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.

Pentillie Castle - Prepare for something Special

Pentillie Castle

The Wayfarers trip to Pentillie Castle is something quite new and different, instead of wayfaring along from one place to another we going to stay put in one sumptuous place for the whole six nights. Each day we branch out and explore a different place, with options for walking more and alternative activities for guests who don't wish to walk every day.

We plan each detail of every walk with a close cooperation between Walk Leader and one of the Founders of the company. To prepare the special week at Pentillie Castle, Walk Leader Muff Dudgeon worked with Founder Michael West.

Pentillie Castle will be for the exclusive use of our small group for a whole wonderful week! Here are some additional highlights of the itinerary:

• Visit to Cotehele, a fascinating medieval house in extensive grounds with a restored working water mill
• Walk and visit to Tavistock, an ancient Stannary Town (meaning the town was authorised to stamp and weigh tin coinage), stopping for an authentic Devon Cream Tea
• A day spent walking the trails of Dartmoor, taking in the beautifully rugged landscape which inspired the Hound of the Baskervilles
• A scenic train ride, and a walk on the Tavy estuary ending at a 16th century pub, voted one of Britain's 50 best pubs by The Independent's 'Information' Magazine

If all that does not whett your appetite then we're lost for words. Ask for our brochure or log into our website to see more on Pentillie Castle.

Get Fit for the Coast to Coast Walk - Part 1

Steph in the office and on the trail in Ireland last year. Next stop - Coast to Coast in England!

Our Wayfarers' UK Office staffer, Steph Crabb, works hard all year long keeping our accounts straight in the Operations Office. This September 3, she is thrilled to be joining our Coast to Coast Walk. Steph leads a busy life and doesn't have time to walk hours each day to get ready for her cross country hike with The Wayfarers. She would like to improve her overall fitness as part of her preparation for the trip so she can spend the her walk enjoying the scenery and getting the most out of every mile. Steph will be following a Fit for Trips online fitness program for the next 8 weeks to help her prepare for the Walk. In this new series, we will check in with Steph to see her progress as she prepares for her Walk and catch up with her on the trail in September!

We talked to Steph to find out a little bit more about her plans for the trip and fitness goals.

The Wayfarers: Steph, what are you most looking forward to on the Coast to Coast Walk?

Steph Crabb: It was one of the first Walks that caught my eye when I joined the company five years ago.The whole adventure that I will experience from Grange over Sands across three National Parks ending in Whitby looks very exciting. I walked in Ireland - Ring of Kerry - last year and two of the guests on that trip, Barbara and Brian, absolutely raved about the Coast to Coast Walk.

TW: So you chose to Walk in Ireland last year, not picking the Coast to Coast trip? Why was that? Were you intimidated by the challenge of the Coast to Coast Walk?

Steph: Yes! I thought Ireland would be a good start for me. I had never done this sort of trip before. And also, for a long time I have wanted to visit Southern Ireland. The scenery was breathtaking. The Irish hospitality and food - wonderful! Alan and Geraldine (Walk Leader and Manager) gave such a insightful history in each area we covered.

TW: Do you feel you are a fairly fit person?

Steph: I'm constantly busy, but I definitely need to put more exercise into my routine and planning for the Coast to Coast Walk is giving me the motivation to do this in preparation.

TW: Have you signed up for your Fit for Trips online program?

Steph: Yes - it was very straight forward. Marcus made me feel welcome and is preparing my fitness plan. In the meantime I'm walking several times a week at home in the evenings with my husband and gradually building up my stamina.

TW: Thank you very much, Steph! We'll catch up with you again in a few weeks to see how you are enjoying your Fit for Trips training for the Coast to Coast Walk!
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Fit for Trips 8 week custom fitness programs - come free with all of our 4 and 5 rated Walks in 2011. (a $169 value)

We have a few spaces left on our Coast to Coast Walk - September 3 - if you would like to join Steph on the trail!

Coast to Coast - do you feel over-rated?

Fitness and Walk Ratings are two subjects that come up frequently at the offices of The Wayfarers and we'd like to hear your feedback on them...

• Fitness Levels: we actually have our own Steph, European Accounts Manager, going on the Coast to Coast walk in September and she's started her training, not because she's unfit, but because she wants to enjoy the walk to its maximum. Later this week, we will be posting the first in our series following Steph's progress to prepare.
  
  We'd like to hear more about what you do to get fit for one of our walks. Do you know bout the Fit forTrips program, are we doing enough to prepare you, do you think you're fit enough?
  
  
• Walk Rating System: We can give many facts and figures about our Walks, but we have found over the years that gauging the physical challenge of each Walk is subjective. We rate our Walks in relation to each other, based on distance and terrain and feedback from the field.
  
  
• After many years of using a 1-3 rating system, this year we decided, based on consistent feedback from Walk Leaders, Managers and guests, to change to a 1-5 rated system for the sake of clarity and greater precision. The Coast to Coast is one of the most vigorous Walks we operate and it is also a firm favorite with our guests. Although we have given it a rating of 5 on the new Walk Rating System, it isn't any more difficult than it was in previous years.
  
  Have we done enough to explain our new Walk Rating System? Do you think you can manage a Level 5 walk like the Coast to Coast or would you find a Level 1 walk too easy?

We depend on the feedback we get from Walk Alumni - our Wayfaring Friends (Walk Alumni) and Prospective Friends. We look forward to hearing from you!