cosy

It’s also the perfect base for tackling the Cheviot Hills walking trails in Northumberland National Park

Hidden away in Northumberland lies a treasured town, providing the perfect stopping point for those tackling this beloved UK walking route.

Wooler is positioned right on the edge of Northumberland’s stunning National Park, consequently welcoming numerous visitors seeking essential rest between their outdoor pursuits. This market town boasts various traditional shops, pubs and cafés providing ideal sanctuary for walkers, whilst still maintaining that immersive countryside atmosphere. The structures forming this charming town originate from the 1700s and 1800s, lending it that warm, distinctly English character. These include historic establishments such as The Black Bull Inn, The Anchor Inn and The Angel Inn, all earning excellent customer feedback.

One TripAdvisor reviewer declared the Black Bull as “the place to stay” in Wooler, whilst another said: “A great place to stay, a friendly locals’ pub. Excellent food and drink, and the rooms are clean. All the staff are very friendly. Lots to see in the area.” Part of its appeal stems from the region’s commitment to preserving its heritage and traditions, demonstrated through their yearly Glendale Show, an occasion that has occurred for the past 130 years.

Featuring fairground attractions, live entertainment, regional cuisine and numerous activities, the community genuinely unites to create an enjoyable, welcoming day out for families. What makes the town so handy is its brilliant position, nestled right next to the dramatic Cheviot Hills, which draws walkers and cyclists from far and wide.

The route features babbling brooks and deep gorges that provide breathtaking panoramas of Northumberland, including massive cascading waterfalls. The Cheviot rises majestically as the loftiest peak across the entire Northumberland National Park, reaching 815 metres, and presents quite a demanding climb.

On clear days, it’s believed you can gaze out towards vistas stretching as far as the Lake District, with some even claiming Edinburgh comes into view. One walker shared their experience, writing “Wooler provides wonderful views of, and open access to, the Cheviot Hills. Overlapping the border between England and Scotland, you are provided with mile upon mile of open moorland together with the general ability to roam across the countryside. Truly, the Cheviots are made for walking, and boy, we did.”

Another said it was “perhaps England’s loveliest place”. They added: “There are plenty of beautiful places in our country, but the Cheviots have something special. On a walk up the hills or along the valleys, you can find yourselves alone for much of the day to enjoy the fabulous, peaceful scenery. It’s a place to lose yourself and take in the sweetest of air.”

Adding to its appeal for your adventures, Wooler is connected to the links of Morpeth and Coldstream along the Scottish Borders via the A697. It can take a mere 25 minutes to travel from the town over to Scotland.

Ditchling and Plumpton, East Sussex

Distance 7 miles
Duration 5 hours
Start/finish Ditchling village car park

A pub walk is, as everyone knows, the best kind of ramble, and this tranquil circular walk up on to the South Downs boasts not one inn, but three. Ditchling – the start and end point of the walk – has two pubs, the White Horse and the Bull, alongside 36 buildings dating from the 1500s to 1800s. Most notable is Wings Place, gifted to Anne of Cleves in her divorce settlement from Henry VIII in 1540.

Within a couple of minutes’ walk from the heart of the village, you’re in open fields. Head right out of the car park and look for a right turn, signposted “to the Downs”. With the church spire behind you, the path leads diagonally into leafy woodland, before heading south towards Underhill Lane, and the steep climb up to Ditchling Beacon.

The Beacon is a pull (248 metres), but the view is spectacular: south to Brighton and the silvery wastes of the English Channel, north across the Sussex Weald to Ashdown Forest and the Surrey Hills. Walk east along the South Downs Way, before an unmade road takes you downhill, directly into the welcoming arms of the Half Moon at Plumpton.

Of all the pubs in the area, the Half Moon is my favourite: independent, ungentrified and supportive of local producers. Order a glass of Plumpton Estate wine and check out the pub’s famous painting of dozens of its regulars, including Raymond Briggs and Jimmy Page, done over a nine-month period in 1979. Sunday lunches are hearty roasts, with good vegan options (two/three courses, £24.95/£29.95), alongside a local catch of the day and homemade pies.

The good news is that the second half of the walk is flat. Well-signed paths skirt the grounds of Plumpton College, before heading back across fields and past My Little Farm, a new community smallholding. Once at the bridleway, turn back to see a forested “V” of beech, fir and lime trees on the side of the hill, planted in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee. I always sneak a peak through the gates at Streat Place, an elegant Elizabethan manor house, before the final, straight-line stretch across open fields to Ditchling – where a choice of pubs awaits.
Annabelle Thorpe

Highgate to Little Venice, London

Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 3½ hours
Start Highgate tube station
Finish The Prince Alfred, Maida Vale

Starting at Highgate tube station, follow Southwood Lane into Highgate village, noting the former home of Mary Kingsley, a Victorian explorer who had the chutzpah to chat up cannibals in the Amazon. At Pond Square, admire the array of London plane trees (planted in bulk across the city because they could handle the pollution), before proceeding south down Swain’s Lane to Highgate Cemetery (adults £10) to pay your respects to Bob Hoskins (made films), George Michael (made music) and Karl Marx (made a terrible fuss about the exploitation of workers).

Cut through Oakeshott Avenue – a distinctive street of mock-Tudor mansions – to Hampstead Heath, where you should resist the temptation to have a dip in the men’s pond (Mum, I’m talking to you), and instead continue west until you hit upon East Heath Road. From here, wiggle north-west to Well Walk, where you’ll find the erstwhile abodes of JB Priestley and John Constable, as well as the Wells Tavern, a good spot to get some liquid on board. Follow Well Walk west until it splits, at which point err right on to Flask Walk, which you should follow to its terminus.

You’re in Hampstead village now, which is either good or bad depending on your disposition. Meander south-east to Belsize village, where it’s possible to rest your legs or get a bagel from Roni’s. Continue south on Belsize Park Gardens (the composer Frederick Delius lived at No 44) before doing a quick left-right on to Primrose Gardens, about as attractive an oval of terraced housing as you’re liable to find.

In Primrose Hill village itself, you’ll find the former homes of Sylvia Plath (opposite Chalcot Square) and Friedrich Engels (opposite Le Tea Cosy). Climb to the summit of the village’s eponymous mound, exit the park on its west side then proceed along St Edmund’s Terrace to St John’s Wood High Street, where even the charity shops are flogging designer gear for serious dough.

You’re now a stone’s throw from the zebra crossing on Abbey Road made famous by the Beatles, upon which you should absolutely take your time posing, because the motorists love it. Follow Hall Road to Hamilton Terrace, at the southern end of which you’ll find the former gaff of Joseph Bazalgette, who scored brownie points with Londoners by designing the city’s sewer system. Cross Maida Vale and enter Little Venice, a concentration of canals that probably doesn’t warrant its moniker. Follow the aromas of ale and roast beef to the Prince Alfred, where dinner awaits. The pub is an absolute beauty, worth a visit for its vintage interior alone. Bottoms up! (Or down, rather …)
Ben Aitken

Bath, Somerset

Distance 10 miles
Duration 5 hours
Start/finish Bath Abbey

Bath is a city lost in the countryside, an urban blip in a hug of hills. Even standing in the heart of its Georgian gorgeousness, those green billows beckon you out. So I turn my back on the Abbey, step on the Cotswold Way marker stone by its hefty doors, and walk away.

This National Trail starts (or ends) in Bath, and provides the finest route out of town. It’s tricky, picking out the waymarks amid the Christmas market crowds, but eventually I duck down Quiet Street and then pass the city’s greatest hits: Queen Square, The Circus, the sweeping Royal Crescent, resplendent in low winter light.

As the trail winds westward and up – and there’s a lot of up to come – the tourists thin. I skirt Royal Victoria Park, nod to the golfers on High Common and drop into Weston village. Here, the Cotswolds proper start to rise.

I’ve walked and run this route a hundred times, but still … how is this sylvan promenade so close to a city? I feel my lungs expand; I want to sing to the sheep, to the rolling slopes, to the hump of Kelston Roundhill, with its wig of winter-naked trees. Best is Prospect Stile, from where you can see Bath, the Mendips, even Wales. And it’s never better than now: blush pink on a crisp winter afternoon, as if embarrassed by its own good looks.

The Cotswold Way heads left here. Instead, I veer right across the racecourse and around the cirque beneath Beckford’s Tower – a gilt-topped monument to Georgian eccentricity, open most winter weekends. Nearby, a footpath leads left to Lansdown Road, and to the hillside Hare & Hounds.

This 17th-century inn is a great summer pub: it has Bath’s best beer garden, looking across the winsome Charlcombe valley. With a thick coat, you could still nurse a pint of Proper Job outside. Fortunately, it also has a full wall of mullioned windows. I opt to enjoy the view from inside, where a real fire crackles and good roasts are served.

I’ve walked seven miles now, and could bus back to town. But instead I backtrack to the trail below Beckford’s, continuing to walk. The views remain superb. And this way I can wind through salubrious backstreets that deliver peak Bath-ness minus the crowds – not least Lansdown Crescent, a rival to the Royal. Eventually, I make it back to the abbey, this time walking towards its exquisite west front, but still with an eye to the hills beyond.
Sarah Baxter

Broadway Tower, the Cotswolds

Distance 4 miles
Duration 2½ hours
Start/finish War memorial, Broadway High Street

The dog’s tail is wagging hard. We’ve brought her to Broadway on a chilly Saturday afternoon – a time she usually saves for snoring belly up – and there are canines at every turn. Pugs leaving coffee shops, beagles eyeing up knitwear boutiques, terriers cooing over the 16th-century limestone architecture. The dog owners of south-east Worcestershire are out in force, although as visitors our goal lies elsewhere. We’re heading for the hills.

Broadway is well named. Some Cotswolds honeypots feel hemmed in, but the wide, handsome high street has a calming sense of space, especially in lesser-visited winter. A rich history too: the Beaker people, the Romans, medieval wool traders, TikTok influencers – all have passed through Broadway, pulled in different ways by the rolling countryside.

It’s what’s drawn us, too. We’re walking an official National Trails circular route, meaning decent signage, loads of puddly kissing gates and big, billowing views. We exit the high street on to a footpath. The escarpment to the south is topped by the turreted silhouette of Broadway Tower, our end goal. Green landscapes swell around us.

The first section is an easy ramble across grassy meadows, and ridge and furrow undulations, before the path leads upwards along a thigh-sapping avenue of sycamores. Higher now, we cross more tussocky fields as the panoramas open up. Visible far to the west is the spine of the Malvern Hills. The sky is blue. The wind is cold and mud scented. The dog is in heaven.

The complex around the tower arrives suddenly, complete with a cafe and playground. The tower itself – a hexagonal structure built as a folly in the 1790s – is the second highest point in the Cotswolds. Designer William Morris came here regularly to draw inspiration. A patchwork of towns and farmland spills out below us; Birmingham is a speck on the blustery horizon.

The Cotswold Way descends steeply back into Broadway and we make for the 17th-century Crown & Trumpet. A 35-year mainstay in the Good Beer Guide, it’s a short wander off the main drag and something of a rarity in these parts: in place of chichi decor it has an open fire, framed beer mats and a well-trodden carpet. Pints of Shagweaver and bowls of cheesy chips hit the spot. And the dog? Ready for that snooze.
Ben Lerwill

Burnley to Worston via Pendle Hill, Lancashire

Distance 11½ miles
Duration 6 hours
Start Burnley
Finish Calf’s Head, Worston

In this corner of east Lancashire, Pendle Hill – an outlier of the Pennine spine – separates industrial and agricultural, built-up and empty, the urban working-class from the rural upper-middles. Burnley, the start point, is known for coal as well as cotton, football and cricket, not to mention gay rights and Benedictine liqueur.

Take the Burnley Way to the banks of the Calder, the river that powered and watered the early mills. From here, follow the Pendle Way to Higham, which gets you on to the southern slopes of Pendle Hill. Sheep, dry-stone walls and steep climbs take over. A zigzagging route takes you up to Newchurch in Pendle, a tiny hamlet perched on a tight bend in the road. St Mary’s church has an “eye of god” on its tower to deter evil spirits, and a tomb by the rear wall bears the name of one Ellin Nutter. The 1651 date could make her a relative of Alice Nutter, who was hanged after the Lancaster witch trials.

This area is marked as the Forest of Pendle on maps. A former royal chase, it was later used for vaccaries (pastures for cows). Note the recurrence of “booth” in local placenames, alluding to the huts used by herdsmen. Look south for views over the chain of towns that grew up around yarn and cloth. From left (east) to right (west), there’s Barrowford, Colne, Nelson, Brierfield, Burnley, Accrington, Oswaldtwistle and Blackburn – to name only the larger places. For residents of all, Pendle Hill and the nearby West Pennine Moors are the main recreational spaces, airy heights that in the smoky old days provided respite for lungs and legs.

The 557-metre climb to the trig point at the top of Pendle Hill goes via Fell Wood, between the two Ogden reservoirs and along Boar Clough – clough is another local word, used for a steep-sided ravine. Barley Moor opens out here, hopefully with a few peewits or even a hawk battling the westerlies. From the trig, it’s a breezy saunter across the mesa-like top of the hill, now with views north to the Yorkshire Three Peaks and Bowland Fells, to drop down to Worston from the Pile of Stones on Pendle Moor.

You’ve passed pub options already – at Higham and Barley – but the Calf’s Head is a well-liked, well-run village pub all on its own in Worston. There’s a single small snug with three tables and an open fire, and more tables – for food or drink – in the pub lounge and in an annexe. If the weather’s fine, the beer garden is a real beauty. Timothy Taylor’s and local Moorhouse’s ales are generally available. The menu is massive; I rate the seafood sharing board, hot pot and plate pie.

From Worston, it’s a short walk to Clitheroe for onward trains and buses. Take care crossing the A59. If you want a longer walk, you can avoid the busy carriageway altogether by taking a loop along West Lane and through the villages of Downham and Chatburn, which have three more pubs between them.
Chris Moss

St Mawgan and Mawgan Porth, Cornwall

Distance 5.4 miles
Duration 2 hours
Start/finish The Falcon Inn, St Mawgan

I’m climbing up the coast path away from Mawgan Porth beach on the north Cornwall coast, the golden sands and swirling seas way below. Gulls wheel overhead and the wind whips my face, but I’m glad for the breeze after the exertion of the hill. Ahead, I make out the rocky outcrop of Griffin’s Point, an iron age cliff fort with views south to Watergate Bay and Newquay beyond. This is where I turn inland, leaving behind the dramatic sea stacks of Bedruthan Steps and heading east to return to the village of St Mawgan.

It’s around the halfway point of one of my favourite circular walks in Cornwall, a 5.4-mile loop that takes in a wide variety of terrain, from coastal sections and sheep-speckled fields to woodlands scattered with streams, pines and badger setts.

You could start and end at Mawgan Porth, but I like to begin in St Mawgan, parking on the road outside The Falcon Inn. From here, I follow the river north-west then cross a bridge, passing the acers and azaleas of the Japanese Garden (closed in winter) and a row of cottages with quaint names such as the Mouse House.

Forking left, I’m on to the public footpath signposted towards Mawgan Porth. After Windsor Mill, a settlement dating back to the middle ages, I cross a stile and follow the path through the trees, the River Menalhyl trickling to my left. The track quickly turns rugged underfoot, with exposed tree roots and leaves that make a satisfying crunch with each step.

Beneath the trees, some with orange lichen on their trunks, others with stubborn hawthorn berries still clinging to branches, there’s shelter from the elements; a blissful contrast to the bracing sea breeze I’m about to experience on that coast path.

After around half an hour on the coast, I turn inland for a final stretch through fields and across streams. I return to the Falcon via the St Mawgan churchyard, pausing at the memorial to 10 men who died from hypothermia on a boat that drifted ashore near Watergate Bay in December 1846.

I wonder if any of those men frequented this 16th-century inn, which is under new ownership this winter but has kept a traditional feel, with its original fireplace, exposed beams and dark wooden bar. I join the locals enjoying pints of ale from the pub’s own microbrewery in Penryn. It’s a warm, welcome respite after miles walking through the Cornish winter elements.
Ellie Ross

Bakewell to Little Longstone, Peak District

Distance 3 miles
Duration 1½ hours
Start Bath Gardens, Bakewell Square
Finish The Packhorse Inn, Little Longstone

“Walk and pub?” Growing up in the Peak District, these two things were never mutually exclusive. You can keep your Gore-Tex-clad scrambles, your emergency crampons, your Wainwright “bagging” and Three Peaks conquering. I’m worn out just thinking about all that. Give me a route I can do in an hour and a half, that’s manageable with a hangover or an unruly toddler or, God forbid, both. Give me a route where the scenery is quietly breathtaking and ever-changing but I can do it in a pair of beaten-up trainers.

Give me a route that ends in a fantastic pub, where I can fill my belly with lovingly cooked local produce and slake my thirst on local ale. Earwig on a mix of day-trippers and local “characters” rubbing along just fine in front of one of three roaring fires. Give me the walk from Bakewell to the Packhorse in Little Longstone.

I’ve done this walk so many times I can practically hear the footsteps from different phases of my life ringing out from the pavement as we set off from Bath Gardens and leave the Rutland Arms Hotel (the “birthplace” of the original Bakewell pudding – the tart followed later, just so you know and don’t mortally embarrass yourself when you visit) and the bustling market town behind. Tracing the A6 road out past the Lambton Larder cafe and pretty Georgian houses, we cross the River Wye at the stone bridge on the right, just past the fire station. We head straight on past Lumford House, with its blue plaque for Richard Arkwright Jr, whose inventor and industrialist old man was kind of a big deal in these parts.

A brief incline brings us out above the town and the show-off panoramic views to the imposing woods above Chatsworth and the fields down towards Hassop and Ashford-in-the-Water, beautifully pockmarked with wild pink heather. A few years ago, I proposed in the field of canary yellow rapeseed blazing in the far distance. Today, my bovine-phobic wife pushes me forward as a human shield as we take the left fork of the footpath into a field of cows that stare at us like the locals from the pub scene in An American Werewolf in London.

We cross a stile into a wooded stretch and emerge at a field full of sheep (less foreboding, apparently) and the road heading into Great Longstone. Following the public footpath over a stone stile to the left brings us out into an almost laughably bucolic field of beech and sycamore trees. We skirt around the village of Great Longstone and into Little Longstone, with its red phone box and Bertie Bassett-inspired well dressing. The Packhorse Inn sits on the right, complete with a sign that says “Kids, dogs and muddy boots, welcome”. We don’t have any of those things today but we do, crucially, have a thirst on.

“Walk and pub?” An unbeatable combination.
James Wallace

Newport to Fishguard, Pembrokeshire

Distance 11.3 miles
Duration 6 hours
Start Newport
Finish The Ship Inn, Fishguard

The A487 is not one of Britain’s most celebrated highways. In one stretch, it’s reduced to a single-track squeeze that requires drivers to sneak around a blind corner and pray no one is coming the other way. And what is the source of this nasty constriction that cannot be removed? A wonderful little pub called the Ship Inn. Hemmed in by a wooded hill behind, the fishing boat-speckled sea in front and that crow-black trunk road, it is no wonder that the front door is of the sliding variety. If it opened outwards, the tailback would block Pembrokeshire.

Serving good beer surrounded by nautical memorabilia, polished wood and black-and-white photographs of drinkers down the ages, the Ship in Lower Town, Fishguard, has hosted some famous drinkers in its time. One face stands out from the fading photos: Richard Burton, at the peak of his thespian career, barrelling down that single-track snicket, his eye on the front door of the pub, no doubt thirsting for a pint of Double Dragon. Burton was in town for the 1971 filming of Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood.

Our walk to reach this watering hole starts up the coast at the pretty village of Newport (the pub is cash-only so use the ATM here), then follows the Wales Coast Path. Almost immediately, the flavour of the route is apparent: a big, banging seascape filled with jagged rocks, epic cliffs and roaring seas. Even the signs seem to have an extra robustness about them: “Keep to the Path. Cliffs Kill” screams one and, more mysteriously, “Caution. Deep Animal Holes Ahead” reads another.

The route rolls along, passing several fine coves before tackling Dinas Mawr, a formidable headland. In 1954, this dramatic coastal feature was used in the filming of Moby Dick, starring Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab. Three-masted ships like Ahab’s Pequod were once a common sight along here, until the great storm of 1859 wrecked many of them. At the sea’s edge in Cwm-yr-Eglwys, I search the ruined churchyard of St Brynach’s and find tombstones for the mariner John Harries and Thomas Laugharne, master of the schooner Eliza. That may have been the Eliza that got smashed up on the Llŷn peninsula. One other casualty of the 1859 storm was the church itself, of which only one wall survives.

It was to New Quay, on this stretch of coast, that Dylan Thomas moved in 1944, finding inspiration for unforgettable characters such as the lascivious fisher Nogood Boyo and Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard, so house-proud that the sun must wipe its shoes before sneaking through her chintz curtains. Burton was a slam dunk to narrate both the 1954 BBC radio play and the 1971 film.

I pass the ruined Fishguard Fort and its cannon, last fired during the abortive French invasion of 1797, then reach the pub as it opens (4pm on Saturday and Sunday, 5pm Wednesday to Friday). There are only snacks, but the beer is good and the decor satisfyingly unchanged since Burton sat in here boozing with Peter O’Toole, their Daimlers parked down by the quayside. Elizabeth Taylor did not show her face, although local legend has Burton on the payphone, ordering Hollywood’s finest to “get her fat arse down to Pembrokeshire”. They were divorced three years later, remarried, then divorced again after two more.
Kevin Rushby

Edinburgh to Leith via the Water of Leith

Distance 4.7 miles
Duration 2 hours (with option to extend)
Start National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh
Finish Leith

The Water of Leith Walkway follows its namesake river from Balerno, near the Pentland Hills, through the heart of Edinburgh to Leith, the city’s historic port district, where it meets the sea. This walk follows the final stretch.

In the grounds of Modern One on Belford Road – one of Scotland’s national art galleries – visit the crescent lakes of Charles Jencks’s Landform, then head to the left corner of the car park, passing a Henry Moore sculpture. Double iron gates lead to steps descending to the Water of Leith. Cross the footbridge and turn left, look for a figure of a man in the river, the first of four of Antony Gormley’s 6 Times figures that are visible on this walk. The path is marked throughout by small brown signs. Some sections offer step-free alternatives: for the most interesting landscape, stick to the riverbanks.

The path winds through Dean Village, once an industrial slum, now one of Edinburgh’s most incongruous and enchanting neighbourhoods. The half-timbered cottages look more Bavarian than Scottish. Look out for Well Court, an imposing red-brick building, a rare example of Arts and Crafts style in Edinburgh, commissioned by the owner of the Scotsman newspaper in the 1880s to house local workers. Walk under the high arches of Thomas Telford’s 1832 Dean Bridge towards St Bernard’s Well, a pretty Roman-style folly with a statue of Hygeia, the ancient Greek goddess of health.

Arriving in Stockbridge, perhaps pause in one of its excellent cafes, before crossing Deanhaugh Road to steep steps where the route continues. This section curves around some of Edinburgh’s distinctive “colony houses”, built for artisans and skilled workers between 1850 and 1910. Ahead you’ll see the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – add a loop if you have time (free entry, donations welcome).

Otherwise, the path forks right to follow the river. At a junction signed for Rocheid Path, keep right to steep steps to Brandon Terrace. Cross to Warriston Road, a high walkway built as part of flood defences. From here, the route skirts the wooded edges of St Mark’s Park to the wildlife-rich Coalie Park – keep an eye out for more Gormleys and, if you’re lucky, kingfishers.

Our walk ends in Leith, where the river widens and is dotted with restaurants, bars and delis. For a cosy pub lunch head to the Roseleaf, a welcoming family-run pub, with excellent home-cooked food. The cullen skink is legendary and the all-day big breakfast, served in a sizzling skillet, is hard to beat.
Ailsa Sheldon

Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, to Seaton Sluice, Northumberland

Distance 3 miles
Duration 2 hours
Start Lido di Meo’s beach shack
Finish The Delaval Arms

Two Octobers ago, a storm turned Whitley Bay seafront into a hazardous foam party, then dragged about a metre of sand out to sea. Whenever I return home, once or twice a year, I still do a double-take every time I see the sunken beach and marvel at the newly exposed sandstone, ripe sea glass and pebbles of coal. I’m always on the hunt for a few standout pieces to add to my shelf of beach finds back in my landlocked Madrid apartment.

On a still, sunny morning at low tide, the shoreline glitters with wildness. I spot a crab strutting along the water’s edge, then burying itself alongside looping sandworms. Crows survey the scene just as closely, before zigzagging between the rocks in search of their salty prey. I look out to sea and see a creche of gull chicks bobbing up and down on the gentle waves, flying off in fright when a seal pops up for air. I look inland and tune into an orchestra of speckled starlings chirrupping around the Lido di Meo beach shack and begin my walk north up the sand, the mild sun warming my back.

At low tide, a good stretch of this route can be done on the beach. When the sand runs out, simply head up to the promenade and let the footpath guide you onward to St Mary’s Lighthouse, on its own tiny island and accessible only at low tide. I’ve always wished there was a pub on this poetic rocky outcrop, but that would have brought this pub-bound winter story to an abrupt end, missing arguably the best bit.

Leave the island, climb up to the clifftops and catch your breath while enjoying a panoramic view of the lighthouse below, interrupted only by fluffy coastal grasses bowing in the North Sea gusts. Check the tide times and, if you get it right, you can watch the water engulf the path to St Mary’s Island, rendering it an offshore Northumbrian outpost until low tide returns.

From here, almost every northbound footpath leads you to the Delaval Arms, a Grade II-listed building dating back to 1748 and the first pub you’ll encounter as you cross into Northumberland. Over the years, the pub’s interior has been modernised yet has never lost its cosy charm. The brass‑railed bar, log fire and dark wood‑panelled walls and ceilings still anchor the snug rooms, while colourful soft furnishings and a lively menu have brought it gracefully up to date.

The old sandstone building sits a coal pebble’s throw from the border with North Tyneside, so I settle in beside the log fire, wine in hand, and reflect on how my ancestors once fought over the very land where I now sit in complete comfort.
Leah Pattem

Llanthony Priory, Bannau Brycheiniog

Distance 6 miles
Duration 3 hours
Start/finish Llanthony Priory

Llanthony Priory, nestled in the Vale of Ewyas, makes for an enticing base to explore the Black Mountains, here in the easternmost part of Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons).

The priory was founded in the early years of the 12th century by William de Lacy, a Norman knight who was said to have been so taken with this remote location that he immediately renounced the way of the sword for the life of a hermit. Some stories suggest he was inspired by Dewi Sant (Saint David), who sought tranquillity in this same place in the sixth century.

Today, the priory is just a ruined shell, but the allure of Llanthony, flanked by steep glacial ridges, endures. Particularly energetic walkers like to embrace the 16-mile loop out along Offa’s Dyke Path to Hay Bluff and Lord Hereford’s Knob, before tracking back along the Cambrian Way trail. I, however, have a more modest tramp in mind – a 6-mile circular walk that will get me back to the priory’s Cellar Bar just in time for lunch (served from 12.30pm to 2pm on weekends during the winter months). With its whitewashed vaulted stone ceilings and wooden benches, this snug will provide a cosy reward for whatever the Welsh weather may have in mind.

My route embraces the tough stuff first – a short but sharp ascent following the Beacons Way walking trail up Cwm Bwchel to Bâl Bach (a lower section of the 607-metre Bâl Mawr). Viewing the route from Llanthony, you may be tempted to head straight to the pub. Don’t be put off, though, because the views from the top of the ridgeway are a more than sufficient reward for the climb you’ve undertaken. It’s a clear day and the nearby peaks of Sugar Loaf and Skirrid Fawr stand out against the blue-and-white clouded sky. Above Llanthony Priory, on the other side of the valley, a long treeless ridgeway connects Hatterrall Hill with Hay Bluff. Further up the Vale of Ewyas lies Capel-y-Ffin, once the summer grange for the canons of the priory. It was here that beatnik poet Allen Ginsberg wrote his acid-enabled Wales Visitation – his neo-romantic riff on Wordsworth’s Tintern Abbey.

From Bâl Bach, I follow the Cambrian Way south until I reach a sharp left fork into Coed Tŷ Canol. Down in the western valley lies Saint Issui in Patricio, a medieval church named after another hermit holy man and renowned for its 10th-century font and intricately carved 15th-century wooden screen. A detour to Saint Issui is tempting, but will have to wait for another walk. This morning, it’s time to descend off the ridgeway following forestry tracks and woodland paths back to Llanthony. A little over three hours after I began, I emerge from Llanthony Wood into open fields and the stone facade of the priory comes into view. A pint of Felinfoel Double Dragon beckons. Surely Ginsberg, and maybe even William de Lacy, would approve.
Matthew Yeomans

THE Holiday is one of the UK’s favourite Christmas watches – and who hasn’t wanted to step into the magic of the film?

From the Cotswolds to Yorkshire, here are five of the best villages that will make you feel like you’re Cameron Diaz exploring England for the very first time.

Shere, Surrey

Of course first up is Shere in Surrey which fans of The Holiday will know that it was actually used as a filming location.

Found in the Guildford district, the pretty village is considered to be most photographed of all Surrey towns.

You can actually have a pint in the pub where Amanda (played by Cameron Diaz) and Graham (Jude Law) have their first date.

The couple visit The White Horse, a cosy pub that serves up hearty breakfasts, Sunday Roasts and lunches.

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You can also pop into The Dabbling Duck cafe, or take a hike around the nearby Surrey Hills.

The Holiday isn’t the only film to have set scenes in Shere – it’s also been the backdrop of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, and The Wedding Date.

Kettlewell, Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire village of Kettlewell is filled with classic stone cottages – just like Iris’.

But there’s also traditional tea rooms, and a quaint High Street and incredible views of the countryside – perfect for a weekend walk.

The village has three pubs, The Blue Bell Inn – a homely spot which serves up tasty home-cooked food by its crackling fire.

Or check out The King’s Head and The Falcon Inn.

Elterwater

Elterwater is a village in the Lake District, Cumbria.

The village lies half a mile north-west of the lake of Elter Water – where it gets its name.

It’s tiny with around 100 residents, some of whom live in its charming slate or stone cottages along the narrow roads.

The local pub is The Britannia Inn which serves seasonal food by its log fire – and during the summer has a pretty beer garden.

The village has incredible views of the Langdale Pikes which are famous mountains in the Great Langdale Valley.

You can also go for a stroll along the River Brathay or go further afield and you might even spot a waterfall or two.

Burford, Oxfordshire

The Cotswolds is an obvious choice when it comes to pretty English villages – and Burford is a very charming spot.

It has the classic pretty stone cottages and a very traditional feel to it.

Along the High Street are antique shops, tea rooms and pubs like The Angel at Burford, The Prince Of Burford and The Lamb Inn.

The oldest pharmacy in England can be found here, and there’s a medieval bridge that crosses over the River Windrush as well as a Grade I listed church.

And for even more magic from The Holiday, actress Kate Winslet used to live very nearby.

Stanton, Gloucestershire

Another very English-looking Cotswolds village is Stanton.

40 minutes up the road from Burford is Stanton, which looks very ‘The Holiday’ with its limestone and half-timbered cottages.

The village is on the smaller side so there isn’t too much to do, but it makes for a charming trip – and there will be great photo opportunities.

Nearby you can hike the Cotswold Way or visit Snowshill Manor, and if you fancy it, you can even book to go horse-riding through Stanton.

The Mount Inn pub is the only pub in the village and has incredible views of the Malvern Hills.

For more, here are 10 UK locations featured in iconic Christmas movies that you can visit this festive season.

And even more filming locations in the UK that you can visit with movie tours. 

FANTASY lovers can take a step down the hobbit hole this winter, as a new location invites guests inside to escape the icy winter weather.

A Tolkien-inspired holiday spot has opened for business north-west of Cambridge, with pods and lodges available for keen glampers.

Just outside of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, West Stow Pods offers a peaceful stay for those wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.

Emulating world-famous Hobbiton, the pods and lodges are equipped to service groups between two and six people.

Pods are fitted out with a kitchenette and appliances, as well as an en-suite, TV and bedroom area, and are slightly smaller than the lodges.

The lodges are bigger, with full kitchens and separate bedrooms, as well as living room space.

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West Stow Pods is also pet friendly, allowing families to include their furry family members in holiday plans.

The glamping spot has been recognised as one of the best forest getaway spots in the UK.

Located next to King Forest, the options for hikes, bike rides and time in nature are endless.

Guests can also choose to spend the day in the local town, which is jam-packed with restaurants and shops to explore.

West Stow has priced rooms between £170 and £458 for two nights, depending on whether you choose a pod or a lodge.

Future guests can secure a spot by booking on the company’s website.

For holiday makers who are more keen of the seaside than the forest, the pretty seaside town of Saundersfoot has cosy pubs and award winning hotels.

The town sits between Tenby and Amroth in Pembrokeshire.

It’s home to around 3,000 residents and has a Blue Flag sandy beach, a picturesque harbour with cafes and shops, plenty of walking paths – but absolutely no rides.

And according to WalesOnline its “craggy coastline is amongst the most beautiful in the world and can be enjoyed year-round, especially in autumn”.

Someone on Tripadvisor described the village as a “winter wonderland” when the Christmas lights are up.

It’s a popular place for Atlantic grey seals and you can see them on boat trips – and you can see them all year round

Saundersfoot has previously been named one of the ‘best places to live by the sea in the UK 2024’ by The Sunday Times.

The family-run restaurant serves up meals from curries to pastas, surf and turf, steak, and burgers.

GINGERBREAD has become a staple of Christmas – and there is a town in the UK that is considered the home of it.

Ormskirk is a market town in Lancashire sitting around 13 miles from Liverpool.

The town has its very own gingerbread history which dates back to the early 1700s when “Gingerbread Ladies” would sell their homemade spiced goods from baskets.

These were especially popular with travellers at coaching inns and later railway passengers.

Ormskirk gingerbread was even rumored to be enjoyed by King Edward VII.

While the gingerbread we buy in shops usually has a distinct taste and snap, Ormskirk Gingerbread is very different.

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In texture, it’s dense, chewy and cakey, and has a speckled appearance because it’s made from treacle and candied peel.

If you fancy a taste, the gingerbread is still sold in Ormskirk today in places like Mr Thompsons Bakery which is at the bi-weekly food market.

Every year, the town even holds its very own gingerbread festival to celebrate the biscuit history of Ormskirk.

Usually it takes place in summer with the last being held on July 13, 2025.

There are lots of free family activities, and stalls selling handmade treats and gifts – all of which is themed around gingerbread.

Of course having a bite of gingerbread isn’t the only reason to visit Ormskirk in the wintertime, there’s plenty of other places to see.

If wrapping up for country walks is what you prefer to do in winter, then head to Rufford Old Hall.

The National Trust Tudor and Jacobean house that’s around 500 years old sits on the outskirts of Ormskirk.

Here are period rooms to explore along with a cosy Victorian tearoom which serves afternoon tea, cakes, scones and tray bakes.

There’s also a secondhand bookshop, garden and woodland, and the site has a two mile circular walk too from the hall along the Leeds and Liverpool canal.

Ormskirk holds a market every Thursday and Saturday that’s one of the oldest in the country.

It’s one of the UK’s oldest and most traditional markets having been open for almost 700 years.

There you’ll find around 100 stalls selling baked goods to clothing and gifts.

When it comes to cosy pubs, there are plenty in Ormskirk like The Kicking Donkey which is another great winter spot as it has an open fire and hearty meals.

On Sundays the classic country pub serves up roast dinners from beef brisket to gammon and turkey, to pork belly and chicken from £16.75.

One visitor said: “Lovely traditional pub, real fires and candles, amazing food and service and fabulous negroni.”

Other popular spots include Tiny Tavern Ormskirk, The Cricketers, Lost and Found and The Buck I’th Vine.

Here’s UK’s longest seaside village that’s surrounded by countryside & is the best for winter walks…

Sat on Devon‘s Jurassic Coast, Branscombe stretches around 3.5 miles long and is known for its pebble beach, thatched cottages and historic buildings.

The village features a mile-long high street running through its centre and it is surrounded by rolling hills with grazing sheep.

Alex Gwillim, local travel expert at Sweetcombe Cottage Holidays, said: “Branscombe is one of Devon’s most picturesque villages, and its cosy aesthetic paired with wellness-inspired activities makes it ideal for those looking for a staycation that prioritises self-care.”

And she isn’t wrong; Branscombe boasts amazing coastal walks like the South West Coast Path.

“Situated along the South West Coast Path, Branscombe makes the perfect starting point for a winter walk through woodland, beaches, and clifftops.

“From here, you can explore the Beer head loop or venture further along the coast to Sidmouth.”

And of course, Branscombe’s beach is a top spot to explore, with pebbles and often quieter during the autumn and winter months.

Alex added: “The mile long beach is ideal for a dog walk or simply clearing your head.”

Visitors can also get a glimpse of the UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast at the beach, with dramatic cliffs.

For little ones, there are plenty of rock pools to explore and fossils to find, including early reptiles, plants and marine life.

After exploring the beach, make sure to visit The Old Bakery and The Forge, both of which are National Trust sites.

For more on staycation breaks during winter, check out one Sun writer’s favourite seaside town in winter which is overlooked by a famous neighbour.

Plus, here’s one of the UK’s best seaside destinations to visit in winter – with beachfront pubs and stargazing nights.