ironstone – it was this underlayer that the Victorians tunnelled into.
Distance: 8 miles (13km)
Duration: 4.5 hours
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Walk: Brigsteer Woods, Cumbria
Walk past a medieval castle and glowing wild daffodils with this four-mile walk in the Lake District National Park
This easy stroll passes Sizergh Castle before following woodland paths to tranquil Helsington Church, and one of the finest viewpoints in this corner of old Westmorland, an area earmarked for inclusion in an extended Lake District National Park.
Distance 4 miles
Duration 2 hours
Walk: Rockcliffe to Kippford, Dumfries and Galloway
Explore Dumfries and Galloway’s blooming Rough Firth, a Scottish inlet dotted with tidal islands, gorse-clad hills and woodlands brimming with the sweet scent of bluebells in this four-mile walk
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 2 hours
Walk: Coille Mhor, Balmacara, Highland
A beautiful five mile woodland walk on the north-west coast of Scotland that comes alive with wildflowers, lichen, and trees in spring
Walk: Caldey Island, Pembrokeshire
Explore the historic Welsh island of Caldey and its Cistercian abbey, where woodlands resound with birdsong and path verges blush pink in spring with clumps of thrift with this easy walk
Distance: 3.5 miles
Duration: 2 hours
Walk: Handa Island, Sutherland
Wrapped by brutish Atlantic swells and biting winds, this remote island off the west coast of Scotland makes for harsh living. But in spring, enduring these forces is one of north-west Europe’s largest seabird colonies
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 3 hours
Walk: Marshfield, South Gloucestershire
The southern Cotswolds, just south of the M4, is a hidden marvel on the edge of Bath and Bristol – explore this secret of the British countryside with a seven-mile walk alongside rivers and through fields
Distance: 7 miles
Duration: 4 hours
Walk: St Catherine’s Hill, Hampshire
Walk to the top of the tree-topped beacon of St Catherine's Hill in historic Winchester with this easy four-mile stroll
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 2.5 hours
Walk: Llanthony and Hatterall Ridge, Monmouthshire
Work up a sweat this spring by exploring one of Britain’s exhilarating national trails, the Offa’s Dyke Path. Running along the spine of England and Wales for 177 miles, this ancient path follows the eighth-century fortification built on the order of King Offa in an attempt to divide Mercia from rival kingdoms.
Distance: 4.6 miles
Duration: 3 hours
Bridge of Allan to Dunblane, Stirlingshire
The earthy scent of mosses, ferns and wild garlic are heavenly on this exquisite three-mile riverside ramble, where fish leap, herons stalk and weirs rumble.
Walk: Aberystwyth, Ceredigion
This spectacular five-mile cliff walk starts at the northern end of the town ascending Constitution Hill to follow the rugged Wales Coast Path to the dramatic sand dunes of Ynyslas.
Distance: 5 miles
Duration: 3 hours
Walk: River Stour, Suffolk
A short walk along the marshy banks of the River Stour, running from the Suffolk town of Dedham to Flatford Mill – once home to painter John Constable – and back again
Distance: 3 miles
Duration: 1.5 hours
Walk: Valley of Rocks, Exmoor National Park
Exult in towering sea cliffs where feral goats clamber skilfully between Devonian crags on our short circular walk around the Valley of Rocks in Devon.
Distance: 3.5 miles
Duration: 1.5 hours
Walk: Monsal Dale, Peak District
On a sunny spring day with a hint of breeze, the new season’s wildflowers assault the senses. Stand on Headstone Viaduct and breathe deeply; ramson’s garlicky smell drifts by, while hints of yellow, white, blue and purple ripple tantalisingly on the flanks and floor of Monsal Dale.
There’s a treat in store on this four-and-a-half mile ramble across, above and into the Wye’s twisting, wooded gorge deep in the White Peak.
Distance: 4.5 miles
Duration: 2 hours
Day out: Killerton Estate, Devon
The peaceful woods and parkland of this mid-Devon estate erupt with wild cyclamens in spring – it’s the perfect spot for a sunny April walk and a well-deserved cream tea
Main image: Spring daffodils in woodland in the English Lake District, Cumbria/Credit: Getty
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