The best hikes and national parks in United Kingdom

Ranked for a first or second walking trip to the UK. Nights are the minimum that does each place justice, and every pick assumes you have at least one full day on foot.

The Lake District and the Highlands are the two that repay a dedicated trip. The rest work as a two-night stop inside a longer city itinerary, which is how most visitors fit walking into a UK holiday.

We ranked on four things: how good the walking is on the ground, how easy the trailhead is to reach without a car, how many days the place needs before it feels worth the trip, and how well it holds up outside the peak weeks.

We favoured places where you can walk from a village or a station rather than drive to a remote car park, because that is what most visitors can actually do. Long-distance routes such as the West Highland Way are included only where the logistics are simple: a station at one end and a town at the other.

We left out routes that need mountaineering skills, private access or a guide. If a walk needs a boat, a bothy booking or a permit, it is not on this list.

May to September is the reliable window: long daylight, most paths open and buses running. June has the longest days; September usually has the steadiest weather and far fewer people.

Midges are the main summer annoyance in the Highlands, Skye and the Lake District. They are worst on still, damp evenings from late May to August. A head net and repellent help more than any change of plan.

Winter walking is possible at low level, but daylight is short and high ground can hold ice and cloud for weeks. Without winter kit and navigation skills, stay on valley and coast paths.

Most national parks have a station on the edge and a bus into the walking country. The Lake District is served by Oxenholme and Windermere; the Peak District by Edale and Hope; Snowdonia by Bangor and Betws-y-Coed; the Cairngorms by Aviemore. Advance rail tickets are much cheaper than walk-up fares, so fix dates early.

A car makes the Highlands, Skye, Snowdonia and the Causeway Coast far easier, and it is close to essential for the far north and west of Scotland. Hire from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester or Inverness. Single-track roads have passing places: pull in and let faster traffic past.

For the West Highland Way, start at Milngavie, which is a short train ride from Glasgow, and finish at Fort William, which has rail and bus links south. Baggage transfer between overnight stops is a bookable service on this route (check current operators and prices).

Within a park, buses are thin outside summer. Check the last bus before you set off on a one-way walk, or plan a loop back to your base.

Approximate markers for the picks above. Coordinates are to the nearest village or trailhead, not the summit.