10 of the best walks in Britain

To celebrate the first day of Spring - 21 March - HF Holidays is publishing a list of the ten best walks in Britain offering ideas on where to go for the best walking close to home.

Walks were nominated and voted for by walks leaders from a panel of 900 volunteers who research and lead the guided walks enjoyed by 50,000 HF Holidays guests each year.

Leaders suggested walks on the basis of scenery, accessibility and sense of achievement. Unsurprisingly, some of the famous favourites made the top 10 such as the Seven Sisters and Wainwright's Coast to Coast trail, although the less known areas such as the Lizard coastline and Chatsworth and the Edges offer food for thought.

"Walking is Britain's favourite activity and we hope that publishing this list is an inspiration for us all to scrape the dried mud off our boots and get out into the countryside this Spring," says Brian Smith, HF Holidays' Chief Executive.

The 10 Best Walks in Britain include:

Malhamdale in the Yorkshire Dales. This popular route is described by leader Brian Hicks as "full of interest, including moorland, woods, limestone pavements and exhilarating scrambles, with Malham Tarn a spectacular highlight and plenty of wildlife sightings, such as peregrine falcons."

Three Beinns Horseshoe on the Isle of Arran. A dramatic mountain walk with views of Ben Lomond. "There's a real wilderness feel to this walk, which has the ideal mix of mountain, coast and beautiful scenery," says Jill Goddard, one of the leaders who nominated this route.

Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters. The route crosses Beachy Head to the Belle Tout lighthouse before following the roller-coaster line of the chalk cliffs to Cuckmere Haven. "The dramatic white cliffs are a great contrast to the river meanders at Cuckmere," is the comment from John Wood.

Wainwright's Coast to Coast. This 190-mile trail passes through no less than three National Parks as it crosses the North of England. "Walking from Robin Hood's Bay on the East coast across to the Lake District and St Bees means the best section is a fitting climax," says Stewart Rainbow.

The full list of walks can be found online at Hfholidays.co.uk.

All the walks in the list can be enjoyed as part of a walking break with HF Holidays, which offers a complete range of guided and self-guided walking holidays at its 17 Country Houses in the UK, as well as in Europe and worldwide.

As an example, a three-night Classic Guided Walking break at Newfield Hall, Malhamdale, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park costs from £199 per person, including full board en-suite accommodation, guided walks with expert leaders and local transport.