Take the first steps to a walking holiday
EVERY week our Holiday Hero NEIL SIMPSON takes an in-depth look at a brilliant holiday topic, doing all the legwork so you don’t have to. This week: walking holidays for first-timers.
WALKING holidays promise fresh air, fantastic views and the chance to get far from madding crowds.
‘Our customers come from all walks of life, from busy professionals to retirees, and we have plenty of solo walkers too,’ says Neil Lapping, of travel company Macs Adventure. ‘Many first-time customers are looking for a new challenge with a walking holiday. Our role is to help them find the itinerary that is right for them, often one that isn’t too strenuous so they can enjoy the journey outdoors under their own steam.
‘Along the way, walkers can immerse themselves in the landscape and culture. Our self-guided holidays offer the freedom to explore at your own pace and to experience so much more on foot.’
Walking holidays are easier than many first-timers expect. Hotels are booked along the route and luggage is taken between them.
Finding your way is equally simple. You’ll be given a welcome pack with easy-to-follow daily directions. With many tour firms, you can also follow the route on a phone app.
Daily distances on first-timers’ holidays are modest, with plenty of time for lunches and sightseeing.
A six-night Sintra To Cascais walking holiday in Portugal with Macs Adventure is a classic firsttime option. It starts in the fairytale town of Sintra with time to explore its castles, palaces, monasteries and tropical gardens. The route is mostly flat, with daily walks ranging from six to ten miles which follow wooded trails inland and clifftop coastal paths towards the seaside town of Cascais.
It costs from £710pp, not including flights.
Other walks aimed at first-timers are set in Majorca, Scotland, the Azores and Italy’s Chianti region (macsadventure.com). Stops for wine-tasting are a highlight on a seven-night Chateaux & Vineyards holiday through France’s Loire Valley. It’s one of Inn Travel’s easy graded holidays which have free days when you can ignore your walking shoes and enjoy the well selected hotels en route, including an 18th Century converted school and an old coaching inn.
Distances on walk days range from nine to 11 miles. From £1,080pp, without flights (inntravel.co.uk).
If you prefer to walk in a small group, the Taste Of Italy – Walking In Puglia holiday in southern Italy with Explore is worth considering. A tour leader guides between ten and 16 walkers with visits to bakeries, cheese-makers, pasta-making classes and wine-tastings. You also get to go back in time amid the ancient rock churches and cave dwellings of Matera. Daily walks range from just two to five miles, and as you’re in a group, you won’t have to read a map. From £1,400pp plus flights (explore.co.uk).
If you don’t fancy moving hotel each night, or are worried about keeping up with other walkers, Flexi Walking is a clever category on offer from Ramblers Holidays. Each day has short-cuts and opt-out points where you can take a break and rejoin the other walkers later.
Its seven-night Tavira, Pearl Of The Algarve holiday also includes a boat ride to Tavira Island, for strolls along one of Europe’s most beautiful beaches.
Walks are between six and ten miles a day, through orange groves, pine forests and beside the sea. From £1,290pp, including flights to Faro (ramblersholidays.co.uk).