Your BMC membership gets you a six month trial to AllTrails worth £17.94 - that’s plenty enough spare for a box of posh choccies and a bottle of wine for your loved one this Valentine’s Day. And where better to devour said chocolates and guzzle said wine than on one of our top five hikes on that romantic getaway you’ve definitely already planned for them… Don’t worry, we’re here to help - take them on one of these lovely walks on AllTrails:
Distance: 12.4km | Ascent: 424m
Lud's Church. Photo: Ian Kelsall / Pixabay
What better place for a Valentine’s Day walk than a stunning natural ‘church’ like Lud’s great chasm in the Peak District rock. Indeed, if it wasn’t quite so breathtakingly muddy beneath these black, dripping, moss-covered cliffs you might feel moved to drop to one knee and propose. Perhaps a better place would be amongst the massive gritstone boulders of the Roaches, somewhere around Mermaid’s pool - a pretty spot but haunted by a murderous mermaid, oh, maybe not then. Maybe save your proposal for the pub… Parking is at a premium on the road south-west of the impressive gritstone Roaches so make sure you get there early to avoid disappointment, or pay £2 to park at the Roaches Tearooms further up the road.
Distance: 11.6km | Ascent: 982m
Cadair Idris in Winter. Photo: Andy Harbach
Legend has it that if you spend a night on Cadair Idris, the highest mountain in south Wales, you either come down a mad person or a poet. So it’s not without a certain element of risk that we add this to our Valentine’s Day selection if you’re the type to bivvy out on a mountain top mid-February. If you’re just popping up for the day you should be fine, but maybe take a small book of romantic poems with you to make sure you’ve got that side of things covered. On a good day you’ll have far-ranging views across Eryri (Snowdonia) and mid-Wales on this beautiful stunner of a winter’s walk. On a bad day you’ll have none, sorry. But on the plus side, Dol Idris car park is only £6 for the whole day.
Distance: 20.1km | Ascent: 1,012m
Pen y Fan. Photo: Dawidx / Pixabay
Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park has been designated an official International Dark Sky Reserve making it the perfect place for a spot of intimate stargazing with your beloved this Valentine’s. Try this monster circuit of Fan y Big, Cribyn, Pen y Fan and Corn Du for the best chance of seeing the constellations from these tree-less, rocky tops. In winter, it could be an even more challenging, snowy and exposed affair, so this hike is not for inexperienced love birds.
Distance: 4.7km | Ascent: 311m
Rydal Cave. Photo: Simaron
What says, “I love you” more than a huge, echoey cave with stepping stones into a pool inside? Well, at least you can shout it out loud and hear it reverberating around the rocky sides of this giant, former quarry hole under the mini-mountain summit of Loughrigg Fell. Although small in stature, the views from this 335m peak are superlative, stretching across both Rydal Water and Grasmere, and the surrounding more toothy-looking mountainside including the Fairfield Horseshoe. Parking at White Moss is very civilised also, it even boasts a public toilet.
Distance: 17.4km | Ascent: 581m
Hayburn Wyke. Photo: Chris Melladay
Waterfalls are well known for their gushing, romantic overtones and the secret spot of Hayburn Wyke just off the Cleveland Way coast path is no exception. The braver amongst you might even try to win your lover’s affections by taking a cold plunge in its icy depths, but you could always opt for a picnic on one of the larger surrounding boulders instead. The walk starts just north of Scarborough, with impressive (and often windy!) cliff top views of beaches and headlands, and it’s a long, rolling out and back unless you hike to Cloughton inland to catch the X93 bus back to town. Parking is by the Sea Life Centre with various charges up to £9 for 24 hours.
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