ACTION-PACKED MICROADVENTURES

AMBLE AMMONITE COUNTRY

Dorset

Follow in the footsteps of Thomas Hardy and fossil-hunter Mary Anning – whose story is told in the new Kate Winslet film, Ammonite – on a Dorset countryside-and-coast walk. Visit Salisbury and the well-endowed Cerne Abbas Giant, stay at characterful pubs and inns (including the Acorn, rich in Hardy connections) and finish at Lyme Regis on the dramatic Jurassic Coast.

A four-night self-guided Dorset trip costs from £615pp including B&B accommodation (01722 322652; onfootholidays.co.uk).

CYCLE FROM COAST TO COAST

Cumbria to Tyne & Wear

Ride across the country over a long weekend. The 140-mile C2C (Coast to Coast) is doable over three leg-testing but breathtaking days. The route follows quiet lanes and cycleways to link Whitehaven, on the Irish Sea, and Tynemouth, on the North Sea, via the Lake District, North Pennines and Hartside Pass, 1,900ft above sea level. A four-day self-guided C2C trip costs from £390pp including B&B accommodation (0191 265 1110; skedaddle.com).

RUN A BOOZY RIVER

Highlands

Descend the River Spey by open canoe to experience classic Scottish scenery and classic whisky. Paddle from the Cairngorms to Spey Bay via pine forests, heather-cloaked hills, village distilleries and gnarly rapids (including the “Washing Machine”), looking out for red deer and golden eagles en route, and wild camping on the banks.

A four-night guided Spey Descent costs from £585pp including full-board accommodation; May 1, July 3, September 11 2021 (01479 420020; wilderness scotland.com).

SUMMIT-BAG

Snowdonia

Tick off the 14 hardest and highest peaks in Snowdonia National Park over three action-packed hiking days. A ratio of one mountain leader to every four trekkers will ensure you stay safe as you bag the heights of the Carneddau plateau and the rocky Glyderau range, finishing with a Grade 1 scramble up Crib Goch to top the Snowdon massif.

A four-day guided 14 Peaks trip costs from £645pp including B&B accommodation; June 25, September 17 2021 (01824 737024; adventuretoursuk.com).

E-WHIZZ ALL OVER

National Forest

Explore three-and-a-bit counties in four nights without breaking too much of a sweat. The quiet lanes of the National Forest (encompassing Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and a smidgen of Warwickshire) are ideal for e-bike exploring, with lots of fascinating sites en route, from Ashby Castle and foodie Lichfield to Calke Abbey and the National Brewery Museum.

A four-night self-guided 3 County Explorer trip costs from £599pp including B&B accommodation and e-bike hire (01530 417482; ebikeholiday. co.uk).

CAST OFF Southampton

You only need one day off work to go from landlubber to certified sailor. First Class Sailing’s RYA five-day Competent Crew course can be taken over two consecutive weekends (two days, then three days). Eat and sleep on board, and learn sail handling, boat safety, rope work and the rules of the sea as you navigate around the Solent.

A five-day Competent Crew course costs from £947pp (taken over two weekends) including full-board accommodation (0203 006 3717; firstclasssailing.com).

PEDAL AND PADDLE

Herefordshire

The quiet borderlands around the River Wye make for lovely cycling and canoeing country. Pedal back and forth across the Wales/England border, via quiet waterside lanes, Herefordshire’s black-and-white villages, tougher Welsh Hills and bookish Hay-on-Wye. Spend a day Canadian canoeing down the leafy river, to see the valley from water level.

A four-day self-guided Cycling & Canoeing trip costs from £525pp including B&B accommodation and equipment hire (01568 770755; wheelywonderfulcycling.co.uk).

RUN LIKE A ROMAN

Norfolk

Peddars Way National Trail follows the route of a Roman road, wending via river valleys, farmland and wildlife-rich terrain on its way from Knettishall Heath to the Norfolk coast. Fairly flat and fairly short (50 miles), it’s a satisfying choice for a first-time multi-day running break, whether you choose to do it over three (gentle) or two (more testing) days.

A three/four-night Peddars Way Trail Run costs from £320/410pp including B&B accommodation (01629 821900; contoursrun.co.uk).

iGo from landlubber to sailor in just days on a RYA course in Southampton