The UK’s landscapes are pretty spectacular, and there is nothing quite like pulling on your walking boots and exploring. Whether you’re after dramatic views atop a mountain or peaceful strolls in hidden valleys, Britain’s walking trails offer something for everyone.
But let’s be honest – there’s one thing that can spoil even the most beautiful walk: litter, mess and general uncleanliness. Nobody wants to navigate dog mess on a footpath or pick their way around discarded rubbish where people should leave no trace.
So which UK hikes are actually the cleanest? Our team at Independent Cottages decided to find out.
We looked at the UK’s top-rated hiking trails and analysed over 37,000 visitor reviews to see which walks people consistently praise for being well-maintained and clean.
We checked TripAdvisor reviews for mentions of mess, litter, dog waste and general uncleanliness to find the trails where these issues simply don’t crop up.
The results? Check out the walking routes across the UK where you can enjoy the British countryside exactly as it should be.
The Cleanest Walking Trails in the UK
The UK’s Top Five Cleanest Walking Trails
1. The Gobbins, County Antrim
The Gobbins takes the top spot with zero mentions of uncleanliness across over 1,300 reviews. This dramatic cliff path on Northern Ireland’s coastline near Islandmagee is something special.
Built by Victorian railway engineer Berkeley Deane Wise in 1902, the path wraps around sheer cliffs with the Irish Sea crashing below. You’ll walk across bridges, through tunnels carved into the rock and past caves with seabirds nesting.
The two-mile route might be steep in places, but the views over the North Channel and the chance to spot puffins, dolphins and porpoises make it worth every step.
“We spent a week in beautiful Northern Ireland and we visited many interesting and beautiful places but this was, without a doubt, the crowning glory of our holiday,” one Tripadvisor reviewer comments.
2. Watersmeet Trail, Devon
Coming in at number two is the Watersmeet Trail in Devon, which has no cleanliness complaints across its 401 Tripadvisor reviews.
This woodland walk through Exmoor follows the East Lyn River from Lynmouth to where it meets Hoar Oak Water, which is where its name actually derives from. The path winds through ancient oak woodland, past waterfalls and moss-covered rocks, with the river rushing alongside.
It’s about two miles each way, and at the halfway point, you’ll find Watersmeet House: a Victorian fishing lodge that’s now a National Trust tea room. Perfect for a cream tea before heading back, but remember to put the clotted cream on first!
“A walk down steeply wooded paths, many seats along the way to stop and admire the place, to a magical meeting of two rivers and waterfalls,” shares one Tripadvisor review.
3. River Nidd Waterside Walk, North Yorkshire
Taking third place is a walk that proves you don’t need to climb mountains to have a beautiful hiking experience. The River Nidd Waterside Walk, near Knaresborough in North Yorkshire, has zero uncleanliness mentions across nearly 400 reviews.
This riverside path runs from the 12th-century Knaresborough Castle to Conyngham Hall, winding along the River Nidd for just under two miles. The route takes you past honey-coloured Georgian houses, beneath the impressive railway viaduct, and through the dramatic Nidd Gorge. It’s flat, accessible and perfect for a morning stroll or afternoon wander.
A TripAdvisor review mentions that it is “a great walk with some fantastic views of the bridges and countryside.”
4. Cornwall Coastal Path, Cornwall
The Cornwall Coast Path takes fourth place, with not a single mention of mess across 374 reviews.
This isn’t just one short trail, though. It’s the Cornish section of the South West Coast Path, stretching for around 300 miles along the entire Cornwall coastline.
You can tackle as much or as little as you fancy, from short strolls to multi-day hikes. The path takes you past golden beaches and tiny fishing villages on dramatic cliff tops and rocky headlands.
The whole route is well-signposted with the acorn symbol, and there are countless circular walks.
The landscape is beautiful, and walkers clearly respect it, with one TripAdvisor reviewer commenting, “you won’t forget these views in a hurry. And you come across little cafes along the way to sit in and watch the world go by while seriously considering relocating to Cornwall.”
5. Walk to Broadway Tower, Cotswolds
Rounding out the top five is the walk to Broadway Tower in the Cotswolds, with 368 reviews yet zero cleanliness complaints.
This circular walk starts in the pretty village of Broadway and climbs up through the Cotswolds to an 18th-century folly perched on a hilltop.
Broadway Tower sits at the second-highest point in the Cotswolds, and the views from the top are spectacular. On a clear day, you can see across 16 counties and all the way into Wales.
The walk is about four miles return, mostly following the Cotswold Way. It’s a steady climb up, but it’s well worth it.
As one reviewer on TripAdvisor puts it: “It is a healthy experience, and the view at the top and the tower view is well worth it.”
Methodology
We compiled a list of the top-rated hiking trails on TripAdvisor (rated 4 or above) and scraped the reviews for the number of mentions including keywords such as messy, unclean, litter and dog mess.
We then analysed the number of reviews that mentioned these keywords. Where there are multiple walks with the same percentage, we’ve taken the total number of reviews into account in order to rank them.
Data is correct as of December 2025.