THE SOUTHEND TRAIL has been popular with nature lovers for years. The 120-km trail passes beautiful lakes, crosses rivers, and goes through mountains and hills. This gives bird lovers some of the best places for birdwatching. The trail also takes you to the Southend Museum and to two famous castles, Edward Castle and Sloan Castle.

It’s best to plan one day for one part of the trail and start your hike early in the morning, because each part takes at least seven hours. If you don’t want to walk, you can bike, but make sure you stay on the main trail, because the side trails are not wide enough for biking.

There are two types of lodging for visitors. Camping is popular in summer, but it is only allowed on a few campgrounds (see the map). A more comfortable one is to stay at a hotel in one of the towns. You can find some very nice ones that also have breakfast.