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Weekend Walks

A weekend walk is a great way to blow away the cobwebs. The essence of these breaks is the same as that of the walks featured in our Walking and More programme: armed with a generous picnic, detailed route notes and a map, you follow an inviting footpath that will lead you in a few hours' time to another hand-picked hotel, where your luggage and a dinner of delicious regional cooking awaits you. Our range offers for something for everyone, whether you are looking for a relaxed, leisurely break amid rolling countryside or one with fuller days of walking through wilder scenery. Several are in the UK or just on the other side of the Channel, though you may prefer to fly to southern Italy or Spain's Mediterranean coast to seek out the sun. You can choose an itinerary on which you move on every day, or one which features a two-night stay at a hotel, giving you the opportunity to sightsee or simply to relax.

UK walks: explore one of Yorkshire's national parks

If you are looking for something close to home, we have one walk in the UK, the North York Moors Walk (grade 1-2), which starts not far from Inntravel's offices and features undemanding routes of 6-11 miles across heather-clad moorland and through the lush Esk Valley.

France: discover Normandy and Provence

For those who live in the south of England, our walks in northern France are easily accessed, too. In Normandy, both the Woods and Abbeys Walk and the Heart of Normandy Walk earn consistently high praise, combining as they do characterful French inns with excellent restaurants and fine walking through some of Normandy's most lyrical countryside. The Heart of Normandy Walk (grade 1-2) takes you deep into the Suisse Normande, following the River Orne as it flows through wooded gorges and past cliffs and picturesque hamlets nestling in the curls of the valley. Days are short and relaxing. Further east, the Woods and Abbeys Walk (grade 1) is less demanding still. As its name suggests, the itinerary features some fine woodland sections and takes you past several ancient churches and abbeys, as well as some picture-book Norman villages. You finish with a night of 4-star comfort and cuisine at the thatched Petit Coq aux Champs, just outside Campigny. In southern France, enjoy the Best of Roman Provence (grade 1-2) to discover one of the greatest monuments in Provence, the Pont du Gard bridge, after walking through sleepy villages and pretty vineyards. With its magnificent and very dramatic coastline, the Cinque Terre (‘Five Lands’) is the most splendid stretch of the Ligurian Riviera (grade 2). Nestling in coves framed by rocky promontories are the fishing villages after which the coast is named, and you can visit all five on this enjoyable break which also takes you to the delightful coastal village of Portovenere.Further afield: from Tuscany to Andalucia

Catalan CoastWe also offer weekend walks in southern France, Spain and Italy, as well as the Swiss and Austrian mountains. The benign Mediterranean climate ensures warm, sunny days even in late autumn and early spring. For a truly relaxing break in a very gastronomic region of Spain, choose either the Catalan Coves & Castles Walk (grade 1) or the Along the Catalan Coast Walk (grade 1-2), which features hotels in Llafranc and Begur. With two nights in Llafranc, you can spend your first day exploring this attractive small port and its beach, or stroll to neighbouring Calella, another pleasant fishing village. The following day, you have a delightful walk along the coast, allowing plenty of time to relax on the beach or to linger over a seafood lunch. You then have a further two nights at Begur, a medieval hill-top town just a short distance inland. For your last day, we recommend a short circuit around panoramic Cape Begur, leaving the rest of the day to explore the town or simply to unwind on the Hotel Rosa's rooftop terrace. In Almeria, discover Dramatic Landscapes (grade 1-2) or explore the warm, wooded hills of the Garrotxa (grade 2) that lead down towards the sea from the great peaks of the Pyrenees.

Amalfi CoastIf you like to mix walking with sightseeing, then the Strolling through Tuscany Walk (grade 1-2) will appeal. It combines routes through archetypal Tuscan landscapes of olive groves and vineyards with stays in some of Tuscany's most fascinating towns - San Gimignano, Colle Val d'Elsa and astonishingly beautiful Siena, where you have a full day to visit its wealth of art galleries, museums and churches. For a mix of mountain and coastal or lake scenery, choose the Alps to the Riviera Walk (grade 2) or the Amalfi Coast Walk (grade 2). The first is a shortened version of our longer Alps to the Mediterranean Walk, a real Inntravel classic, while the second explores the stretch of coastline to the west of Amalfi, where mountains clad in lemon groves plunge into the sea. This is justly considered to be among the most beautiful in the Mediterranean and to walk here is a joy - every twist of the path reveals new views. The real highlight comes on the first day, when you walk along the panoramic 'Path of the Gods'. Alternatively, Austria's Lake District in Salkammergut (grade 1-2) offers magnificent mountain scenery and the chance to visit picturesque Hallstat, a World Heritage Site.

Bernese OberlandFinally, for something more challenging, we recommend that you head for the mountains - either the Swiss Alps, Alicante or Italy's Dolomites an Apennines. Our Swiss Alps Walk (grades 2 & 3) is a shortened version of our Bernese Oberland walk in the most dramatic region of Switzerland below the slopes of the Eiger. Alicante's Secret Mountains Walk (grade 2) explores rugged limestone landscapes in southern Spain, while the Paths of the Dolomites Walk (grade 2-3) explores the mountains of northern Italy, the jagged peaks of the Dolomites providing a magnificent backdrop as you walk. Head for Lake Iseo (grade 2) between lakes Como and Garda to discover a lakside landscape of breathtaking views or enjoy the peace and quiet of Italy's Quiet Appenines (grade 2-3), stretching from Liguria to Umbria, that form Italy's spine and offer some of country's best walking.

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