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The Best of Britain’s Top 100 Walks

By Dave Roberts   

on December 16, 2019    4.67/5 (3)

Posted as a walk in – England, Europe, Scotland, Wales

The Best of Britain’s Top 100 Walks

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The Best of Britain’s Top 100 Walks

It was with mild horror that we greeted the list of what were apparently the best or favourite 100 walks in the UK on ITV a while back. For one of our favourite mountains to be represented by the Llanberis Path, one of the most tedious mountain experience you could inflict on any hill goer, was frankly way too much for us. However, here’s a selection of those top 100 walks we think actually deserve a mention  – so no Snowdon to be seen!! Other omissions are Ben Nevis as we’re not big fans of the Mountain Track in comparison to the CMD Arete and literally no other Scottish Munro to be seen other than Ben Macdui, which we’ve included to represent all those wonderful Munros that represent the pinnacle of UK Hill Walking.

We think that there are walks on this list – UK’s Best Mountain Walks – that blow most of these out of the water, but we do at least agree that Striding Edge deserves to be among the top walks (though not the top!). We could, and probably should, have made a list of the excellent walks such as the Nantlle Ridge and the Carneddau that surely should be on the list! The list was polled by The Ramblers and the Ordnance Survey, so it’s probably no surprise. Had the BMC been involved, then we reckon the list would have been much more representative of the best walks that the UK has to offer.

Of the top 100 – here are a few of our favourites, which we admit are a little biasaed towards mountain walks and the Welsh Coast.

32 Anglesey Coast Path

We’ve included this to represent both Anglesey, the Llyn Peninsula and Pembrokeshire Coastal Paths. We should be thankful that wonderful routes such as those around Aberdaron aren’t better known than they are. Our picks would be Ynys Llanddwyn and Aberdaron.

31 Aberglaslyn and Cwm Bychan

One of our favourite little walks in Snowdonia, taking in the Fisherman’s Path through Aberglaslyn and then crossing over Mynydd Sygyn to Llyn Dinas. Mynydd Sygyn can be explored for a more adventurous day, with the minor summit of Grib Ddu worth a scramble.

The Best of Britain's Top 100 Walks

27 Coffin Route

One of the absolute classic low level routes in the Lake District, and the UK.

21 Kinder Scout

The birthplace of mountain access and the first mountain thousands climb owing to it’s proximity to Manchester and Sheffield. It may lack the cliffs and peaks of some of the other mountains, but makes up for that with a character of it’s very own. Even finding the summit isn’t certain, and many of the walks onto the Kinder Plateau don’t even attempt to.

12 Ben Macdui

Without doubt an intersting mountain, but a rather random representation of Scotland’s mountains. Good, but perhaps not THAT good when compared to many of the other Munros. Even so, we’re including it in solidarity with the remainder of the Munros.

Loch Avon
Coire an t-Sneachda
Looking west from the summit

11 Pen y Fan

South Wales’ highest mountain is understanderbly popular. Partly as it’s easily asccessible from the South Wales Valleys and Cities, and also owing to the striking apparance of the red sandstone cliffs. These make fine walking, but their popularity has lead to the paths being eroded in places.

10 Mam Tor

The summit of Mam Tor is the highest point on the Great Ridge that lies opposite Kinder Scout in Edale. It’s a shapely and popular hill, ascended either from Edale or Castleton.

Best Walks from Castleton and Hope in the Peak District
Mam Tor from Peveril Castle “Mam Tor from Peveril Castle” by Matt From London is licensed under CC BY 2.0

8 Consiston Old Man

Also known as the Old Man of Coniston, one of the most populat mountain walks in the Lake District.

6 Tryfan and Glyderau

There can be no other mountain that’s more iconic than Tryfan, and very few walks over three so distinctly unique summits. The landmarks and photo opportunities of Castell y Gwynt, Adam and Eve, The Cannon and the Cantilever makes it a memorable walk.

5 Scafell Pike

Another they got right – as it includes the Corridor Route from Wasdale which is one of the best routes up Scafell Pike.

4 Cat Bells

An easy summit near Keswick that’s a perfect introduction to fell walking. In one short walk, you’ll have views, lakes and easy scrambing on this abridged mountain.

3 Malham Cove and Gordale Scar

Malham Cove is both popular with walkers and well known to most people who completed a Geography GCSE (or O Level for those of a certain age). Gordale Scar is a short, tricky scramble and so care is needed.

Limestone pavement above Malham Cove
Malham Tarn
Malham Cove

1 Striding Edge and Helvellyn

The best scramble in the Lake District and one of the more popular mountains. This knife edged ridge is for those with a head for heights, but surely outlines the shortcomings of any top 100 UK Walks that doesn’t include similiarly excellent routes such as Crib Goch.

Scramble up Helvellyn via Striding Edge

 

Dave Roberts founded Walk Eryri in 2004, with the aim of providing routes that are off the beaten track. Walk Eryri is now part of Mud and Routes which continues to provide more off beat routes and walks in Snowdonia and beyond. Dave has been exploring the hills of Eryri for over thirty years, and is a qualified Mountain Leader. Dave also established Walk up Snowdon, Walk up Scafell Pike and Walk up Ben Nevis just to mention a few.
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