Chicago is practically tailor made for family getaways, with a wealth of interactive museums, fabulous parks and jaw-dropping architecture.
21.07.2023 - 08:47 / roughguides.com
Here at Rough Guides, our sanctioned daily walks have become a firm highlight of coronavirus lockdown. Watching the spring blossom burst into being, feeling the sun on our faces, actually seeing other people (from a safe distance, of course)… it’s been a crash course in taking pleasure in the simple things. To help put a spring in your step, we’ve collated 10 less-visited trails and national parks in the UK and the US, ripe for the walking – now, if you live locally, or as soon as it’s safe to do so.
Where are you walking? Share a picture or description of your lockdown walks with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
If you’re based up North, do as the Romans did, and trace the ancient monument of Hadrian’s Wall. Its impressive remains – and the accompanying trail – stretch from coast to coast across Northern England. The scenery is stunning, characterized by bucolic rolling hills, rugged moorland and captivating historic sites – vestiges to the Romans, who built the wall to protect England from its Scottish neighbours. Today, the National Trail covers 84 miles in total, meaning Northerners in the vicinity can strike out for a section close to them. Lace your boots and breathe it in.
Hadrian's Wall Caw Gap, Northumberland National Park © Dave Head/Shutterstock
The Mourne Mountains are the highest and most dramatic in Northern Ireland – and with 28 peaks, there’s plenty of space for everyone. You’ll be spoilt for shorter, more accessible routes, but there’s also a number of more challenging hikes for serious ramblers: make for the heady heights of Slieve Binnian, Slieve Commedagh or Slieve Bearnagh. And don't forget your camera: you’ll be rewarded with a series of epic photos that are likely to be print-it-and-frame-it material.
Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland © fineArt Photography/Shutterstock
Extending from Greater London into Hertfordshire and Essex – tracing the course of the River Lee – the gorgeous Lee Valley Park coves a whopping 26 miles (that’s quite something for the being on the capital’s doorstep). There are tonnes of trails inside the park: East Londoners should tread the path of Walthamstow Wonders, while Essex residents should make for the Lake and Riverside Trail. Alternatively, to escape the crowds of the capital, try the Three Hidden Gems route.
Anyone who can reach the Cairngorms on their own two feet is in for a treat. This vast Scottish beauty takes in some 1500 square miles, including 52 sky-kissing mountain peaks (all topping 2953ft), large swathes of thick native woodland and fine heather-strewn hills. Walkers won’t know where to start: there are literally hundreds of paths that criss-cross the terrain, from hill tracks to long-distance trails and epic climbs up the park’s Munros
Chicago is practically tailor made for family getaways, with a wealth of interactive museums, fabulous parks and jaw-dropping architecture.
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