Our Travel Designers Favourite Routes

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Date

2026-06-04T14:40:11.360Z

Lire

4 min de lecture

Encounter Walking Holidays travel designers’ favourite routes, showcasing expert‑selected UK walking holidays including coastal trails, countryside paths and scenic long‑distance routes.

The best self-guided walking holidays in Suffolk by Walking Expert Emma Johnson
Snape Maltings on the Suffolk Coast Path

The Best of Suffolk

Emma J

Born in Suffolk and having covered hundreds of miles here Emma isn't short of the best routes and places not to miss! Suffolk is one of the driest parts of the UK, so you can vist pretty much all year round! This route has been crafted to take in some of my favourite trails and locations on the Suffolk Coast. Anyone booking will be in for a real treat!

My personal favourite would be to walk from Woodbridge to Southwold, stopping in Orford, I'd even be considering two nights in each stopover as there is so much to do and enjoy here!

Section 1 of the South West Coast Path by Walking Expert Jade at Encounter Walking Holidays
Section one of the south west coast path provides inspiration to walk the complete path

Inspiring start to the SWCP

Jade J

The Minehead to Westward Ho! section is one of the best ways to begin your South West Coast Path journey. Starting beneath the famous South West Coast Path sign in Minehead, there’s something special about taking those first few steps knowing you’re beginning one of the UK’s most iconic long-distance trails. This stretch has a bit of everything, dramatic Exmoor coastline, quiet woodland paths, seaside villages and long coastal views, but it’s also a route that can be enjoyed at a more relaxed pace. We can help plan an itinerary that eases you into the walking, with manageable daily distances and time to properly enjoy the route rather than rushing through it.

There are also plenty of opportunities to slow down and take a rest day along the way. Whether that’s exploring Lynmouth, spending extra time around Clovelly or simply taking a break to enjoy the coast, this section works really well for walkers who want to balance the challenge with time to relax and take it all in.

For many walkers, this is the section that truly starts their South West Coast Path adventure and once you’ve started, it’s hard not to want to keep going.

Padstow to St Ives offers the most stunning section as detailed by our walking expert Mell
Walk the South West Coast Path from Padstow to St Ives

Coastal Paradise!

Mell S

The section from Padstow to St Ives is one of the most spectacular stretches of the South West Coast Path, with its dramatic cliffs, hidden coves, vast sandy beaches, and reminders of Cornwall’s rich mining heritage creating an ever-changing and unforgettable landscape. Among the many highlights, a worthwhile detour at Holywell Bay leads to St Cuthbert’s Cave, an ancient holy spring hidden among the dunes and steeped in local folklore, famous for its mineral-streaked walls and stepped freshwater pools that can only be accessed at low tide. Further along, Perranporth Beach offers miles of golden sand and the unique sight of The Watering Hole pub sitting almost like an island on the beach, making it the perfect place to stop for refreshments, while nearby Chapel Rock hides a lovely tidal pool ideal for a dip if you’ve remembered your swimming costume. Finally, rounding St Agnes Head reveals the iconic engine houses above Chapel Porth, standing dramatically against the turquoise Atlantic Ocean as powerful reminders of Cornwall’s tin-mining past, before the path drops down to the beach café where you can enjoy a traditional Cornish cream tea or cool off with one of their famous hedgehog ice creams — my favourite way to cool off!

Our Lake District expert Jade discussed some of her favourite places in the Lake District
Discover the Lake District with Encounter Walking Holidays


Discover the Lakes

Jade C

In April 2025, our Travel Designer, Jade C, published The Wordsworth Way, a literary walking guide designed to accompany the Wordsworth Way trail.

Following in the footsteps of William Wordsworth, as well as his family, friends and contemporaries, the route leads walkers through a series of evocative and historically significant locations connected to the poet’s life. The guidebook offers practical directions with storytelling and poetry, bringing the landscape to life through a literary lens.

Set in the heart of the Lake District, the Way runs between Glenridding and Ambleside and can be enjoyed as a 14-mile linear walk or explored more leisurely as four circular routes with additional stops, extending to a 21-mile adventure.

Jade C launched her guide on 7th April - Wordsworth’s 255th birthday! She had a fabulous day with cake, poetry readings, and the unveiling of her very own fingerpost at the University of Cumbria in Ambleside.

We offer walks on the Wordsworth Way as part of our Lakes Heritage Holiday, a great accompaniment to the Ullswater Way, one of Jade’s favourite low level walks in the Lakes!

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