Headwater

This Dordogne canoeing holiday in France is nine days of exploring the stunning river valley in the most peaceful way possible. After a lesson in river safety and handling your canoes, you set off on a leisurely paddle that takes you past some of the region’s most glorious natural heritage, such as the rose limestone river cliffs or ancient woodland and walnut groves. Chateaux appear as if by magic and one of your hotels is even in an 11th century castle, just one of several stunning family friendly hotels that you will stay in, all with their own swimming pools. This is a journey that is not only great fun, but also one that takes you through a delightful mix of medieval villages and ...Read more >

This is one of our most popular cross-country skiing holidays with Headwater guests returning year after year. It is based in central Norway, on the edge of the Rondane National Park and the Gudbrandsdalen Valley, just north of Lillehammer. The landscape is dramatic and full of contrasts from spectacular gorges and snow-capped peaks to pretty fells and valleys that extend as far as the eye can see. It's far enough north to have a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights too, especially in December and January, and throughout the winter there are spectacular sunrises and sunsets. It has always been traditional to travel on skis here, so it's perfect for cross-country skiing, and the ...Read more >

A leisurely Jurassic Coast walking holiday in Dorset, staying at different places along the way, including a hotel with excellent leisure facilities and within walking distance of the Georgian Esplanade in Weymouth and a family-run property that looks out toward Swanage bay. Because this Jurassic Coast is one that, as the name suggests, oozes history and was, therefore, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its cliffs and coastal landscapes that have rocks and fossils that date back 185 million years. It also boasts, quite simply, some of England’s most breathtaking walking terrain, with four full days of walking that include a lovely mix of chalk cliffs and dramatic sea views, ...Read more >

This self-guided, Piedmont walking holiday through the vineyards and exquisite valleys of Barolo, is a gentle and gastronomically gorgeous way to explore the tranquil Langhe region of Piedmont, in the north-west of Italy. The Barolo vineyards of this region have been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status, and the countryside that envelops these vineyards is award-winning too. With gently rippling hills, sunflower-filled meadows and ancient oak woods, the honey-coloured hamlets and historic castles that pepper your trails just add to the aesthetic beauty of it all. This walking holiday is a circular route, starting and ending in Benevello, a hamlet in the Alta Langa hills. From here you ...Read more >

This Gozo walking holiday is like flicking through a particularly pretty photo album. You’ll see Mgarr, with its primary-bright luzzu fishing boats and 18th-century Fort Chambray. The sheer cliffs outside Sannat. Bright blue Xlendi Bay. The Inland Sea and myth-wreathed Wardija Point. Some parts are only accessible by foot, like the north-eastern corner topped with neo-Romanesque shrine Ta’ Pinu and patchwork salt pans. A walking trip to Gozo is the best way to see this island that specialises in slow living. You’ll walk around 7-14km a day, but the pace is all your own (island speed recommended) and you get a free day to rest or explore. The routes are easy, too, ranging from farm and mule ...Read more >

This Swiss Alps walking holiday is a tailor made trip and perfect for those who want to stay in one place, with magnificent hiking trails to take on every day. This base is a beautiful three star, family run hotel, with a heated indoor pool, sauna and superb Swiss cuisine. The hotel is in Kandersteg, a high altitude village in the Bernese Oberland region, enveloped by Swiss Alps magnificence. You will take on different hikes every day for a week, savouring the classical terrain of Swiss mountain meadows, wildflowers, dramatic gorges, omnipresent waterfalls and views out to some of the great peaks, including Eiger, Jungfrau, Monch and the Matterhorn. Your hotel hosts will give you a ...Read more >

You’re on your own for this cycling holiday to the Algarve – and it’s grand. Armed with GPS route directions, maps, top-quality hybrid bikes and luggage transfers, you’ll cycle 30-40km a day along some of the prettiest paths in Portugal. Leisurely does it. Wheel through rural pastureland where shepherds watch over their flocks, lunch in villages stocked with sun-splashed seafood restaurants, pedal through holm oak forests and skim along clifftops laced with head-turner views. Your maps will give you a choice between easy and trickier cycle routes, so you can tailor the trip to your ability. This Algarve self-guided cycling holiday isn’t all rural idyll, though. Your halfway rest day in ...Read more >

This ten night holiday has been carefully crafted to cleverly balance cultural highlights and historic treasures with natural beauty and stunningly scenic cycling. It's a perfect choice too if you like the idea of combining timeless countryside cycling with the use of local transport to explore the eternal cities of Siena and Florence on foot. Your holiday starts in Volterra, a real Etruscan gem with its tangle of alleys home to alabaster workshops and secret chapels, in the heart of the Era Valley. You'll pedal through the archetypal Tuscan countryside, cypress dotted rolling hills, olives, vines, sunflowers, and on, via postcard-pretty Certaldo, to Colle di Val d'Elsa where you'll ...Read more >

On this self-guided 10-night walking holiday, you explore the timeless countryside between picturesque Volterra and the soaring towers of San Gimignano. You'll feel as though you're strolling through history as you discover sleepy hilltop hamlets crowning sun-dappled hills, verdant vineyards and panoramic picnic spots in fields ablaze with sunflowers. There's the option too to visit the eternal cities of Siena and Florence - Tuscan favourites right on your doorstep! You start in Volterra, a real Etruscan gem with its tangle of alleys home to alabaster workshops and secret chapels, from where you walk through the verdant Berignone Forest and up to a fantastic panoramic ridge before a ...Read more >

This seven-night self-guided walking holiday uncovers the secrets of Sicily's western coast and favourite off-shore islands. Historically the poorest and most remote area of Sicily, the region maintains its purity: you'll feel as though you're the first to discover its clear sapphire waters, hidden sandy coves and unexplored islands. This is certainly the place to visit if you want peace and tranquillity and to escape from it all; there are hardly any roads on Marettimo. Highlights here include exploring the medieval hilltop town of Erice and hiking on Monte Cofano - enjoy stunning coastal vistas as far as Palermo. All your hotels are special in their own contrasting ways. In Scopello ...Read more >

This Puglia cycling tour is an eight day idyllic journey around the Puglia, which is the exquisite, elegant heel of Italy’s boot. This is an independent tailor made trip, where you stay at a range of wonderful Puglia accommodations along the way, from a 12th century former courthouse in Conversano to authentic trullo houses in the UNESCO site of Alberobello. Puglia is pure prettiness, and as this is a relatively easy cycling holiday not requiring loads of Lycra or months of training, you will have plenty of time to sit back and enjoy it too. With four days of cycling between 34-50km, you also have leisure days in Alberobello and Pezze di Greco, where you can just laze by the pool if ...Read more >

This Venice cycling holiday is all about discovering Venetia, the beautiful landscapes that surround one of the country’s most famous cities. Based in one place, a charming agritourism farmhouse accommodation, Agriturismo l'Albara, just outside the village of Villaganzerla, you have access to some of the most sumptuous sojourns by saddle, all of them self-guided but on easy to follow circular routes. Venetia is a rural idyll and, unlike its main city, is very free of mass tourism, as you will discover cycling along the many quiet lanes that traverse this gently undulating countryside. Such as cycling across the Paduan plain to get to the Sunday market in Bastia. Or pootling along the ...Read more >

The Kerry Way is the Emerald Isle's longest trail - at 210km, it offers fantastic views of the unspoilt landscapes - a walk here will swathe you in 10,000 years of dramatic Celtic history. Nestled in the south-west corner of Ireland, you'll spot contrastingly beautiful landscapes at every turn. From rugged cliffs to some of Europe's finest golden beaches, small friendly villages and velvety green fields to picturesque mountain ranges. Starting in the famous town of Killarney, boasting the magnificent 'Three Lakes of Killarney'. This circular coastal route follows the spectacular Wild Atlantic Way, you'll pass lovely towns and villages - Waterville, a favoured fishing location for ...Read more >

Gozo is the second largest of the Maltese islands, yet at only 14km by 7km at its widest point, nowhere in Gozo is too far away, making it the ideal choice for a walking holiday. The slow pace of life along with the air of tranquillity also makes Gozo the perfect place to relax. Rich in history and culture you must visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Ggantija Tombs at Xaghra, the oldest freestanding temples in the world dating back to 3500BC, and the Ta' Pinu sanctuary. The walks guide you around the island's impressive coastline and through the cobbled streets of the traditional towns and villages and you'll have plenty of time for exploring, swimming and just soaking up ...Read more >

This Volterra to San Gimignano walking holiday is a nine day journey through Tuscan rural idylls. It will feel like almost timeless terrain walking through tranquil hilltop hamlets, basking in Tuscan sun which nourishes the vineyards and olive groves that you amble past along the way from hotel to hotel. The hotels we have selected for you are four star, and the landscapes are always five star. Have your bags transferred for you as you take time to enjoy cultural highlights such as the Etruscan village of Casole d'Elsa or the mystical towers of San Gimignano's. With options to visit Sienna and Florence on ‘days off’. Natural heritage highlights include walks through Berignone Nature ...Read more >

This self guided walking holiday takes you to Italy’s Dolomites region, next to the border with Austria. You’ll be based in charming Dobbiaco, a Tyrolean village in the shadow of the renowned Tre Cime (Three Peaks). There are more than 1,000 km of trails in the Italian Dolomites, making it a magnet for walkers of all stripes, and you’ll be provided with comprehensive notes to make the most of your time here, however experienced you are. High points include a hike around the dramatic Tre Cime, and a path that skirts the Austrian border, offering panoramic mountain views. All walks can be easily reached from your hotel, either on foot or by a short bus or cable car journey. During the week, ...Read more >

Our undiscovered corner of Veneto, just 60 minutes (but a world away) from bustling Venice, is the perfect setting for a relaxed cycling holiday. Nestled between the art cities of Padua, home to one of the oldest universities in the whole of Europe, and UNESCO-recognised Vicenza, the region is bursting with Patrician villas - built by Venetian nobles to escape the muggy heat of the city - and ancient castles, although it is surprisingly almost entirely untouched by tourism. Palladio was the most famous Renaissance architect and many of his buildings, including the Villa Rotonda, can be visited on day 7 of this interest-packed itinerary. We take you across the Venetian plain, past ...Read more >

This self guided cycling tour takes you to one of the most beautiful and historic regions in France - the Dordogne. This sprawling region is split in two by the Dordogne River, which during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) formed the frontier between France and England. The river is lined with castles, numbering over a thousand, whose storied walls and turrets tell the tale of past conquests and defeats. As well as the famous, crowd-pleasing strongholds of Beynac, Castelnaud, Domme and Montfort, all of which offer incredible views over the lush landscape, you’ll find little known castles and manor houses hidden in the forests, as well as numerous pretty villages including St Leon, which ...Read more >

The Salzkammergut area (Austria's Lake District) is one of the most impressive regions in the heart of the country. Boasting 76 lakes and with a beautiful mountain backdrop, it's a perfect place to relax and let the calming atmosphere envelop you. This 7-night self-guided walking holiday offers a selection of activities, where you'll enjoy a mix of spectacular scenic views, gentle shoreline routes, wooded forest trails and 'chocolate box' villages. There are also some great spots to stop off for a swim or dip your toes after a day's walking. The walks are relaxed, following mainly well-marked routes, and you can extend them on most days. You'll spend seven nights in the wonderful ...Read more >

Perigord is one of the largest and most picturesque areas in France. It is divided into two by the River Dordogne which founded the historic frontier between France and England during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). Along its banks you'll find over a thousand castles steeped in legend and history, and witness to centuries of conquests and conflict. Today the rich and varied culture of this land is still here for you to discover. You will meander along paths that follow the twists and turns of the valley and you will climb through fields and shaded woodland to hilltop towns and fortified strongholds with impressive views. You're never far from the River Dordogne, the walks will take ...Read more >