Walking in Britain, with or without guides

A good starting point is having a set of Ordnance Survey Explorer Series 1:25,000 scale maps and a GPS that will display metric grid coordinates.

We did several self-guided walks using a walking holiday service that booked overnight accommodations, luggage transfers and provided the OS maps and guidebooks along with specific instructions on walking to our overnight lodging and food/dining options on the track.

Yes, often trails are ill-defined with animal tracks looking more used than the actual walking path. And the number of tracks dramatically increases as you near a village. GPS and OS maps got us back on course a number of times.

In my (admittedly somewhat limited) experience, written directions for specific hikes are usually pretty easy to follow, even if the trails themselves are not well marked.

The tourist information offices in the areas you visit should be staffed with people who can recommend local hiking routes that match your interest and ability (both your physical ability and your navigating ability).

My other advice is not to underestimate the weather. What time of year will you be there? Especially in autumn through spring there's a risk of hypothermia. Storms with a lot of rain & wind can come up at any time of year. I would say listen to the locals and if in doubt, better safe than sorry.

What you need to do is get yourself a book of local walks. There is an endless number of books you’ll come across listing walking routes. A popular series are the Pathfinder Guides

http://www.pathfinderwalks.co.uk/our-books/

You should also equip yourself with the relevant OS map.

A guide is not necessary, especially in the Cotswolds where you are really just walking across farmers’ fields. The Lakes calls for a bit more caution especially if you’re high up on the tops. But the trails are well trodden so as long as you’re sensible you’ll be OK.

A popular series are the Pathfinder Guides

Wow - great site! May I have one of each please!? :-)

Have you chosen your lodging? We hiked three days in the Lake District with HF Holidays, a cooperative that offers walking holidays all over the UK and the world. In the UK, they own numerous country houses in popular hiking areas. They offer 3-night, 4-night, and full week packages which include full board ( excellent food) and, if you like, guided walks with transport to and from the trailheads. You can also do self-guided walking and they provide printed route maps and descriptions.

They have one house in the Cotswolds and two in the Lake District. We stayed at Derwent Bank, just out of Keswick, in a lakefront room with a gorgeous view. They picked us up at the train station in Penrith, some did not need a car at all. One could choose moderator strenuous hikes each day. The people ranged in age from mid-forties to 70+ and all were very congenial ( and fun hiking companions).

We liked it so much we will do more with them.

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/country-houses/

After looking at the individual country houses, go to the homepage to find a link to offers of £50 to £100 off on certain dates. Apparently things are not booking up as fast as usual this year.

A friend and I walked the Cotswold Way National Trail by ourself she and didn't get lost at all. There is a great little book Cotswold Way by Tricia & Bob Hayne, there are great maps for each section of the trail.

Our first day of walking in England led to the top of Dent Hill, an open steep grassy knoll. Our guide book and maps showed the track leading straight down the hill to the River Ehen and Ennerdale Bridge, our overnight stop. But there was no track or trail, just a grassy slope and a stile over the fence. We backtracked looking for the trail junction and didn't a find a track. Another walking group caught up to us and we collectively decided that the proper track was the un-tracked grassy slope. GPS and map was useful in confirming that the track went down the steep hill.

Advice on another section of track crossing un-tracked slopes was to set your compass to the proper bearing for the next pass in the event of fog and clouds. Our B&B host confirmed that in the pass they would have to drive to the next valley to retrieve guest who descended in the fog and ended up in the wrong valley. We did use our compass walking a bearing off the top of a cloud covered peak. Bring a good compass.

We did a self-guided walk to/from Bath but with accommodations and detailed directions provided by Cotswold Walks. It was fabulous! Please know that most of the signage we encountered did not offer the detailed information that we found in the Alps this past summer. Walking without very detailed directions would be disastrous I think; a map alone would not have been enough for us.

But there was no track or trail, just a grassy slope and a stile over
the fence. We backtracked looking for the trail junction and didn't a
find a track. Another walking group caught up to us and we
collectively decided that the proper track was the un-tracked grassy
slope. GPS and map was useful in confirming that the track went down
the steep hill.

This highlights an important point. "Public footpaths" are not necessarily tracks or clearly-marked trails, simply public rights of way. In many cases you may need to walk around the edge of a muddy field or similar. You can normally make out a faint path where others have walked it, or there may be a stile into a field and a stile in the opposite hedge so you can be sure that the public footpath leads from one stile to the other.

I remember reading an account from some Americans who had clearly expected that anything marked "public footpath" on a map would be paved or gravelled, and were surprised by and unprepared for the mud and fields.

Also watch out for tall wet grass, which can soak your boots and lower legs, and cattle.

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/Taking-care-around-cows

Where do you plan to hike in the Lake District? I've hiked there extensively. In the tourist corridor along the towns and smaller fells that are around the main road, the A591, the trails are fairly well marked. There are also popular routes that are easy to follow such as Catbells and Haystacks. The nice thing about hiking in the Lake District is that there are plenty landmarks and reference points if you do your homework ahead of time. There are plenty of longer, more remote routes, though, where you need a good map!
If you tell me what kind of hikes you are interested in, difficulty level, or if you have heard of specific routes, I can let you know how easy or difficult they are to follow.
The Cotswolds are a bit harder since the land is flatter, there are fewer landmarks, and everywhere kind of looks the same...at least to me! I like the variety of the Lakes.
If you are on several Facebook pages that are dedicated to the Lake District where you might find people to hike with.
I Love the Lake District is the biggest one. Very friendly community of Lakes lovers who know the place inside and out.
The Lake District Walker is a company that takes people on walks. I haven't used them but have seen them there.
We Love Cumbria and the Lake District is another page I really like.
Good luck planning!

Here is another vote for HF Holidays company. We hiked with them for a week in the Cotswolds, but they have trips all over the UK. Their lodging is usually in British Heritage houses and are really nice. You have a choice each day of going on a short - medium - or long hike ( lunch is included that you carry in your daypack)
Check out their website
HF HOLIDAYS

As has already been said, get OS maps of your chosen area, preferably 1:25,000. Paths and rightsof way are very clearly marked, even if you can't find them on the ground (not a common problem in the Lake District) and they also clearly show you when you're in Open Access land. Here, you are not restricted to paths and can walk anywhere not actually fenced off. If you can read a map, and OS maps are probably the world's best, you don't need a guide.

If you plan to walk in the Lakes, in addition to the previously mentioned OS maps, you could do worse than to pick up the Wainwright for the area you are in - his 'Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells' is split into seven volumes. Although he never intended it (the originals were written in the late 1950's) the most recent impressions have been updated to take account of the shifts in routes over the intervening years. More than mere guidebooks, the original volumes are entirely hand written and illustrated, little works of art that have been oft imitated but never bettered.

If you don't want to fork out for a Wainwright or two, take a look at the Walking Englishman website which has extensive walk/route descriptions throughout the country, with emphasis on the north as he is a Yorkshireman like myself!

The only other thing is to ensure is that you hike properly equipped for the vagaries of the weather in the UK - better to carry it and not need it than need it and not have it, especially where wet weather is concerned.

You should, with the relevant maps, etc., be able to self guide on your hikes. Have a great trip - would love to hear about where you get to and how you get on!

Ian

Regarding navigating in wet (and windy) weather. The OS maps come in traditional paper and a weatherproof material. We survived with regular paper maps with waterproof map cases, but the weatherproof maps are worth the extra cost when you need to refold the map in the rain. Map cases are valuable even with weatherproof material in that the case makes consulting your map while walking in the wind a one hand task.