How Far Should I Walk Each Day on a Walking Holiday?

There's a big difference between asking "How far can I walk in a day?" and "How far would I like to walk every day of my holiday?"

That's probably the most useful piece of advice I can give when you're choosing a walking holiday itinerary.

You might be perfectly capable of walking 15 miles.

But would you enjoy walking 15 miles on Monday, getting up and doing something similar on Tuesday, and then doing it again on Wednesday?

For most people taking a self-guided walking holiday, around 8–12 miles a day is a comfortable range to consider, but there isn't a magic number. Your normal walking, the terrain, the number of consecutive days and what you want to do along the way all matter.

Start with the distance you already enjoy

I would begin with what you do now rather than what you think you might be capable of doing on holiday.

If an eight-mile walk leaves you pleasantly tired but still feeling that you could have carried on, that's useful information.

If twelve miles is a normal weekend walk and you finish feeling fine, you can probably consider longer daily stages.

If five miles is currently a substantial walk, I wouldn't book a holiday involving repeated 12-mile days and hope that enthusiasm will carry you through, obvious though that may sound!

That doesn't mean you can't take a long-distance walking holiday.

It simply means I'd choose an itinerary with shorter stages or do some walking beforehand to build up gradually.

Don't choose by mileage alone

Two ten-mile walks can feel completely different.

Ten miles along a good, firm path in calm weather may feel very comfortable.

The same distance over shingle, sand or muddy tracks – or into a strong headwind – may take longer and use considerably more energy.

That's particularly relevant in Norfolk.

The county is relatively flat, which undoubtedly helps, but our long-distance trails have very different surfaces and characters.

The Norfolk Coast Path includes sand and shingle.  The Peddars Way has tracks and rural paths.  The Weavers Way takes you through a mixture of countryside and Broads landscapes.

So when you're comparing itineraries, look beyond the number beside each day.

Remember that tomorrow is another walking day

This is what makes a walking holiday different from a long Sunday walk.

On Sunday evening you can put your feet up knowing you don't have to walk another ten miles on Monday morning.

On a walking holiday, you do.

That doesn't mean you'll become progressively more exhausted. Quite often people settle into the rhythm of walking every day and thoroughly enjoy it and you become slightly fitter as you progress

But small things can accumulate.

Your legs may be a little tired. Your feet might be tender. A blister you barely noticed yesterday may suddenly become much more interesting!

I'd rather you finished most days thinking "I could have walked another couple of miles" than spend every afternoon counting down the final three miles to your accommodation.  I know, I’ve been there!

What do you want to do during the day?

This is another reason not to automatically choose the shortest itinerary.

• Some walkers love setting off, getting into their stride and covering a decent distance. The walking itself is the main event.
• Others want to stop; you might want a leisurely lunch, time for a coffee, a look around a church, photographs, birdwatching or simply half an hour sitting somewhere with a good view.

Neither approach is right or wrong.

But if that second description sounds more like you, shorter daily distances give you the freedom to do those things without continually checking your watch.

Is 8 miles a day enough?

Absolutely.

Eight miles is a perfectly respectable day's walking, particularly when you're doing it for several days in succession.

At an average walking pace, with stops along the way, it can easily fill a good part of your day.  You might also have liked to have had a leisurely breakfast to start your day!

One of the pleasures of a self-guided walking holiday is that it doesn't need to be an endurance event.

You're travelling through a landscape on foot. How quickly you travel through it is entirely up to you.

What about 10–12 miles?

For regular walkers, this is often a very comfortable range.

It gives you a substantial day's walk without necessarily taking up every available hour.

If you regularly walk these sorts of distances at home, an itinerary averaging around 10 miles a day is a sensible place to start looking.

But pay attention to individual days as well as the average.

A holiday described as averaging ten miles might contain one day of six miles and another of fourteen.

It's the longest day that I'd look at carefully.

Are 13–15 mile days too much?

Not if you're accustomed to them.

Some walkers genuinely prefer longer days. They enjoy setting off in the morning knowing they've got several hours of proper walking ahead.

If that's how you normally walk, there's no reason to avoid a longer itinerary.

What I wouldn't do is choose 14-mile days simply to reduce your holiday by a night or two if that's considerably further than you normally walk.

Saving one night's accommodation doesn't feel particularly important when your feet are telling you otherwise at mile eleven.

What if this is my first walking holiday?

I'd be slightly conservative.  You can always spend unexpected spare time exploring somewhere you've reached early.

It's much harder to shorten a day's walk once you're halfway between two overnight stops.

If you're deciding between two itineraries and aren't sure which to choose, look at the longest day on each.

Ask yourself:

• Would I be happy walking that distance?

Then ask the more important question:

• Would I be happy doing it after I'd already walked for the previous two or three days?

That's usually a much better test.

Your First Long-Distance Walking Holiday: What to Expect

My rule for choosing your daily distance

Don't plan your holiday around the maximum distance you can walk.  Plan it around the distance you enjoy walking.

For many people that will be somewhere around 8–12 miles. For some it will be 6 or 7 miles. For others it might be 15 miles.

The right number is the one that lets you enjoy both the walking and the places you're walking through.

If you're considering the Norfolk Coast Path specifically, I've compared the different itineraries in How Many Days Do You Need to Walk the Norfolk Coast Path?

Or have a look at Which Norfolk Walking Holiday Should I Choose? if you're still deciding which of our Norfolk trails suits you.

You can also return to Advice & Planning for more practical walking-holiday advice.

Explore Our Walking Holidays

Your second block of text...

---

Copyright © norfolkwalkingholidays.com; 2014 –