UK National Trails - An HF Quiz

How many official national trails are there currently in England and Wales?

A) 13
B) 15
C) 17
D) 19

B) 15

There are curently 15 national trails. In total, England and Wales have around 2,500 miles of national trail.

Which symbol is used to waymark the official national trails in England and Wales?

A) Oak leaf
B) Diamond
C) Acorn
D) Cairn

C) Acorn

National Trails are marked with a distinctive acorn symbol along the route.

What are Scotland's equivalent of the national trails in England and Wales called?

A) The Great Trails
B) The Great Walks
C) The National Walks
D) The National Routes

A) The Great Trails

All 29 trails cover a total of almost 2,000 miles, offering the chance to walk through some of Scotland's most stunning landscapes, heritage and nature.

Which of the 15 National Trails, was the first to be opened, on April 24th 1965?

A) Hadrian's Wall Path
B) Offa's Dyke Path
C) The Ridgeway
D) The Pennine Way

D) The Pennine Way

It was the year that Winston Churchill died, Mary Quant introduced the mini skirt and Sound of Music was released, and in a ceremony on West Yorkshire's Malham Moor, the final section of the Pennine Way was opened.

The route of which national trail follows Britain's oldest road?

A) The Peddars Way
B) The Ridgeway
C) The Cleveland Way
D) The Cotswold Way

B) The Ridgeway

The 87-mile Ridgeway is adapted from an ancient trading route, thought to be over 5,000 years old. Which means there's lots of history to discover along its length, including the famous Bronze Age white horse hill.

How many times does Offa's Dyke cross the English-Welsh border?

A) 8
B) 14
C) 26
D) 32

C) 26

The trail links Sedbury Cliffs near Chepstow on the banks of the Severn estuary with the coastal town of Prestatyn on the shores of the Irish sea. It passes through no less than eight different counties, crossing the border more than 20 times.

The landscapes of this national trail are said to have inspired the artist David Hockney but which is it?

A) Glyndwr's Way
B) Pembrokeshire Coast Path
C) Cotswold Way
D) Yorkshire Wolds Way

D) Yorkshire Wold's Way

A first time visit to the Yorkshire Wolds often comes as a surprise. The outstanding quality of the landscape is a truly wonderful discovery. This is a very special landscape. Here lies chalk, shaped over millions of years into a combination of hidden and lush green dry chalk valleys and wide open field tops, where the views stretch out for miles and miles.

If you walked from Winchester to Eastbourne, which trail would you follow?

A) North Downs Way
B) Cleveland Way
C) South Downs Way
D) The Ridgeway

C) South Downs Way

The 100 miles long South Downs Way National Trail follows the old routes and droveways along the chalk escarpment and ridges of the South Downs, letting you escape the crowds in this busy corner of the country.

Legend has it that King Arthur was born along the length of which national trail?

A) Cotswold Way
B) Thames Path
C) Yorkshire Wolds Way
D) South West Coast Path

D) South West Coast Path

In his “Historia Regum Britannae” Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote that Arthur was born in Cornwall at Tintagel Castle.

The vast, beautiful beach featured in the closing sequence of the Hollywood film 'Shakespeare in Love' has a starring role on which national trail?

A) Norfolk Coast Path
B) Pembrokeshire Coast Path
C) South West Coast Path
D) The Cleveland Way

A) Norfolk Coast Path

The actress Gwyneth Paltrow walked across Holkham sand at low tide during the closing scenes of the film 'Shakespeare in Love'. The beach is one of the highlights of the glorious Norfolk Coast Path.

If you started with a pint in the Nags Head and finished with a drink at the Border Inn, you'd have stumbled along wich route?

A) Offa's Dyke Path
B) Hadrian's Wall Path
C) Pennine Way
D) Glyndwr's Way

C) Pennine Way

Walking from Edale in Derbyshire' Peak District to Kirk Yetholm on the Scottish Borders the Pennine Way traces the spine of England and is one of the most iconic routes.

Which national trail, crossing ancient commons, passing Neolithic burial barrows, stately homes and historic battle sites, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020?

A) Pembrokeshire Coast Path
B) Cotswold Way
C) Thames Path
D) South Downs Way

B) Cotswold Way

Renowned for its sheer diversity, the Cotswold Way incorporates some of England’s prettiest villages and passes historic sites such as the City of Bath World Heritage Site, the Neolithic burial chamber at Belas Knap, Sudeley Castle, Hailes Abbey and many churches and historic houses.

The ascent and descent on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path is said to be equivalent to climbing what peak?

A) Ben Nevis
B) Mont Blanc
C) Kilimanjaro
D) Everest

D) Everest

Walking the entire Pembrokeshire Coast Path requires mastering 35,000 feet of ascents and descents - sounds tough but the rewards far outweigh the efforts!

Which of the national trails is the only one to follow a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

A) Offa's Dyke Path
B) Hadrian's Wall Path
C) The Ridgeway
D) Glyndwr's Way

B) Hadrian's Wall Path

Although only a few sections of the wall, built as a defensive structure against the barbarians in the north, remain visible above ground, the remains of Roman forts have been excavataed to give walkers a rich insight into life in Roman Britain.

If you had seen Helmsley Castle, the White Horse of Kilburn and Whitby Abbey, which trail would you have walked?

A) Cleveland Way
B) Yorkshire Wolds Way
C) Pennine Way
D) Thames Path

A) Cleveland Way

Running from the historic market town of Helmsley, across the North York Moors and along the dramatic North Yorkshire coastline to Filey, the trail is considered a classic route because of the rich and varied landscape through which it passes.

Which of the 15 national trails is the longest waymarked footpath?

A) Thames Path
B) Pennine Way
C) South West Coast Path
D) Pembrokeshire Coast Path

C) South West Coast Path

The coast path offers 630 miles (1,014 km) of stunning coastal walking around the entire South West peninsula, more than double the length of the next longest trail, and takes around 30 days of fast walking to complete in its entirety.

What is set to be special about National Trails' English Coast Path project?

A) It'll be longer than America's Pacific Crest Trail
B) It'll be the longest coastal trail in the world
C) 2021 is the Year of the Coast to mark it opening
D) All of the above

D) All of the above

This landmark endeavour, to join up the 2,795 mile English Coast, will mean it's possible to walk right round the island, since there has long been free access to Scotland's coast, and Wales has already completed a coastal path.

Which of Scotland's Great Trails was its first long distance route, opened in 1980?

A) West Highland Way
B) Great Glen Way
C) John Muir Way
D) Southern Upland Way

A) West Highland Way

Starting from Glasgow, the West Highland Way passes through Scotland's first National Park along the shore of its largest loch, Loch Lomond. Heading north through increasingly rugged scenery, it crosses the vast wilderness of Rannoch Moor, passes Glen Coe and reaches Fort William at the foot of the UK’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis.

Which trail would let you visit Urquhart Castle, Neptune's Staircase and give you views of Loch Ness?

A) Great Glen Way
B) Great Trossachs Path
C) West Highland Way
D) Speyside Way

A) Great Glen Way

The Great Glen Way follows the Great Glen for much of its length, a valley that forms a diagonal line between Fort William on the west coast and Inverness on the east. Along the glen lie three lochs, and between them is the Caledonian Canal.

Which trail is known in the local tongue as Slighe na Gàidhealtachd an Iar?

A) Glyndwr's  Way
B) Offa's Dyke Path
C) West Highland Way
D) Southern Upland Way

C) West Highland Way

Slighe na Gàidhealtachd an Iar translates as West Highland Way in Scottish Gaelic.

Which of the National and Great Trails lets you walk coast-to-coast across a country?

A) Hadrian's Wall Path
B) Great Glen Way
C) Offa's Dyke Path
D) All of the above

D) All of the above

Whether you cross from Wallsend to Bowness on Solway, Fort William to Inverness or Chpstow to Prestatyn, these routes let you walk across England, Scotland and Wales respectively.