Holiday Cottages With Winter Walks

There’s nothing quite like a bracing winter walk through muddy country lanes or across windswept beaches and cliff tops to blow out the cobwebs. So, pack your wellies and make a weekend of it. Combine one of these winter walks with a 2-3 night self-catering holiday in a nearby cottage. Here are six scenic walks and cycle paths to explore and six idyllic, warm and toasty holiday cottages to relax in front of a log fire after the long plod.

The Medway Marshes – Kent

Here’s a great one to start off! The River Thames flows through many marshes and mudflats, and these lowland walks make for some fantastic birdwatching or shooting! With a camera, of course. The great thing is these birds tend not to be overly afraid of people, so you can get a good look with your average pair of binoculars, even if you leave your bazooka lens or Hubble telescope at home.

You can start at Cliffe for the entire 15-mile walk or join earlier if you want a bit less of a trek.

You can find out more here.

Countryside and Clifftop - East Sussex

Fancy something with a bit less length and a bit more height? This circular route follows old smugglers’ paths along part of the Seven Sisters cliffs overlooking the channel. You can get spectacular views of the Belle Tout lighthouse on a clear day.

I mentioned this was shorter; being only 3 miles (5km) long, the walk shouldn’t take up much of your day so you will have plenty of time for other attractions. The walk starts (and ends) at the Tiger Inn and goes past the house where “Sherlock Holmes retired”.

You can find out more here.

The Tarka Trail – North Devon

Here’s one close to my heart as it runs just by where I live into my two neighbouring towns in each direction! I still have an old railway bolt I found in the gravel after falling off my bike when I first got off stabilisers! Anyway, this canal-turned-railway-turned-cycle trail runs between Meeth and Braunton. If you want to do the whole track, there are 30 miles to play with! There is an audio track you can download along with 21 information boards.

If you want to know more, Click here.

3 Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden – North Yorkshire

Nature not enough to excite you? This might do the ticket. A 5-mile (8km) walk around the beautiful Fountains Abbey and Royal Water Garden near Ripon in North Yorkshire. You can expect to see the impressive ruins, views of the deer park and the North York Moors, the medieval Plumpton Hall farmhouse, and more!

If you want to learn more, click here.

The Monsal Trail – The Peak District

Found between Chee Vale and Bakewell in the Peak District, The Monsal Trail is a traffic-free path for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and wheelchairs. It runs for 8.5 miles in each direction. The former railway route features many interesting things to see, including wildlife, geology, and rail heritage. The trail is clearly marked with signs, listening posts and six tunnels!

Perhaps the most famous feature on the trail is the Monsal Viaduct, which, at the time of its construction, met with a lot of criticism.

"There was a rocky valley between Buxton and Bakewell, once upon a time, divine as the Vale of Tempe... you enterprised a Railroad through the valley - you blasted its rocks away…” – John Ruskin

To learn more about the features of this trial through time, click here.

Holywell St Piran – West Cornwall

“A long but fascinating walk for the enthusiast”. This walk will take you around Penhale Point and through the dunes. This walk goes past many remnants of St Piran’s Oratory and other holy sites attached to his name. Perhaps the most exciting part of this walk is the extensive mine workings on and around the cliffs. To top it off, there is an Iron Age castle on Penhale Point and some Bronze Age barrows nearby.