The UK’s Most Popular Walks Named – And One Is Less Than An Hour From Birmingham

Are you like me? One of the unlucky ones that decided to do Dry January. I’m bored already, but keep reminding myself that it’s good for my mind, body, and soul in the long run. There’s still one big issue, and that’s: What do I do with all this free time now I’m not down the pub? The answer, as it always is in England, is to go for a country walk.

Luckily for Brummies, the Second City sits near many of the UK’s most popular walks, according to Fitflop. The footwear brand delved into the most monthly Googled places in the country for a winter’s walk, and 12 (out of 15!) were less than a two-hour drive from Birmingham – one benefit of living so centrally in the UK.

Topping that list is Dunham Massey in Cheshire, with 135,000 monthly Google searches, but the 300-acre deer park isn’t the only walking spot in the area – which includes the historic Tatton Park (7th) and mythical Alderley Edge (10th). Head in the other direction to Gloucestershire for the charming Cotswold village, Bibury (8th) and The National Arboretum, Westonbirt (9th).

You may also want to check out Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire (2nd), Belton House in Lincolnshire (3rd) and Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire (14th). But only one spot on the list of the UK’s most popular walks is less than an hour’s drive from Birmingham, Calke Abbey in Derbyshire (13th).

This 600-acre historic parkland is home to many ancient oaks to discover – including the 1,200-year-old ‘Old Man of Calke’ – as well as a deer park, secluded ponds and a seasonal garden. You’ll also find an ‘unstately’ Baroque-style mansion on the grounds with peeling paint and abandoned rooms, “portraying the dramatic decline of a country house estate.”

What are the UK’s most popular walks?

1. Dunham Massey, Cheshire (135,000 Google searches)
2. Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire (110,000 Google searches)
3. Belton House, Lincolnshire (60,500 Google searches)
4. Cheddar Gorge, Somerset (60,500 Google searches)
5. Polesden Lacey, Surrey (60,500 Google searches)
6. Stourhead, Wiltshire (60,500 Google searches)
7. Tatton Park, Cheshire (60,500 Google searches)
8. Bibury, Gloucestershire (49,500 Google searches)
9. Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire (49,500 Google searches)
10. Alderley Edge, Cheshire (40,500 Google searches)
11. Wentworth Woodhouse, South Yorkshire (40,500 Google searches)
12. Wimpole Hall, Cambridgeshire (40,500 Google searches)
13. Calke Abbey, Derbyshire (33,100 Google searches)
14. Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire (33,100 Google searches)
15. Corfe Castle, Dorset (33,100 Google searches)