Somerset cider
New for this year, walking holiday operator Foot Trails gets you stomping between vintage orchards to sample cider from the barrel, with stop-offs in rural pubs for lunches based around local ingredients such as cheese, pork, fennel and apple brandy. It's long-distance walking made easy as your luggage is shifted for you to lovely village inns. Book for 3-5 days, from £180-£320pp.
• 01747 820 626, foottrails.co.uk.
Midlands geology
Continental collision, ancient tropical seas, deserts, equatorial swamps and vast ice sheets - all have had a huge impact on the British landscape, evidence of which is highlighted on a new 108-mile route called the Geopark Way, from the Severn in Shropshire, through the Wyre Forest and sands of Hartlebury Common, the Abberley Hills, the Malverns to Gloucestershire's Leadon Valley and Huntley Quarry Geological Reserve, finishing in the Cotswold Hills. There are hotels and campsites along the way so you can take as long as you like.
• See ldwa.org.uk and geopark.org.uk.
Northumbria tea trail
Thought you had to go to Sri Lanka to walk a tea trail? Not so. A three-day, 36-mile circular route from Allendale, in the Allen Valley just south of Hadrian's Wall starts at Isaac's Well, named after Isaac Holden, an itinerant tea seller and philanthropist who took to the trade after the collapse of the lead mining industry. He toured green valleys and wild moors between Allendale and Ninebanks (where there's a youth hostel) selling tea and fundraising for charities: the route traces his rounds.
• See teatrail.info
Industrial Wales
A disused railway line that once linked Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny along an eight-mile stretch was turned into a cycle and walking route in November after two decades of development. The path marks the start of the Heads of Valleys route from Abergavenny to Neath, along former tramways, railways and canal towpaths so you can use it as a starting point for a longer trip, even taking in the linked Taff Trail and Celtic trail beyond, which covers the breadth of Wales. There are 255 miles of National Cycle Network routes in the valleys, with a further 249 miles under development, and all are suitable for walking. You'll pass through small towns and witness the regeneration of the area, and see sites linked to the industrial revolution. Start at the Christopher Wallis Bridge, Abergavenny Road on the B4246, a 15-minute walk from Llanfoist car park.
• See sustrans.org.uk
Scotland's first source-to-sea walk
The River Ayr Way is Scotland's first source to sea walking route, and was launched in 2005, by Tony Robinson. It's easier than many long-distance Scottish walks and ideal for a long weekend. It begins in Glenbuck and follows the river for 41 miles to the sea at Ayr. Part of the aim of the route was to link to remote communities that have become involved in the project, developing local walking networks, events and even audio tours. Walkers encounter the villages, as well as gorges and open moorland, passing castles, old mines and Robert Burns's home of Mauchline. Walks last 2-7 days.
• Details at theriverayrway.org
Olaf the Dwarf's Isle of Man journey
The Isle of Man isn't all about motorcycle racing; the semi-autonomous nation also boasts some terrific walking. The Millennium Way is a 25-mile walk from Ramsey in the north of the island to charming Castletown in the south, following the route taken by the Norse kings of Man when they arrived at Ramsey from Scandinavia and travelled to their castle in the south. King Olaf the Dwarf was the first to make this journey, ahead of a benign reign of around 50 years that ended with his murder by treacherous pretenders to his throne.
• See ldwa.org.uk
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2009
