This section provides advice and links for walkers and other visitors to the UK's outdoors on how to find visitor information; it includes many other sources of accommodation listings. It is aimed at helping walkers but may be useful to cyclists and horseriders visiting shared-use (multi-user) trails.

In the UK there is much more walker-friendly accommodation and other services available and useful to walkers than we list via our Search for Accommodation. An Internet search can lead quickly to accommodation in many areas. There are many other rural and urban ‘bed and breakfasts’ (B&Bs) that simply display a sign or rely on word of mouth.

The National Trails in England & Wales provide very extensive accommodation listings for each trail on its dedicated official website that is listed on our path pages. The central portal site is here - then when you select a trail, follow the 'Trail information & Map' link for interactive maps and listings. If you are walking other Long Distance Paths, some route publications include accommodation information. Some routes have a fuller dedicated accommodation list publication. Path pages on this site cover those we know of.

Local Tourist Information Centres (TICs), that have extensive accommodation lists online or that they may send out, are a good source of visitor information with staff with detailed local knowledge. VisitEngland provides details of England's TICs. VisitScotland provides a list and map of TICs in Scotland. Visit Wales provides a list of TICs in Wales. Telephone numbers can also be found in Yellow Pages. DiscoverNorthernIreland has a list of TICs and searchable online accommodation information.

Walkers are Welcome Initiative. This is a nationwide initiative launched in 2007 to encourage towns and villages to be ‘welcoming to walkers’. The network has expanded rapidly and there are now over 100 locations across the UK that have joined this community-led scheme to benefit from Walkers are Welcome accreditation. Its aims include making attractive destinations for walkers with top quality information on local walks, providing excellent local walking opportunities, ensuring that footpaths and facilities for walkers are maintained, improved and well signposted, contributing to local tourism plans and regeneration strategies, promoting the health benefits of walking and increasing participation, and encouraging the use of public transport.

Hostels. The traditional Youth Hostel Associations maintain networks of youth hostels and bunkhouses, while independent hostels are increasing in numbers and provide an alternative network. Many of both styles of hostel are listed on our Search for Accommodation. Hostels we list are located on our mapping where they are on or near a walking trail (LDP) or walking event on this website, and also listed on these pages.

England & Wales: YHA England & Wales Online booking available for most properties. Camping is available at some hostels. YHA is one of the leading budget accommodation providers in the UK. It aims to help all, especially young people of limited means, to travel and discover England and Wales by providing cheap, safe and secure Youth Hostels in coastal, countryside and city locations in over 150 locations. It is no longer necessary to be member of YHA to stay but membership provides hostel discounts as well as a passport to a worldwide network.

Scotland: Hostelling Scotland Online booking available for most properties. Objective is to help all, but especially young people, to experience and appreciate the Scottish countryside and places of historic and cultural interest in Scotland, and to promote their health, recreation and education, particularly by providing low cost accommodation for them on their travels. Scottish Independent Hostels (SIH) is an Association of over 100 individual privately-run hostels across Scotland. Bookings are made directly with each hostel.

Northern Ireland: Hostelling International Northern Ireland (HINI) Youth Hostels are located in Armagh, Belfast, Bushmills and Whitepark Bay. Bookings are made directly with each hostel. HINI is a member of Hostelling International.

Independent Hostels UK is the UK’s largest network of hostels and bunkhouses. It features over 350 hostels, bunkhouses and camping barns in England, Scotland and Wales. Commission-free online booking is available on the website and a printed guide can also be purchased.

Several other booking portals are available, for example Hostelworld, but may charge a booking fee.

Budget Hotels. There are several nationwide budget hotel chains bookable online from their own websites, including Travelodge, Premier Inn, Days Inn, Ibis and some Wetherspoons pubs have accommodation.

Lightweight camping enthusiasts will find the Backpackers Club useful. The club promotes backpacking for the benefit of its members and one of its membership benefits is its Farm Pitch Directory compiled by its members that lists pitches where members are welcome to camp for the night whilst backpacking, some in remoter areas. In Scotland wild camping is often allowed; in England and Wales you do not have rights to wild camp without the landowner's consent.

Camping, Caravans and Motorhomes. The Camping and Caravanning Club has an extensive list of campsites and also lists many motorhome hirers. The Caravan and Motorhome Club lists 200 Club sites and 2,500 privately owned places to stay. Both clubs cover Britain (England, Scotland and Wales).

Bothies. The Mountain Bothies Association is a charity which maintains about 100 shelters in some of the remoter parts of Britain, with the most in Scotland. If you intend to visit a remote bothy you should be proficient with map and compass and able to get yourself out of any difficult situation that might arise. Bothies provide very basic shelter - a 'roof over your head' but often no other facilities!

Online bookings sites act as booking agents for very large numbers of places to stay nationwide in a range of styles and many of these websites are searchable by location and rank accommodation by customers' review scores. These include Booking.com, lastminute.com, Expedia, ebookers.com, TravelSupermarket, Tripadvisor and Trivago.

The listings above are provided for information and do not consitute a recommendation or endorsement from LDWA, nor does LDWA handle feedback or comments on service quality. See our Terms & Conditions for website use.