Holiday ideas for October

The Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal is regularly voted the prettiest in the UK and, in October in particular, when the trees lining the towpath are especially resplendent thanks to their turning leaves, it is easy to see why. The views from the canal path of the surrounding mountains are likely to tempt you to explore beyond this picturesque waterway, so our Brecon Beacons walking holiday does just that, even giving you the option to ascend Pen-y-Fan, the highest peak in southern Britain, for a different perspective of the glorious Brecon Beacons National Park.

With a mere 14 miles of sea separating Jersey from the French coast, it’s no surprise that the largest of the Channel Islands boasts the sunniest climate in the British Isles. Besides the prospect of some late summer sunshine, October is a rewarding time for a walking holiday on Jersey – the sandy bays are much quieter, and the autumnal colour palette enhances the already very picturesque landscapes.

Image © Stuart Abraham, Jersey Photos

Northumberland is most famous for its colonies of puffins, terns and kittiwakes, but six internationally important species of wader – light-bellied brent geese, barnacle geese, pink-footed geese, wigeon, grey plovers and bar-tailed godwits – arrive every autumn to spend the winter on Lindesfarne and nearby Budle Bay, just north of Bamburgh, which you can explore on the last day of our walking holiday in Northumberland.

Alternatively, north Norfolk (which you can explore on foot or by bike) is another haven for migrating birds, with the skies criss-crossed in October by flocks of waders, geese, ducks and thrushes. The resident birds are every bit as worthy of note: avocet, bittern, marsh harrier, common crane and corn bunting, to name but five.

Think of Wind in the Willows and images of water meadows and lush, tree-lined riverbanks spring to mind. You can explore such bucolic scenery – which is all the more colourful in autumn – on our gentle walking holiday along the Thames Path south of Oxford: it was near here that Kenneth Grahame spent some of his formative years and gained inspiration for his classic book. Starting in Oxford, which has a special buzz at this time of year as students return for the Michaelmas term, the route leads via Abingdon, Wallingford and Henley-on-Thames, contrasting vibrant towns with tranquil riverbank and quintessentially English villages for a thoroughly enjoyable holiday.

Image © Alastair Fear

In Europe, there can surely be few places where autumn is more beautiful than in the Apennines, the mountains that form Italy’s spine. Their thick cloak of beech, oak and chestnut woodland makes for a superb display of colours to feast your eyes on. But the treats are not just visual – freshly harvested chestnuts and succulent wild mushrooms feature in autumn menus. Other regions where you can enjoy the very best of autumn are the Aracena Sierra and Sicily's Madonie Mountains.

The reds and golds of the landscape west of Lisbon are a year-round feature – it is the glorious stretches of golden sand, as well as the opulent palaces with striking mustard façades and strawberry-jam coloured domes, which provide the colour here – but it’s worth waiting until autumn as October is warm but quiet. Our gentle walking holiday takes you from the pretty seaside town of Cascais, past Europe’s westernmost point, to Sintra, with plenty of time to visit the palaces of Monserrate and Pena, and much more besides.

Our cycling holiday around the ‘heel’ of Italy leads via a wild coastline honeycombed with grottoes and rock arches, crumbling watchtowers, a wetland inhabited by lots of different bird species, medieval and Baroque towns, olive groves which stretch as far as the eye can see, and Lecce, the ‘Florence of the South’. The reason we recommend it in October is the weather – cool by southern Italian standards, but still pleasantly warm by British standards.

October brings ideal conditions for walking on the Greek islands of Corfu and Crete, promising both pleasant temperatures and tranquillity. Choose Corfu for moderate walking through the olives, cypresses, maritime pines and holm oaks above the island’s enchanting west coast (whose sunsets are sublime), or, for more demanding walking, head to Crete, where splendid Minoan palaces, Venetian mansions and forts, frescoed monasteries and ancient cities vie with the panoramic trails for your attention.

The Ligurian Riviera is justifiably popular among walkers, who come to enjoy some of Europe’s finest coastal walks and the famed Cinque Terre villages of tall, pastel-coloured houses. Although our walking routes lead along the higher, lesser-known coastal paths, we still recommend coming here at the end of summer – the beaches are much quieter, yet it is still warm enough to bathe in the sea. The same is also true of Spain’s Catalan Coast if you are looking for gentler walking.

Tuscany is arguably at its best in autumn, once the summer tourists have left. Whether you choose a walking or a cycling holiday, you can stroll at leisure through the winding streets of the medieval hill-top towns that you pass through, admiring the many art treasures and the timeless views. As in other vineyard regions, the grape harvest results in a pleasant buzz in the surrounding countryside.

Our Classical Cities of Old Castile and Beyond the Iron Curtain holidays couldn’t be more different in terms of the cities they visit – other than being at their best in the quiet of autumn, Segovia, Salamanca and Madrid (all of which contributed greatly to Spain’s Golden Age) have very little in common with Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden (which have been completely rejuvenated since the fall of the Berlin Wall). What the holidays do share is the same formula to enjoy the cities to the full: centrally located hotels of character and self-guided walking-cum-cultural tours.