About our tours

  • All of our trips include comfortable accommodation with breakfast, comprehensive information packs, detailed walking notes and maps, and of course backup emergency telephone support while you are on your trip. GPS tracks are also available for most routes.
  • Luggage transportation is provided on most trips, with the exception of self-drive tours or holidays based in one location.
  • Private transfers are often included when you stay at hotels that are not close to the walking trails, or when public transport options are unavailable or limited.
  • Evening meals are generally not included, other than in remote areas with no restaurants. This gives you the flexibility to eat where you want rather than being restricted to the hotel restaurant.
  • For cycling tours, bike rental is not included as standard but is always available as an optional extra service. This is because many people prefer to bring their own bikes.
  • There may be other services included on certain tours, such as public transport tickets or entrance tickets to national parks, in which case they will be listed under the ‘details’ tab on the tour page.

We have a variety of self-guided walking and cycling holidays, with routes to suit all levels of fitness. Our grading system is designed to give you an idea of how strenuous each tour is and to help you choose the holiday that is right for you. Naturally, the grading of individual holidays is subjective and within each holiday you will occasionally find some days slightly more challenging or easier than others. Also, because all of our tours are self-guided, you can go at exactly the pace that suits you. the grade descriptions below are intended as a general guideline so please read the tour itinerary carefully to make sure that you are choosing the right tour for you. If in doubt, please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you might have.

Hiking difficulty grades

From gentle coastal strolls to strenuous mountain hikes. In general, Grade 1 holidays involve short distances on easy paths while, grade 5 holidays involve longer days with plenty of ascents and descents each day.

  1. Easy
    generally short walking days on well-kept paths with few ascents/descents, but perhaps the occasional longer day
  2. Easy to Moderate
    slightly longer walking days with some ascents/descents, on well-kept, sometimes stony paths
  3. Moderate
    moderate walking on varied terrain, with some long days and regular ascents/descents. Some days will be more challenging than others
  4. Moderate to Challenging
    longer days, including some strenuous walking on more rugged terrain with significant ascents/descents on most days
  5. Challenging
    very strenuous walks, featuring long days with significant ascents/descents on challenging terrain. A good level of fitness and experience is required

Cycling difficulty grades

  1. Easy
    cycling on mostly flat cycle paths. Little to no cycling experience required. Daily distances of 20 – 40 km. Bikes with up to 3 gears will be fine.
  2. Easy to Moderate
    cycling in flat to hilly landscapes, with occasional short climbs. Fine for people with some cycling experience but not necessarily frequent cyclists. Daily distances of 30 – 50 km. Bikes with up to 7 gears will be fine.
  3. Moderate
    cycling in hilly areas, with some steep or extended climbs. Suitable for fit and frequent cyclists. Daily distances 35 – 65 km. Bikes with at least 21 gears recommended.
  4. Moderate to Challenging
    more demanding cycling routes with some steep and extended climbs. Experience of cycling in hilly terrain is essential. Daily distances of 40-80 km. Bikes with minimum 21 gears required.
  5. Challenging
    very strenuous cycling in mountainous landscapes with longer and steeper climbs. Suitable for experienced cyclists who are in excellent physical condition. Daily distances 50 – 100 km.

A “self-guided” tour essentially means that you don’t have a guide with you. We will provide you with all the information you need to successfully follow your route. Apart from the basic walking directions, our notes include information on sights and places of interest along the way, as well as restaurants, cafés and any short detours that might be worth taking (to a viewing point, for example).

In case of emergencies, you will also have telephone support from our office and our local agents.

As well as providing excellent value, we believe that self-guided tours promote independent discovery and allow you to enjoy your own unique experience, while going at a pace to suit yourself.

Booking

First you should submit a booking through the tour page of your desired tour. Once we have received your booking, we will then contact all accommodation providers to check availability on the dates you’ve chosen. If any hotels are fully booked we’ll contact you to discuss alternatives.

Once we have booked all of your services we will send you a confirmation and invoice. You will pay a 20% deposit at this stage and the remaining 80% a month before your departure date. If you have chosen to pay by credit card then the 20% will be charged to your card at this point. Your card will not be charged until we have confirmed availability for your chosen dates. In the unlikely event that we cannot confirm your booking (usually due to accommodation availability issues), no charge will be made to your card. You can also pay by direct bank transfer, in which case you simply wait for us to send you an invoice before making payment.

 

 

Once we have confirmed availability on your chosen dates, we will send you an invoice along with a summary of services booked for you. At this stage you should go ahead and book your flights / train tickets and start looking forward to your holiday. Your booking is now binding and if you have opted to pay by credit card, the 20% deposit will be charged at this point.

The minimum booking time required is 3 weeks in advance of your tour start date. However, as the accommodation options are limited on many routes, it is advisable to book 6 weeks or more in advance. For very popular routes, such as the Tour du Mont Blanc and Hiking in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, booking at short notice is extremely difficult. We therefore recommend booking as far in advance as possible on those routes.

We suggest you book as soon as you decide on your dates. Each trip has busy seasons, and due to remote locations, accommodations can get full.

Preparation

No. None of our trips involve any technical climbs so no climbing equipment is required. Walking poles may be useful on some routes but for all we would recommend comfortable clothes and walking boots. You can see our suggested packing list for a hiking trip here.

For cycling trips, you can choose to bring your own bike or rent one from us. All of our rental bikes are provided with locks and puncture repair kits.

This depends on the specific tour, although a basic fitness level is required for all tours as you will be walking or cycling for a minimum of 3-4 hours each day. Our tours are graded from easy to challenging, so this should give you an idea of the fitness level needed for each tour. Remember that luggage transportation is included where necessary, so even on tough ascents you only have the weight of your day pack to carry. Also, all our tours are self-guided, which means that you can walk at a pace that suits yourself. Many tours also have the option to take shorter walking options or to shorten routes by using public transport. Please check the ‘itinerary’ tab on the tour pages to see distances and any possible options for shortening the routes.

Please also feel free to contact us if you have any doubts or would like further information about specific tours.

Yes, it is a condition of booking with us that you arrange adequate travel insurance to cover you for any eventuality during your trip, for example medical expenses or loss of personal items. It is your responsibility to make sure that your insurance provider covers you for any activities you will be taking part in on your trip.

Your booking is covered by the Danish Travel Guarantee Fund, which ensures that you will get your money back in the event of our bankruptcy.

Transport & Accommodation

Yes. The price of the tour does not include flights and we do not provide a flight booking service.

We sell individual self-guided trips. This means that you are not travelling with a group and there are no fixed departure dates. You are free to start whenever you like (subject to availability), and you can travel to the starting point by whatever means you like. This also gives you the flexibility to find the cheapest flights/train tickets. Google Flights is an excellent resource for comparing flights to any destination.

Please note that we always recommend that you wait until you receive your final confirmation email from us before booking your flights.

The vast majority of our trips come with luggage transfer included. The exceptions are generally either self-drive tours (where you bring your own car) or holidays based in one hotel. You will drop your overnight bags (one per person) by an allotted time each morning in a designated area in your hotel or B&B. Typically, bags should be left at the reception or store room by 09:00 hrs. We will provide you with name tags, which you should attach to your bags so that the driver can identify them. You are then free to walk unencumbered, with only your day pack of essentials.

Your baggage will be transferred to your next night’s accommodation, and will be waiting for you at reception when you arrive. Your pre-departure information pack will advise you of any weight limits or restrictions you should be aware of.

Because we are providing self-guided trips, this enables us to book small and authentic local accommodation that large group tours would not be able to use. This means that you will typically stay in small hotels, inns and B&B’s. All of our accommodations are chosen for their comfort, quality of service and standards of cleanliness and safety.

Most of our tours are comfort rated 3 (the category we call “comfortable”). You can expect to stay in en-suite, air-conditioned rooms in good quality, comfortable family run hotels. In more remote areas, such as the high Alps, some nights may be in more basic accommodation such as dormitory rooms in mountain huts. The accommodation information is always available under the ‘details’ tab on the tour page, although we do not list the specific hotels for all tours as they can vary depending on availability.

Yes. It is no problem extend your trip by adding one or more extra nights before, during or after your trip. We can arrange this for you. When completing the booking form, type this in the ‘Comments’ field. Let us know how many additional nights you want and on which dates.