When walking the Lake District a must do is Haystacks made famous by Alfred Wainwright. Located at the head of the Buttermere Valley, near Keswick, this 1775 foot ascent is over a rocky, rough trail, even steep in spots. You can even expect some easy scrambling as you near the summit. Although Haystacks is not as high as some of the neighbouring peaks you will find amazing views of of the Buttermere valley and surounding mountains of the northern Lake District.
In this video about walking the Lake District Wainwright talks about his beloved Haystacks still popular.
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The site of the 2010 Winter Olympics is Whistler, British Columbia. But is not only a great winter sports destination hiking in Whistler during the summer also provides a great experience in this year round resort.
The town of Whistler is located just under two hours north of Vancouver, situated between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. The resort area includes nearby Garibaldi Provincial Park and has some of the finest hiking in North America with trails for all levels from easy strolls to challenging mountain backpacking.
Want to get the most from your Whistler hiking experience get Done in a Day Whistler: The 10 Premier Hikes
What you will find is spectacular views of the mountains, glaciers, turquoise lakes and green alpine meadows which are covered with wild flowers. As with all mountain wilderness areas be prepared when hiking as the weather can change very quickly. You might want to make some noise along your hike as bears also use the trails and you do not want to surprise a bear.
Black Tusk Meadows trail is located in nearby Giribaldi Provincial Park and offers elevation gains of over 1500 m (4940 feet) taking experienced hikers a long day to complete the main section of the trail.
For the most intermediate level hikers take the gondola from Whistler up Blackcomb Mountain to access the Overlord Trail. This trail offers a great view of the glacier of the same name and connects to a number of other high alpine trails offering superb views of the rugged mountain scenery.
Want someone a little easier, then try the Cheakamus Lake trail which takes you on a 16 km (10 mile) walk around the lake. And there are numerous other trails to keep you busy during your one week walking holiday.
After hiking, you will want to enjoy the amenities found in Whistler Village including restaurants and shops. Other attractions in Whistler during the summer season include golf, canoeing, mountain biking and fishing. And of course, you will want to see the sites where all those gold medals were won in February.
An excellent resource to help your planning is Done in a Day Whistler: The 10 Premier Hikes
. Go hiking in Whistler in 2010, site of the Winter Olympic games.
Originally posted 2010-02-09 11:48:59.
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Want a fairytale walking holiday, then visit Tegelberg located in the Alps of Bavaria, south of Munich, Germany. This trip is suitable for moderate level hikers.
Stay in the town of Schwangau. Start your walking holiday by walking along a local road for about two kilometers to the base of the mountain. The cows spend the night in town and head out into the fields in the early morning and returning about 5 p.m. causing all traffic to stop and wait for the herd to cross. Best vantage point is the outside patio with great beer on the main road.
If you want to see the famous castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein built by King Ludwig purchase your tickets for the English language tours at the base of the mountains and plan to take most of your first day for this. Another great castle build by King Ludwig is the nearby Linderfhof, his summer home, and also worth a visit.
For the hike take the steep walk up the mountain to Neuschwanstein which takes 40-60 minutes. There is a café near the top to relax. Just past the castle follow the hiking trails to the Marienbrucke (bridge) which provides an excellent view of the castles, Schwangau and lake below.
Continue along the trail over to the Tegelberg where there is a panoramic restaurant and plenty of hang gliders to watch. From the top take the three hour hike back down the mountain which offers amazing scenery at every turn. Expect to take about 7-8 hours to complete the entire hike.
On your third day you could take the cable car up Tegelberg to walk along one of the trails departing from the panorama restaurant.
These are other great hikes in the Bavarian Alps can be found in Walking in the Bavarian Alps
With the fairytale castles, fine beer, amazing scenery a walking holiday in Tegelberg, Bavaria makes for a great vacation.
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Hiking for a singles falls into two categories. First there are singles that love hiking and cannot find a like minded person to walk with or they cannot find anyone with the same vacation time dates. Second there are married couples in which only one person likes to take walking holidays.
In either situation the singles are interested in not paying single supplements for accommodation and having other hikers to enjoy the experience with. This is easily to accomplish than you might think as most walking holiday travel companies provide a welcoming environment for singles. It is not unusual for fifty percent of a hiking group to consist of singles.
If you wish your privacy most of these companies do offer a limited number of single rooms on their walking holidays. Travelling Solo? We make it easy. No single supplements. GAP Adventures.
If you are a single hiker a second option is to request twin share accommodation with someone of the same sex for hikers traveling alone who wish to save the single room supplement. In this situation you really don’t know who you will be sharing the room with but a walking holiday tends to attract a certain type of individual and while problems can occur they are rare.
I have used this option on three occasions and in two situations there was not a roommate available for I got the room to myself at the twin rate. In the third situation I did have a roommate and I found on a hiking tour we were so busy we were only in the room to sleep and change for dinner.
I recently went on a hiking tour with HF Holidays and they had large tables for breakfast and dinner so you had the opportunity to meet the other guests. During the day you meet the other hikers and including many singles who were walking with the group as this is a very sociable outdoor activity. In the evenings groups entertainment was provided.
For women there is an excellent guide, Smart and Savvy Hiking: What Every Woman Needs to Know on the Trail
So if you hike, are single and worried about single supplements and someone to go hiking with consider a group walking holiday. I met many nice people and you will too!
Smart and Savvy Hiking: What Every Woman Needs to Know on the Trail
Price: $8.71
Pages: 224, Paperback, Menasha Ridge Press
Originally posted 2009-08-20 12:28:59.
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A great way to lower your costs when visiting Europe or other parts of North America is to obtain free flights using a Loyalty Card for your Walking Holidays. Many people tell me they never get enough points to travel but you can if you plan the process well.
Tips to obtaining free flights using a Loyalty Card:
1. First, focus only on one card. The major reason that people do not
obtain enough points with a Loyalty Card is that they have
numerous cards and spread their regular shopping too thin. If you
focus on one card and the stores they support your points will grow.
Some Loyalty cards permit other family members to collect points on
the same card which can help. My mother faithfully went to the
merchants to collect points when shopping knowing it was providing
me with additional points. She had no interest personally in the
points.
2. Loyalty Cards may obtained for free, while others for a cost. If
paying for a card ensure the benefits truly outweigh the costs, if
will depend on your spending pattern.
3. Ensure the points are awarded at merchants where you currently
shop or can easily shop. If you do not fly often do not obtain a
airline card unless it supports other merchants.
Which card is best for you will vary depending on where you live and
your spending pattern. In Canada, Britain and the Netherlands the
Air Miles card permits everyday shopping for groceries, hardware and
credit card purchases while allowing you to redeem for flights.
4. Before you obtain a Loyalty Card check how easy it is to redeem
your points for flights? Are there blackout periods; limited seat
availability; limited airlines? How are airport taxes and fees handled?
Do they have a fee to redeem the points? Do points expire after a
period of time if not used?
5. Focus on the flight offer for your points. Although the program may
offer hotel and car rental offers as well only consider them if they
too are good value, they frequently are not. Some Loyalty Card
companies do not offer travel insurance so be sure to obtain
insurance before departing on your Walking Holiday.
And finally remember points from one card may not be equal to those from another plan.
If you carefully follow these tips you too can easily obtain a free flight using your Loylaty Card for your next walking holiday.
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