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Inntravel Frequently Asked QuestionsWalking Holidays
Choosing a walking holiday Choosing a walking holidayQ: We want to go on a hotel-to-hotel walking holiday for the first time. Although we are fit and walk regularly, we are not totally sure that we will cope with a week-long walk. What can you recommend? A: We would recommend a holiday on which you do not move on every night. That way, there is nothing to force you to walk every day. Walks that include non-itinerant days (ie days when you are not walking from A to B) and also have flexible options are particularly good if you are unsure of your level as you can choose an easy or a hard walk depending on how energetic you are feeling that day. Flexible walks with non-itinerant days include: Mountains of Southern Catalonia (grades 2 & 3), Mountains & Villages of Mallorca (grades 1 & 2), High Dolomites (grades 2 & 3), Towards the Matterhorn (grades 2 & 3), Villages of the Engadine (grades 2 & 3) and Bernese Oberland (grades 2 & 3). If the worst came to the worst, it is sometimes possible (except in Switzerland) to travel by car to the next hotel with your luggage, or you could always just jump in a taxi of course! Q: Which walk offers the best accommodation? A: It depends on your definition of ‘best’. The High Dolomites and Lake Iseo walks in Italy both feature a selection of 4-star hotels, while our Villages of the Engadine, The Leutasch Valley, Perugino's Umbria, The Amalfi Coast & Villages, The Sorrento Peninsula, Hill-Top Towns of Tuscany, Catalan Castles & Coves, Along the Catalan Coast, Around the Bay of Roses, To the Pont du Gard and Waterways & Flowers walks offer a mix of 3- and 4-star hotels. If you prefer charming small hotels and agriturismos, then we would recommend our From the Picos to the Sea, Valley of Gold, Mountains & Villages of Mallorca, Valleys & Villages of the Dolomites, Secret Apennines, Meanders of the Lot and A Provence Wander. Q: We definitely want to do some walking, but combine it with something else. Which walks do you recommend? A: For walking and wine-tasting, try our walks in Piedmont, the Loire and Portugal's Douro Valley. For a mix of walking and sightseeing, opt for our discovery holidays. Alternatively, we recommend our hotel-to-hotel walks in Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Gascony, Dordogne, the Loire, the Corbières, Andalucia and Morocco, or those with an interest in ancient history will love our walks in Greece. If you would prefer some time on the beach after each day’s walk, opt for our Coast of Almería, Along the Catalan Coast, Collioure to Cadaqués or Along the Ligurian Coast walks. If you have the time to spare, another alternative would be to do a walking holiday and then add on a couple of nights at one of our recommended hotels, suggestions of which are given in our brochure in the holiday information panel. Q: What are the main differences between your various coastal walks? A: If you are looking for something really gentle, with lots of time to relax on the beach, then we would recommend our Along the Catalan Coast walk, a great feature of which is the high standard of accommodation, a mix of quality 3- and 4-star hotels. The Coast of Almeria walk is slightly more strenuous, with occasional longer days and more ascents and descents, and is graded 1-2. It offers a taste of North Africa, with landscapes reminiscent of Morocco. This region is very hot, and unless you travel at the start or end of the season, is not for anyone who does not like the heat. Our other Spanish coastal walk – Around the Bay of Roses – is also a grade 1-2 itinerary and is ideal if you would like some variety of scenery as it mixes inland and coastal walking (though with less actual beach walking than our other coastal routes). In France, our walk in Brittany is perfect if you are looking for gentle walking but plenty of it – the days are relatively full. This is also an excellent choice if you are looking for a self-drive holiday. The Collioure to Cadaqués, Along the Ligurian Coast, Amalfi Coast & Villages and Crete's Coast & Mountains walks are the ‘hardest’ of our coastal walks (all are a grade 2 except the Greek itinerary, which is a grade 3), with regular ascents and descents, but offer rewarding walking through beautiful coastal scenery. Special interestsQ: Which of your walking holidays offer the most cultural interest? A: Our Hill-Top Towns of Tuscany walk is an obvious choice – you stay in some historic places, including medieval Siena, a paradise for art lovers, and pass many beautiful churches and chapels as you walk. Also in Italy, Umbria, too, is renowned for its churches and abbeys and landscapes immortalised in the works of Perugino, and our From Bologna to Florence walk includes two-night stays in both these great cities. For history-lovers, we would recommend any of our holidays in Greece, the Castles of the Cathars walk in the Corbières, which offers the opportunity to visit three of the hill-top châteaux in which the Cathar heretics took refuge, the Châteaux & Vineyards walk in the Loire which takes in the châteaux of Azay-le-Rideau, Chinon and Ussé, and the From the Tarn to the Aveyron or Sunflowers & Abbeys of Gascony walk, which lead between some of south-west France’s prettiest medieval villages. Although not dotted with historic monuments, the Atlantic Pyrenees in France is an intriguing region to discover. It feels unlike the rest of France, with its own distinct architecture, language and traditions.
Q: We want to go somewhere completely off the beaten track. Where do you suggest? A: All the regions that we offer holidays to are off the beaten track, but some are admittedly more so than others. In France, we recommend the Lot Valley or Auvergne, while in Spain we recommend our Mountains of Southern Catalonia, Catalan Pyrenees, Pyrenees to the Garrotxa, Mountains of Alicante and The Valleys of Las Alpujarras walks. Elsewhere, you will escape the tourists in Italy’s Apennine Mountains, Basilicata in Italy's deep south, Sicily's Madonie Mountains or the Engadine Valley in easternmost Switzerland. Be sure to go armed with a phrase book - you won’t find much English spoken in these parts. To really get away from the crowds, head north above the Arctic Circle to the amazingly rugged yet beautiful Lofoten Islands, where a single road leads through the islands on an incredible Journey to Å. Q: Which areas are good for wild flowers and when? A: The Cerdagne (particularly the Eyne Valley), Catalan Pyrenees, Dolomites, Valais and Austrian Tyrol all boast good shows of wild flowers. Being mountain areas, the best time for the flowers is late June and early July. In spring, we offer special flower weeks on our discovery holidays in Algarve and Andalucia, and on our Along the Catalan Coast and Catalan Castles & Coves we offer excursions with a local botanist to areas rich in orchids and other wild flowers. Q: We are keen bird watchers. Where would you recommend? A: The Grazalema Natural Park in the Andalucian Mountains is a good area for bird watching (it shelters one of Europe’s largest colonies of griffon vultures, among other species), as are Almería (Andalucia) and the Bay of Roses (Catalonia), both paradises for sea birds and waders, and the Picos de Europa and Catalan Pyrenees. In France, try the Cerdagne or the Corbières – staff members have seen several pairs of golden eagles while walking in the Corbières – while the Greek island of Samos is also a great choice. In the Lofoten Islands, sea eagles are a common site as are many other sea birds. Inland, ring ouzels, redwing, harriers and blue throats can often be seen. To see the quirky and beautiful hoopoe, head for Menorca where they are resident in the garden of the Hotel San Joan de Binissaida. Walking holidays: practicalitiesQ: How do we know which walk is the right level for us? A: Our walks are graded as follows: Q: Due to work commitments, we can only go on holiday at the very start of spring or in the late autumn. Are there are walks that operate then? A: Our Walking and More autumn/winter programme runs from October to April and features walking and discovery holidays in southern Europe. It features variations on several walking holidays from our summer walking programme: Waterways & Flowers of Madeira (grade 2, with a high standard of accommodation and varied walking), Madeira's Wild North (grade 2-3, a more challenging route to complement our original walk on Madeira), Secret Algarve (grade 2, featuring a mix of hill and coastal walking in an unspoiled part of Algarve), Mountains & Villages of Mallorca (a very flexible holiday with walks of grade 1 & 2 standard, with plenty of time for sightseeing and some highly praised accommodation), The Mountains of Alicante (grade 2, with some very rewarding walks through dramatic limestone landscapes), The Coast of Almería (grade 1-2, a discovery of landscapes reminiscent of North Africa, with wonderfully quiet beaches), Andalucia's White Towns (grade 2-3, rewarding walking is combined with visits to typical Andalucian white towns). Walking holidays unique to the autumn/winter programme are Scented Slopes & Mountain Lakes of Gran Canaria, Hidden Gem of the Canaries and Tenerife & El Teide (all grade 2-3 itineraries which explore the Canary Islands of La Palma, La Gomera and Tenerife respectively, offering rewarding, varied walking in spectacular landscapes), and Cyprus' Scented Slopes (grade 2, exploring the wildlife-rich island's two best regions for walking: the Troodos Mountains and the Akamas Peninsula). You can also choose a variety of walks in Morocco. Q: Are your walking holidays suitable for single travellers? A: To do one of our walks by yourself, you must be a confident walker with reasonable map reading skills. We ask you to take sensible precautions, letting the hoteliers know which route you are taking if there is a choice, and informing them of the time you expect to arrive. You should also walk with a mobile phone, though of course in high mountain regions reception is not universal.
Q: How do we find our way? A: As well as including walking maps (usually 1:25,000), we provide very detailed walking notes that are checked and updated regularly. What’s more, many of our routes follow waymarked trails, making navigation particularly easy. Our notes are checked regularly to ensure that landmarks to which we refer are still there and that rights of way have not changed. Obviously we can’t guarantee that you won’t get lost, but hope that you will consider it part of the adventure if you do reach a junction and it is not immediately clear which path you should take. You should think of our walking notes as your guide – not only do they describe your route, but they also contain information on local culture and places of interest along the way. If it’s worth making a short detour to a particularly breathtaking viewpoint or picnic spot, they mention this too. Q: Should we prepare for our walk? A: Enjoying the odd 8- or 9-mile walk every so often is not the same as walking 8 or 9 miles every day for a week. We therefore suggest that in the weeks leading up to your holiday you try to walk on a couple of consecutive days each week. Q: Do we need special equipment? A: Obviously you’ll need walking boots (be sure to wear them in before the holiday if they are new) and good waterproofs, but what you wear otherwise will depend on which region you are travelling to and when. We will provide you with more detailed information about what you need to take when you book. Some people like to walk with a pole or poles, and these are particularly useful if you have chosen one of our more challenging walks or one with lots of descents. A compass and water bottle are essential, and you may like to take light-weight binoculars to watch birds and other wildlife. Q: What happens to our luggage? A: On mornings that you are moving on, we ask that you leave your suitcases at reception as you leave. The hotelier will then make sure that they are ready waiting for you at your next base. The fact that you do not have to carry your luggage means that you can pack for all eventualities, and can take enough clothes for the entire holiday, rather than having to worry about washing garments. Q: When will we get our documentation? A: We will send your walking notes, maps and accommodation vouchers to you by post 2-3 weeks before your holiday. If you live abroad we will, of course, send your documentation sooner. It is very important that you let us know if your Inntravel walking holiday is part of a longer holiday and you will be leaving home in advance of the start of the walking holiday so that we can despatch your documentation in good time. Family holidaysQ: Are your walking holidays suitable for families? A: We do not generally recommend our walking or cycling holidays for children under 14, though we do offer some hotel-to-hotel and centre-based walking holidays as part of our Families programme. If you wish to enjoy an active holiday with your family, please talk to our reservations team for advice. Q: Which holidays would you recommend for families? A: Our self-catering holidays are excellent for families and offer extremely good value, especially if you choose to travel self-drive. |
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