In my mind, Scotland is the land of cruel misconceptions and nasty national clichés. I’d spent my life being told that Scots were stingy, unfriendly, ugly and hard to understand. So, one day I decided to pack my bags and go find out for myself, and hopefully meet William Wallace, bagpipes, kilts, haggis, whisky and all things Scottish along the way.

It is said there is no single place in the UK where you’re more than 112 kilometres from the sea. This means that the British Isles are dotted with a wide variety of epic coastal, country and historic walks, all easily accessible via public transport. Based on natural beauty or historic relevance, we present our top five multi-day hikes in the UK.

We truly connect to a place while walking, by meeting the locals, smelling the food and feeling the breeze brush against our skins. As an answer to the fast-paced modern world we live in, walking tours and holidays have become increasingly popular over recent years.