Announcing Our Next Journey – Trekking the British Isles!

In 1997 we took our first international trip as a family to the United Kingdom. Our 10-day journey focused on England, visiting Oxford, the Cotswolds, the Lake District, and London. We were nervous about traveling with our daughters Lauren and Kristen, who were six and just shy of four years old at the time. However, they made it through the trip with flying colors, and the UK has always held a special place in our hearts.

Above: Lauren and Kristen in the Lake District; The four of us after climbing to the top of St Paul’s Cathedral in London

In late 2019 we began planning a new 2020 trekking adventure, focusing on the British Isles. Unfortunately we had to cancel that trip because of the pandemic. Instead, we pivoted to long-distance treks on both the Arizona Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, allowing us to stay close to home.

With things improving in 2022, we became cautiously optimistic about resuming international travel. So we dusted off our 2020 itinerary and began planning our British Isles adventure once more.

We are calling our journey Trekking the British Isles because we plan to circumnavigate the entire region. It can be confusing as the British Isles area includes the main islands of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as the countries of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales), and the Republic of Ireland. We found this diagram to be helpful as we planned:

The British Isles are packed with cultural attractions, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, national parks, and Areas of Outstanding Beauty. And with thousands of miles of trails to choose from, there is no shortage of trekking opportunities. In all, we plan to hike about 700 miles, including completing coast-to-coast treks across England and Scotland.

The treks we have chosen are:

• Cotswold Way – England (102 miles, 8 stages, 9 days)
• Hadrian’s Wall Path – England (91 miles, 7 stages, 7 days)
• John Muir Way – Scotland (134 miles, 10 stages, 11 days)
• Speyside Way – Scotland (74 miles, 5 stages, 6 days)
• Causeway Coast Way – Northern Ireland (32 miles, 4 stages, 4 days)
• Wicklow Way – Ireland (80 miles, 7 stages, 7 days)
• South Leinster Way – Ireland (65 miles, 5 stages, 5 days)
• Kerry Way – Ireland (123 miles, 9 stages, 11 days)

Photos above (click the link for photo attribution): Cotswold Way, Hadrian’s Wall Path, John Muir Way, Speyside Way, Causeway Coast Way, Wicklow Way, South Leinster Way, Kerry Way

In addition, we will visit major cities, venture off into the countryside, and complete day hikes in such places as the Scottish Highlands and Wales coast.

While we have several months of adventure planned, we are building flexibility into our itinerary. We truly do not know how much of our travels we will be able to complete with the pandemic continuing to ebb and flow. With our focus on trekking, we hope that we can stay healthy and safe as we venture out into the world again.

Watch our announcement video below and stay tuned for more updates from the road!