The trail has been named as one of the 10 best woodland walks in the UK, and it’s easy to see why
A magical woodland walk in the Peak District has been named among the best to explore in the UK this January, according to a new study.
Padley Gorge, on the eastern side of the National Park, ranked fourth in a list of the ten best woodland walks across the country.
The list was compiled by experts from GO Outdoors, who analysed Google reviews, Instagram posts and Google searches to reveal the UK’s best woodlands and forests.
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Padley Gorge came joint fourth on the list alongside Thetford Forest in Suffolk. The Peak District walk has a 4.8 Google rating out of five, has racked up 1,577 Google reviews, 26,574 Instagram posts and 137,500 annual Google searches.
The woodland features tumbling waterfalls, trickling streams and twisted trees, making it feel like somewhere from a fairytale, reports the Manchester Evening News.
It’s made up of ancient oak and birch, with Burbage Brook flowing through it, which is crossed with wooden bridges and stepping stones.
Another walk, also near Greater Manchester, which made the top ten was Macclesfield Forest in Cheshire. It has dozens of walking routes you can take through the towering trees, and looks particularly delightful on a crisp winter’s day.
Hampshire’s New Forest ranked first on the list, followed by the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. Tollymore Forest in County Down, Northern Ireland came in third.
The UK’s best woodland walks
- New Forest, Hampshire
- Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
- Tollymore Forest, County Down
- Padley Gorge and Thetford Forest
- Epping Forest, Essex
- Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire
- Kielder Forest, Northumberland
- Ashdown Forest, East Sussex
- Macclesfield Forest, Cheshire
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