News below...

Latest availability on remaining weeks in Cornwall 2010

Remaining weeks to be led by Martin: 
August 28-4 Sept (full),  Sept 11-18 (1 space).

Remaining weeks to be led by Paul:
August 14-21 (full),  September 18-25 (1 space).

2010 - other walking holidays

Morocco trekking (completed),  Tuscany in Italy (completed),  The Cotswolds (completed),  The Isles of Scilly (fully booked nowy),  The Picos de Europa in Spain (almost full).
Explore the menus on the right for full details of any of these trips, or email us for a brochure

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In late June and early July 2011, we shall be running an exciting new adventure holiday hiking and exploring in The Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy. More details to be posted, but please register your advance interest, as we expect this trip to fill quickly. Further news below...

During 2010, with Martin being involved in various other trips away from Cornwall (and exclusive tours for specialist groups), he will not always be available to guide the Cornwall weeks. In his place over the stated weeks will be his accomplished associate guide Paul Simmons. As a result of Paul's keen involvement, we are able to offer a greater choice of dates than usual during 2010.

Paul lives on a smallholding just north of the beautiful Helford River with his wife Ceri, their three children and a growing menagerie of animals. He has been a qualified Green Guide since 2001 and in 2007 he completed  an MA in Cornish Studies at the Institute of Cornish Studies which involved cultural, historic, social, political and economic studies. His dissertation was about the public and professional attitudes to the conservation of the biodiversity on the Lizard Peninsula, one of Cornwall's most dramatic areas - in fact the most southerly mainland part of England. Paul has the South West Mountain and Moorland award recognised by the British Mountain Council and is qualified to go "wild camping" on the Moors. He has been a committee member of the South West Coast Path Association representing the Lizard from Porthleven to Falmouth and over to the Roseland peninsula and up to Mevagissey. 80 miles (128 km) of fabulous coast path.

Also, Paul has been a professional piano entertainer and session player for 26 years. "From Cole Porter to Coldplay, Gershwin to Green Day". He still plays and sings in Cornwall providing the entertainment at many venues in the evening - often for weddings. He says "Life is a learning curve" and with all that experience, he certainly knows how to entertain and inform.

In June last year, we went to North Spain, where we again enjoyed the magnificent scenery of The Picos de Europa Mountains in Cantabria and Asturias provinces. Twelve of us hiked great gorges, fine peaks and grassy meadows bedecked with copious wild flowers. Mike and Lisa at Casa Gustavo gave us a great welcome and fine Spanish dining and lovely local red wines every night! With just one hour of rain the whole time we hiked, we were lucky to get many great hikes in... mind you, there were a few spectacular evening thunderstorms while we were safe inside! Up high, we ran into large snow drifts left over from a very snowy winter that were a lot of fun in the hot sunshine. This year, we will run another trip there in late September and early October, so don't miss out on this truly wonderful and relatively un-discovered area - this time eating all the fruits of the land as we hike (figs, grapes, walnuts, etc).

In April this year, we went trekking in Morocco, where we enjoyed our 17th trek through the magnificent Jebel Sarhro Mountains of Morocco's far south, bordering the Sahara. This time, we went a whole 2 months later than usual and although we mostly missed the almond blossom, we instead benefited from much warmer weather - particularly at night time. Morocco generally had had a much wetter winter than usual, and so there were a lot more flowers blooming practically everywhere. Fantastic crops were being grown in places that are usually rather barren and the Berber people were very happy! Our group numbered 14 in all and with the 7 muleteers and our local guide, we were quite a party - sometimes dancing around the fire and singing! After we had trekked for a week through the mountains, we crossed The Dades River (the land of a 1000 Kasbahs) and walked for 3 days in The Valley of The Roses - towards the M'Goun massif of ther High Atlas Mountains. This was truly epic and wonderful - with lush fields of crops and poppies everywhere, with copious water and beautiful birdsong.  

After the trek was over, we had some time in exotic Marrakech and then some of us went down to the Atlantic coast and stayed in 'laid back' Essaouira. Here, we swam, ate, strolled, drank mint tea, shopped in the souks, sunbathed and even took a long 25 km hike down the empty beach to Cape Sim and over "Sahara like" sand dunes and through stunted juniper forest, all the way to Sidi Kaouki!

Next year,  the trek will again be in April.
You can see one of the participant's photos (Chris Topf's - thanks Chris!) on Flickr, at:
http://www.flickr.com/messages_read.gne?id=72157624024788408

In May this year, we went walking in Tuscany again. Another great trip, with wonderful hikes, spectacular cuisine and wines!