Lucy Dodsworth

From the Norfolk coast to the Scottish Borders, I have five UK walking holidays to add to your wishlist, chosen from those on offer by slow holiday specialists Inntravel. This relaxed UK walking holiday takes in some of the county’s most famous castles as well as deserted beaches, tasty seafood and accommodation with a warm Northumbrian welcome. And a walking holiday is a great way to get out and explore Norfolk’s sleepy villages, medieval churches, royal estates and the small harbours which played a vital role in England’s 19th-century trade routes. This UK walking holiday takes in some of the Borders’ highlights, following the natural course of the Tweed as it winds it way downstream, with salmon, dippers and ospreys often spotted along the way.

Frequent services run between London Paddington and Windsor and Eton Central station (35 minutes) or from London Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside station (50 minutes), both close to the town centre. Blue Badge Guide Amanda took us to the castle, the river and the old heart of town, with lots of interesting stories from Windsor’s 1000-year history, from a quirky crooked house and an unusual postbox to the Queen’s life in Windsor. Retrace your steps back along the Long Walk into Windsor (it’s around 45 minutes each way to walk to the Copper Horse) – with fantastic views of the path stretching off towards the Castle along the way. In the grounds of the Castle, and covered by the same entrance ticket, St George’s Chapel is the home of the Order of The Garter – England’s grandest Order of Chivalry with 24 members chosen by the Queen.

The following morning, start the day with a trip to the Tudor fortress of Pendennis Castle, set on a peninsula around 25 minutes’ walk from the centre of town (entry £12.20 adults, £11 concessions, £7.30 under 17s or free for English Heritage members, and you must pre-book in advance). Fal River Ferries shuttle people on the 20-minute journey to St Mawes from both Custom House Quay and Prince of Wales Pier around once an hour (a day return costs £10 adults, £9.50 students/over 60s and £5.50 for children, with a discount if you book online). The trip on board one of the vintage wooden ferries gives you fantastic views of Falmouth Harbour and the Fal River Estuary, dotted with boats from tiny sailing boats to huge cruise ships. You can take a tour of the castle (entry £6.90 adults, £6.20 concessions, £4.10 under 17s, or free for English Heritage members, and you must pre-book in advance) or carry on walking along the coast road.

Travelling across the four corners of England – from London and Brighton in the southeast to Bristol in the southwest, Manchester and Liverpool in the northwest to Leeds in the northeast – this city-centric rail journey takes you to some of the UK Catch the 09.02 direct train from London Paddington and you arrive into Bristol Temple Meads at 10.39 (but make sure you don’t get off in Bristol Parkway station which is outside the city). From Manchester it’s only around 45 minutes by train to Liverpool, with frequent services from Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria stations to Liverpool Lime Street, so you can choose how early you want to start. For the UK cities by train itinerary, the best InterRail/Eurail option is the One Country Great Britain pass for 5 travel days within 1 month (€241 adults, €209 for youths aged 12–27 or €217 for seniors over 60).