I was so excited to see that walking as a leisure activity made it to mainstream TV – an inspirational two and a half hour show broadcast on ITV on 30th January. (This link is available until the end of February.) Stunning landscape followed stunning landscape. Oh how I wanted to lace up my boots […]

Choose your own date  One of the great advantages of going on a Self-Guided Walking Holiday is that you can choose a date to suit yourself. It’s important to select the best time of year so ask the advice of the holiday provider. It’s also important to consider accommodation options as early as possible if […]

Thrill of the train August 17, 2017 by June Zaft We’ve just arrived at the Costa Brava in north-Eastern Spain for our family summer break – our first family experience of train travel across Europe. As we sat on a sandy beach, surrounded by verdant cliffs, the sun not too baking hot, soothed by the […]

Why I love Alpine Walking in the Haute Savoie   This summer I explored the wild alpine country on the border between France and Switzerland. Here I spent memorable days alpine walking in the Haute Savoie at high altitude in fresh mountain air, listening to the tinkling of cowbells. Surrounded by spectacular snow-covered peaks, including […]

We are now offering this popular walking holiday on a self-guided basis. For details, please see the webpage. Below is an account written by one of the walkers on a guided group experience of Rye & Winchelsea Walks. Fourteen of us gathered in early June at the George Hotel in Rye for a welcome drink, […]

Our group of 15 met at the Oxwich Bay Hotel on the Gower Peninsula, Wales, at 3 o’clock to stretch our legs on our first walk after our journey. The sun shone over the bay as clouds sped across the sky and we set off from the hotel heading west. We stopped to admire Oxwich […]

Walking in North Cyprus: A Typical Walk If you choose to stay in the Kyrenia (Girne) area, you will be best placed to access the best walks, apart that is from those on the Karpaz Peninsula or ‘the pan handle’ as it’s known, which is quite remote and too far for one day’s travel. When […]

Ten of us gathered for our Hardy’s Wessex weekend at thatched Yalbury Cottage in Lower Bockhampton, Thomas Hardy’s birthplace. We were offered a glass of wine and delicious canapés as we got to know our companions for the weekend. We were briefed on the arrangements for our weekend walking in the footsteps of Thomas Hardy. […]

You may have had the chance to see the film Far From the Madding Crowd. And it may have inspired you to dust down your Hardy novels (or indeed download them on your e-reader). Putting the obvious romantic appeal of Hardy aside for a moment, there are some beautiful shots of the bucolic Dorset (Wessex) […]

Nature is entertaining us with wonderful displays of wild flowers this spring – some of the best we have seen in recent years. I particularly love to see Cowslips which always remind me of a wonderful play William Shakespeare wrote, A Midsummer Night’s Dream,  and, in particular, that exquisite  scene in the wood near Athens […]

I’m not surprised the Sussex Downs has now joined the hallowed list of the UK’s fifteen National Parks. Now it is part of the South Downs National Park Authority which spreads across East Sussex, West Sussex and Hampshire. Personally, the heritage coast between Eastbourne and Seaford is the part I know and love best. It’s the […]

The question I’ve been asked most often over the 20 years I’ve been organising and leading walks is: “what sort of walking boots should I get?” To enjoy walking it’s essential that you have the right footwear. Ill-fitting boots can cause all sorts of problems, including bruising, sore ankles, blisters – even the loss of […]

This short break is a walking discovery tour with a difference: a new concept that combines city and country where you walk your way around city sights and historic monuments as well as the surrounding countryside.  You savour the unique cultural experience of the City of Light, followed by a visual history lesson in Versailles, […]

Where to Stay: The Best Centre We have explored much of North Cyprus and undoubtedly the best centre is Kyrenia, or Girne as it’s known in North Cyprus. Since the borders were open, the most convenient arrival airport is Larnaca in the south of the island. There are direct flights from 18 UK airports and […]

Walking in North Cyprus: When to Go and  How to Get There Have you thought about taking a walking holiday in North Cyprus this spring on the hottest, driest island in the Mediterranean? Here’s what I love about this beautiful island: the warmth of the sun for 9 hours daily, 340 days per year breathtakingly […]

Self-Guided  & Guided Walking Holidays: the Difference   We are often asked how self-guided walking holidays differ from guided walking holidays. If you’ve only ever been on guided walks, you might feel a bit daunted by the idea of guiding yourself! So we’ve written the following guide if you’re considering self-guided walking holidays but need […]

This is part of a series of posts on Walking and Hiking on the Amalfi Coast Where to stay on the Amalfi Coast You want to go walking on the Amalfi Coast. But where should you stay? There are so many options that it can be difficult to make the right decision. This is intended […]

How to Walk We all think we know how to walk: we’ve been doing it for long enough – some for longer than others! Children naturally know how to walk but over the years it’s likely that we develop undesirable or even harmful habits. The illustration opposite, courtesy of the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education […]

Last summer my mother, June Zaft, asked me to help her in developing her business, Country Walks, and I was happy to be in a position to devote some time to this mission. And, if you know June, a mission it certainly was – and still is! June approaches all her goals with nothing short […]

This is part of a series of posts on Walking and Hiking on the Amalfi Coast   How to get to the Amalfi Coast   Flights to Naples How to get to the Amalfi Coast is via the nearest international airport which is in Naples. This is served by a number of airlines, from the […]

A Paradise for Walkers What a long, wet winter this has been. If, like us, you yearn for blue skies and sunshine, have you thought about taking a walking holiday in Cyprus this spring on the hottest, driest island in the Mediterranean? Here’s what this beautiful island has to offer:

It is not generally known that you can now enjoy the best of both the north and south of Aphrodite’s beautiful island in one holiday. It may still be divided politically but now it’s easy to travel to both although when you’re in the south, you may be encouraged to believe it’s difficult to cross […]

In October 2014 we return to one of our favourite walking destinations: the magical Amalfi coast. I can’t wait! Where else can you walk on ancient mule tracks under permanently blue skies while gazing down on an azure sea. Below are some typical scenes. Why we choose to stay in Amalfi Many holiday companies stay […]

Where to Stay All who have joined us on our guided walking holidays in the Algarve have enthused about the wonderful walks. They were also full of praise for the Estoi Pousada. It’s rare to find a hotel where all the staff, from the management to the chambermaids, are so committed to ensuring their guests […]

Majorca is a paradise for walking, particularly around the Soller Valley, a world away from Magaluf and the high rises of the south coast. Here is tranquillity, stunning scenery and, for us Brits, the wonder of guaranteed blue skies and sunshine! Our favourite time of year is May when it’s warm enough to walk unencumbered […]

In March we were back in the beautiful Leutasch Valley in the Austrian Tyrol. The location, surrounded by snow-covered mountain peaks and alpine meadows, is perfect. The hotel is surrounded by tracks for cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing and walking and from nearby Seefeld (20 minutes on the bus which stops outside the hotel) there is alpine […]

If you have not yet discovered the delights of White Cliffs country, we can highly recommend it as a spectacular stretch of heritage coast where butterflies dance over multi-coloured carpets of flowers. Here the only sound is of skylarks singing above, where your feet gently tread soft downland turf and all around is unspoilt beauty […]

Alfriston Have you discovered Alfriston, a beautiful downland village nestling in a fold in the Sussex Downs? It’s a wonderful base for walking in Sussex. And it’s a charming place to stay with its narrow streets, quaint historical buildings and fascinating shops. For hotel accommodation we recommend 14th-century Dean’s Place Country Hotel. It is idyllically […]