No matter where you are in Britain, you're never far from a stretch of countryside where you can lose the crowds on a brief walk or cycle ride. For tougher specimens, there are numerous long-distance footpaths, as well as opportunities for the more extreme disciplines of rock climbing and potholing (caving). On the coast and many of the inland lakes you can follow the more urbane pursuits of sailing and windsurfing, and there are plenty of fine beaches for less structured fresh-air activities or just slobbing around
Walking and climbing
Walking routes
trace many of Britain's wilder areas, amid landscapes varied enough to suit anyone. More sedate walkers will be happy enough in England, where many of the footpaths traverse moorlands, but if you're after more demanding exercise, or a...
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Cycling
Although there has been a boom in the sale of mountain bikes and a rise in the number of towns and cities that have incorporated designated cycle routes into their traffic schemes,
cyclists
tend to be treated with disrespect by many motorists....
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Beaches
Britain is ringed by fine beaches and bays, the best of which are readily accessible by public transport - though of course that means they tend to get very busy in high summer. For a combination of decent climate and good sand, southwest
England
...
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Golf
There are over 400
golf courses
in
Scotland
, where the game is less elitist, cheaper and more accessible than anywhere else in the world. The game as it's known today took shape in the sixteenth century on the dunes of Scotland's...
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Spectator sports
As a quick glance at the national press will tell you, sport in Britain is a serious matter. Football, rugby and cricket are the major spectator sports, and horseracing also has a big following, though a fair proportion of its public has little interest...
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