New cycling and walking tours from Headwater
Headwater has added seven new trips to its walking and cycling collection, ensuring holidaymakers can get under the skin of 110 destinations across 32 different countries and islands in the coming year.
With Cuba featuring in the Lonely Planet ‘Top 10 countries for 2012’ list, Headwater has launched its first tour to this fascinating destination. The 10-day guided walking holiday offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes insight into a country whose clock stopped in 1959. From crumbling palaces and colonial mansions to salsa-filled squares and roads with more donkeys than cars, the culture is sure to evolve over the coming decade as travel restrictions and trade embargoes are lifted making now the perfect time to visit.
Headwater has also introduced Holland to its cycling programme following ongoing demand from customers. With cycling, canals and windmills long having been synonymous with Dutch life, this week-long break is a great choice for families, first-timers or those who haven’t been on a bike in years. The itinerary also reflects the Netherland’s easy-going culture, with the option to shorten all routes bar one by train and to add on extra nights in the heritage-rich towns along the way.
Catherine Crone, MD of Headwater, said: “Both walking and cycling are ideal ways for inquisitive travellers to explore a country at their own pace, soaking up its sights, sounds and scents as they explore. And with accommodation on our new tours ranging from a converted C15 mill and a Michelin-starred farmhouse to an eco-hotel built around a large lime tree, holidaymakers are assured that they’ll always stay somewhere that’s been hand-picked to reflect the local charms and regional specialities.”
New Cycling Tours
Croatia: Coastal Croatia Cycling: This new 8-day cycling holiday explores the varied trails of Istria’s western coast, known as Croatia’s Tuscany. Taking in Vodnjan (Istria’s ancient capital), the Brijuni Archipelago, the coastal hilltop town of Rovinj and yacht-lined waterfront of Porec, the trip is ideal for occasional cyclists who love exploring sleepy villages, mediaeval plazas, laid-back harbour-front dining and charming hotels. From £1,289pp incl. flights.
Holland: Highlights of Holland: Nowhere in the world caters so enthusiastically for cyclists so this new 7-day holiday along North Holland’s pristine but pancake-flat coastline is ideal for those seeking an easy ride. Travelling in a clockwise loop from Amsterdam, the itinerary travels along bustling canals, past floating houses and fairy-tale cathedral towns and through picture-postcard countryside. Most routes can be shortened on the train if desired. From £1,119pp incl. flights.
Spain: Classic Catalan Cycling: This 11-day tour follows a loop around the Emporda plain, packed with wonderfully varied scenery plus historical and cultural legacies dating back to Greek and Roman times. Cyclists will make their way along the coast to wine-growing areas, passing peaceful mediaeval villages and sun-kissed squares and staying in wonderful hotels – including a Michelin-starred farmhouse and converted C14 castle – en route. From £1,548pp incl. flights.
New Walking Tours
Cuba: Cuba Uncovered: The Caribbean’s largest island offers the chance to travel back in time, with classic cars, perfectly-preserved colonial architecture and Che Guevara billboards sitting alongside some of the region’s most untouched wild landscapes. This new 10-day guided walking tour explores Cuba’s western half, with the local tour leader providing invaluable insights into its unique history, politics, culture and natural charms. From £2,468pp incl. flights.
France: Cassis & Les Calanques: This new 8-day trip takes in the natural landscapes and picturesque fishing villages of southwest Provence travelling through the vibrant cities of Aix-en-Provence, the birthplace of Cezanne, and Marseille, France’s oldest city and the European Capital of Culture for 2013. Highlights include the Frioul Archipelago, whose C16 Chateau d’If was immortalised in Dumas’ novel The Count of Monte Cristo, the old-fashioned charm of Cassis and the Calanques’ spectacular plunging inlets and idyllic coves. From £1,179pp incl. flights.
Italy: Classic Lake Como: The foothills of the Italian Alps are perfect for exploring on foot. During this 8-day trip, smugglers’ paths and pilgrims’ trails pass through mediaeval piazzas, sun-soaked terracotta villages, cascading waterfalls, snow-capped mountains and the crystal blue lake. Lake Como’s glitzy Hollywood reputation often overshadows the fact that the sky-scraping backdrop of peaks make for some intensely rewarding walking. From £1,299pp incl. flights.
Orvieto to Rome: Following the popularity of the Camino de Santiago walk and this year’s film “The Way”, this is a chance to follow a less trodden ancient pilgrimage route; the Via Francigena. The 9-day trip uncovers the final stages of this journey between Orvieto in Umbria and St Peter’s in Rome, following Roman roads and country lanes that link a string of central Italy’s loveliest fortified hilltop towns before visiting the Vatican. From £1,349pp incl. flights.
For more information, visit headwater.com.
