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From Cornwall’s salt-sprayed coast to the Highlands’ misty mountains, the UK is bursting with beautiful landscapes. And what better way to explore them than on a walking holiday?
Setting off on foot means you can witness natural wonders up close – whether bending down to watch a butterfly flap its wings or marvelling at the towering coastal cliffs from a seaside trail. More than just a break, walking holidays offer a rare blend of adventure and relaxation, inviting you to slow down and immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells of the countryside.
By choosing a guided walking holiday with HF Holidays, your next escape could also spark lasting connections with fellow ramblers. HF Holidays’ trained and experienced leaders create a sense of belonging and camaraderie both on and off the trail through shared dinners, sociable evening games, quizzes, and more.
Plus, to get the most from your getaway, it’s best to stay in the heart of the action. That’s why HF Holidays own and manage 16 country houses across the UK. From charming Victorian manors and grand Georgian mansions to restored farmhouses and coastal hideaways, each is located in some of our best-loved landscapes, with brilliant trails just steps away and full-board dining.
So, to inspire your next walking holiday, here are 10 country house stays with trails on your doorstep – and you can explore HF Holidays’ full range of walking holidays using the button below.
1. Derwent Bank, Lake District
There’s little wonder why the Lake District is one of the UK’s most popular walking holiday destinations. Its gorgeous blend of green valleys, rugged fells, and shimmering waters has stirred souls for centuries, from everyday visitors to creative residents like Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth. Plus, thousands of miles of diverse trails make it ideal for all walking abilities, whether you’re seeking gentle lakeside strolls or challenging routes like Scafell Pike.
HF Holidays’ country house Derwent Bank is located on the sloping shores of Derwent Water, with easy access to some of the area’s most iconic fell trails. To the west, Cat Bells offers a moderate ascent paired with panoramic views, while the short but steep Latrigg and tree-cloaked Walla Crag lie just to the east. The charming market town of Keswick is also nearby, home to independent restaurants, pubs, and even a ‘Theatre by the Lake’.
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HF Holidays Southern Lake District Guided Walking Holiday*
£142 off | Lake District | 4 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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Lake District | 3 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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HF Holidays Lake District Gardens Tour*
Lake District | 7 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
2. Freshwater Bay House, Isle of Wight
A paradise for walkers, the Isle of Wight offers plenty of scenic routes to choose from. There’s the famous 70-mile-long coastal path, which threads past fossil-filled beaches, towering chalk cliffs, and glittering bays – plus historic sites like Queen Victoria’s palatial Osborne estate. Or venture inland via criss-crossing trails to discover quintessentially English countryside.
Freshwater Bay House is ideally located near some of the Isle of Wight’s most iconic sights. This includes The Needles, huge seastacks off the island’s western point; 125-million-year-old dinosaur footprints at Compton Bay; and Tennyson Down, a whale-backed chalk ridge that takes walkers high above the waves, named after the Victorian poet who often hiked there.
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Isle of Wight | 7 nights
Includes taxes and fees
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HF Holidays Isle of Wight Christmas Guided Walking Holiday*
Isle of Wight | 4 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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HF Holidays Discover More of the Isle of Wight*
£182 off | Isle of Wight | 4 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
3. Nythfa House, Bannau Brycheiniog National Park
Named after a Welsh word for ‘nesting place’, Nythfa House is the epitome of rural bliss, with lovely leafy grounds and a quaint, ivy-covered facade. It’s just a 10-minute walk from the historic market town of Brecon, but the main draw for walkers is the wider Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park.
This mountainous landscape features plunging waterfalls, labyrinthine caves, and bucolic moorlands where Welsh ponies graze. Pen y Fan, the highest point in South Wales, beckons intrepid ramblers seeking sky-scraping summits, but there are plenty more relaxed routes to choose from. When you aren’t hiking, stop in at the literary village of Hay-on-Wye or learn about the area’s industrial past at the Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenavon.
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HF Holidays Brecon Beacons Guided Walking Holiday*
£106 off | Brecon Beacons | 3 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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Brecon Beacons | 4 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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£225 off | Brecon Beacons | 3 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
4. Harrington House, Cotswolds
Built in 1662, this grand Grade II-listed manor looks as if it were pulled from the pages of a Jane Austen novel – but Harrington House’s location is its true draw. Just minutes away is Bourton-on-the-Water, aka ‘the Venice of the Cotswolds’, where the babbling River Windrush flows under low-arched stone bridges and weeping willows, past honey-hued cottages and historic tearooms.
From Harrington House, visitors can easily explore the area’s most celebrated trails – from extensive footpaths like the Monarch’s Way to smaller treks around the Slaughters and Windrush Valley. Expect chocolate-box villages, wildflower meadows, sun-lit rivers, and bewitching woodland. Nearby attractions, such as the Cotswold Motoring Museum and Birdland Wildlife Park & Gardens, are well worth a visit, too.
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HF Holidays Cotswolds Guided Walking Holiday*
£99 off | Cotswolds | 3 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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Cotswolds | 7 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
5. Alltshellach, Scottish Highlands
Few places in the UK evoke a sense of drama and romance like the Scottish Highlands. Here, heather-strewn glens slope into sparkling lochs. Golden eagles wheel in the sky while red deer rut on the misty moors. And historic sites like the Glenfinnan Monument and Glencoe Folk Museum reveal a fascinating but sometimes bloody past.
For an unforgettable Highland walking holiday, why not use Alltshellach in North Ballachulish as your base? This stately Scottish house sits on Loch Leven’s shore, a stone’s throw from regional highlights like Glen Coe and the UK’s highest peak, Ben Nevis. Another unmissable experience nearby is riding the iconic Jacobite Steam Train over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous as the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films.
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HF Holidays Scottish Highlands Guided Walking Holiday*
£156 off | Scottish Highlands | 3 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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HF Holidays Cairngorms Guided Walking*
Scotland | 7 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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HF Holidays Discover More of the Scottish Highlands*
£296 off | Scottish Highlands | 7 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
6. Peveril of the Peak, Peak District
We can think of a few other accommodations that put walkers as close to iconic beauty spots as HF Holidays’ Peveril of the Peak. Less than a mile from the back gate, visitors will find the Dovedale Stepping Stones, a Victorian crossing over the River Dove surrounded by verdant hills. Also close by stands the famous Thorpe Cloud, a conical limestone hill offering some of the Peak District’s best views.
As you venture further into Britain’s first national park, keep your eyes peeled for wonderful wildlife, such as red deer, otters, red grouse, or the white flash of the elusive mountain hare. And between exploring the picturesque wilderness, stop in at Bakewell for its famous tarts, wander the regal grounds of Chatsworth House, or visit the world’s first water-powered cotton spinning mill.
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HF Holidays Peak District Guided Walking Holiday*
Peak District | 3 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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HF Holidays Discover More of the Peak District*
Peak District | 3 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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Peak District | 7 nights
Includes taxes and fees
7. Chy Morvah, St Ives
The Cornish seaside town of St Ives is often associated with sun-kissed beach holidays, but there are plenty of impressive walking trails right on its doorstep. Miles of coastal paths will take you past windswept headlands, Bronze-Age burial sites, hidden coves, and sleepy fishing villages. Keep an eye out for seals lounging on the rocks at River Cove and snap a picture at the UK’s most south-westerly point, Land’s End.
Nearby St Michael’s Mount, a breathtaking tidal island with a medieval church and castle at its crest, is a must-visit, as is the Tate St. Ives, which showcases the town’s rich creative history. After a long day on your feet, plenty of cosy pubs and eateries await – or retire to your accommodation, Chy Morvah, for a dip in the pool.
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HF Holidays North Cornwall Coast Path Guided Trail*
£228 off | Cornwall | 7 nights
Includes taxes and fees
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Cornwall | 4 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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HF Holidays Discover More of Cornwall*
£158 off | Cornwall | 7 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
8. Dolserau Hall, Eryri National Park
It’s easy to see why parts of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park inspired J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Here, craggy peaks are half-shrouded in mist, abandoned mines open into vaulted chambers lit by single shafts of light, and twisting trails are steeped in myth and legend. But channelling your inner Frodo Baggins doesn’t mean staying in a hole in the ground. So why not check into Dolserau Hall, which is reopening in 2026?
This splendid Victorian manor house is nestled in the park’s southern end, surrounded by rolling uplands and ancient woods. It’s near the start of the Mawddach Trail, a 9.5-mile route skirting the south edge of the stunning Mawddach estuary. But Dolserau Hall is ideally located for exploring the rest of Snowdonia, too – whether spotting birdlife and Iron Age forts along the Meirionnydd Coast Path or summiting Mount Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) itself.
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HF Holidays Southern Snowdonia Guided Walking*
£301 off | Wales | 7 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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Snowdonia | 6 nights
Includes taxes and fees
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HF Holidays Heritage Trains of Snowdonia*
£28 off | Snowdonia | 7 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
9. Larpool Hall, North York Moors
There’s nothing quite like hiking through heather-fringed moorland on a sunny day, with carpets of purple stretching for miles around and nothing but the odd tree or rocky promontory punctuating the undulating topography. The North York Moors is home to the largest swathe of this treasured landscape in the United Kingdom, providing a playground for walkers and nature lovers.
Amongst the moors, you’ll find Cistercian monasteries, steam train railways, and dazzling waterfalls. HF Holidays’ Larpool Hall, a Grade II-listed house overlooking the Esk Valley and the North Sea, is well-positioned for exploring this hinterland and its coastal fringes, which feature crumbling abbeys, postcard-worthy fishing villages, looming limestone cliffs, and sweeping sandy beaches.
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HF Holidays North York Moors Guided Walking Holiday*
£113 off | North York Moors | 3 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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HF Holidays North York Moors Guided Walking Holiday*
£215 off | North York Moors | 7 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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HF Holidays Discover More of the North York Moors*
£40 off | North York Moors | 3 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
10. Longmynd Hotel, Shropshire Hills
The Shropshire Hills are one of the most idyllic swathes of countryside in the British Isles. These verdant hillsides are cloaked in heather and crowned with rocky outcrops, rising over patchwork meadows and plunging into fertile valleys. Dotted here and there are fascinating archaeological sites, like Iron Age hillforts and Bronze Age monuments, while unique insects such as Emperor moths and Grayling butterflies will excite wildlife spotters.
Longmynd Hotel, nestled on a wooded hill just outside the market town of Church Stretton, is a perfect base for a Shropshire Hills adventure. You’ll be within easy access of iconic natural features like the Stiperstones and the Long Mynd, plus historic towns like Ludlow and Shrewsbury.
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HF Holidays Shropshire Hills Guided Walking Holiday*
£156 off | Shropshire Hills | 4 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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Shropshire Hills | 4 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
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HF Holidays Mind & Body Retreat in the Shropshire Hills*
Shropshire Hills | 7 nights | Accommodation Included
Includes taxes and fees
Final thoughts…
Walking holidays take us deep into the hearts of our most remarkable landscapes, offering an opportunity to unplug from the stresses of daily life and appreciate the extraordinary beauty of the natural world.
The country houses listed above are just a few of HF Holidays’ UK-wide selection. So, if you’re dreaming of exploring other areas of outstanding natural beauty – from the South Downs to the Yorkshire Dales – head over to their website to discover more.
By choosing a guided walking tour with HF Holidays, you’ll not only have the opportunity to stay in historic and characterful country houses, but also the chance to connect with like-minded people through unforgettable shared experiences, whether you’re travelling solo or with companions.
Plus, during your stay with HF Holidays, everything is taken care of. Guests can enjoy guided walks, full-board (including cream teas, packed lunches, and three-course dinners), and a welcoming community of fellow ramblers. And with the unique freedom to choose from three expertly guided daily walks (each at different grades), you can tailor every day to the pace and challenge that suits you best. All you need to do is show up with your walking boots.