101 more walking trails and ideas in Britain

Graded 1-5, with 1 the easiest and 5 the most challenging

1 Highlands for beginners Glencoe Grade 1; type: mountain

All great pub walks should involve a quick hit of scenery, then a slow sup by the fire - and the Clachaig Inn, buried among the man-sized mountains of Glencoe, has a cracker. A mile’s clamber on a pinewood trail brings you to Signal Rock, where, in 1692, government troopers gave the fateful command that triggered the Glencoe massacre. Highland scenery soars on every side, red stags bellow in the autumn rut ... and it’s all yours for barely an hour’s effort. And who cares if you feel a fraud back in the Boots Bar at the Clachaig (01855 811252, www.clachaig.com ), with its granite-jawed climbers and ice-axe decor? They do 160 malts and a tasty line in venison burgers.

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Ginny McGrath takes the scenic route up a Cairngorms peak, but the quick way down - with the help of her ice axe

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BACKGROUND

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2 Storm the ramparts Croatia Grade 1; city

It took a battering in the Balkans conflict, but Unesco restoration has turned plucky Dubrovnik into the loveliest medieval city under the sun. The hour-long circuit of its old town’s battlements is unforgettable, around an Escher-like collection of sand-castle sentry posts, helter-skelter stairways and crumbling catwalks, all poised on high cliffs against the bluest bit of the Adriatic. Go for sunset, then descend for cocktails at Bar Buza, on a craggy platform between citadel and sea. The ramparts are open 9am-7.30pm; £5.50; www.tzdubrovnik.hr/english/. Original Travel (020 7978 7333, www.originaltravel.co.uk ) has three nights in Dubrovnik from £540pp, including flights.

3 Tropical downpour Venezuela Grade 1; jungle

At 19 times higher than Niagara, Angel Falls is a wonder - but getting there is nearly as memorable as seeing it. After a half-day expedition by dugout canoe, it’s an hour’s scramble into the throb and fizz of the jungle. You’ll balance across branches, paddle through creeks - and suddenly it’s there, blasting straight out of the clouds into the lagoon below. All that remains is to cool off under the loftiest shower on earth. Last Frontiers (01296 653000, www.lastfrontiers.com ) has a 12-day Venezuela itinerary, with three nights at Canaima, from £2,339pp, including flights.

4 Stout and stanzas Dublin Grade 1; food and drink

No city is as rich in pubs and poetry as Dublin, and Colm Quilligan’s literary pub crawl is a genius amalgam of both - a 2½hour stagger with Wilde, Joyce, Behan and Beckett. “Their search for an audience took them from the drawing room to the public saloon,” Quilligan says. His tour visits four favourite “Publin” watering holes, allowing time for internal lubrication between comic cuts of the writers’ work. The guides, all pro actors, begin with a shot of the black stuff - an excerpt from Waiting for Godot. Tours nightly, £10; 00 353 1670 5602, www.dublinpubcrawl.com .

5 Tortoise pace Seychelles Grade 1; wildlife

On the island of Curieuse, giant tortoises patrol the shore, jacking themselves up on hydraulic legs to greet arriving sailors. The nature reserve here is full of wild wonders, not just the enormous - and enormously friendly - Aldabra tortoises, but giant palm spiders, black parrots and transparent ghost crabs, which blow across the sand like dandelion down. A boardwalk trail takes you through the mangroves and over the headland to emerge on Anse St José, the most beautiful beach in the Indian Ocean. Creole Travel Services (00 248 297000, www.creoletravelservices.com) can arrange your Curieuse excursion; Elite Vacations (01707 371000, www.seychelleselite.co.uk) has sevennight autumn packages from £1,145pp, including flights.

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