Active holidays for active people in EUROPE CLICK-HERE: WHAT'S NEW FOR 2012 DATES, PRICES, TRIP DOSSIERS FOR ALL OUR EUROPEAN HOLIDAYS

Click here to order your copy of our latest brochures now CASTELLARE di TONDA, ITALY - Fully self-contained Tuscan Farmhouse Estate Apartments now available - easy access to Pisa, Florence or Siena - with pools, a restaurant & room to move..... great value too!       ... more   SHERPA EXPEDITIONS  Tours for 2012 will soon be available for most areas of Europe - tour details and prices will soon be available on our  website.  This is our most popular walking holiday program, Sherpa's 'Expeditions' offers mountain holidays for walkers first and foremost, so the integrity of the trails is of prime importance. These holidays range from gentle inn-to-inn 'Vineyard Trails' in the most popular wine growing regions of France or Italy to challenging treks staying in a refuge or camping on a circuit of Mont Blanc, the Bernese Oberland and the Wildstrubel Circuit in the Swiss Alps.  Also in Europe we offer active holidays in Ireland, Norway, Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus & Greece. Ask about Sherpa's 'Walkers Britain' program which includes the popular Wainwright's 'Coast to Coast', the 'West Highland Way' in Scotland, the Dorset Coast and many more destinations across Britain and Ireland. Sherpa's 'Expeditions' also offer escorted walks and guided mountain expeditions to the world's great mountain ranges - including the Himalayas of India or Nepal; the Andes of Peru, Chile, Bolivia & Argentina in South America; the wild mountains of Morocco, Mount Meru or Kilimanjaro in Africa and the Taurus Mountains or Lycian coast of Turkey. For the cyclists, we offer self-guided  Sherpa 'Cycling in Europe' routes from inn-to-inn in France, Italy, Ireland, England and across Europe.  Ask for a more details today – call 1800 331 582 or Click here to request full itinerary details as these tours are not in a brochure. HF HOLIDAYS UK & EUROPE ONE-HOTEL WALKS For many years one walking holiday operator – providing one-hotel or centre-based walks - has maintained a very high standard of accommodation & walking & a huge number of repeat customers. Outdoor Travel are their recommended booking agent for all Australian reservations. These 8-day Classic Walking holidays are all about choice. Country walking is a great way to meet new friends on your holiday and the chance to walk at a pace to suit you when you choose from up to three daily guided walks makes it all the more enjoyable. The easier guided walk on our Classic Walking holidays offers around three hours walking, typically finishing just after lunch, which means you can return to your Country House hotel and just relax, stroll on the beach or make time to visit local sights during the afternoon. Having the capacity to offer different levels of walking each day is ideal for couples or friends of differing abilities and interests. There is also the option for anyone who wants to enjoy a walk on some days of their holiday or isn't sure if they want to walk all day. Singles enjoy the opportunity to meet other walkers without being penalised with high supplements on many walks. Destinations in the United Kingdom include the Lake District, Glen Coe in the Western Highlands, Snowdonia or Beacon Beacons in Wales, the beautiful Cotswolds of William Shakespeare, Dartmoor, Exmoor, the Cornish Coast & Channel Islands.  Our most popular walk is the one or 2-week Coast to Coast walk in Northern England. Destinations in Europe include Spain & Portugal, the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre , Tuscany & Umbria in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, the Austrian Alps, Switzerland, Bavaria in Germany plus a host of centres in France such as Provence, Loire Valley, Dordogne, the Alps or Pyrenees Other international destinations include USA, Canadian Rockies, Kenya, Turkey. Morocco, South America or India Ask for a more details today – call 1800 331 582 or Click here to request full itinerary details as these tours are not in a brochure. FOOTLOOSE & FREEWHEELING IN EUROPE Hotel based self-guided walking or cycling or small group walking tours along continuous routes through the most beautiful and interesting parts of Europe. Journeys offer small group walking tours with comfortable accommodation - full of character, good food and local wine (including celebrated picnic lunches), experienced tour managers, Mercedes support vehicle and daily luggage transfers.  Destinations include Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece & Austria. Popular Journeys routes include 'Path to Rome' in Italy, 'Camino de Santiago' in Spain, 'Paths of the Pindos' in Greece or the 'Lycian Way' in Turkey.  Discovery tours this year include cooking in Tuscany, Garden retreats in Rome, the Lakes & gorges of the Jura in France and Landscapes of Provence. Many Discovery tours have a particular focus or theme, such as cooking, flowers, gardens or music yet these are still walking holidays and the style remains informal and relaxed.  A high standard of accommodation, flexibility and support is an important feature of these tours.  Destinations include Bhutan, Jordan, Zambia and India as well as the more popular locations in Italy, France, Spain, Greece and Turkey. Footloose & Freewheeling offers hotel-to-hotel itineraries on a daily departure basis.  They are for independent travellers on foot or by bicycle through the most beautiful and interesting parts of Italy such as Tuscany, Umbria, Amalfi or the Cinque Terre; in Provence, Cevennes or Dordogne in France and in the Pyrenean foothills of Northern Spain.  Regional route managers offer full briefings, suggestions as to restaurants and cultural activities and arrange daily baggage transfers. Ask for a more details today – call 1800 331 582 or Click here to request full itinerary details as these tours are not in a brochure.

LAST MINUTE AVAILABILITY.......   We can offer you something in Europe - all year round - we keep regular status reports for all our tours and pride ourselves on being able to find something to suit everyone's plans - both group guided and independent walking or cycling holidays.   Call Outdoor Travel to check availability on 1800 331 582 - Winter Spring Summer Autumn...... CAMINO De SANTIAGO - THE WAY OF ST JAMES Walking or Cycling the Pilgrim's Way in France And Spain The Camino de Santiago or Way of Saint James - the pilgrimage route to the shrine of the disciple James at Santiago de Compostela on the north west corner of Spain - has attracted pilgrims from across Europe on foot, by bike or on horseback since the 12th Century. Outdoor Travel are delighted to release our new walking or cycling holiday brochure on the Camino De Santiago designed to encourage independent walkers or small groups of walkers or cyclists to experience the same route as the medieval travellers on the most unspoilt sections of the route. Departing daily on demand - with no minimum numbers - our self-guided inn to inn walking tours are arranged staying in 1 or 2-star hotels (with your baggage transferred ahead each day).  Walkers can take one, two or more week sections (up to a total of 11-weeks) of mostly easy to moderate walking with full route descriptions, maps and emergency support.  Itineraries begin from Le Puy in central France, travel south to the Pyrenees and along the northern plains of Spain to Santiago de Compostela on the road to Compostela.  The self-guided journey follows an infinitely varied succession of paths and trails that link cities and villages, great cathedrals, fine churches and ancient monuments.  Walkers travel through wooded valleys of oak and beech in central France, cross the Pyrenees and the great Navarre plains, see the Montes de Leon, the vineyards of Rioja and the Bierzo, before reaching the fertile valleys of Galicia. Self-guided departures are DAILY from 1st May to 30th October 2012 Costs include:  Twin share accommodation with breakfast & dinners, luggage transfers & maps Walking grades on self-guided walks:    Varies according to sector from easy to challenging Small Group guided walks depart on set dates travelling through the best sections of the route in Spain with the best of accommodation and meals.  Groups are escorted with a support vehicle and English speaking guides. Our small group cycle tours depart on set dates or we offer self-guided cycling with daily departures travelling through the best sections of the route in Spain with a selection of accommodation and meals, a support vehicle and English speaking guides.  Easy to moderate grade routes depart from Madrid or Leon.  We can make a group tour for 4 or more cyclists travelling together. Contact us today for more detailed itineraries, brochures and reservations on 1800 331 582 or see 'What's New' for the latest dates and prices. VISIT THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO WALK - FRANCE & SPAIN PAGE Click here to order a copy of this brochure FRANCE - ONE-HOTEL GUIDED WALKING HOLIDAYS Our centre-based Discovery guided walking program in France offers a unique concept that is ideal for singles, couples or a group of friends looking to explore on foot the magnificent countryside of the Auvergne and Massif Central just an hour or so from Lyon. The hotels we use are maintained for the exclusive use of their walking guests, who want to spend a walking holiday in a relaxed small village country hotel environment. At each hotel, two grades of walk are offered each day; 'Tranquille' (Grade 1) and 'Sportif' (Grade 2). Led by knowledgeable and enthusiastic members of the English-speaking guiding team.  Both groups meet for a picnic lunch. Each centre has its own minibus which provides all the transport required. There are guided walks each day and a rest day where you can explore on your own, visit the local markets & villages or just relax by the hotel's heated pool. Our most popular walk - especially for cost conscious single travellers is at Saint Bonnet where in 2012 we offer a very comfortable 3-star hotel - all rooms have en-suite bathrooms.  Situated in a quiet corner in the foothills of the French Massif Central, St Bonnet is just 60km south of Lyon and near to the beautiful pilgrimage town of Le Puy en Velay. Our hotel offers a leafy garden, both indoor and outdoor swimming pool with fitness centre, a light & airy dining room & terrace.  Departs every Sunday from May to October and offer great value and including all meals (full board). Click here for more information CYCLING HOLIDAYS IN FRANCE Small group Inn-to-Inn cycling holidays Join a like-minded group of cyclists on these hotel based easy to moderate grade cycling holidays in the most popular regions of France - see Provence, Brittany, the Dordogne, the wine regions of Bordeaux, the Loire Valley and Burgundy.  8 days, fully inclusive of meals, hotel accommodation, guides and bike hire.  Why France?  Well its a great place to cycle, the countryside and hospitality is extraordinary, the French love cycling and they show so much respect on the road for cyclists!  Regular or daily departures from May to October. Ask for a more details today – call 1800 331 582 or Click here to request full itinerary details as these tours are not in a brochure. SMALL GROUP WALKING HOLIDAYS IN FRANCE This is the best you could possibly want from a walking holiday.  Not too much effort, gently ambling with pack animals in an undiscovered part of France just south of the famous Dordogne valley.   The area is called the Quercy and is an ancient region of France given to Henri d’Anjou by Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, two years before he became Henry II, King of England.  It is an area that has little changed since and hence is of outstanding beauty, historical interest and full of delicious cheeses and wonderful wines. Our guides James and Diana are English and have an affinity with the history and gastronomy of the area.  They are the perfect hosts mixing humour with fact, food and wine.  They genuinely love the romance of France and have lived in the Quercy region of the Lot Valley for almost twenty years. These are gentle walks through beautiful landscape and not rigorous in the slightest.  The paths have been very carefully chosen to give you the best of the countryside with just enough physical stress and much enjoyment along the way.  Picnics take place in verdant pastures with safari chairs and rugs and cushions for those wishing to take an al fresco siesta. And there is always time for a siesta.  The food has been carefully cooked by Diana the very morning of the picnics and so is wonderfully fresh.  The wines are carefully chosen from Jamie’s cellar.   You could walk between 15 to 18 kilometres a day but at lunch you would have the option to take the afternoon off in the beautiful setting of your auberge/hotel.  These small charming hotels are all chosen with care.  All have swimming pools and facilities en suite and just enough bedrooms for our groups of twelve or fourteen people. The south west of France is where it is all happening in the wine world..  The big screen documentary ‘Mondovino’ took much of its argument from this area and Andrew Jefford and Paul Strang have written books revealing the outstanding diversity and quality of the wine-making in this part of France.  Treading the Grape therefore explores five different appellations, tasting and talking to wine makers at their domaines and it includes a wine tasting and discussion lunch with Master of Wine, Minette Constant MW. An alternative theme week is on the gastronomy of the area and includes days with chefs and hands-on cooking in an eighteenth century château.  This is a hugely enjoyable week getting to know the secrets of French cuisine in what is regarded as being the gastronomic heart of France. Ask for a more details today – call 1800 331 582 or Click here to request full itinerary details as these tours are not in a brochure. IRELAND - WALKING OR CYCLING HOLIDAYS Ireland's naturally beautiful scenery, un-crowded lush green hills, its rugged coastline, ancient culture and fascinating history PLUS the local people's genuine hospitality, the traditional pubs and the relaxed pace of life make Ireland the perfect place for an walking or cycling holiday. We offer both guided and self-guided walking or cycling in Ireland.  Explore the Kerry or Dingle Peninsulas, majestic Country Wicklow (as seen on 'Great Outdoors') or perhaps our new destinations around Donegal, Beara or the spectacular Giant's causeway in the North of Ireland.  Also new is our CELTIC KERRY tour, a combination or leisurely walking plus sightseeing and an insight into traditional culture and crafts based on the Ring of Kerry on Ireland's rugged but spectacular West Coast. We offer hotel or traditional B&B accommodation - all with private bathrooms, with traditional Irish breakfasts and a range of easy to moderate routes.  Centre-based, multi-centre of inn-to-inn tours are available along the West Coast including the Dingle Peninsula and Ring of Kerry.  Departures are from April to October each year.   Click here to request more information >> Back to Top  >> MICHELIN GUIDES:   One of the most respected information sources available. Log onto their site and check out their comprehensive city-to-city and within-a-city travel planner: ITINERARY PLANNER OUR EUROPEAN TRAVEL LINKS:   Discount Airlines - See our airfares section for links to connect with a range of popular UK to and around Europe discount airlines or call our Fares Desk on (03) 57 501441 UK & EUROPE RAIL & BUS INFORMATION: Qjump: - timetable & price information for UK travel British Railway Timetables - just key in the train times you need. Swiss Railway Timetables  - schedules available for all of Europe Eurostar Train times & Fares - via the Channel Tunnel. UK Bus Information:  - coach services throughout the UK. OTHER TRAVEL SERVICES - see also our Links page Travel Books: Amazon Books - first for travel books. CLICK-ON: WHAT'S NEW FOR THE LATEST ACTIVE HOLIDAY IDEAS IN EUROPE

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