There’s nothing quite like spring, when the hedgerows burst forth with fresh green leaves and delicate flowers line winding lanes and carpet the meadows, adding a joyous touch of colour to a landscape rejuvenating beneath the sun’s warming rays. Spring arrives at different times in different places, of course, so we've put together a number of special 'Flower Walks' to enable you to enjoy some of Europe's most captivating flora to the full:
March in Algarve, Portugal
Spring arrives early in western Algarve. During the last week in March and throughout April, the brilliant colours of golden broom and French lavender carpet the land making this a very special place. Discover the quiet side of Algarve using our detailed notes to guide you on a series of fascinating and leisurely walks. Our notes include a wealth of information on the astounding variety of flora, as well as a specially compiled CD to help you with identification. Along the coast, it is common to see rock roses, sea pinks, blue pimpernels, tassel hyacinths, sea asters, orchids and blue lupins, while on the hill routes inland you should be lucky enough to spot peonies and little blue scillas. (When researching the routes, we spotted 40 species of flower in the first 500 metres of one of the walks near Silves, including sombre bee, yellow bee, tongue and mirror orchids.)
Algarve Flower Walks - read more >
April in Grazalema, Spain
Some 5,000 different species – a quarter of Europe’s flowering plants – grow in Spain. Andalucia, in particular, is a flower-lover’s dream. Within the dramatic limestone landscapes of the region’s Grazalema Natural Park can be found over a thousand species, with the additional bonus of a bird population that includes griffon vultures, short-toed eagles, hoopoes, bee-eaters, rock buntings and blue rock thrushes. A week spent exploring the park in April or May rewards with sightings of almost 300 different species of flower, which you can identify using our detailed route notes, suggested bibliography and specially compiled CD. The flowers range from tiny blue pimpernels, love-in-a-mist, tri-coloured convolvulus and marigolds in the meadows, to shy saxifrages and toadflaxes hidden in cracks in the rocks; not to mention the wild magenta peonies as large as saucers and the huge bushes of aromatic white gum cistus.
The Grazalema Sierra - read more >
May in Alicante, Spain
The secluded valleys of the mountains of southern Valencia are home to some of the most varied flora to be found in Europe. Over 400 species of indigenous flora are to be found here, including a large number of orchids and many rare and threatened species.
The Mountains of Alicante - read more >
June in the Engadine, Switzerland
Together with your experienced English-speaking guide, you will explore larch woods and verdant meadows, following riverside paths past crystal-clear lakes and pretty villages, all the while enjoying splendid views to the high peaks. The walks - some of which start with a journey by train - allow plenty of time to admire the splendid displays of wildflowers.
Among the possible routes are a walk alongside the River Inn to a traditional farming village, an ascent past the treeline to the high meadows above Guarda, and a trail from one of Switzerland's highest villages to a frescoed monastery.
Walking & wild flowers in the Engadine - read more >