Skip to content

Trips & Tours
The Howell Way
Our Journal
Talk to an expert

Trips & Tours
The Howell Way
Our Journal
Talk to an expert

Countryside views in South West England

By Sarah / September 18, 2023

← Previous Media

We don't follow the national trails.
We follow the Howell Way.

Our way of walking, our way of caring.
Find out more →

We’d love to have you as part of our community

Sign up to our E-Newsletter today to receive our hiking & travel tips and follow along our walking adventures. Plus be first to hear of new trips, trails & brochures. You’ll receive newsletters every 4 – 6 weeks. You can unsubscribe at any time.

First name

Last name

Email

On our journal

Foot Trails launches NEW 2026 brochure and new-look website

Foot Trails is thrilled to announce the launch of its NEW 2026 brochure and NEW website. Featuring Foot Trails’ new

Foot Trails: Where it all began

In 1995, Alison & David gave up their jobs and boarded a boat for France. Armed only with a small

The magic of Dorset in spring

Dorset – a place of rolling green countryside, wooded combes, beautiful thatched cottages and stunning coastlines. It’s a landscape that’s

Life on Instagram

We've been hiking in Wiltshire these last couple o

We've been hiking in Wiltshire these last couple of days (see Facebook for David's story and hike diary. If you roll with the dynamic weather late October is when autumn is at its most vivid. Here are a few autumn highlights from the last couple of days.

#autumn #autumntrees #fallseason #autumnseason #hikinguk #hikinginengland #walkinginengland #walkingholidaysuk #walkingtours #hikingadventures #autumnwalks #fallhike #fallhiking #visitengland #weloveengland #visitwiltshire #thisprettyengland

David, our co-founder, is undertaking a hike from

David, our co-founder, is undertaking a hike from his local church to Salisbury Cathedral. Walking over 40 miles David will be raising money for @nationalchurchestrust & St Michael's church in Melksham.

As a guide & walk creator there is one element of our English story that David is always encouraging visitors to explore regardless of their faith or views; our local churches. In most rural communities our church buildings represent 900 years of life; christenings, weddings, feast days, Saints' days, summer fetes, celebrations and funerals. They are simply amazing buildings that hold both a connection to our past & ancestors, and our hopes for the future. Largely reliant on volunteers, and their own fundraising, these buildings need our continued help to last another 900 years.

The National Churches Trust and the Historic Churches Trust distribute grants and care for some of the most at risk churches. And David's local church has its own building program which will also be supported.

You can make donations and support David’s hike via gofundme - https://gofund.me/6efa1ef7f

#walkuk #hikeuk #nationalchurchestrust #hikingadventures #swisbest #countrysidewalks #ruralengland #visitengland #walkingholidaysuk #hikinginengland #weloveengland

Journey Across The Cotswolds; our signature inn to

Journey Across The Cotswolds; our signature inn to inn hike in The Cotswolds. Enjoy a self-guided walk for a week through the heart of The Cotswolds. Villages, pastoral landscapes and history, a perfect trip for the curious.

#cotswoldshikes #cotswolds #england #walkinguk #hikinguk #hikinginthecotswolds #visitcotswolds #cotswoldswalks #welovethecotswolds #traveluk #travelinspiration #hikingadventures

The English spring, it’s a season that evolves g

The English spring, it’s a season that evolves gently, and The Cotswolds is a wonderful area to soak up some of the joyful energy of nature's festival of new life.

Snowdrops are the earliest natural sign that winter’s grip is loosening and new life is on the way. Some of the best collections of snowdrops are in the Cotswolds gardens where carpets of these delicate white flowers bloom in early February.

Daffodils swiftly follow, encouraged by the warming sun, their golden trumpets a radiant joy. Tulips in the gardens, early cherry tree blossom, primroses on the banks of the hedgerows, and the first lambs in the fields, March is a great time to plan a visit to The Cotswolds.

In April the birdsong is joyous each morning and the woodland floor is springing to life, the wooded slopes around Bath are covered with bluebells and wild garlic. The hedgerows are laced with white blossom through the fresh green of the first leaves. A crescendo of colour and life is just around the corner.

Now is the perfect time to plan a trip for next spring, message us here on Instagram if you would like to know more.

#spring2026 #hikethecotswolds #springhiking #cotswolds #cotswoldslife #visitthecotswolds #englishcountryside #ruralengland #traveluk #visitengland #walkingthecotswolds #walkingholidaysuk #countrysidewalks #ukwalking #ukhikes

The heritage city of Bath is at the far southern t

The heritage city of Bath is at the far southern tip of The Cotswolds. For our guests following the Complete Cotswolds Foot Trail it’s their destination. After 95 miles of hiking they arrive in this beautiful city.

#bath #visitbath #hikinguk #hikingadventures #georgianbath #walkinginthecotswolds #cotswoldswalkingholidays #hikingcotswolds #hikinginengland #walkingholidaysUK #travel #england #visitengland #visitGB

A gentle landscape is how we often think of The Co

A gentle landscape is how we often think of The Cotswolds. Not because there are no hills, there are plenty of ups and downs, but because it has a natural kindness about it, it's pleasing, person sized, and very English.

#thecotswolds #walkinginthecotswolds #walkingholidaysuk #hikinginengland #hikingadventures #hikinginthecotswolds #visitcotswolds #traveluk #travelinspiration #igengland #igtravel #weloveengland #thisprettyengland #landsacpe #landscapephotography #englishscenery #capturingbritain

We love hiking in The Cotswolds for the mellow sto

We love hiking in The Cotswolds for the mellow stone cottages, they ooze character and sit humbly in the landscape.

#cottages #englishcottage #cotswolds #visitcotswolds #welovethecotswolds #weloveengland #thisprettyengland #walkinginthecotswolds #cotswoldsway #hikingcotswolds #visitengland #walkingholidaysuk

We love autumn (fall) here at Foot Trails. Colourf

We love autumn (fall) here at Foot Trails. Colourful, atmospheric walks and cosy pubs for sitting by a warming fire.

#autumn #autumnuk #fallcolors #fallvibes #autumnvibes #autumntrees #walkingholidaysuk #walkinginengland #weloveengland #hikingadventures #hikinguk #hikinginengland #swisbest #visitengland #visitgb #autumncolors #autumnwalks

Foot Trails’ NEW 2026 brochure and NEW website a

Foot Trails’ NEW 2026 brochure and NEW website and are live!

Featuring Foot Trails’ new look, our 56-page 2026 brochure showcases a tempting range of self-guided hiking and walking tours throughout South West England, including The Cotswolds, Bath and Avon, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset and Exmoor.

The beautiful photographs you will see have all been captured out on our trails. You can also find out about our ‘Howell Way’ philosophy.

We’re also excited about our new website www.FootTrails.co.uk Alongside an exciting new look, you’ll find example itineraries and more information about Foot Trails’ trips and tours.

We’d love our new brochure and website to inspire you to start planning your 2026 adventure. If you’d like to chat about your plans or would like to book your 2026 adventure, simply get in touch with our expert team by emailing us at enquire@foottrails.co.uk or sending us a message here on Instagram.

#walkingholidaysuk #hikeuk #walkingholidays #walkingengland #hikingadventures #walkuk #hikeuk #walking #selfguidedtour #foottrailsuk #beautifulbritain #englishcountryside #weloveengland #swisbest #visitengland #visitbritain

Follow on Instagram

Useful links

Hiking in South West England →
About Self-guided hiking →
Our accommodation & food →

Contact us

enquire@foottrails.co.uk
+44 (0) 1747 820 626

The Welsh Mill, Frome, BA11 2LE

Credits & small print

Photography credits: Alison & David Howell. Alun Callender, The National Trust, English Heritage

© Foot Trails 2006-2025, walking holidays UK
Foot Trails

® Foot Trails is a registered Trade Mark. This entire web site and its content is copyright Foot Trails.