How the numbering works

France has its GR paths and Spain has its senderos. The UK has thousands of named walking routes, run by government bodies, charities and volunteers, and no single way of finding or naming them. So we’re making one. It’s ours, not an official system, and anyone is welcome to use it.

Still being decided. The rules below are a working draft, and the codes shown across the site may change.

The rules, so far

1. Every named walking route gets a code that never changes and is never reused.
2. The national trails are numbered from UK 001 in the order they opened, across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Pennine Way, opened in 1965, is UK 001.
3. Every other route gets the code of the region it starts in and a number: three digits for long-distance routes (YH 101), four for shorter walks (YH 1001).
4. Sections follow the trail’s number. UK 007 is the South West Coast Path; UK 007.02 is its second section, Porlock Weir to Lynmouth.
5. If a route is upgraded later, it keeps its code.

The national trails

In the order they opened. Some dates are still being checked.