England's top short walks
Here are my personal favourite short walks. These call all be completed within a few hours and are suitable for a low to medium fitness level unless otherwise indicated. I have chosen these particular walks based on the views and local beauty.
1. The Malvern Hills.
From the town of Malvern head uphill for half an hour and you will reach the top of one of a series of rounded hills. The path heads south over the tops of all these similarly shaped hills with amazing views of the valley and plain below you to your left and the Welsh borders to your right. Enjoy the walk and as you reach the top of the final hill, turn round and enjoy an even more spectacular view.
2. The Thames Path at Cookham
A walk along the banks of Old Father Thames from Cookham, upstream to Marlow is about as English as it ever gets. The walk takes in a gentle landscape, some lovely old houses and churches, plus it ends in Marlow where some amazing restaurants are a suitable reward after a few hours walking.
3. Striding Edge, Lake District
Striding Edge is a legendary Lake District walk. It is not for the faint hearted. A very narrow path runs uphill from Red Tarn to the summit of Helvellyn. Very steep drops on both sides make it a thrilling if not downright terrifying walk, but also a dangerous one so don't even think about it in high winds. On a good day, striding edge is about as amazing as English scenery ever gets.
4. Uffington, Oxfordshire
A triangular walk of about 5 miles that takes in the great chalk White Horse that dates back to the Bronze Age, Wayland's Smithy (actually a Neolithic long barrow grave) and then Uffington Castle itself. This is an ancient earthwork fort that seems to have been in pretty constant use for about 1000 years before it fell into disue around 1400 years ago.
5. Fleet Street, London
A very short walk of barely a mile, a walk from Charing Cross, east along Fleet Street takes visitors through one of London's oldest and greatest thoroughfares. Past the Inns of Court, the Knights templar church, the old Bank of England, The famous cheshire cheese pub and on past the great (now defunct) temples of the written word and down to the marvel that is St. Paul's Cathedral. It is a wonderful walk and to round it off, head down to the river and return to your starting point by walking along the river.
6. Windsor, Berkshire
From Windsor and Eton Riverside Station head uphill and around the castle walls, passing the cobbled streets of old Windsor and the Guildhall where Prince Charles and Camilla married, before heading down paark street and onto the wonderful vista at the top of the Long Walk. An easy but very satisfying stroll through a beautiful town.