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Journeys

Fascinating journeys through some of Europe and Morocco's most dramatic landscapes

Spain

Delightful Inns of Northern Spain

• explore timeless Asturias & La Rioja • spend a night in Bilbao • characterful inns, good food • 12 nights self-drive

This justly popular itinerary features four very special inns in four enchanting corners of northern Spain. Over the years, we have discovered some wonderfully atmospheric inns, where the owners have carefully restored old buildings and brought them back to life as hospitable, welcoming small hotels. You journey deep into rural Asturias – explore the rugged coast and the dramatic Picos de Europa Mountains from two delightful bases – and into the famous wine-growing region of La Rioja, where beautiful stone villages stand amid the vineyards. You finish with one night in Bilbao, giving you time to visit this flourishing city.
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Andalucia & Southern Extremadura

• visit Huelva & Seville • gentle walking in the Aracena Sierra • see where Columbus set sail • 8 nights fly-drive

This extraordinary journey combines relaxed walking routes with visits to historic towns, and takes in many of the cultural influences which helped to shape this enchanting landscape. Beginning in the Andalucian port of Huelva, at the very site where Columbus set sail for the New World, you gradually travel north, taking in some memorable walking routes in the little-known Aracena Sierra – a real gem with rich gastronomic traditions. On entering Extremadura and reaching the town of Zafra, you uncover echoes of turbulent events spanning five centuries: the expulsion of the Moors, the growth of a noble family and the loss of Spain’s Jewish community. Finally you reach Seville, treasury for Spain’s American gold and architectural symbol of her imperial era.
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Timeless Northern Extremadura

• stay in two paradors • discover a little-known corner of Spain • handsome monuments • 7 nights fly-drive

Two very different faces of northern Extremadura are brought together in this touring holiday, which mixes opportunities for excellent walking in varied landscapes with visits to acclaimed historic and ecological sites. Sitting on the southern plains are the ancient, honey-coloured towns of Trujillo and Cáceres, containing perfectly preserved noblemen’s houses and churches – a legacy of conquistador wealth. Just an hour away is the graceful monastery of Guadalupe, where Columbus brought many Native American slaves to be baptised, and beyond this the Monfragüe Natural Park, home to the Iberian lynx and an internationally important centre for bird life. With four nights at the parador in Trujillo and three nights at the parador of Jarandilla de la Vera, your accommodation is another wonderful highlight.
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Italy

The Treasures of Eastern Sicily

• walk or explore at your leisure • visit Unesco-protected Baroque towns • elegant hotels of character • 8 nights fly-drive

Boasting a wealth of historical treasures and some beautiful walking country, including the Etna and Nebrodi Parks, eastern Sicily is one of those regions in which each day brings a new discovery. On this fly-drive holiday, you have the freedom to walk or to visit places of interest as the mood takes you, Mount Etna’s cone and other landmark peaks framing almost every view. You stay at some high-quality hotels which are as atmospheric as the towns themselves.
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Eastern Sicily's Treasures

• atmospheric hotels • ancient sites and baroque cities • choice of walking routes • hire car

Eastern Sicily's wealth of architecture and fine countryside offer much of beauty and historic interest to explore from your starting point close to the imposing snowy cone of Mount Etna. With the freedom of a hire car and two nights at each hotel you have time to explore your surroundings at your own pace. Using our notes choose from easy strolls to more challenging walks; admire the baroque architecture and atmospheric ruins, particularly peaceful in autumn and spring. Then return to relax in the quiet of our delightful hotels, each of them offering an individual charm and elegance, sometimes echoing features of the island's history and culture.
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Western Sicily’s Highlights

• delightful hotels • wealth of cultural and historical interest • superb walking in the Zingaro nature reserve and beyond • car hire included

With time to explore the city of Palermo and its treasures, space for leisurely walking on coast and countryside pathways, and endless opportunities to sample Sicily’s colourful cuisine and famous wines, this holiday offers a satisfying combination of culture and relaxation. Autumn and spring are the perfect times to view Sicily’s shores and ancient sites - free from crowds, warm and golden in autumn, freshly carpeted with flowers in spring - and with the freedom of a hire car, you can wander where you choose.
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Croatia

Dubrovnik & the Dalmatian Islands

• stay in Dubrovnik & on two islands • walking notes for gentle routes provided • 8 nights fly-drive

The southern Dalmatian Coast is Croatia at its most beguiling. Dubrovnik is justly famed for its splendid architecture and jumble of medieval houses topped by terracotta tiles. North-west of the city, we have found two equally captivating islands. The first, Korčula, combines pretty coves, sleepy villages and rolling hills clad with olive groves and vines to wonderful effect. But if Korčula is idyllic, then Mljet, with its forests and glistening lakes, is spellbinding in its beauty – and its tranquillity. Touring by car, you can take things at your own pace, choosing walking or sightseeing as the mood takes you.
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Corsica

Corsica's Hills & Coast

• spectacular scenery• rustic local cuisine• rich in culture, history & wildlife• 7 nights

Corsica is a land of wild and rugged scenery, from its wooded mountainous heartland dotted with timeless stone villages, to craggy cliffs along the spectacular coastine, guarded by imposing Genoese stone watchtowers. This is magnificent walking country, enjoying a warm Mediterranean climate and offering the possibility of spotting a wide variety of flowers indigenous to the island. With the freedom of a hire car you can enjoy a variety of walks or cultural visits, stopping to enjoy a wayside meal as and when the mood takes you.
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Morocco

City & Sahara Experience

• experience the unique atmosphere of Marrakesh • see the fabulous sights of the sub-Sahara • journey by camel into the dunes for a night in the desert • 7 nights by air

Morocco is a tapestry of colours. In Marrakesh, these range from the brilliant green, blue and white tiles of the mosques to the earthy ochre of the ramparts, and from the rich reds of the rugs to the deep pinks of the flowers in the gardens. Even the food is colourful, featuring courgettes, aubergines and red peppers. Beyond the city, enjoy the surprisingly lush greenery of the nearby Ourika Valley, followed by the spectacular and ever-changing colours of the desert, on our memorable journey by 4WD vehicle and camel into the sub-Saharan dunes for a night in the desert.
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Switzerland

The Glacier Express

• dramatic rail journeys on the Glacier Express • 4-star hotels • majestic mountain scenery • 7 nights by air

This glorious journey centres on the famous Glacier Express, travelling from the well-kept secret that is the Engadine Valley in the east, to the high mountains surrounding chic Zermatt in the south via the dramatic Oberalp Pass (2,033 metres) and the beautiful Goms Valley. We provide suggestions for rewarding walks from each of our high-quality hotels, though you may prefer simply to sit back and enjoy your surroundings, or to take advantage of the included travel pass to explore further afield (our documentation suggests a variety of worthwhile excursions).
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Norway

The Best of the Fjords

• explore Hardangerfjord, Sognefjord & Nordfjord • fjordside hotels • dramatic rail, boat & bus journeys • 14 nights by air

Be awed by the grandeur of Norway's landscapes as you journey by boat, bus and rail along and around the greatest fjords. First, after two nights in the fjord capital Bergen, is the serene Hardangerfjord, perhaps at its best in the early summer, when the apple trees are in full blossom, followed by Sognefjord, enchanting in its beauty. From here, you journey to Nordfjord, the most northerly of the great fjords, which feels distinctly more rugged and wild and is ceaselessly dramatic. This is scenery of which you can never tire, and indeed the tranquillity of the fjords will leave you feeling refreshed and revitalised. You finish with two nights on the beautiful west coast.
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Beyond the Arctic Circle

• travel by ship to the Lofoten Islands within the Arctic Circle on the Hurtigruten Journey • 7 nights by air

This unforgettable journey deep into the Arctic Circle combines the magical Lofoten Islands with the famous Hurtigruten Journey. You board the ship in Bergen for the three-night journey north along the Norwegian coast. On your third day, you cross the Arctic Circle, reaching the Lofotens later in the day. Here, you stay four nights in a rorbu, a comfortable converted fisherman's cottage, with dinner and breakfast included at the rorbu centre. Spend your days soaking up the astonishing views, walking along the nearby beaches watching puffins and other seabirds flying overhead, or take to the water and perhaps try your luck at fishing in one of the rorbu centre's rowing boats.
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Bustling Cities & Serene Fjords

• stay in Bergen & Oslo • travel on the famous Flåm Railway • experience the splendour of Sognefjord • 7 nights by air

This is a holiday of great contrasts – the bustle of Oslo and Bergen, and the serenity of the enchanting Sognefjord – and dramatic journeys. The journey begins with two nights in Oslo, after which you travel by train into the highlands, where you take the spectacular Flåm Railway past ravines and waterfalls to the fjord below. You have a total of three nights amid the splendid scenery of the Sognefjord before another fine journey by boat along the fjord and down the west coast to the fjord capital, Bergen.
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Norwegian Highlights

• journey by ship from the Lofoten Islands to Bergen • experience the fjords • high-quality hotels • 14 nights by air

Norway is a land of many faces, each one seemingly more extraordinary than the last. If the western fjords, where mountains plunge into ink-blue waters, are incomparable, then the Lofoten Islands are incredible, with jagged peaks that seemingly rise straight out of the ocean, leaving room for only tiny slivers of sand. Between these lie mile upon mile of rugged coastline, wild moorland and high green valleys, and, to the south, the bustling, friendly cities of Oslo and Bergen. On this truly unforgettable journey, you discover all this and more over the course of just 13 days, leaving you with memories of awe-inspiring landscapes quite unlike any other in Europe. The dramatic journeys by rail and boat are an integral part of the experience.
> View the brochure page online

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