Five of the best walking holidays

Walking holidays are a chance to really get to grips with a country by slowing down the pace and getting off the beaten track. Leaving the hire car behind and abandoning yourself to strolling through a foreign landscape is one of the great pleasures of travel and as an added bonus, you will come back looking fit, toned and relaxed. Whether you are a thrill-seeking extreme hiker or just like to wander through the countryside for a couple of hours a day, there’s a trip for you out there.

In India there’s a great chance of seeing tigers from the back of an elephant in arguably the most beautiful setting in world- Helen Raine

Gentle strollers

If you want virtually guaranteed sunshine and a fairly flat, gentle stroll past secluded beaches, abandoned battlements and sub-tropical foliage, gardens of diminutive Bermuda, Britain’s oldest colony, can deliver.

A 33-kiliometre traffic-free trail, on the site of the former railway, meanders past the island’s sights, taking in old colonial pastel buildings and some spectacular coastal scenery on the way. It is easy to do this walk on your own; there is a brochure available from the Bermuda Department of Tourism and public transport passes can get you back to your accommodation between the seven suggested stages.

But if you’d prefer someone to arrange your accommodation, food, transport and give you some initial information in advance, then holiday company Headwater will be happy to oblige.

Highlights include the world’s smallest drawbridge in Somerset, the picture perfect town of St Georges, the beautiful beach of Shelly Bay for swimming and an ancient lime kiln, and Martello Tower at Ferry Reach.

Level of difficulty: Easy.
Cost: From around €2,370 per person for seven nights’ accommodation, half-board, travel pass and initial information from guide.
Website: www.headwater.com

Whisky drinkers

Most whisky tours in Scotland are done by self-drive but there is an inherent problem there; someone has to be the designated driver (the UK police can smell whisky on a driver’s breath at 100 metres... or perhaps it’s just the way the car weaves out of the distillery car park).

A walking tour cuts out this problem and will also take you through some of the most unspoilt scenery in Europe.

Absolute Escapes have plotted out a route for you along the Speyside Way through the moors, farms and forests of ‘Scotland’s Larder’. Accommodation is in bed-and-breakfasts near the route and includes a full Scottish breakfast, allowing you to acquire a taste for haggis.

Highlights include the pearl of the north, beautiful Ballindalloch Castle. You will also pass Loch Garten, deep in Abernethy Forest where you might catch a glimpse of a breeding osprey.

As for the whisky, you will be visiting the malt whisky capital of the world, Dufftown Spur, as well as the Macallan, Glenlivet and Cragganmore Distilleries. After a few samples, the walk to your night’s rest will seem like a breeze.

Level of difficulty: Easy to moderate.
Cost: From around €400 per person for five nights’ bed-and-breakfast accommodation, baggage transfers and information pack.
Website: www.absoluteescapes.com

Wildlife lovers

India can be tricky to navigate as an independent traveller, especially if you want to do a lot of walking. Having a company make all the travel arrangements will maximise your chance of seeing more of the wildlife.

The Holy Grail in India is, of course, a tiger sighting; Inntravel can take you on a walking tour that includes Corbett National Park, where there is a great chance of seeing these elusive big cats from the back of an elephant in arguably the most beautiful setting in world.

You will also take in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary to look for jackal, porcupine, wild boar, monkey, black bear and even leopard. The views of the Indian Himalayas, the local village accommodation and the spectacularly good vegetarian food will keep you going on the longer hikes.

Level of difficulty: Moderate to strenuous
Cost: From around €2,500 per person for 15 nights full-board, flights from London Heathrow, all guides, transfers and trains.
Website: www.inntravel.co.uk.

Winter wonderlanders

If you love the idea of being the first to walk in fresh virgin snow and hear the crunch of the frosty surface cracking beneath your feet, then snowshoeing could be for you.

Snowshoes have been around since ancient times, but the latest incarnations are lightweight and easy to use, meaning that some stunning mountain routes are now accessible all year round, cloaked in clean, white, sparkling snow.

Track and Trail can guide you deep into the Aosta Valley in Italy where you will see the peaks of the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc and the Grand Combin, as well as spending a night in a mountain refuge. You will be able to savour your hot chocolate or morning coffee in the sharp, mountain air overlooking some of the best mountain views in Europe.

Level of difficulty: Moderate.
Cost: From around €1,315 per person for six nights’ half-board, guide, most equipment.
Website: www.tracks-and-trails.com

Family walkers

The motto for Auswalk is: “The family that walks together, talks together” so if you want to reconnect with your kids away from computer games and TV while you are Down Under, what better way than to book a hiking trip?

On a self-guided ‘inn to inn’ tour, you pick the date and follow a marked map and notes (which you can give the kids to decipher), while Auswalk ensure your luggage arrives at the next inn before you.

Since you are the only ones in your party, you do not have to worry about your little ones keeping up and you can also make stops to relax or swim when-ever you want. Choose an ‘easy’ itinerary if you are beginners.

Destinations include the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Great Ocean Walk near Melbourne and Flinders Island off Tasmania.

Level of difficulty: Varies.
Cost: A Blue Mountain five-day self-guided walk costs from around €900 per person.
Website: www.auswalk.com.au

Note: prices and inclusions are subject to change, so check with the company before you book.