Five Reasons to take a Walking Vacation This Year!

The New Year dawns! What better time to decide where to go this year (metaphorically and in reality) and how to get there. At The Wayfarers we believe in taking your vacation one step at a time and here are five good reasons to do so:

1. Walking is the oldest form of human travel and making a journey on foot connects us to our past and allows us to deeply absorb the 'where' of 'where we are'.

2. Walking is good for you. Plenty of scientific studies exist to prove what your body already tells you when you take a good walk! Walking energizes the body and spirit by improving calorie burn, self-confidence and a sense of well-being. If getting in better shape is one of your New Year's Resolutions, then the incentive of taking a walking vacation later in the year gives a good reason to make fitness a priority! Many Wayfarers travelers say that a walking vacation also provides a boost to stay fit on returning home.

3. Walking is good for the environment. Traveling ancient routes not accessible by car and visiting old villages, historic monuments and World Heritage sites on foot - all minimises your impact on the destination and maximises the chance of authenticity.

4. Walking is social. Ambling along a path allows for talking and comfortable silences in equal measure. A walking vacation group soon becomes a small band of friends; couples, families and singles mingle with ease.

5. Walking is pleasurable. The physical act of placing one foot in front of the other repeatedly is soothing and meditative. You get a rhythm going and the stress of everyday life dissipates.

We invite you to join us on the trail in 2012!

Cinque Terre - Life is Beautiful

Words by Marina Grego, Pictures by Various Wayfarers!

I love the Cinque Terre Walk for many reasons.

First of all, the area where we walk streches along the Mediterranean Sea.

The landscape is beautiful and the vegetation too.

The brooms and the jasmine bloom in Springtime.

The Autum the leaves colors give a gold shade everywhere.

The fishermans villages are picturesque : every house has a different color,

so it is possible to recognize it from a far distance in the sea.

All in the palette of red , orange , jellow , rusty ...

The food is special and delicious. The cuisine is based on the local products:

the anchovies ( marinated with herbs ) , the pine nuts , the "borragine " ( a green vegetable like chard but more delicate ), the octopus with potatoes , the olive oil and the "limoncello "

( lemon liquer ) ....simplicity and creativity.

I could go on with memories , dreaming.

Colorado Dreaming

The Wayfarers' New Walk in Colorado - September 30 - October 6, 2012

by Julie Johnson

Last weekend I found myself standing a few feet away from real dinosaur prints, about 100 million years old. There were big ones, and little ones, and I reached over to put my hand on top of one. Wow, I thought, this is fabulous – these are the first dinosaur prints ever found in North America! I walked up to the top of the hill and around the corner and saw the beautiful Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a naturally acoustic theatre created about 250 million years ago. I remembered the first time I stood on the Red Rocks stage, right where Bono, B.B. King, Elton John, the Beatles and so many of my favorites have performed. The valley between the amphitheatre and where I stood was lined with ranches, some as old as 1860. And as I turned back to my walk on Dinosaur Ridge, I got really excited about the prospect of showing all this to The Wayfarers’ in 2012 for the first ever Wayfarers’ Colorado walk. I put together an itinerary that would be amazing, filling our week in Colorado with my favorite spots.

Colorado is a vast state with lots to offer, so it wasn’t easy to whittle the trip down to one week. Here’s what I decided. First, we go to the beautiful Evergreen area to hike in one of the locals’ favorite trail systems in Jefferson County Open Space. The trails are lined with aspen trees which should be bright yellow in the fall, contrasting nicely with the view of the Continental Divide. Evergreen is one of the first spots in Colorado to host tourism – we’ll be staying in the oldest (and sweetest!) lodge in town, the Bears Inn. On our way to our next town, we stop at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Dinosaur Ridge to get an up close view of one of Colorado’s prettiest and most interesting areas.

Then we head to my home turf, Boulder, where I am the cultural resource manager for the city’s Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP). Boulder is graced with one of three of the nation’s remaining Chautauquas, a cultural and educational complex from the 19th century in continuous use in it’s original structures. We’ll hike from the National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR) along a beautiful mesa into the Chautauqua, where walkers will stay at the Mission Lodge. This is truly a special place – I can’t wait to show it to my guests! OSMP has preserved 45,000 acres of land around Boulder, including mountains and plains with about 145 miles of trails in the system. We’ll hike in this glorious location with a naturalist who will tell us about the ecology of our unique ‘ecotone.’ We’ll also meet some ranchers whose families have been farming in the Boulder area since 1860. (We’ll probably even meet some horses and kittens while we’re at the ranch….).

We end the week at the beautiful Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, where we will hike one of my favorite trails at my favorite time of year. It doesn’t get any better than hiking in the fall near Estes Park, unless, of course, you find a ghost during a ghost hunt at the Stanley Hotel.

It will be a wonderful week -- I can’t wait to share it with you!

Join The Wayfarers in Colorado - September 30 - October 6, 2012

Get Fit for the Coast to Coast Walk - Part 2

Steph Crabb, Wayfarers Office Staffer, has been busy preparing for her Coast to Coast Walk next month. The Walk is rated 5 and covers up to 15 miles per day on sometimes hilly terrain on foot. Steph wasn't unfit to begin with, but felt that some additional fitness training ahead of her Walk would help her get the maximum enjoyment out of her Walk experience. We asked Steph to fill us in on how she has been progressing with her custom Fit for Trips program.

The Wayfarers : So, Steph, what have you been doing these past weeks to prepare for your Walk?

Steph Crabb: I started with three walks per week of between three and four miles. I gradually increased this with an additional five to six mile walk at the weekend. Now I am walking eight to 10 miles at the weekend. I've also borrowed a friend's running machine to use in case of really wet weather!

TW: How has your Fit for Trips program factored in to your preparation?

Steph: Marcus of Fit for Trips advised a routine to include carrying a backpack with some weight to increase my stamina over the same mileage. Marcus advised the initial walk schedule and exercises.

TW: Have you noticed a difference in how you are feeling overall?

Steph: Yes, my fitness has definitely improved and my weight has dropped. After a short time of following the program I was already feeling more energized.

TW: Have you been doing any other specific exercises?

Steph: I do some warm-up and cool-down stretches as recommended in the program and I make sure my walks cover a varied terrain. I am fortunate to live in an area that offers a lot of varied walking, but if I hadn't the program gives many suggested exercises to mimic the demands of a varied terrain. The length of time it takes me to walk the same distances is improving all the time.

TW: Are there any other benefits you've noticed?

Steph: In additon to having slimmer waistline?! I've been feeling more energized. I've been getting up early to walk and my sister has been joining me which has been a bonus! We've both enjoyed the early morning walking and talking. It is such a nice time of day! My husband and I have been walking together at weekends, covering longer distances each time. We have been finding new trails in our area that we would have never explored without the incentive of this program.

TW: Would you recommend this type of program for others?

Steph: Yes, definitely! I'm feeling more confident and I am determined to continue my routine when I return from my Walk.

Not only has the fitness training improved my personal confidence, I'm not worrying each day's walking on my upcoming Coast to Coast walk. I'm looking forward to it with a great deal of excitement and anticipation!

TW: Thanks Steph - we look forward to catching up with you on the trail in a few weeks!

Scone Wars - Walking the Line in Devon and Cornwall

Picture by Angus Begg

By Mike Knutton

There's always been much more than the River Tamar separating Devon and Cornwall, the two English counties jutting out into the Atlantic in the extreme southwest of the country. Traditionally remote from the rest of Britain, they bounced their prejudices off each other and promoted their perceived superiority in areas of human endeavour as diverse as rugby, Celtic credentials, pasties...and now, cream teas.

The scone war has been bubbling beneath the surface, but with a gentlemanly stand-off, for decades. Now, however, the Devonians have fired a provocative broadside by launching a campaign to have the name “Devon cream tea” protected---a bit like wine---within the European Union under what are known as the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) rules.

Never slow to respond to forays from “up country” the Cornish, who already have PDO status for their clotted cream and pilchards (mature sardines) and will brook no challenge to the Cornish pasty, have ridiculed the Devonians for what they claim to be very basic and crucial error in the make-up of the Devon cream tea.

All cream teas worthy of the name are a combination of scones, clotted cream, and strawberry jam. According to the Cornish, a cream tea consists of a sliced scone with each half spread with jam and then topped with a “gurt dollop” of clotted cream. Devonians, however, part company after the split scone, and insist that the cream should go on the scone before the jam. On-line voting gave Cornwall 57.4% for jam first and clotted cream on top with Devon trailing with 42.6%. An inquiry at the Ritz Hotel in London supported the Cornish case. Executive general manager (no less) David Collas confirmed that “we at The Ritz, London, would prefer to encourage the 'jam then cream' option as this is the traditional method of preparing scones.”

Now, you may think this is all a storm in a cream tea cup, and indeed after it all passes the gullet it matters little, but so much is at stake that reams and reams of fiery correspondence have been passing through the ether. Ex-pats and tourists wax lyrical as they recall their cream tea experiences in the two counties, but here at The Wayfarers, we decline to take sides. All we would say is join us on our Cornish and Devon walks - or our Pentillie Castle Walk which straddles both counties! - and make up your own mind. Or indeed, join us on any of our walking vacations in the UK as each and every one includes a cream tea.

Coast to Coast in England - A Journey Less Ordinary!

Pictures by Dave Robertson

Editor's Note: Dave and Marilyn Robertson recently returned from the Coast to Coast Walk in England - a trip they arranged to mark their thirty years' wedding anniversary. Thank you, Dave and Marilyn, for sharing your walk experiences and your photos!


She said.... by Marilyn Robertson

The Wayfarer’s call the Coast to Coast Walk a “trip of a lifetime.” I call it a dream come true. Six days of walking through “dingly dales” and lovely pastures, seven charming, quintessentially English hotels and delicious food four times a day! What could be better?

I love the magical moments the The Wayfarer’s include in each trip. One such moment was standing overlooking Lake Windemere, listening to Alan read poems from Wordsworth, whose house we had just visited. Others included my first bite of Wensleydale cheese; watching Alan stare down a bull so we could all cross the pasture safely; seeing a steam engine puffing through the countryside, as we stood high on the hill we had just climbed; seeing Bill and Geraldine emerge over a stone wall and knowing our bountiful and well-deserved, snack was not far off. But my favorite moment by far, was crossing the moor in silence to better appreciate the utter stillness. It was truly a spiritual moment for me and I will carry the memory with me to remember when life gets crazy.

Alan, Bill and Geraldine, our walk leader and managers were wonderful hosts who provided insight, assistance and fun during our walk. Our group was very special for me as we were joined by a friend from our last Wayfarer’s walk. This trip gave us the opportunity to become even closer. Of course, new friends were also made with other walkers on our second trip, as we shared stories and compared blisters.

I have been waiting to take this walk since my last trip with The Wayfarers to Scotland, four years ago. I don’t plan to wait four more years for my next trip! Let’s see, should it be Slovenia or the Ring of Kerry or….

He Said...by Dave Robertson

When I was in high school and in college, I was very fortunate to be able to travel around the world. From camping out in the country side in Great Britain while in high school, to taking tours with my parents throughout Europe, to living in Italy for a year, I was able to experience numerous different ways to travel abroad.

For our 25th wedding anniversary, my wife Marilyn suggested that we take a Wayfarers Walking tour. Perhaps to appease me and to make the likelihood of taking the trip more possible, Marilyn suggested that we take the Loch Lomand, Scotland Western Isles tour with the Wayfarers since my heritage is Scottish and Welsh. Of course, I agreed. Marilyn took care of all of the details, and ultimately, off we went.

For our 30th wedding anniversary, we have just taken the Wayfarers' England Coast to Coast walking tour.

The reason I mention my traveling experiences above is to state that the Wayfarers tours provide you with an experience that you cannot duplicate by creating your own trip, or by taking standard major city tours. The Wayfarer's tour guides and managers are wonderful people who will bend over backwards to make sure that your experience is perfectly suited for you. They know everything about everything on your tour; from the historical significance of the region, to the types of flowers that you see along your walk. They take you through fields, hills, and dales that you would never see but for their walking tours.

The Wayfarers guides also create special moments that are unique to their walking tours. Whether it be walking quietly through the Yorkshire dales so as not to disturb the grouse that will soon be hunted by English royalty, or ending a tour at a local pub that serves the best beer in the region, the Wayfarers will make sure that you maximize your experience.

As to travel arrangements, The Wayfarers Travel Agency in the US office will make sure that your airfare and/or train travel and/or bus travel is perfectly planned for you. And ultimately, the walks are so spectacular that you will end up with memories that will stay with you forever. I hope that the photographs that I have taken will give you a better understanding of the beauty that you will experience on a Wayfarer's tour.

Marilyn and I are now planning our next Wayfarer's tour. We can't wait.

Great Expectations in the Czech Republic

By Charlene Toews

When I signed up to take the Czech Walk I really wasn’t sure what to expect. While I had taken 4 or 5 walks in different parts of Europe, they were all self-guided, with simply a support vehicle to move my luggage from day to day. I wasn’t sure what a guided walk would give me that would be worth the price. As the price difference was substantial, it wasn’t totally clear to me when I booked that I would really receive value for my money.

So I started the Czech Walk with more than a little trepidation. Let me say right now that I received FAR more than my money’s worth! I had expected that the guide would simply lead the walk and make sure that we didn’t get lost. Jana Kotalovka did much more than that (all the Wayfarers Guides do as I have since discovered)

Jana is incredibly knowledgeable about history and art, and architecture—and shared all her expertise with us, informally, if we wished, as we walked. She didn’t push her knowledge on anyone. By doing this she enriched the walking experience immeasurably for me. In addition, when we asked her questions about what her life was like growing up under Communism, she was more than willing to tell us about it. I think it was the sharing of her personal experiences that made the trip a very special one for me.

Of course the countryside on this and every walk has been carefully chosen, and every day we had beautiful walks. But I was also amazed by the villages and towns and their fantastic architecture. So much Renaissance history was present that has long since been lost in the West.(one town had a stunning Renaissance painted metal well cover).

I realized that on my previous European hikes I had simply walked through a place - with Jana as our guide, I could experience it. She gave layers of depth, meaning, and context to what we were seeing. In fact I was actually so entranced with the town of Cesky Krumlov that I took a day off hiking and spent the day wandering through the town. Lenka (Walk Manager) kindly came back with the van and took me to the farmhouse lunch that was scheduled that day (and the food was always outstanding on this trip!) It was nice that within the context of a group hike everyone had as much individual freedom as much as could be arranged within logistical imperatives.

Another little unexpected bonus was that we took some short little train rides. It was fun to walk to a little country station out in the middle of nowhere and hop on a—to me, antique train for a short ride to someplace else. I think we did this only twice, but it was very, very enjoyable.

But Jana was definitely the highlight of the trip for me and enhanced the trip beyond all my expectations. It was truly a revelation to me how much a good guide can enhance a walking trip.