The YHA Festival of Walking 2023 is well under way. Have you chosen your route yet?
With 170 routes available there is something for everyone. But how do you choose a route? Where do you want to go? How far do you want to walk? Do you need walks without stiles? Are you planning a pub or cafe stop?
Each of the walks have been graded numerically, so its difficulty can be quickly identified. The route cards are designed to provide information to help walkers find walks they will enjoy. A previous article describes the importance of good information, which is handy for the experienced walker, but can be essential for people new to walking.
But, with so many routes – how do you find which are right for you? Walking Pace can help with this!
All of the YHA Festival of Walking routes from 2022 and 2023 are fully searchable here!
You can search routes based on the following criteria:
- Region of England or Wales
- Distance
- Metres of ascent
- Numerical grade
- Grade categories (easy, moderate, challenging and severe)
- Suggested time to allow for slower walkers
- Suggested time to allow for faster walkers
- Type of walk (coast, canal, city, etc…)
- Walks in particular National Parks or AONBs
- Walks that include a section of a Trail or Way (Pennine Way, South Downs Way, etc…)
- Wheelchair accessible
- Pushchair accessible
- Stiles
- Seats
- Toilets
- Touch free (no gates to open, etc)
- Facilities (pubs, cafes, shops, takeaways)
For example – if you’d like a coastal walk, in Wales, with a pub – then these four routes are for you:
- Penally, Tenby, St Florence and Lydstep – YHA Manorbier (12.6 miles)
- Priest’s Nose and Lydstep Point – YHA Manorbier (6.1 miles)
- St Brides Haven – YHA Broad Haven (12.6 miles)
- Coast Path to St Davids City – YHA St Davids (11.2 miles)
Or a city route, shorter than three miles, which is pushchair accessible – then these three routes are for you:
- Bristol Old City – YHA Bristol (1.4 miles)
- Manchester Castlefield Basin – YHA Manchester (1.5 miles)
- Brighton Madeira Drive – YHA Brighton (2.6 miles)
Or a walk under five miles, which touches the Pennine Way – then these three routes are for you:
- Gordale Scar and Malham Cove – YHA Malham (4.5 miles)
- The Dale – YHA Langdon Beck (2.6 miles)
- Winshield Crags – YHA The Sill at Hadrian’s Wall (2.3 miles)
Or, just the longest routes – then these three routes are for you:
- Shropshire Union Canal and Chester City Walls – YHA Chester Trafford Hall (17 miles)
- Padstow – YHA Treyarnon Bay (18.1 miles)
- Firle Beacon, Cuckmere Haven – YHA South Downs (20.3 miles)
