A practical guide to long-distance walking in the UK
Long-distance rambling in Britain is part of a correspondingly long tradition. In fact, few nationalities enjoy it quite as much as the British: from the South West Coast Path at Land's End in Cornwall, to the Cape Wrath Trail in the Scottish Highlands, you'll always find a Brit in an anorak. In 1965, the Pennine Way became the first of the UK's National Trails, and now — 60 years later — there are 16 to choose from. So, before you lace up your boots and set off, here is some practical advice to help you make the most of the wonderful scenery. What's the right path for me?
The good news is that Britain has long-distance paths to suit all abilities. Some of the flattest are the South Downs Way (100 miles) and the Norfolk Coast Path (84 miles) — doable for anyone of reasonable fitness. The Thames Path (185 miles) is also very easy, and has a number of mainline stations along the route, making it very possible to dip in and out of the trail. Be aware that some paths that don't reach giddy elevations can still be unexpectedly challenging — the Cotswold Way (102 miles) and the South West Coast Path (630 miles) have a great many undulations. Undoubtedly the hardest trail is the unofficial Cape Wrath Trail (230 miles), a Highland expedition involving wild camps and river crossings in the remote north of Scotland. How should I plan my trek?
You will find certain paths are better set up for tourism than others: the 16 National Trails generally all have good infrastructure and are easily navigated. Be sure to book accommodation many months ahead if you're tackling popular paths like the Pennine Way or West Highland Way in the high season. On other long-distance trails that don't have the same accreditation you may need to make complicated public transport connections to reach trailheads, hunt down accommodation and navigate more extensively as, unlike National Trails or Scotland's Great Trails, not all are signposted. Of course, you don't need to walk the entire length of any long-distance walk, tackling it in chunks instead. Above all, your daily mileage will likely be determined by the accommodation and transport options en route as well as your fitness. What gear do I need?
Strong walking boots and a rainproof shell are essentials year-round. It's always worth packing drinking water, emergency snacks, a torch, batteries, warm layers and a whistle to attract attention. Hiking poles can also be useful to spare your knees, particularly on descents. Even on busy trails, come prepared with a map (such as Ordnance Survey), waterproof map case, compass and the ability to use them — and always check the weather in advance. The MWIS forecast has the best reports for the UK's mountains. Always notify a friend or family member where you are headed in advance, and be sure to arrange a check-in time for your return. Do I need to carry all my own kit?
On many of the more popular trails (including Hadrian's Wall, Anglesey Coastal Path and the West Highland Way) you can find operators who will shuttle your bags between hotels, B&Bs and bunkhouses; often this service is organised as part of a broader package including transport and accommodation. Are there good options for people with mobility issues?
Some long-distance paths are suited to wheelchair users, in particular those that once served as railway lines. The Tarka Trail network (180 miles) is one example, travelling the North Devon coast. Derbyshire also has a number of accessible trails, such as the Tissington Trail and Monsal Trail, the latter of which swoops across the Victorian Headstone Viaduct. When is the best time to go?
Long-distance walking can be done year-round in Britain, with most routes at their busiest from April to September. Be aware that winter walking in upland areas of North Wales, the Lake District and above all the Scottish Highlands may require specialist equipment such as ice axes and crampons, and the ability to use them. Swarms of midges can sometimes make Scottish walks a misery from around July to August. Find midge forecasts at smidgeup.com Getting there and around
All 16 National Trails can be accessed by rail travel at at least one point along the route. If you're hiking a point-to-point path (as opposed to a circular one), travel by public transport is preferable as you won't need to return to the start to collect your vehicle. More info
nationaltrail.co.uk
scotlandsgreattrails.com
visitbritain.com To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
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A whitewater raft flips, a camel charges a tourist, a car dangles off a ledge in Italy — and then comes that impossibly perky voice: "Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday." Unless you're incredibly offline, you'll have heard those words dozens, if not hundreds, of times in the past few weeks. What started as a TV jingle for a British budget airline has become the accidental soundtrack of summer 2025. The jingle itself is a remix of the airline's long-running tagline — "Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday" — layered over the chorus of British popstar Jess Glynne's 2015 hit "Hold My Hand." To date, it's been featured on over 2 million videos on TikTok — many showing travel nightmares, vacation fails, or otherwise ironic nods to the very idea of a relaxing vacation. The brand behind the jingle Jet2, largely unknown outside the UK, is a low-cost, three-star airline that flies from Britain to sunny spots in Europe. Known for its affordable travel package deals that bundle flights and hotels to destinations like Spain, Greece, and Portugal, Jet2 has built a loyal following among families and bargain seekers. Think £420 for flights and a week in a three-star hotel in Turkey, or £360 for a three-night city break in Rome. Its cheerful, no-frills marketing — once squarely aimed at mainstream holidaymakers — has now been hijacked on social media. As with many budget airlines, the airline's low prices come with some tradeoffs. One now-iconic video on TikTok shows a passenger squeezed into a Jet2 seat with no backrest at all — just a flimsy yellow-and-black plastic tape strung across the frame where the seat back should be. The video has racked up more than 32 million views. On Skytrax, it gets one star for its in-flight entertainment options; it rates higher — four stars each — for value for money and staff service. A viral earworm "I first heard the jingle while scrolling through TikTok — it's hard to ignore," Zane Fall, a TikTok content creator based in Brisbane, Australia, told Business Insider. Fall is among the many people who have used the airline's cheerful jingle as a backdrop to an utter vacation fail. In a video Fall shared on TikTok in June, Fall can be seen launching off a zipline platform in a tropical rainforest. Halfway through the ride, his harness gives way and flips him upside down, sending him gliding helplessly through the trees with his legs flailing in the air — all while the Jet2 jingle plays in the background. While he said the video was taken in August 2024 in the South Pacific region, Fall said, "This was the first sound that stuck out to pair it with." "I think what makes it go viral is the hilarious contrast," he said. "You've got this super upbeat holiday jingle that screams 'perfect getaway,' and then people pair it with clips of travel disasters, airport chaos, or just totally un-glamorous moments." "I still love it," he added, "though I'll admit it's been stuck in my head for weeks." Verity Walker, a London-based actor, used the jingle to express her frustration with the sweltering heat of the London subway during the summer, which, unlike many of its global counterparts, isn't air-conditioned. Her TikTok video shows an Underground train pulling into a station, with the on-screen caption: "Just watching my sauna arrive." Over the clip, she overlayed a remix of the Jet2 jingle — a screamed parody of the original ad shouting the words in a rasping, shaky voice. "I didn't really think too deep into it," Walker told BI. "I didn't check my phone for hours and then it blew up." @theveritywalker Hell #londonunderground #tube #london ♬ original sound - Hillary Star The video struck a chord online, racking up 630,000 likes at the time of publication. "It's so widely recognizable — it's got to be one of the UK's biggest inside jokes," Walker said. From organic meme to marketing strategy While Jet2 didn't respond to requests for comment from BI on the trend, the airline did help fuel it back in April. A TikTok video posted at the time showed cabin crew and airport staff lip-syncing, dancing to the jingle, and striking influencer-style poses. The caption invited users to participate, promising a Jet2holidays voucher of £1,000 for the best submission using the jingle tagged with #Jet2Challenge. @jet2 NOTHING BEATS A JET2HOLIDAY 🗣️🗣️ And RIGHT NOW we've got a BRAND NEW SOUND (that's better than the last one...) for you to get lip-syncing to... Yep we've seen you all! 🎤 You could even #WIN a £1,000 Jet2holidays voucher with your video 🤩 Simply upload our NEW SOUND from THIS video, use the #Jet2Challenge hashtag and tag us @jet2, and post to your account making sure we can see it (i.e. not on private!) and we will pick our favourite one! Get creative, you could be the winner! 🏆 Upload your entry before midnight on 19th May 2025 to be in with a chance! And of course, remember our sale is now on... Save £100pp with a myJet2 account!* *T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs can be found on our website. #Jet2 #Jet2holidays #NothingBeatsAJet2holiday #DarlingHoldMyHand #Viral #Funny #Trend #Trending ♬ original sound - jet2 Hannah Bennett, TikTok's head of travel, told BI the trend took off because it hit all the right viral notes: "An instantly recognizable sound, a trend anyone could jump on, classic British wit and a dash of summer nostalgia." She added that Jet2, Jess Glynne, and voice artist Zoe Lister all engaged "authentically, " so it was "no surprise the trend has burst off the platform to become a full-blown cultural moment." According to TikTok, the Jet2 voiceover has been featured in more than 2 million video creations and has racked up billions of views globally. This isn't Jet2's first brush with online virality. In December 2022, Jet2 launched an ad set to Glynne's "Hold My Hand." By 2024, the song had quietly become meme material, with TikTok users ironically pairing it with travel chaos and holiday fails. But April 2025 appeared to mark the first time Jet2 tried to take control of the trend — rebooting the jingle, framing it as a challenge, and offering cash incentives to keep the momentum going. The jingle's virality even reached the halls of political power. In a video posted to X on Tuesday, the official White House account used the Jet2 audio to soundtrack a clip showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents escorting detained individuals onto a deportation flight. The clip drew swift backlash online — including from Jess Glynne herself. In an Instagram story overlaying the White House's post, she wrote: "This post honestly makes me sick. My music is about love, unity, and spreading positivity — never about division or hate." The ad's release timing was no accident Media and marketing analysts said Jet2's move fits a familiar playbook for turning memes into brand wins. Tony D. Sampson, a reader in digital communication at the University of Essex's Business School, said the Jet2 jingle checks all the boxes for holiday-season virality: It's repetitive, "amusingly annoying," and ideal for subversive parody. "It is the holiday season after all, so this outbreak of virality is perfectly timed and primed for silly holiday videos," he told BI. Sampson added that social algorithms tend to reward emotionally charged or playful content. "The churning of content through platform algorithms also tends to favour high-intensity emotion," he said. "So yes, alongside more horrific and shocking content, irony, nostalgia, cuteness, silliness, and widespread stupidity tend to spread well." David Meerman Scott, the author of "The New Rules of Marketing and PR," described Jet2's marketing video as a "smart move." "Often brands ignore what's happening on social media and treat it as just an outbound," he said. "The fact that they're watching and responded is great." He suggested that the airline's choice to release the video on TikTok was key. "When the time is right to respond to a meme, I always suggest doing so in the same media where it caught fire," he said. "If a video goes viral, respond with your own video."
