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If there’s one thing that lockdown has made us value more, it’s going for a walk. Part of the joy in walking is discovering new and scenic areas – and you don’t have to live in the countryside to enjoy a beautiful stroll.
New research from Premier Inn has revealed the most picturesque urban walks in the UK, by analysing the walks in big towns and cites with the most Instagram photos per kilometre.
London was revealed as having some of the most picturesque urban walks, with four of the top five Instagrammed walks being located in the city.
London’s Parkland Walk was found to be the most Instagrammed overall. It stretches from Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace and measures just under five kilometres in length. It has 2,131 hashtags per kilometre of the route and follows the course of an old railway line, with several points where you can take a good picture for the gram, including sculptures and graffiti artwork.
In second place with over 850 hashtags per kilometre is the Queen’s Walk in Southbank, London, and Regent’s Canal Walk also in London ranks in fourth place, with 447 hashtags per kilometre of its 14.5km route.
Other routes outside of London include The Forth and Clyde Canal Towpath in Scotland, which ranks in 8 place with 193 hashtags per kilometre, whilst routes in Durham and Leeds rank in 9 and 10 places.
Want to find other scenic routes in the UK? Here’s the top 10 in full:
1. Parkland Walk, London, 2131 hashtags per KM
2. The Queen’s Walk, Southbank, London, 856 hashtags per Km
3. Bath City Walk, Somerset, 820 hashtags per KM
4. Regent’s Canal Walk, London, 820 hashtags per KM
5. Thames Path, London, 349 hashtags per KM
6. Derry City Walls Walk, Londonderry, 343 hashtags per KM
7. Cambridge Colleges Walk, Cambridgeshire, 234 hashtags per KM
8. Forth & Clyde Canal Towpath, 193 hashtags per KM
9. Durham (River Banks & Maiden Castle), 182 hashtags per KM
10. Leeds, (Civic Centre & Canal), 129 hashtags per KM
Travel is the story of our summer. The rules (and traffic lights) are always changing, but one thing’s clear, we dream of being Anywhere But Here. This seasonal series offers you clear-headed travel advice, ideas-packed staycation guides, clever swaps and hacks, and a healthy dose of wanderlust.