6 of Britain’s most beautiful winter walks

This winter, wrap up warm for crisp walks through the grounds of stately homes, follow snowy woodland trails or brace yourself along elemental coastlines.

Whether you’re feeling sluggish after too many mince pies or you just feel the need for pinch-your-skin-red fresh air after being cocooned in your toasty home, here are some of the best British walks you can take this winter.

Walk the Wales Coastal Path

Did you know that Wales is the first country in the world to have a footpath that hugs its entire coastline? Though it would take you a few weeks of serious walking to cover the full 870-mile route, there are plenty of shorter stretches ideal for working off your extra Christmas layer, such as the rugged cliff tops of Pembrokeshire.

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For a short, blustery walk with excellent views, set off from the sleepy hamlet of Porthgain and follow the coastal path for 40 minutes west to Abereiddy Beach. You’ll pass the famous Blue Lagoon on your way, once a slate quarry and today an icy harbour of brilliant blue that will leave you dazzled.

Wander the estate of Kent’s Knole Park

Located just outside the M25 in the Kent countryside, this park feels a lot further from London than it is. Only an hour by train or car from the capital, it’s all frost-crusted grassy slopes and plains, broken up by venerable wooded copses.

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The last of Kent’s medieval deer parks, set around an old manor house that was once home to royalty, you’re more than likely to come across some of its 350-strong wild deer herd on your stroll through its 1,000 acres of grounds.

Free guided walks set off from the visitor centre by the house at 2pm on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays (with additional ones on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day), but you can always strike out on your own along one of the waymarked paths.

READ MORE: The best places to visit on the Kent coast

Routes include the three-mile Wheels Walk along surfaced tracks, suitable for buggies and wheelchairs, and the three-mile Seven Oaks Walk, around the park’s perimeter and with broad views of the Kent Weald. A slightly shorter option is the 2.75-mile Woodland Ramble, which takes you a bit off-road – expect to cross some fallen trees.

Warm up afterwards in the Brewhouse café, or leaf through some books by the fireside in the cosy bookshop.

Brave Brighton’s seafront

The word ‘bracing’ might have been created to describe the invigorating feeling of being lashed by wind and sea as you stroll from Hove all the way along to Brighton Pier. The promenade seems every bit as busy in winter as it is in spring or summer – perhaps Brightonians see it as penance for their famously hedonistic lifestyle.

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Whatever the reason, it’s a great place for a walk and talk. It need only take half an hour, but with plenty of benches on the way, you’ll probably end up taking a seat and watching the waves crash against the shore for a while. More templing still are the many cafés along the beach, where you retreat from the cold for a bit, grab a cup of tea or a bacon roll, and partake in some very illuminating people watching.

Meet reindeer in the Cairngorms

Few places lend themselves to winter’s frosty spells as well as Scotland – particularly the Highlands, in parts so Alpine-esque that the mountain tops are dusted with snow even in summer.

There are innumerable places to choose from when it comes to walking in Scotland. You could start the new year by bagging a munro (hills over 3,000 feet), but really, mountaineering in winter is best left to the experts.

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Instead, why not continue the magic of Christmas by visiting Scotland’s very own wild reindeer herd – yes, you heard that right – in the Cairngorms National Park. Treks into the UK’s largest national park through the Cairngorms Reindeer Centre are still available until 6 January, after which the reindeer will go on sabbatical until early February. The reindeer tend to go higher up the mountains in winter but expect a 20 to 40 minute walk each way.

READ MORE: 9 things you must see in the Scottish highlands and Islands

Enjoy the architecture on London’s Wren walk

Between Christmas and New Year the City of London is like a ghost town, so there’s no better time to take a tour of some of Christopher Wren’s finest architectural achievements, with few workers or tourists to spoil the atmosphere.

Start in Temple and pay a visit to Temple Church, a 12th-century Knights of Templar building refurbished by Wren in the 17th century and hidden away in an enclave just off Fleet Street. Heading east from here you’ll pass St Bride’s, renowned for its ‘wedding cake’ design, and St Paul’s, which admittedly has tourists all the time. Soon after that, you’ll reach Mary-le-Bow church, where the famous ‘Bow Bells’ ring out every 15 minutes – it’s long been said that only people born within the sound of Bow Bells can claim to be true Cockneys.

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After all this religious reflection, reward yourself with a pint in the Hand & Shears – the type of salt-of-the-earth boozer that every good city walk deserves. En route stop off at Postman’s Park, a pretty little park home to a little-known memorial that dates from 1900 and remembers ordinary folk who have sacrificed their lives for others.

Find a winter wonderland at Chatsworth

The Peak District is beautiful at all times of year, but in winter its moors and uplands take on an even wilder, more desolate appearance. Only the brave or foolish would attempt to ascend its precipitous peaks in winter, but gentler, more attainable walks can be found in and around the real snow queen of the region, Chatsworth.

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This grand country estate, the family seat of the Duke of Devonshire, has formal gardens to explore as well as a choice of walking trails, between two and three miles each, through the park itself and nearby Stand Wood.

Plus, until 6 January you can buy a ticket to enter the house and see how Chatsworth does Christmas – with more than a few nods to classic fairy tales, it would seem. If you want to turn your walk into a mini break, then you can book into Robin Hood Cottage for a few nights and pretend you never have to go home.