The good news is that taking ‘travelling responsibly’ seriously doesn’t mean you have to compromise the quality or enjoyment of your precious time away, as the fantastic holidays below prove.
Rail travel emits 90% less CO2 per passenger than the equivalent journey by air, so you can sit back and let the scenery glide past, knowing that you have not only avoided the stress of the airport, but you’ve also gone a long way to minimising the environmental impact of your holiday.
All of the following holidays are accessible by rail in a day from London St Pancras:
| France: Walking Holidays |
Châteaux & Vineyards |
| The Chablais Alps |
The Chablais & Vaudoise Alps |
| Alps to the Mediterranean |
Provence Wander |
| Hill-Top Villages of the Luberon |
Provence Long Trail |
| Colours of Provence |
To the Pont du Gard |
| Beneath Mont Lozère |
Mountains of the Auvergne |
| Villages of the Dordogne |
Paths to Rocamadour |
| Long Trail to Rocamadour |
Land of the Crusades |
| Along the Tarn Valley |
Long Tarn Trail |
| Sunflowers & Abbeys |
Pyrenees to the Atlantic |
| Castles of the Cathars |
Collioure to Cadaquès |
| Granite Coast of Brittany |
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| France: Cycling Holidays |
Luberon Valleys & Villages |
| Brittany's Land's End |
Châteaux of the Loire |
| The Land of Kings |
Villages & Vineyards of Alsace |
| Atlantic Coast Discovery |
Vézère & Dordogne Valleys |
| Dordogne Valley |
The Timeless Tarn |
| Canal du Midi |
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| France: Short Breaks |
Scented Hills of Provence Walk |
| Loire Highlights Cycle |
Best of Roman Provence Walk |
| Alps to the Riviera Walk |
Hotel St Paul, Paris |
| Grand Hotel Bellevue, Lille |
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| France: Self-Catering |
Le Petit Bousquatier, Provence |
| Marine Apartment, Provence |
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| Spain: Walking Holidays |
From the Pyrenees to the Sea |
| Along the Catalan Coast |
Gastronomic Trails in Catalonia |
| Catalan Coast with 5* option |
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| Spain: Cycling Holidays |
Catalan Coast & Villages |
| Freewheeling in Catalonia |
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| Spain: Family Holidays |
Coast of Catalonia Walk |
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| Spain: Short Breaks |
A Taste of the Catalan Coast |
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| Holland: Cycling Holidays |
Dutch Discovery |
| Rivers & Castles cycle |
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| Holland: Short Breaks |
A Taste of Holland cycle |
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| Switzerland: Walking Holidays |
Around the Vaudoise Alps |
| Lake Geneva to Lake Neuchâtel |
Towards the Matterhorn |
| The High Route |
Lake Lucerne |
| The Bernese Oberland |
Lake Oeschinensee & Beyond |
| Villages of the Engadine |
Walking & Flowers in Engadine |
| An Alpine Adventure |
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| Switzerland: Short Breaks |
Zermatt |
| Historic Lucerne & Engelberg |
The Swiss Alps |
| In the Shadow of the Eiger |
Lucerne Christmas Markets |
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| Switzerland: Cycling Holidays |
Interlaken Valleys & Villages |
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| Switzerland: Family Holidays |
Swiss Mountain Trails |
| Hotel Edelweiss, Engelberg |
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| Switzerland: Self-Catering |
Victoria Alpine Park, Kandersteg |
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| Switzerland: Journeys |
Grand Tour of Switzerland |
| The Glacier Express in Summer |
Glacier Express in Winter |
| The Heart of the High Alps |
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| Switzerland: Snow Holidays |
Hotel Victoria, Kandersteg |
| Parkhotel Quellenhof, Leukerbad |
Hotel Bella Tola, St-Luc |
| Hotel Castle, Blitzingen |
Hotel Edelweiss, Engelberg |
| Hotel Engiadina, Zuoz |
Hotel Meisser, Guarda |
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| Germany: Cycling Holidays |
Bavarian Castles & Villages |
| A Journey around Lake Constance |
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| Belgium: City Stays |
Hotel Prinsenhof, Bruges |
| Hotel Aragon, Bruges |
Hotel Bryghia, Bruges |
| Oud Huis de Peellaert, Bruges |
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Other ‘responsible’ holidays
Many other of our holidays are ‘responsible’ in other ways:
The Complete New England Experience, USA
Joan and Steve Stoia, owners of Centennial House in Northfield, New England, have recently had their historic property, dating from 1811, converted from an oil-fired boiler to a state-of-the-art German-made wood pellet boiler. The pellets (five tons at a time) are manufactured just a few miles from Northfield in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, and Centennial House will be used as a demonstration and resource site by the installer for the benefit of other antique home owners to showcase sympathetic antique home preservation.
The High Route, Bernese Oberland, Lake Lucerne & Villages of the Engadine Walks, Switzerland
Your luggage is transported between the hotels along the walking route using the highly efficient Swiss public transport system. If you take the train too (which is an option for all four holidays), you will thereby remove the need for car journeys completely on your holiday.
Beneath Mont Lozère Walk, France
You spend two nights of the holiday at the Ferme Auberge le Merlet, a charming 16th-century working farm owned and run by Philippe and Catherine Galzin. So sympathetic was the conversion of the farm to the local culture and environment that the guesthouse has won a number of awards, including one from WWF. The various agricultural enterprises around the guesthouse (bee-keeping, orchard, herb garden) mean that home-grown produce features on the menu all year round, along with other local ingredients such as mushrooms, sausages, and strawberries. They have a flock of local sheep that live outside all summer but for the rest of the year they are called home to the bergerie every evening.
Don’t forget that we offer a Take the Train option for this holiday.
A Provence Wander Walk and Luberon Valleys & Villages Cycle, France
On both of these holidays you have the pleasure of staying at the Auberge de Reillanne, run by Monique Balmand. A keen walker and traveller, she has been particularly touched by the plight of the rural poor in Nepal. She visits the country each winter, working to build a local school and raise money to bring electricity into the villages. The wonderful photographs which line the walls of the Auberge have been taken by Monique during her travels. Many of these have been made into postcards, and a book of her photos will be published soon. The proceeds from these – and the jewellery made by Nepalese villagers which she sells – all go back to Nepal.
Don’t forget that we offer a Take the Train option for these Swiss and French holidays.
Gålå Høgfjellshotell, Norway
The settlement of Gålå, which essentially consists of the hotel and numerous self-catering cabins, has been built in harmony with its surroundings, and has a very comprehensive environmental policy that has earned it various ecological awards and certification from Nordic Swan, the EU Flower and Miljøfyrtårnet. To reduce energy consumption, the settlement uses energy-saving light bulbs wherever possible, and temperatures in the hotel and cabins are regularly monitored throughout the day so the heating can be adjusted accordingly. To cut water consumption, shower savers and low-flushing toilets have been installed in all rooms and cabins, and there are reminders to guests about keeping laundry to a minimum. The restaurant primarily uses wild fish and game, and uses as much organic produce as possible.
Rugged Hills & Coast of Asturias Walk and Wild & Beautiful Asturias Short Break, Spain
Your base for this holiday, the Posada del Valle, is located in its own 18-acre organic farm which is managed so as to maintain and increase the diversity of flora and fauna and preserve traditional farming practices. Part of the farm is devoted to apple orchards planted with traditional Asturian varieties (the apples are sold to local cider producers), while the rest is dedicated to traditional hay meadows and wild meadows in which grazing is carefully controlled so as to encourage the appearance of a wide range of wild flowers. The farm owns a flock of Xalda sheep, an indigenous Asturian breed that nearly became extinct in the 1980s. To ensure a mixed grazing system, in keeping with the principles of organic farming, there are also a couple of Asturcon ponies (another indigenous breed) on the farm. There are free-range hens roaming the meadows, including an Asturian breed known as Pita Pinta.
In the hotel itself, energy consumption is reduced through the use of energy-saving light bulbs, lighting systems operated by a timer or sensor, and individual temperature controls in each bedroom. Waste is reduced through the recycling of paper, glass and plastic, and the avoidance of disposable items or items with excessive packaging. As for water consumption, every bathroom has a low-flushing toilet, and the water flow on showers and hand basins is limited. To support the local community, the restaurant uses local produce whenever possible, and guests are given a list of establishments which sell local crafts and foodstuffs.
Hidden Gem of the Canaries Walk, La Gomera
Your first hotel on this walk is the Tamahuche in Vallehermoso, a tastefully restored manor house that harnesses the plentiful sun in the Canary Islands by using solar panels to provide most of its energy. They also recycle ‘grey’ water (eg water used for baths or washing clothes), by cleaning it and then using it to water the garden.
The Complete Nova Scotia Experience, Nova Scotia
The Chanterelle Inn on Cape Breton Island is the jewel of this journey through Nova Scotia, and living in harmony with nature is just part of the way of life here. Your abiding memory might be of the excellent organic food, the exquisite accommodation, the incredibly friendly welcome, or just the feeling of tranquillity. But if you still need persuading, then the ever-growing list of awards they have received should leave you in no doubt that this is a special place. Here is just a selection of their recent achievements: the 2005 Sustainable Tourism Award from the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia, the 2006 CCME Pollution Prevention Award, Local Food Heroes recognition in 2008 from the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia, and making it onto the National Geographic Traveler ‘Stay List’ 2009.