What are the most beautiful landscapes and hiking trails that are accessible by train outside Scotland ?

12 comments

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2. Dartmoor has a train station (Ivybridge) on its southern edge. It’s not as spectacular as areas like the Brecon Beacons or Snowdonia, but it is directly accessible by train. The Tarka Trail in north Devon, and the Bristol-Bath path are also directly accessible by train. The Ridgeway path is accessible from Goring station.

   I don’t think there’s anything in England and Wales that quite compares with the train/walk oportunities offered by Scotland’s West Highland line.

3. Southwest coast path in Devon and Cornwall. Long coastal trail where you can get great scenery. Some towns with train stations include Torquay, Falmouth, Newquay and St Ives.

   You could also try the Lake District – great place for hills, mountains, lakes, valleys, caves, woodlands and greenery. Train stations are at Windermere and Ambleside. There is also a good local bus network to places like Keswick.
   Tons of hiking trails around the Lakes.

   Another one is the town of Whitby in the North York Moors. The Cleveland Way that leads through coastal and/or moorland scenery is accessible from there.

   I also like Samphire Hoe country park in Kent, England. Spacious and dramatic landscapes. Nearby Dover has a train station.

4. Peak District from Edale, accessible along the Sheffield-Manchester railway

5. Llangollen Valley. When lockdown was lifted my partner and I did a week of walking here.

   Start at Chirk railway station, which is a short walk from Chirk Castle.

   Either head straight northwest to Llangollen or go via Trevor to the north if you like aqueducts and old mills. When you get to Llangollen you have the remains of Castell Dinas Bran, up a hill with stunning views.

   West of there you’ve got the remains of Valle Crucis Abbey. If you want lower level walks, continue west through the valley. If you want to get some panoramics in, head up to Moel Morfydd and walk across.

   You can carry on until you get to Carrog or Corwen.

   At Carrog there is a campsite. If you look at Carrog station, there are a couple of old rail carriages there – they used to let people camp in those for a small fee.

   At Corwen, there’s some visitor attractions, as well as an opportunity to pick up your Welsh tourist gifts and get some decent food.

   Corwen is also the end of the Llangollen Railway heritage line. So from here you can get a steam train back to Llangollen, walk or bus back to Chirk/Ruabon for the mainline train home. There’s decent walks from each of the railway stations on the Llangollen Railway if you want to centre a trip round that instead.

6. A few off the top of my head:

   Edale on the line between Sheffield and Manchester. A great place from where you can explore Kinder Scout and much of the Peak District.

   There are lots of places where you can pick up the South West Coast Path where the station is often within a few hundred yards of it. Good options include Dawlish, St Ives, Penzance, Weymouth and Barnstaple.

   The South Downs Way can be accessed from Winchester or Lewes. Though I’ve never walked it, I have heard from others that its great to walk.

   Pretty much the entirety of the Settle to Carlisle line north of Ribblehead is amazing to walk.

   For something completely different, in other words flat but very pretty, the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads are a good shout. The best stations are Reedham, Hoveton, and the always-lovely Berney Arms.

   If you are after castles, you don’t really get dramatic landscapes along with castles in the UK (unless you like ruined ones). The best accessible by train is probably Arundel Castle, which is about a 10 minute walk from Arundel station.

7. Just rent a car. Trains in the UK suck.

8. A smaller one but get off the train at Bath and do the Bath skyline walk? 6 miles, circular walk and time in Bath afterwards? Very pretty, quintessential Cotswold stone and rolling hill landscape, great views of a beautiful town. No castles but one folly en route. 1 hour 20 minute train from London

9. Get the train to Arundel in West Sussex. See the castle, walk along the river.

   Anywhere on the South Downs way. There is a station at Southease ( close to Lewes in East sussex) which is right on the trail. Head West from there towards Brighton or east up to Firle Beacon and on towards Eastbourne. Alternatively stay on the train past Southease to Seaford. Pick a up a bus heading towards Eastbourne and get off afor Cuckmere Haven. follow the trails over the Seven Sisters cliffs

10. **[OP or Mod marked this as the best answer](/r/AskUK/comments/1clbcjx/what_are_the_most_beautiful_landscapes_and_hiking/l2t95l9/), given by u/BuffaloAl**

    Get the train to Arundel in West Sussex. See the castle, walk along the river.
    >
    >Anywhere on the South Downs way. There is a station at Southease ( close to Lewes in East sussex) which is right on the trail. Head West from there towards Brighton or east up to Firle Beacon and on towards Eastbourne. Alternatively stay on the train past Southease to Seaford. Pick a up a bus heading towards Eastbourne and get off afor Cuckmere Haven. follow the trails over the Seven Sisters cliffs

    —

    [_^What ^is ^this?_](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/jjrte1/askuk_hits_200k_new_feature_mark_an_answer/)

11. **[OP or Mod marked this as the best answer](/r/AskUK/comments/1clbcjx/what_are_the_most_beautiful_landscapes_and_hiking/l2swt6h/), given by u/eloise___no_u**

    A smaller one but get off the train at Bath and do the Bath skyline walk? 6 miles, circular walk and time in Bath afterwards? Very pretty, quintessential Cotswold stone and rolling hill landscape, great views of a beautiful town. No castles but one folly en route. 1 hour 20 minute train from London

    —

    [_^What ^is ^this?_](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/jjrte1/askuk_hits_200k_new_feature_mark_an_answer/)

12. If you get the train to Dover, you could walk along the heights of the White Cliffs on either side, they’re beautiful.

    Dover Castle is also one of the best castles in the South to visit. It’s got loads of history going from the Romans to the Second World War (it played a role as an HQ during the Dunkirk evacuation), it survived several sieges including by Louis VIII of France (although he wasn’t King at the time) and it’s not just an empty ruin. Well worth your time.