Health and fitness: Top 10 family walks

Children bored this half-term? Tell them to take a hike, advises Nicholas Roe

Family channelSecond only to sex, walking is the most popular physical activity in Britain, luring an extraordinary 38 million people a month to explore the joys of socks and boots.
Autumn glory: enjoy the great outdoors It's healthy, easy to do and wallet-cheeringly cheap. And, for many, it's not just a handy form of exercise, it's an adventure, necessity, literal rite of passage and cultural statement. If you're British, you walk.
But where? And how? Here, we pinpoint 10 of the finest routes, from family rambles that even whining kids will enjoy, to serious slogs for fitness freaks with a taste for blisters.
Are we nearly there yet? No!
Coast to Coast, Lake District Crossing the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors over 190 breathtaking (in all senses) miles, this hilly knee-wobbler was devised by the country's greatest walker, the late Alfred Wainwright.
advertisementOne of the toughest, sweetest routes in Britain, it's best attacked west to east like reading a lovely book: St Bees Head to Robin Hood's Bay. Allow 12 days and four gallons of sweat.
See www.coast2coast.co.uk or www.ramblers.org.uk.
Eastbourne to Alfriston, Sussex A 7.5 mile (12km) stunner, perfect for vista-lovers. A high coastal path teeters from Eastbourne's western edges across Beachy Head and the swooping, iconic Seven Sisters white cliffs to chocolate-box Alfriston, a short trudge inland.
Push on two more miles and Berwick railway station chugs you sedately back to base.
Search "attractions: sports and leisure" at www.visiteastbourne.com or www.nationaltrail.co.uk/southdowns.
Sailors' Path, Suffolk Flat and arty, with birdlife thrown in for luck — achingly perfect for the gently middle-aged who fancy a glorious five-mile stroll with, maybe, a taxi ride back.
Start on the beach at Aldeburgh, pass through the RSPB North Warren reserve, cross the A1094 parallel to the Alde Estuary, to Snape village pubs and the famous concert hall at Snape Maltings.
See www.visit-aldeburgh.co.uk
Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, Yorkshire Dales If the children flatly refuse to shift their bottoms, drag the little tykes to this four-and-a-half mile trail alongside England's greatest concentration of waterfalls.
They'll gasp for all the right reasons as superb views take their minds off their feet. Attempted complaints will anyway be drowned out by the sound of crashing water. Family ticket: ￡8.
See www.ingletonwaterfallswalk.co.uk.
St Cuthbert's Way, Scottish Borders A five-day saintly trail following Cuthbert's route from Melrose in the Borders to Lindisfarne, passing ruined abbeys, the cave where the saint's body rested and, finally, a suitably religious surprise — you walk on water.
Oh all right, you paddle the causeway to Lindisfarne island (also known as the Holy Island). Buses serve the whole route; Berwick-upon-Tweed station is nearest to the island.
For details, see www.ramblers.org.uk/info/paths/stcuthberts.html.
Southern Upland Way, southern Scotland A beefy but manageable 12- to 20-day coast to coast trek over hills and through forest and farmland. This 212-miler is best attacked west to north-east (from Portpatrick to Cockburnspath), with the sun lighting the path ahead.
Splendidly off-road, waymarked and doable in small, family-friendly bits.
See www.dumgal.gov.uk/southernuplandway.
Horsey Mill, Norfolk Broads Another must for bellyaching children who need luring outdoors for their own good. A four-and-a-half mile circular stroll from the National Trust village of Horsey (cue equine jokes) via mysterious reed beds, marram grass and rippling sand-dune beach. Honestly, what more could a child ask for?
All right, an ice cream. Just the one, mind.
See www.ramblers.org.uk or map: OS Explorer 40 (grid reference 457223).
Offa's Dyke, Welsh borders Offa was the ancient king who built an earthwall to separate England from Wales before rugby did the job, and nowadays you can trace this border for 177 fantastic miles, mostly on the Welsh side.
Tough-ish, but countryside to cry for, speckled with rural pubs and touched by history. You need more?
See the Offa's Dyke Association website, www.offasdyke.demon.co.uk.
River walk, Oxford Never mind those wretchedly dreaming spires, a cheerier view of Oxford lies alongside the River Thames between Port Meadow in the north west and The Trout pub a couple of miles upstream. Walk west of the river from the meadow to the Trout in 50 minutes.
On the way back, why not stop off at The Perch to top up your children's falling sugar levels and tell your best mate you love him?
See oxford.openguides.org/wiki/?port-meadow.
Llyn Coastal Path, Wales A wonderful sea-lovers' leg-stretcher winding for 95 miles around the edge of the North West Wales peninsula.
Also spelt "Lleyn". This is truly unspoilt, rugged, windswept beach country for hardy families who will be rewarded with sightings of basking seals, wild goats, rare flowers... and the sea.
Search for "Llyn Coastal Path" at www.gwynedd.gov.uk.