Why walk this way?

Flexible Walking Trips

A Foot Trail is a flexible England (UK) walking trip or tour.

Foot Trails team all live and work here in the South West of England. We know it inside out as only locals can. Our expertise and over 1000 miles of trails will get you off the beaten track and enable you to become part of the English landscape, villages and histories.

Explore deeply, enjoy clean air and space to breathe. With unique, memorable hiking tours, spend from 3 nights to 3 weeks, walking handcrafted trails that re-connect you to nature, provide authentic experiences and immersion in English countryside and rural life.

Three words sum up the Foot Trails experience

Simple

Modern life can be busy and oh so complicated. Foot Trails favour simplicity. We work in partnership with you, to understand your needs and create a hiking trip or tour that meets your expectations and wishes. We’ll make things easy and take care of the inevitable details, so you can focus on making great memories.

Crafted

Through our deep, local knowledge we custom make your walking trip. We have a passion for experience excellence. Everything about your Foot Trail is deliberate, chosen with care and intent for you. Explore deeply. Stand out from the crowd.

Authentic

To discover what’s real, honest and authentic about rural England we have to get you off the beaten track and typical tourist trails. Stand out from the crowd. We work with our neighbours, local people and local businesses who share this ethos. We use our local expertise to guide your choice and create your own Foot Trails itinerary and experience.

What can I expect?

Personally chosen country inns & bedrooms

There is nothing formulaic about Foot Trails accommodation. Alison Howell our Founder personally chooses each one for its warm welcome and village location. Often centuries old, each embodies the local area you’ve come to explore and will be a place where you can relax, sleep well and enjoy delicious locally produced food at the end of an inspiring day on the trail.

Food and drink with provenance

Choosing Foot Trails means looking forward to eating locally produced food and drink. By this we mean, fresh and seasonal. Think artisan cheeses, fresh baked breads, ethically reared meats, handmade desserts and real ales and ciders as well as fine wines. Delicious food with provenance and a story of its own.

Fantastic information to find your way

A great England walking trip begins with confidence in knowing where to step. To find your way you can either map read using the local maps we provide or follow the word directions on our trail cards, or use a combination of both. Tried and tested, by our team and Volunteer Trail Guides, both are included in your custom Walk and Explore Box. Produced on tough waterproof paper to withstand the elements.

Learn about history, stories and legends as you walk and take advantage of suggested departure times, recommended lunch stops and other guidance, drawn from our local experience and expertise.

Diverse South West England

The largest and most diverse of England’s nine regions . The South West of England is well known for its warm hospitality and delicious artisan produce. The South West of England is very diverse. You can see everything from riverbanks, to woodland, wild meadows and chalk down, canals and villages to market towns, coast, beaches and castles.

Foot Trails offers walking trips and tours in six different counties of South West England; Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, The Cotswolds, Bath and Avon and Devon.

Visit our page on South West England here

Thoughtful rural tourism

We believe business can be a positive force for good. We strive to impact positively on our world. Walk with us to demonstrate your respect and support for our local English communities and landscapes. The company has a proven positive impact on rural communities, people and landscapes receiving numerous accolades and awards.

A typical day?

No two days are the same but they do form a soothing pattern. Begin with a delicious country breakfast (yum). Step out on your trail. (exciting and relaxing). Lunch, enjoy it on route (no need to carry it) before stepping out on your afternoon trail. In the evening back at your country inn have fun talking about your adventures in the bar with a drink. After dinner, read through your notes ready for your adventures the next day. Sleep well!

Award winning

We are proud to be a small company with a big heart. Being independent enables us to set our own rules and standards and we are super committed to providing world class walking experiences and proud to have been called pioneers in rural tourism. Awards inform us of our progress and indicate to you, just how seriously we take our hiking mission.

“The trip was wonderful. The walking tour was so well planned by Foot Trails. The beauty of the countryside was everything we imagined of England. Our accommodations were excellent. The taxi service was excellent, everyone was so informed and helpful and very kind.”

Shirley and Gary, USA

“My over-riding memory of my Foot Trail in England was of an overwhelming prettiness, as well as a calibre of food that was far more local, whole and mindful than I had expected”

Sarah Wilson, Australian foodie author, Masterchef judge, TV Presenter