Top 20 autumn walks in the UK

Autumn is arguably the best – and most colourful – season for walking in the UK. providing the perfect opportunity to get some fresh air while spending time in your natural surroundings.

At this time of year, the moors and hills are painted purple by flowering heather, while oak and beech woodlands put on a kaleidoscopic performance, with leaves turning from green to gold, yellow, red and bronze before dropping to the forest floor to form a damp carpet that encourages fungi to erupt in an equally fantastic display. Hawthorn and ash trees are laden with blood-red berries, delighting new avian arrivals such as fieldfare.

As evenings draw in, spectacular sunsets can be experienced before you pull up a pew in front of an open fire in a country pub. Star-gazing is spectacular at this time of year, and bats can be seem stocking up before finding a cosy roost for the winter.

To help you find a trail close to where you live, we've listed some of the best autumn walks in the UK – from north to south, east to west. And what's more, all of them are free to enjoy (parking charges may apply). For accessibility information, please check your chosen destination's website.

If you’re a keen walker, you may be interested to learn that Boundless Plus membership includes access to the Ramblers walking community and routes.

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Not yet a member? If you're working in or retired from the public sector or civil service, Boundless has two great membership options to choose from: Boundless and Boundless Plus. Enjoy unlimited access or discounted entry to many of the UK’s top attractions, as well as year-round deals on restaurants, holidays, shopping and much more.

Best autumn walks in the UK

Autumn walks in South West England

1. Prawle Point, South Devon

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The South Hams in South Devon is always a delightful place to explore on foot, but in autumn the cliff-hugging coastal paths are painted purple with blooming squill, making walks to places like Prawle Point even more picturesque.

Mainland Devon’s most southerly spot is also one of the first places to see arriving migrant birds such as bar-tailed godwits and whimbrel, which cross paths with departing summer visitors, including swifts and swallows. You can walk the whole headland, or just do a short circular stroll from East Prawle.

2. Teign Gorge, Devon

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On the eastern edge of Dartmoor, the Teign Valley offers exceptional walking along spectacular trails, with Castle Drogo the perfect starting point before you head off along the river and through the gorge, the forested flanks of which are a riot of colour throughout autumn.

This is one of my favourite fall forays to enjoy with my family, and the riverside Fingle Bridge Inn is a great place to pause for lunch.

The East Devon Ramblers group often explores the area, and don’t forget as a Boundless Plus member you benefit from access to the Ramblers’ extensive walking routes and guided group walks.

3. Horner Wood and Dunkery Beacon, Somerset

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Exmoor is a feast for the senses during autumn, when Horner’s ancient woodlands are resplendent, and red deer are in rut. Views across the moor and across the Bristol Channel from the highest point, Dunkery Beacon, are extraordinary, as heather, gorse and bracken put on a colour show.

Exmoor was Europe’s first ever official Dark Sky Reserve, and as evenings draw in, the stars are stunning for those who linger after sunset.

For Boundless Plus members, the Ramblers West Somerset Group often leads autumn walks in the area.

Autumn walks in South East England

4. Epping Forest, London

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On the north-eastern edge of London, extending into Essex, sprawls a historic wilderness where an ancient broad-leaved woodland full of beautiful beech trees and gnarly old oaks captivate walkers with a stunning display of changing colour that starts in September and lasts into November. This is Epping Forest, which offers one of the best autumn walks near the Big Smoke.

On the forest floor, amid the leaves, you’ll find fantastic fungi ranging from fly agaric (the classic red-spotted toadstool) through to rare Hericium erinaceus (lion’s mane).

Starting from stations including Chingford and Wood Street, you can explore various walking routes in the forest.

5. Devil’s Punch Bowl, Surrey Hills

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Deep within this extraordinary natural feature, a natural amphitheatre full of fauna and flora, heather and gorse burns bright red and glowing gold during the autumn months. lesser-spotted woodpeckers can be seen and heard preparing their cold-weather retreats.

This fantastic walk starts at Hindhead, where a cacophonous main road was recently rerouted through a tunnel, returning the area to a sweet retreat where the air is full of natural sounds.

Autumn walks in East Anglia

6. Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire

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A landscape defined by waterways and windmills, the Cambridgeshire fens are fabulous for foot-based exploration during autumn, when the angled light sets the sedge ablaze with orange hues around sunset.

Winter thrushes, waders and wild waterfowl start arriving around the marshland, muntjac and roe deer tiptoe around the reserves, while Konik ponies graze. This excellent BBC Countryfile Magazine ramble takes in Wicken Fen nature reserve.

This is a superb region for bird sightings, and while you’re in the area you could also take in WWT Welney, just 20 miles away from Wicken Fen. Boundless members get unlimited entry to all nine WWT centres across the UK. 

7. Brancaster, Norfolk

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England’s east coast sees a flurry of feathered activity each autumn, with the arrival of avian migrants.

Walkers exploring the Peddars Path in North Norfolk can witness the noisy approach of skeins of pink-footed geese, as the entire Icelandic and eastern Greenlandic population of this species flocks here to feast on sugar beet tops left behind after harvest. You can also enjoy spotting eider, egret, spoonbill, avocet, barred warbler and yellow-browed warbler, and much more. This easy circular walk takes you on a coastal circuit around Brancaster Staithe and Burnham Deepdale.

Autumn walks in the Midlands

8. Clent Hills, Worcestershire

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Just outside Birmingham, the Clent Hills are crowned by four enigmatic standingstones, a prehistoric hillfort and ancient oak and ash woodlands that turn pure gold in autumn.

Views extend across the Black Country, Cotswolds, the Shropshire Hills and into Wales, and from October onwards, walkers are treated to the sight of seasonal visitors including redwing, fieldfare and winter thrush, and the sound of greater-spotted woodpeckers.

This easy National Trust circular walk explores Clent, Walton and Calcot hills, and Nimmings and Uffmoor woods.

9. Much Wenlock, Shropshire

View towards the Wrekin, Shropshire. Credit: Getty

Along the limestone escarpment of Wenlock Edge, where trails including the Jack Mytton Way wend through historic, story-rich woodlands and deliver delightful
rural views, trees including the native field maple blaze bright shades of bronze and red as autumn rolls around.

Hazel dormice and squirrels are busy collecting and caching nuts, and sunsets over the Wrekin, Ape Dale and the Cheshire Vale are especially spectacular around this time. The footpaths and panoramic views of Wenlock Edge can easily be accessed from two car parks.

Autumn walks in Wales

10. Tintern Abbey walk, Monmouthshire

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Founded in 1131, the spectacular Tintern Abbey inspired Romantic poets and artists such as William Wordsworth and William Turner.

Enjoy the autumn colours while exploring the Forest of Dean’s beautiful woodlands and walking trails along the River Wye. If you’re feeling intrepid, you could even climb to the Devil’s Pulpit for a panoramic view across Tintern and the valley.

Whitemead Forest Park is just 25 minutes drive from Tintern Abbey and an ideal base to explore Chepstow and all the walks within the Forest of Dean. What’s more, Boundless members get up to 20% off their stay.

11. Gower Peninsula, South Wales

Three Cliffs Bay, the Gower. Credit: Getty

Near Swansea, the gorgeous Gower Peninsula boasts beautiful beaches and verdant valleys where forest-fringed paths lead through fungi-rich colour-splattered woodlands, passing caves and rock fissures where subterranean rivers can be heard roaring in autumn, as the flow gains force.

You may also glimpse the iridescent flash of kingfishers along Ilston Awn, spot horseshoe bats emerging at dusk in Bishopston Valley and spy Manx shearwater and storm petrels on the wing over the cliffs.

This scenic walk takes amblers through woods and along the coast via Three Cliffs Bay, Pwlldu Head and Brandy Bay.

12. Sugar Loaf, Monmouthshire

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In this verdant valley running between the ridges and rolling rounded tops of the Rholben and Llanwenarth hills, on the edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) national park, a network of fine footpaths leads walkers on colourful autumn adventures.

Follow the well-marked trail en route to Sugar Loaf, a 596-metre peak splattered purple with flowering heather, from where you can take in views across miles of vibrant moorland, to the Brecon Beacons and Severn Estuary. This super circular stroll leads to the summit of Sugar Loaf.

Autumn walks in North West England

13. Ullswater, Cumbria

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With nuts and seeds on trees, and winter fast approaching, autumn is a busy season for squirrels, and a good time to watch them at work.

For a near-as-possible guaranteed glimpse of red squirrels, take an amble around Ullswater, where the heather-clad flanks of Gowbarrow Fell glow purple, and dramatic Aira Force – one of the Lake District’s most famous falls – flows with renewed vigour. Try this walk inspired by William Wordsworth.

14. Howgill Fells, Cumbria

Cautley Sprout, in the Howgill Fens. Credit: Getty

Despite their spectacular location, running along the scenic seam between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, the Howgill Fells remain something of a secret.

There’s no better time to discover this hidden hiker’s wonderland than autumn, when Cautley Spout – England’s tallest waterfall – gushes after becks have been bolstered by rain. Red berry-laden ash and hawthorn trees overhang the cascade, the fells glow when bathed in evening light, and dippers bob along the River Rawthey. This spectacular route takes in Cautley Spout, The Calf, Calders, Winder and Rawthey Valley.

Autumn walks in North East England

15. Longshaw, Derbyshire

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Poised amid the picturesque Peak District, where White Edge meets Dark Peak, the lovely Longshaw Estate is threaded with fabulous footpaths, leading through woodlands to craggy gritstone escarpments like Froggatt Edge, overlooking the Derwent Valley – a festival of colour in autumn.

Big Moor’s resident red deer are in rut during September and October, and in Padley Gorge, around the ankles of ancient oak trees, amid rare mosses, vibrant wax cap toadstools thrive. You can enjoy all these autumn treasures on this sensational circular walk.

16. Roseberry Topping, North Yorkshire

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The Middlesbrough Matterhorn glows a glorious russet red on the North Yorkshire skyline in the autumn months, as the bracken browns around sensational walking trails.

In nearby Newton Woods the leaves on ash, oak and sycamore trees turn gold, and the forest floor is enlivened with flamboyant fungi, including waxcaps. This is a great time to hear the guffaw of the green woodpecker, in between rat-a-tats as it prepares a winter home. Superb strolls include this one, across the Topping to Captain Cook’s Monument.

Autumn walks in Scotland

17. Campsie Fells, Stirlingshire

Dumgoyne Hills in the Campsie Fells. Credit: Getty

A voluptuous collection of volcanic hills, striped with excellent walking trails and right on the doorstep of Glasgow, the Campsie Fells glow gold and russet red in autumn, as the sun traces a lower arc across the sky and sets the trees ablaze.

There are waterfalls to see in Campsie Glen – easy to walk to, and in full flow after autumn rains – or you can head to the highpoint of Earl’s Seat, which rises to 578m and offers excellent views along the West Highland Way, which starts in nearby Milngavie. This round route rambles through the Campsies.

Don’t forget that as a Boundless Plus member, you can gain unlimited access to National for Trust for Scotland (NTS) historic palaces, castles and gardens, including the nearby Bannockburn, Culross and Dollar Glen.

18. Killiecrankie and the Vale of Atholl, Perthshire

View over Pitlochry. Credit: Getty

In 1689, the dramatic Pass of Killiecrankie was the scene of a bloody battle between Jacobite and British soldiers, and each autumn the two sides of this gorgeous gorge blaze blood red as the beech trees change their livery. Red squirrels frantically forage, fantastic fungi covers the forest floor and the waterfalls are in full flow on the River Garry, around Soldier’s Leap. This excellent route starts at Pitlochry and wanders beneath Ben Vrackie before returning along the river.

Boundless Plus members can park at Killiecrankie NTS car park for free. Find out more about Boundless Plus membership.

19. Rannoch Moor, Perthshire

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Autumn is when red deer are in rut, and there is nowhere more evocative to see Britain’s largest land mammal than here, while hiking in the Highlands, where the Monarch of the Glen will roar and rage against any young pretenders as he asserts his dominance.

The moor itself turns a glorious lusty, rusty red at this time, too. There are various routes to explore across this wonderful wilderness, and some Munros to bag, including Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dòthaidh above the Bridge of Orchy, but you can also enjoy more moderate meanders like this one along the gently undulating Military Road.

Autumn walks in Northern Ireland

20. Lagan Valley, Belfast

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Before the river runs into Belfast city, the Lagan passes through a picturesque valley, with wonderful walking trails along its banks. The section from Minnowburn through Belvoir Park Forest is particularly spectacular in autumn, with red squirrels scampering across a colourful carpet of brilliant beech, oak, ash and sycamore leaves. There are several lovely walks in and around the Lagan Valley – discover some of them here.

Do more with Boundless

If you're working in or retired from the public sector or civil service, Boundless has two great membership options to choose from: Boundless and Boundless Plus. With Boundless, you get unlimited access or discounted entry to many of the UK’s top attractions, including Kew Gardens and Wakehurst and WWT centres across the UK, as well as year-round deals on restaurants, holidays, shopping and much more. With Boundless Plus, you can enjoy additional benefits including unlimited access to Historic Royal Palaces sites, National Trust for Scotland places, access to The Ramblers' extensive walking community, and peace of mind with roadside assistance and local recovery by LV= Britannia Rescue.