7 low-impact adventures to try across the UK

Scattered across the Atlantic like emerald marbles, the islands of the Scottish Hebrides are havens of mountains, moors and machair grasslands. Guernsey’s blue seas and buttery sands, meanwhile, appear more like empty swathes of Caribbean coastline, and Yorkshire’s wind-swept moors are as wild as they are magnificent. The UK’s bursting with beautiful landscapes, and there are loads of ways to take in the country’s natural drama without putting a strain on the environment. From hiking to e-biking, camping to snorkelling, here's how to have a big adventure with a small footprint.

1. Snorkel with basking sharks in the Inner Hebrides

A gaping mouth, beady eyes and hooked dorsal fin: the prospect of coming face to face with a shark underwater isn’t usually a welcome one. But that’s not the case on the Isle of Coll, where, for the past decade, Basking Shark Scotland’s marine biologists have been pushing boundaries in educational wildlife adventure tours. Divers are well looked after by Shane and Nikki Wasik and, regardless of what the weather throws at you, you’ll slip into a wetsuit, mask and fins, then swim to sheltered lagoons where sharks, dolphins and grey and common seals are known to linger. August to September is peak basking shark season, with a dorsal fin sighting being the trigger to hurry headfirst into the Sea of the Hebrides, the world’s only Marine Protected Area for the species.

How to do it: Three days with Basking Shark Scotland on a basking shark and wildlife tour, from £600 per person. 

2. Walk the cinematic South West Coast Path

Soon, the King Charles III England Coast Path will be complete, spanning 2,700 miles and becoming the world’s longest managed coastal path. There’s something magical about walking clifftop bluffs and The South West Coast Path — running for 630 miles of this from Minehead to Poole — is a magnificent meditation on the landscapes of some of England’s most beloved counties. This stretch is particularly popular right now, with September having seen the cinematic release of The Salt Path, starring Gillian Anderson and based on Raynor Winn’s redemptive walking memoir of this stretch of coast. Tackle one of the most beautiful sections from Padstow to St Ives, then let your imagination be inspired.

How to do it: Seven nights with Macs Adventure on a self-guided walking holiday along the South West Coast Path: Padstow to St Ives, from £940 per person.

3. Stay in an eco-friendly treehouse in Stirlingshire

Located off-grid on different swathes of protected woodland, the Lanrick and Leckie Treehouses come with a far smaller footprint than your average holiday accommodation. Situated high in the canopy, these eco-friendly cabins are made from timber grown in the surrounding area and are equipped with air source heating. Upcycled furniture is a sustainable bonus and in several cases, entire walls are clad with old front doors. The clincher is that the treehouses are just four miles from Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, located in central Scotland. This provides easy access to a wealth of outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, canoeing and bird watching.

How to do it: The Treehouses at Lanrick and The Treehouses at Leckie both cost from £245 a night, with a minimum two-night stay.

4. Go wild camping on the Isle of Rum

The tendency for many visitors in this part of west Scotland to rush to Skye means they often bypass the Small Isles. This mistake can be remedied with a ferry trip from Mallaig to the largest of the four, Rum, and into one of Scotland’s most rugged wildernesses, on a trip combining hiking, wildlife spotting and camping. There’s no option to explore by car or public transport here (having no roads means the only traffic is the vast numbers of red deer), but that allows for hiking along the Rùm Cuillin ridge, watching for Manx shearwaters, otters and seals. The island has also recently been announced as Scotland’s first International Dark Sky Sanctuary.

How to do it: Four nights with Much Better Adventures, including three nights wild camping, one night in a bunkhouse and return ferry tickets from Mallaig to Kinloch, from £680 per person.

5. Island-hop in Guernsey

Guernsey — comprising Guernsey, Sark, Herm, Alderney and Lihou — is an excellent destination for island hopping. The blue seas and buttery sands make you think of the Lesser Antilles, but the exceptional seafood and Riviera-type hotels bring Mediterranean France to mind. Hop on the high-speed ferry from Poole or Portsmouth to St Peter Port, a journey which, in the right light, resembles a trip across the Adriatic. You’ll also want to take the ferry from Guernsey to Sark, where there are no streetlights, paved roads, cars, traffic jams or planes. Travel by horse-drawn carriage, then seek out the island’s seabird colonies and stargaze under some of the clearest skies in Europe.

How to do it: Six nights with Byway, including return train and ferry transport from London, from £992 per person.

6. Hike through history in the Peak District

In 1932, a historic mass trespass in the Peak District led to the creation of our national park system. Today, this picturesque moorland plateau is the perfect setting for a low-impact walking itinerary, where all travel is by foot. Along the way, you’ll discover the likes of the Derwent and Hope valleys, with visits to Bakewell, Chatsworth House and Stanage Edge. Then, it’s a final push up Kinder Scout, the park’s highest point, and, perhaps, a toast to all those ramblers who changed the course of the countryside forever.

How to do it: Seven nights with On Foot Holidays, including transfers, route notes and GPS tracks, from £925 per person.

7. E-bike in the Yorkshire Moors

The view from Sutton Bank over the Vale of York in the North York Moors National Park has always been a crowd-pleaser, but what’s different is how the park can be experienced. E-bike charging stations are now installed at both the Sutton Bank and Danby Lodge National Park centres, opening up parts of the 171-mile North York Moors Cycleway. This figure-of-eight route reveals quiet back lanes and historical highlights such as the abbeys at Rievaulx, Byland and Whitby, while there’s plenty of bike hire and repair spots along the way.

How to do it: Forest Holidays offers a variety of cycle breaks. These start from its two North Yorkshire holiday villages of Cropto and Keldy.