Travel: Three of the best walking holidays

• Tweet
• Pin It

Those boots were made for walking… so pull them on and make the most of the great outdoors both in Britain and abroad as we take a look at three of the best walking holidays.

Whether it’s a gentle ramble you’re after or something a bit more intense, one of these trips is sure to take your fancy.

Swansea Bay and The Gower

Festival fun in the UK

Visiting Swansea Bay and The Gower for your walking break needs no reasoning behind it - Britain’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an ideal location for walking holidays with stunning views and beaches in abundance. But if you did need something extra to persuade you to take a trip to Wales, the Gower Walking Festival could be it.

The Festival, which takes place from June 1-16 this year, provides the perfect opportunity to see the wonderful scenery and abundant wildlife of the Gower Peninsula and the area around it. There are 71 guided walks and activities on offer, meaning there’s something for everyone - experienced hikers and leisurely strollers alike.

There’s plenty of information on accommodation available on the Visit Swansea Bay website, with options including the King Arthur Hotel on Gower, a cosy, well-appointed pub in the heart of the Gower countryside (think hearty food, log fires and local ale!) and the Swansea Marriott in the City Centre.

Well worth a walk: Discover the wonders of Worm’s Head on Walk to the Worm, a 4-mile walk which forms part of the Festival. Enjoy spectacular views while learning about the tidal island’s human history and wildlife.

Price: Most walks organised as part of the Gower Walking Festival cost £3.50 (though walks with food or specialist activities cost more). Accommodation costs vary, but as a guide the King Arthur Hotel mentioned above has a typical tariff of £37.50 - £52.50 per person, per night, while the Swansea Marriott mentioned has a typical rate of £47.50 - £62 per person, per night.

More info: Visit www.visitswanseabay.com or www.gowerwalkingfestival.org

Wheels & Wanderings

Combine rambling with riding in Europe

If you’re just as happy on two wheels as you are on foot then why not combine the two? Step forward new Wheels & Wanderings breaks which mix leisurely cycle rides with relaxed walking.

The highly flexible itineraries of these trips leave plenty of time for extra activities, so you can add in anything from canoeing to wine-tasting en route!

Choose from the Tuscan Explorer, a classic walking and cycling break journeying from Siena to the hill-top town of Montalcino; the Loire Discovery which takes in the region’s famous châteaux and cave dwellings; or the Tarn Explorer, a leisurely river route from Albi to Villeneuve.

Highly recommended is the Tarn Explorer - with its mellow villages, lazily flowing river and rolling hills, the Tarn Valley handsomely repays a few days’ leisurely exploration. Starting and finishing in medieval Albi, enjoy leisurely cycle rides along the river, walks along quiet paths into woodland of chestnuts and oak and stays at welcoming country inns.

Well worth a walk: Ambialet is uniquely positioned on a presqu’île (‘almost island’) created by an oxbow in the River Tarn. Ideal for those feeling slightly more adventurous is the 16km circular walk which leads up to the cultivated plain above the River Tarn. From here, you descend through fields and woodland.

Price: Inntravel offers a week’s Tarn Explorer from £720 per person including 7 nights’ B&B in 2-star and 3-star hotels, 5 dinners, high quality bicycle hire, walking maps and notes and luggage transfers. Alternatively travel by rail from the UK from £898pp or self-drive including ferry crossings Dover-Calais, including the above.

More info: Visit www.inntravel.co.uk or call 01653 617000.

Kitich Camp in Kenya

Explore Kenya on a walking safari

If you’re looking for a walking holiday with a difference why not try a walking safari? Going on a walking holiday doesn’t just mean wandering around the hills of England’s countryside, as this trip proves.

The Mathews Mountain Range rises up out of the desert; a chain of peaks covered in dense dewy forest. In a remote valley, Kitich Camp overlooks a river glade within the forest which is yours to explore by foot with Samburu guides that have grown up in the mountains.

There you’ll find elephants, leopards and buffalo, as well as ancient cycads and spectacular butterflies, Turacos and wild orchids. Your accommodation is an ensuite safari tent, from which you can enjoy watching animals emerge from the forest at dusk.

There are numerous walks on offer here, with some more strenuous than others. Leave your vehicle behind and learn the traditional methods of tracking game as you walk with experienced Samburu warriors in 900km² of private stunning untouched mountain wilderness.

Well worth a walk: Don’t miss the Kitich Hill walk - one of the most popular, it’s not for the faint-hearted, taking guests right into the heart of the wilderness. Expect some breath-takingly steep slopes and some equally breath-taking views.

Price: 7 nights at Kitich Camp cost from £2,995 per person including all international and domestic flights, transfers and full board accommodation (including soft drinks, beer, house wines and non-luxury spirits), game activities, conservation fees, laundry and AMREF Flying Doctors Cover.

More info: Visit www.chelipeacock.com, email [email protected] or call 0845 163 5883.

———————————————————————————————————————

Done the walking holiday? Why not try a walking event? Here’s some of our top-pick events taking place in the UK over the next few months:

- May 18: Walking with the Wounded Cumbrian Challenge. Set amongst the stunning backdrop of the Lake District’s Ullswater Valley, The Helly Hansen Cumbrian Challenge is an annual mountain trail event. There are two routes available –The Tough is a 20km hike and The Tougher is a 33km hike. Find out more here.

- June 8: Pink Ribbonwalk - Kent. Breast Cancer Care have organised a number of 10 and 20 mile Pink Ribbonwalks during May and June 2013. Fourth in the series is the Kent walk, taking you through some of the most magnificent British countryside. Find out more here.

- August 31: London Stadia Trekathon. This tough one-day will take you into the City before you meander your way along the thriving streets of busy London, through peaceful parks eastwards to your finish point at the O2 Arena. At approximately 26 miles, it forms an enormous challenge for walkers through the urban landscape. Find out more here.

Jessica Whittington, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine

• Tweet
• Pin It

You may like

• 

  Event: Buxton Adventure Festival
  Event: Buxton Adventure Festival
• 

  Go on an adventure: Njinga African Cyfari Adventure
  Go on an adventure: Njinga African Cyfari Adventure
• 

  A Different Side Of Ibiza: Tekne Fitness [Day Four]
  A Different Side Of Ibiza: Tekne Fitness [Day Four]

You must be logged in to post a comment Login