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Types of Skiing Explained: Alpine, Nordic, Touring & SkateExplore UK adventure day trips
UK Day Trips
Great adventure doesn’t need 12-hour flights and different time zones. The UK is packed with dramatic terrain and quiet coastline within a couple of hours of home – chalk cliffs, hidden rivers, towering hills and ancient woodland. We use it as a city escape: early starts, no traffic jams to the trailhead, and a group of women who get why you’d give up a Saturday lie-in for this.
Adventure day trips, all year
Hiking and paddleboarding in the UK
England alone has over 140,000 miles of public footpaths, plus routes like the Ridgeway National Trail and North Downs Way right on our doorstep. Add rivers, harbours and a coastline, and you’ve got serious hiking and paddleboarding terrain, no visa required.
UK adventure hotspots
Rolling chalk hills, beech woodland and views towards Chequers. Follow the Wendover Loop along the Chiltern Way, under an hour from London by train.
England’s biggest fells and its calmest water, side by side. Hike Cat Bells or Scarfell Pike, then paddleboard Lake Windermere when your legs need a break.
London’s largest open space, packed with ancient pollards, ponds and Iron Age forts. A genuine escape at the city’s edge, but able to be reached on the Central tube line.
Patchwork farmland, ancient woodland and sweeping ridgeline views across Kent, Sussex and Surrey. Home to routes like the Balcombe Circuit and the Ouse Valley Viaduct.
Serious mountains, glassy lochs and roads that go on forever. Hike Glencoe’s ridgelines, cycle a stretch of the NC500, or kayak Loch Lomond on a still day.
Wales’s highest peaks and some of its quietest coastline. Tackle Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) on foot, mountain bike the trails at Coed y Brenin, or try coasteering for something wetter.
Basalt columns, cliff-top trails and serious Atlantic swell. Hike the Causeway Coast Way, or take a surf lesson along the rugged North Coast.
In the Works
Our day trips currently run across the South East, but the rest of the UK is just as worth exploring. More Gutsy Girls locations are in the works. Sign up to our newsletter for our latest updates on new events!
Activity Overview
Trade the tube for the Chilterns on the Wendover Loop, a 15km circular route through rolling hills, hamlets and farmland with views towards Chequers.
Prefer flatter ground? The Balcombe Circuit winds through woodland and farmland to the Ouse Valley Viaduct and Ardingly Reservoir, while the Epping Forest Walk takes in ancient pollards and beech woodland across London’s largest open space. It’s a good day out and every route ends with a well-earned pub garden.
Activity Overview
Learn to paddleboard on the River Wey, gliding 9km downstream from Godalming to Guildford past historic locks, weeping willows and the Surrey Hills in the distance. The current does most of the work, so it’s a relaxed introduction rather than an arm workout.
No experience required – every day starts with coaching to get you confident on the board before you set off. Fall in, dry off, keep paddling. You’ll finish at Dapdune Wharf, a National Trust site with a tearoom waiting for you.
Discover the Great Outdoors in the UK
Walk the chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters or the history strewn Northumberland Coastal Path, with sea views the whole way.
Paddleboard tidal creeks and waterways through quiet countryside, all closer than you'd think.
Rivers, lidos and reservoirs across the country, ready for a cold dip and a warm flask after.
Tick off sections of the UK’s National Trails without needing a week off work.
Every good hike deserves a well-earned pub lunch at the end.
Deer in the Surrey Hills, seals off the Pembrokeshire Coast, and over 600 species of bird that call the UK home.
UK adventure days, sorted
You don’t need to fly halfway across the world for a great adventure. Our UK day trips give you the hills, the water and the people, all within reach of home. Lace up your boots or grab a paddle – your next Gutsy Girls adventure starts closer than you think.
What You're Wondering
Hiking works pretty much all year in the UK – you’ll just trade muddy trails and short days in winter for long evenings and firmer ground in summer. Paddleboarding is more weather-dependent, so it’s really a spring-to-summer activity, when the water’s calmer and the days are long enough to make the most of it.
Most of our hiking day trips run year-round, with more dates added between April and September. Our paddleboarding season runs June to August only.
Unpredictable, if we’re honest, but that’s British summertime for you. You might get bright sunshine and a downpour in the same afternoon. Layers are essential and a waterproof jacket is non-negotiable, whatever the forecast says the night before.
No experience needed for either activity. Our paddleboarding days start with a coaching session to get you moving confidently on the water, and hikes are guided throughout, so you’re never navigating alone. If you’ve done it before, it’s still a great way to explore somewhere new with good company.
For hiking: proper walking shoes or boots (trainers need good grip, so definitely no Converse), a waterproof jacket, layers, sun protection and a packed lunch. For paddleboarding: fast-drying sportswear or swimwear, a change of clothes in case you fall in, water shoes or trainers, and sun cream.
Every UK day trip we plan is chosen around train travel, with meeting points a short walk from the station.
Like all our trips, day trips are designed for solo women, and over 90% of our guests come alone. You’ll be added to a group chat beforehand, so you’re not walking in cold on the day.
It depends on the route, but most of our hikes cover 15-17km over 5-6 hours, at a pace of 3-4km an hour with breaks. You don’t need to be a serious hiker, but a decent baseline of fitness makes for a far more comfortable day. Check the difficulty rating on each specific route before booking.
Unfortunately at the moment we’re just sticking with the day trips in the UK, to offer short escapes from the city and help you make the most of your weekends without taking up too much of it.
