Britain’s best faff-free walking weekends – with stylish stays

All you need is a train ticket and a backpack to enjoy these weekend walks, stopping at high-quality inns along the way

Have you noticed? The air is a notch fresher than it was a fortnight ago, the leaves are beginning their metamorphosis into a deep red, the nights are drawing in. This can mean only one thing: the autumn walking season is upon us.
Here at Telegraph Travel we have long sought out the best country walks that end at a decent pub. But increasingly we are finding ourselves keen to stretch our legs a little further, combining a full weekend of walking with a couple of nights at top-quality inns – the sort that welcome muddy boots and will have a roaring open fire on arrival.
From a westward ramble from Eastbourne along the South Downs Way, to exploring the shores of England’s most beautiful lake in Cumbria, via a historic wander in the Cotswolds, these are the best faff-free walking weekends in Britain, all coupled with stylish stays, and all starting and ending at a railway station.
Find the perfect route for you:
South Downs
Yorkshire
Devon
The Cotswolds
The Lake District
This classic walk takes in time-warped villages, sweeping views of the South Downs National Park and the medieval county town of Lewes.
Total distance: 33.3 miles
Start: Eastbourne (1hr 30m from London Bridge)
End: Hassocks (56m from London Victoria)
Distance: 12.2 miles
Half an hour after disembarking at Eastbourne you will find yourself at the official start (or end) point of the South Downs Way. From here you rise up to the clifftop, with views of the Beachy Head lighthouse, meander towards the village of Birling Gap, and then on to the Seven Sisters and down to the floodplains of Cuckmere Haven. (Take care of the precarious cliff-edges, which are eroding at a worrying rate.) From here, it’s a lovely walk up the Cuckmere river, through Friston Forest via the Long Man of Wilmington, and then into Alfriston – one of the finest villages in the land.
Your stylish stay: Stay at the Star Inn, in Alfriston (thepolizzicollection.com; doubles from £190 per night), an old pilgrims’ inn that has been reimagined as a luxurious boutique bolthole, with Bloomsbury Group paintings, roaring fires and an Italianate courtyard.
Distance: 11.7 miles
After stocking up on supplies from Badgers Tea House or the divine Alfriston Village Stores, head along Kings Ride and you will soon be on the familiar chalky path of the South Downs Way, which you will follow up to Bostal Hill (627ft) and then along to Firle Beacon (712ft). Continue west to make a steep descent through grassy cow fields into Southease. Here you can stop for a quick sandwich at the YHA before crossing the railway tracks and following the river Ouse north into Lewes.
Your stylish stay: Stay at the White Hart, Lewes (whitehartlewes.com; doubles from £129 per night) a much-welcomed new fixture in town to replace the faded old hotel (launches on October 4).
Distance: 9.4 miles
Wake early to do a lap of the beautiful county town of Lewes (if you only have half an hour, head to Taith for your morning coffee and then wander down Keere Street to bathe in the floral extravagance of Southover Grange Gardens), before heading west out of town. Find the track behind the prison and follow it up to the old racecourse, where you will rejoin your old friend the South Downs Way. You will retain elevation as you pass through Black Cap, Mount Harry, and then make the steep descent into Ditchling Village near the beacon car park. From Ditchling you’re a swift, if un-scenic, half-hour walk to Hassocks train station.
Your stylish stay (optional): The Bull is the local favourite in Ditchling (thebullditchling.com; doubles from £143), with a large grassy beer garden and rooms decked out with Roberts radios and Nespresso machines.
Greg Dickinson
A riverside walk of meadows, woodland and drystone-walled fields with rocky ravine and moor-top diversions.
Total distance: 28.5 miles or optional 31 miles
Start: Ilkley (3hr, via Leeds, from London King’s Cross)
Finish: Ilkley (3hr 20m, via Leeds, from London King’s Cross) 
Distance: 13 miles
From Ilkley station, head 10 minutes down through the town to the Old Bridge on the river Wharfe, which marks the start of the 80-mile Dales Way to Bowness in the Lake District, Cumbria. You’ll pass the town’s 19th-century Crescent Inn, with its curved frontage, boutique-style rooms, French bistrot and real-ale pub, and a useful stop if you arrive overnight (doubles from £124). 
The walk’s first section (up Wharfedale to Burnsall) is a bucolic mix of pasture, woodland, placid river and rushing waters. At Bolton Abbey admire the photogenic ruins of the 12th century priory before stopping for coffee and cake at the riverside Cavendish Pavilion. Shortly after, as the path winds through woodland, the river squeezes through a rocky chasm in a whirl of foam and spray, known as the Strid. Do not be tempted to jump across!
Very quickly, it’s all calm and peaceful – look out for kingfishers – and you may feel tempted to take the short path up through the fields to Appletreewick village for a pint at the Craven Arms and views over the valley. From here, it’s a gentle mile and a half to comely Burnsall village with its stone-arched bridge and village green.
Your stylish stay: The Devonshire Fell (devonshirehotels.co.uk; doubles from £158) offers modern country house rooms, bold colours and cracking views over the valley.
Distance: 10 miles
Up for an adventurous walk? Return over Burnsall’s stone-arched bridge and back along the Dales Way for a mile, before turning left up Woodhouse Lane, across the minor road to a farm track (Kail Lane) that winds uphill and to the right to a road, New Lane. Turn left and, shortly after the road bends right, take the footpath on the right over moorland to Skyreholme Beck. Follow the streamside path downhill to lle (or Ghyll). This is where it gets interesting. The stream disappears underground (into the limestone) and the path becomes a rocky scramble down a narrow ravine (take care if it has recently rained, as the rocks will be slippery).
The ravine was said to be the haunt of trolls (hence the name) who rolled stones down onto unwary travellers. Or, possibly the haunt of Barguest, a wolf-like beast who lived in one of the caves…
The beck reappears at the bottom. The route now heads down to the river Wharfe via Skyreholme Lane, Howarth Farm, Howgill Farm and the nearby Brownie Barn – an essential stop for some of Yorkshire’s finest brownies – to pick up the Dales Way path downriver to Bolton Bridge.
Your stylish stay: The Devonshire Arms (devonshirehotels.co.uk; doubles from £252), a much-enlarged coaching inn, offers a choice of fine dining or brasserie, plus a spa.
Distance: 5.5 miles or 8 miles
You have a choice: either return to Ilkley station along the Dales Way, or take a detour via Beamsley Beacon and its fine views. 
For the latter, from the hotel, cross over the old Bolton Bridge, and follow the bridleway, under the A59, to Beamsley village, turning left (signposted Langbar) up a steep narrow road across open moorland. The Beacon is a short, sharp climb up a well-marked track from Langbar hamlet. The views from its 1,290ft summit are superb: across to Ilkley Moor, up Wharfedale and – so the saying goes – on a clear day to York Minster. From Langbar, a path leads down, via Black Foss Farm, to the suspension bridge over the river Wharfe in Addingham village, where it meets the Dales Way back to Ilkley.
Your stylish stay (optional): The Crescent Inn (as above)
Helen Pickles
This walk traces the river Dart and South West Coastal Path, taking in pretty villages, ancient woodlands and magnificent coastal views. 
Total distance: 32 miles or optional 38 miles
Start: Totnes (3hr from London Paddington)
Finish: Torquay station (5hr to London Paddington, via Newton Abbot)
Distance: 12.5 miles
Begin your weekend straight off the train or, feeling rested and well-nourished after an overnight stay at the organic Bull Inn at the top of Totnes high street. Either way, stock up on snacks at one of this eco-minded town’s organic delis, and then head out along the western arm of the Dart Valley Trail towards the beautiful village of Dittisham. 
This moderate walk passes Cornworthy, where the ruins of a 14th-century priory still stand; the pretty hamlet of Tuckenhay; and Ashprington, with its 15th-century church, stone cottages and two pubs. At Dittisham, catch the small passenger ferry (which runs at least once an hour, all year round) across the estuary to Greenway, Agatha Christie’s holiday home, now owned by the National Trust. This is the prettiest section of the trail, tracing the river Dart and taking in ancient woodlands, views of the Dartmouth steam railway, Dartmouth itself and the Britannia Royal Naval College. It is possible to walk the trail from Dittisham to Dartmouth, but it’s not nearly as pretty as the Greenway to Kingswear leg.  
Your stylish stay: Dart Marina (dartmarina.com; doubles from £210) is a smart waterside hotel with a lovely spa and steam room for easing aching muscles. 
Distance: 11 miles, with opportunities to shorten the walk by cutting across inland if needed
Catch the ferry back across to Kingswear, where the path passes a small beach below tiny Kingswear Castle. This is followed by a strenuous climb through woodland with views over the mouth of the river Dart and Dartmouth Castle. From here, the route passes Brownstone Battery, a collection of gun and searchlight stations, which make up one of the UK’s few remaining Second World War coastal defence positions. The path then rounds the edge of the National Trust Gardens at Coleton Fishacre, then to Man Sands, a peaceful cove with a birdwatching lake. 
A further steep climb takes you to Sharkham Point and then Berry Head, a Napoleonic fort with well-preserved ramparts. Head over Berry Head to the Torbay side for expansive views across Torbay to Torquay, Exmouth, Branscombe and Beer. On a clear day, inland Dartmoor is also visible. 
Your stylish stay: Berry Head Hotel (berryheadhotel.com; doubles from £164) is a traditional hotel set directly on the coastal path. 
Distance: 8.5 miles to Torquay railway station, or 14.5 miles to the Cary Arms on the coastal path 
Today is a shorter, easier walk, leaving you time to linger at Brixham’s historic fishing port (get up early for the bustling fish market), visit a replica of Sir Francis Drake’s Tudor galleon, The Golden Hind, and browse the town’s boutiques and restaurants along the promenade. Notable landmarks along this section of the English Riviera include Battery Gardens – a Second World War coastal artillery battery and museum – the beautiful beaches of Elberry Cove, Broad Sands, Paignton Sands, Torre Abbey Sands and Torre Abbey itself. 
Your stylish stay (optional): The Cary Arms, Babbacombe (caryarms.co.uk; doubles from £175), a New England-style seafront inn with a state-of-the-art spa and excellent pub food. 
Suzy Bennett
A workout over classic Cotswold hills and along quiet, steep-sided valleys, finishing with a gentle stroll beside the river Thames.
Total distance: 17 miles
Start: Stroud (1hr 25m from London Paddington)
Finish: Kemble (1hr 10m from London Paddington)
Distance: 3.5 miles
Stroud places you at the heart of an area of the Cotswolds known as the Five Valleys, which hosted many textile mills from the 18th to 20th centuries. A visit to the excellent Museum in the Park (free entry) provides a background to the textile industry, and an introduction to the Five Valley’s most famous author, Laurie Lee. 
Saturday arrivals can gather picnic treats for the walk from Stroud’s popular Farmers’ Market.
Your day’s walk heads out of Stroud, along the northernmost of the Five Valleys, the Painswick Valley, to Painswick, considered one of the prettiest towns in the Cotswolds. The churchyard is famed for its 99 (by decree, no more or less) lollipop yew trees.
Your stylish stay: The Painswick (thepainswick.co.uk; doubles from £188 per night) is where you can unlace your boots and sink into a foaming bathtub, before relaxing in the guest lounge for fresh-baked scones and afternoon tea in the former vicarage. The Georgian mansion-house-cum-hotel, part of the Calcot Collection, welcomes walkers. It’s dog-friendly, too. 
Distance: 8 miles
A full English breakfast will set you up for the descent to the neighbouring Slad Valley (brought to life through the words of Lee’s Cider With Rosie), before climbing up and over Down Hill for views along the Wysis Way to Bisley.
Here you can stop for refreshments in the characterful village at the Bear Inn, before a descent along Limekiln Lane to the Frome Valley, otherwise known as Golden Valley for the wealth generated by the historic textile industry. The final couple of miles are gentle, alongside the river Frome, before one last steep ascent to Sapperton, a village filled with architecture from the arts and crafts period.
Your stylish stay: Three comfortable suites in the Bell at Sapperton (bellsapperton.co.uk; doubles from £120 per night) include a self-contained, stocked-to-order kitchen should you prefer a leisurely breakfast in your PJs. Stay before December 22 2024 and you can toast your walk with a free bottle of fizz.
Distance: 5.5 miles
Following the previous day’s energetic workout, the final day offers gentler terrain, initially following the Macmillan/Wysis Way across the Bathurst Estate. The final mile to reach Kemble is the start of the Thames Path National Trail; be sure to stop by the source of the river Thames bubbling out of the ground.
Caroline Mills
A charming three-day adventure in the Lake District, taking in Aira Force waterfall, Gowbarrow Fell and a scenic boat ride on the historic Ullswater Steamers.
Total distance: 28.7 miles
Start: Penrith North Lakes station (3hr 1m from London Euston)
Finish: Penrith North Lakes station (3hr 1m from London Euston)
Distance: 8.4 miles
Take the new Eamont Way – a 5½-mile waymarked trail linking Penrith train station to Ullswater – following the river Eamont on public footpaths to Pooley Bridge. Stop for a flat white and a slice of lemon drizzle at Granny Dowbekin’s Cafe, and then head west on the Ullswater Way to Waterfoot. Continue south-west through hilly fields to the hamlet of Wreay, before turning left and taking the road to the Brackenrigg Inn and beyond to your hotel. 
Your stylish stay: Another Place The Lake, Ullswater (another.place; doubles from £250 per night) is an elegantly informal hotel with an enviable lakeshore location. Take a dip in the spa, go paddleboarding from the private jetty, or simply soak up the Lake District mountain scenery from the terrace lounge. 
Distance: 8.1 miles
Retrace your steps back to Wreay, taking care on the busy roads. Head south-west on the waymarked Ullswater Way trail, over undulating hills and through woodland. Climb to Gowbarrow Fell’s summit (1,578ft), a wonderful viewpoint. Descend rugged terrain west towards Dockray, before veering south past Aira Force, a 66ft waterfall memorialised in an 1833 poem by Wordsworth. From the National Trust tearooms, follow the Ullswater Way along the lakeshore to Glenridding. 
Your stylish stay: The Inn on the Lake, Glenridding (lakedistricthotels.net; doubles from £189 per night) is a traditional Victorian hotel with a peerless lakeside setting, and a refreshing fusion of contemporary and classic decor. Dine in the flagship Lake View restaurant before a dusk stroll around the 15 acres of manicured lawns. 
Distance: 12.2 miles
Traverse the southern tip of Ullswater and cross Goldrill Beck to arrive at Side Farm. Ahead the lakeshore path is mesmerising – a narrow line of loveliness between the water’s edge and the high peaks above. Pass Silver Point, Sandwick Bay and Hallin Fell to emerge at Howtown. To save your legs, ride the Ullswater Steamers to Pooley Bridge. Next re-walk the 5½-mile Eamont Way, or if you’re too tired, hop on Stagecoach’s 508 bus to Penrith (24 minutes).
Your stylish stay (optional): Roundthorn Country House (roundthorn.co.uk; doubles from £153 per night) is a Grade II-listed Georgian mansion turned boutique hotel, with landscaped grounds, contemporary rooms and weekly pan-Asian foodie nights. 
James Forrest