When two are better than one

Are you making up for lost time with your travel plans? Are those itchy feet wanting to get out on the trails for as long as possible?

Maybe you’ve considered making the most of your trip with two back-to-back On Foot Holidays. Especially if you’re travelling long distance to Europe, it’s worth taking a longer tour and maximising your time in the gorgeous rural landscapes. And as we’re all thinking carefully about reducing the carbon impact of our travels, it would be ideal to connect two holidays by train rather than plane.

Route Pairings

On many of the route pages on our website you’ll now see suggestions for other holidays with easy rail journeys from one to the other – we’re calling them ‘route pairings’.

We’ve identified the best rail connections and how long they might take, plus some recommended overnight stops where appropriate – details of the best options can all be found here.

And to fire up the imagination, here are just a few examples:

Begin in the Italian lakes, hiking from Lake Maggiore over the mountains to Lake Orta. It then takes about 6 hours to get to Siena by train (via Novara, Milan and Florence) for the start of a ramble through the hills of Southern Tuscany. You could stopover in Florence, ‘Birthplace of the Renaissance’, on the way – your first glimpse of Brunelleschi’s famous dome will never be forgotten!

For those of you holidaying in the UK, most of our routes in the south-west of England can easily be paired. You could begin with bucolic Dorset and its many locations made famous by the novels of Thomas Hardy, before a short bus ride and 4½ hour train journey to St Ives for our Land’s End Circuit in Cornwall. The final section of the journey is glorious – be sure to sit on the right for views of the endless sandy beaches of St Ives Bay.

Explore two fiercely independent and contrasting regions of Spain by starting with a walk in Catalonia through the vineyards of El Priorat – and maybe a wine-tasting. The train connection west to our walk in the Basque Pyrenees is about 6 hours via Barcelona to Pamplona, plus a taxi to your first hotel.  For this route pairing, an overnight stay in Barcelona would give you time to absorb Gaudi’s extraordinary architecture.

At On Foot Holidays we are committed to encouraging the switch from air to rail travel whenever possible. On the ‘Travel info’ tab for all the holidays on our website you’ll find recommended routes from the major rail hubs in Europe (or ferries for the island holidays!), and our bookings team can help you plan your journey.

When you’ve booked any holiday with us, we’ll send you appropriate timetables for train, bus or ferry transfers for the start and end of the route in your Walkers’ Pack.

Look for more Route Pairings here

A gentle sea breeze, the sound of waves slapping lazily on the side of a boat, watching the river bank slowly slide past – take a little break from the walking with a boat ride as part of your On Foot holiday.  Arriving by ferry just adds to the anticipation.  Time slows down as soon as you’re on board, and all you can do is watch the world go by until your destination appears.

Our Greek island holidays are the perfect example – Amorgos can only be accessed by ferry, and arriving at Naxos or Andros out of the morning mist is a moment to be treasured. On a smaller scale, begin a walking holiday on Italy’s Lake Maggiore with one of the little ferry boats to your first hotel on the tiny Isola dei Pescatori, and hop on and off them to explore the rest of the Borromean Islands.

On Germany’s majestic Rhine, the river ferries provide quick crossings or longer rides to vary your day’s walking, or make time for a trip on the river’s only surviving paddle steamer. A ferry from Salerno to Amalfi for your first night makes a spectacular start to our Amalfi Coast route (sit on the right hand side!), or sail to Capri at the end of the walk for a few extra days of hiking.

Do you fancy something a little more active on the water? We can point you towards a mini-adventure to add to your On Foot Holidays experience – ask us for details when booking.

Try paddle boarding in the calm waters of Porlock Bay while in north Devon for our Coastal Exmoor holiday, or glide along the serene Dordogne river in a kayak from Meyronne or Carennac.

At the height of summer it’s great to see the wonderful landscapes bathed in sunshine, but it is important to know how to stay safe and well and still enjoy your holiday in very hot weather.

• Check the weather forecast every day, and take note of the hours when the highest temperatures are expected (which may not be the middle of the day). We find that accuweather is usually very reliable.
• Always carry as much water as you can manage. Don’t be afraid to ask at shops or houses for a top-up if necessary.
• Wear loose, light clothing, with a wide sun hat and sun glasses.
• Keep re-applying sunscreen.
• Take full advantage of any patches of shade.
• Be aware of your capabilities – you will probably walk more slowly in hot weather. Make use of shortening options if a long day of walking is going to be too much.
• Keep in touch with your Local Contact, who can suggest short cuts and alternative routes, or help get you to your next hotel if you want to take a rest day. In extreme cases there may be local restrictions for safety reasons, in which case we can help you re-arrange your walking and accommodation if necessary.
• If your hotel doesn’t have air-conditioning, ask if they have a fan you can use in your room, and keep curtains/blinds/shutters closed against direct sunlight.
• Start walking as early as possible in the day to avoid the highest heat. Ask your host the evening before whether you can have an early breakfast or a snack you can take with you. If this isn’t possible, consider starting out early anyway and getting something to eat along the way. Avoid caffeinated drinks, which will pass through your body more quickly than water!
• If you’ve set out early, take note of the check-in time at your next hotel, and maybe have a break somewhere cool and shady in the hottest part of the day.
• Hot weather can result in sudden thunderstorms – be aware in exposed areas and carry a light raincoat.
• Be especially careful of fire risk – don’t discard any litter or light any flames, and immediately report any fires to the emergency services.
• And if you’re feeling unwell, it may be sun stroke or heat exhaustion – seek help from your Local Contact. There’s more advice here.