Solo autumn walks for women in the UK and Europe: ‘it should be fun, not daunting’

Hiking alone in the countryside can be joyous, but for women it can sometimes feel unnerving. Here’s how to enjoy it safely, plus four stunning routes to walk solo

I did my first solo hike during a sunny September, seven years ago. After a summer of feeding and ferrying four noisy teenagers (and their friends) around, I was exhausted. But despite being bone tired, I had barely moved. I yearned, above all, for time on my own, for the chance to walk without interruption (and at the pace I chose), and for the silence of some empty wilderness.

But I was nervous. Not of being on my own, but of what might happen to me with no one around to help (breaking a bone, encountering a psychopath, being chased by a bull, getting fatally lost). I could have found a companion or joined a group, but my need for silence and solitude outweighed my fears.

It seems that many women feel the same: in the UK, the proportion of women solo hiking surged by 27% between 2020 and 2022. In America, 41 % of female hikers report regularly walking alone. And yet many women, although keen to do something similar, feel intimidated. According to researchers at the Munich University of Applied Sciences who are studying solo female walkers, 30% of women interviewed said they would like to hike solo but are hesitant.

In truth, women have long enjoyed a tradition of solo walking. From religious pilgrims to goat herders to 19th-century adventurers, there have always been women wandering, radically alone, through wild landscapes. But for those new to it, I’d say the best way to overcome your fear is to do it – and I’ve learned some simple ways to make the experience fun, not daunting.

That first solo hike followed a French canal. It was beautiful but sometimes felt a little too abandoned. It was also bereft of facilities, and frequently involved a long, complicated walk to my accommodation. So here are some of the things I now look for in a route: no discomfort-inducing stretches of urban wasteland; wide open landscapes (ridgeways, cliffs and hilltops are favourites); excellently waymarked, well-maintained paths (like national trails); navigation-lite routes that follow rivers, (lively) canals or coastlines; and countries/regions with a tradition of hiking.

I do my research with care, and I’ve always returned home exhilarated, revitalised and high on my own bravado. I’ve learned to avoid the trails where I might feel uncomfortable. I know now which landscapes calm me, and which trails are (almost) impossible to lose my way on.

For the last seven years, I’ve walked solo every autumn. Indeed, autumn is the perfect time for a liberating, empowering and restorative (solo) hike. Falling leaves improve visibility, temperatures are pleasant, and the days are still long enough to ensure I can reach my destination before dark. Importantly, there are lots of other walkers around – but without summer’s hordes – and the landscape is autumnally crisp and colourful.

If you’re new to solo walking, start with a single day. If you want to try walking for multiple days, consider paying for your luggage to be transported (or use a specialist tour operator who will plot your route, arrange accommodation and move bags). Otherwise pack as lightly as possible. Take a non-digital map and a stick/walking poles, and let someone know your arrival time. Study every aspect of your route – including transport options and the weather – before you set off.

FOUR GREAT ROUTES FOR SOLO HIKERS

The Bernese Oberland, Switzerland

The Swiss Alps are one of my favourite places to walk alone. Swiss women are keen solo hikers (so no one bats an eyelid at yet another single woman), the waymarking is superb and the scenery is jaw-dropping. Because this is a nation of farmers and hikers, there are always people (and a phone signal) around. And yet – because of the mountainous terrain – there’s often a genuine sense of wilderness and solitude. The Bernese Oberland is overrun with tourists in summer, but come to this Unesco world heritage site in autumn and you’ll be walking, calmly, in the footsteps of dozens of 19th-century women who once came here specifically to hike alone. Base yourself in the car-free villages of Wengen or Mürren, and expect to find farm-cafes with homemade cakes and honesty boxes in the remotest of spots.

The South Downs Way

From Eastbourne
To Kingston, near Lewes
Time 2 days
Distance 19 miles

The UK has plenty of well-kept trails, but top of my list is the (expansive, clearly signposted) South Downs Way. In summer the Eastbourne to Alfriston clifftop stretch heaves with tourists, but in autumn you’ll share the panoramic views – dazzling sea, dramatic chalk cliffs – with a handful of dogwalkers. Just a few steps off the trail are cultural hotspots like the pretty village of Alfriston, Charleston Farmhouse (museum home of the Bloomsbury set), and Rodmell, where you can visit Virginia Woolf’s house. So you’ll never feel completely disconnected.

The Cleveland Way

From Saltburn
To Filey
Time 4 days
Distance 52 miles

The Cleveland Way was the UK’s second official national trail, meaning the route is well maintained, the signage is excellent and the scenery is glorious, covering coastline and windblown moors. The moors can feel bleakly exposed in the wrong weather, so opt for the four-day coastal section, Saltburn to Filey, with its quirky towns and villages. This is Yorkshire so expect plenty of conversation with passing walkers and the chance to feel romantically windswept – an intoxicating blend for the solo hiker who wants to feel alone in nature, but not too alone.

The Fishermen’s Trail, southern Portugal

From Praia da Luz
To Sagres
Time 3 days
Distance 27 miles

The Fishermen’s Trail is far too hot in summer, but when I went (November) the temperature was just right, the sea was warm enough to swim in, and there were enough solo female hikers to feel pleasantly companioned. With some rocky scrambling to make one feel suitably youthful, and sufficient sandy coves to squeeze in a siesta, this route (a chain of old fishing villages) also has abundant, inexpensive accommodation and fresh seafood galore. Like other sea-hugging routes it’s (mostly) impossible to get lost – just follow the coastline.

I’ll leave the last word to writer Mathilde Blind, who (aged 19) walked alone through the Bernese Oberland in 1860 (no phone, no GPS, no bra, no waterproof trousers): “For once I felt truly free.”

Annabel Abbs is the author of The Walking Cure and Windswept: Why Women Walk. She was a guest of InnTravel on its Coastal Algarve and Fishermen’s Trail route, and of MACS Adventures on its Highlights of the Bernese Oberland route.