national trail

ˌnational ˈtrail 7 noun

a long route through beautiful country where people can walk or ride

 

Culture:

National Trails [National Trails national trail]

The British National Trails form a network of over 2 500 miles/4 000 kilometres of long-distance paths for walkers and cyclists across England and Wales. They are managed by the ↑Countryside Agency in England and the Countryside Council for Wales.

Keen walkers can spend their holiday/vacation walking a National Trail. Leaflets and books describe the trail and the facilities available nearby. People doing long-distance walks camp out overnight or stay in bed-and-breakfast accommodation in nearby villages.

The first National Trail, the ↑Pennine Way, which goes from Edale in Derbyshire to the Scottish border, was established in 1965 and was immediately popular. Other routes include the ↑Pembrokeshire Coast Path, Offa's Dyke Path, the South-west Coast Path, and the West Highland Way. The use of the paths by many thousands of walkers, and now also people riding mountain bikes, has led to concern about vegetation being damaged or destroyed, and wide scars (= areas of bare rock or soil) being left on hillsides.

The US National Park Service is in charge of the National Trails and works with local organizations to keep them in good condition. The Appalachian Trail is the best known and most popular of the national scenic trails. It was completed in 1937 and became an official trail in 1969. It begins at Mount Katahdin in ↑Maine and ends at Springer Mountain in ↑Georgia, running more than 2 000 miles/3 218 kilometres and through 12 states over the tops of the ↑Appalachian Mountains. Other National Trails include the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail running from the Canadian border over the ↑Rocky Mountains south to the Mexican border, and the Natchez Trace from ↑Mississippi through ↑Alabama to ↑Tennessee. The Trace is in fact a road for cars and bicycles, but people can walk on some of the old Native-American paths from which it was developed.

The national historic trails include the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail from ↑Illinois to ↑Utah which connects places associated with the ↑American Revolution. The ↑Trail of Tears runs 2 000 miles/3 200 kilometres on land and over water following the route used by ↑Cherokee Native Americans when they were forced to move west.