Whether you want to take in a dramatic coastline, scramble over mountain passes or catch up on your culture, walking is the best way to see Britain at its best. Roger Thomas takes us through some of the classic UK walks

Britain is a walker-friendly country. It's easy to escape to the hills by following one of thousands of trails that come in all shapes and sizes. Varying in length from 79 to 630 miles, these walks take in everything from chalk downlands to rugged mountainsides, sandy bays to river meadows. If 630 miles sounds a bit daunting, don't panic - most walkers choose short sections of the path to explore.

More ambitious walkers can take to the highlands of Scotland, or follow the Pennine Hills across the backbone of England, or scramble in rocky Snowdonia, North Wales, where the team that first conquered Mount Everest did their training. I prefer the walks that roll down off a grassy ridge into a picturesque village, which - unless you're very unlucky - will have its cosy country pub serving good beer and food.

I also love the breezy coastal trails that track past untouched cliffs and beaches rich in wildlife. Take your binoculars on paths like these, and you'll catch sight of seals, dolphins and all manner of seabirds.

Roman remains
Britain's newest National Trail, up on Hadrian's Wall in the moors where England meets Scotland, is 84 miles long, but most walkers will only cover a few miles at a time, or some of the 40 circular walks that loop off the main track.

Opened last summer, the trail runs the entire length of the great fortification built by the Romans in the 2nd century to control their northern frontier. Today, it is still wild, remote countryside. My favourite stretch crosses the sharp escarpment of Great Whin Sill, where you're accompanied not just by Northumbria's big skies and wide, open spaces but also by some of the best-preserved sections of surviving wall which, in its prime, stood 15 feet high. There's another reason for choosing this particular part of the trail. On Whin Sill's slope there's Housesteads, the most complete Roman fort in Britain, its bare bones laid out to give a rare insight into life in this ancient outpost.

The trail runs from the friendly city of Newcastle upon Tyne to Bowness-on-Solway on the west coast, passing close to attractive old country towns like Hexham and Brampton and the historic city of Carlisle - so there's a good choice of places to stay (from hostels, farmhouses and bed-and-breakfasts to stylish city hotels).

Peninsula pilgrimage
For many of us, walking can become an almost spiritual experience. St Davids, in the southwest of Wales, is imbued with the Celtic atmosphere that enfolds the ancient rocks and rugged seascapes of Pembrokeshire's shores, or the lingering memory of early Christian saints who settled here.

My favourite coastal walk takes in the peninsula around St Davids, the tiny cathedral city named after Wales's patron saint. Follow this particular stretch of the 186-mile (300 km) Pembrokeshire Coast Path and for the next few hours, you'll feel as though you're walking on air as the route takes you past golden beaches, remote coves, religious shrines and salty headlands. Although small and utterly peaceful, St Davids is blessed with a wide range of accommodation including country house hotels and farmhouses.

Sea-cliff stroll
Back in England, the South West Coast Path National Trail starts in an altogether busier place - the seaside resort of Minehead on the Somerset coast. But within a few miles of the starting point (marked by a startling new sculpture - a pair of giant hands holding a map) you're up in the clouds cresting the highest sea-cliffs in England, then down amongst the oakwoods in the country's thickest coastal forests.

This year you can help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the path, which winds its way for 630 miles around the southwestern finger of Britain to Poole Harbour in Dorset. And because it takes in the popular holiday counties of Devon and Cornwall you'll find plentiful accommodation en route.

Walk down Britain's oldest road
The essence of England is also to be found on the rolling downlands of the Ridgeway National Trail, which runs for 85 miles (137 km) across the North Wessex Downs and Chiltern Hills from Avebury, with its prehistoric stone circles, to Ivinghoe Beacon. It's easy walking and easy to get to, for the Ridgeway runs close to some popular tourist centres, including Bath and Oxford.

It is 'Britain's oldest road', which has existed for thousands of years: follow in the footsteps of prehistoric man, medieval farmers and 17th-century drovers.

If you lack the time or confidence to plan your own independent walks, there are a number of operators who specialise in organised walking tours - luxury or budget, gentle-paced or energetic.

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