Hiking the Best of England and Wales

Itnerary

Day 1

Depart by small, fully fitted coach or comfortable 12/15 seater mini-bus(passenger van) from Manchester, Birmingham and London. It might be possible to arrange other pickup points en route, dependent on the location of other participants. Continue to the Cotswolds area for a 4 night stay. Accommodation will be in an excellent 3 star hotel, or similar. Dinner in the hotel.

Days 2-4

Breakfast at the hotel each day. Three full days of hiking around the beautiful rivers, valleys and rolling hills of the Cotswolds. Much of the walking will take you from one delightful village to another, with thatched, mellow stone cottages and magnificent, mediaeval “wool churches”. Dinner at the hotel each day.

Day 5

Breakfast at hotel. Today you transfer to Snowdonia, in North Wales. where you will stay for 5 nights in a comfortable hotel. The route takes you through the magnificent scenery of the English/Welsh Border country, with small, pretty villages and old market towns, guarded by ancient castles. Once in to Wales, the scenery becomes more rugged and dramatic, with high lonely moors and craggy mountains and finally over the Llanberis Pass to Llanberis. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 6-9

Breakfast at hotel each day. 4 full days of hiking. Hiking options include ascents of great peaks, like Mount Snowdon (3558 ft.), the highest mountain in England & Wales, Tryfan (3,000+ ft). Glyder Fach (3262 ft) & Glyder Fawr (3279 ft). Snowdon, Tryfan and the Glyders, though not very high compared to say the Alps and the Rockies, are serious mountains and should be treated with respect. There are other, more gentle hikes along the many rivers, lakes, valleys and waterfalls that surround the mountains. Dinner in the hotel each day.

Day 10

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the English Lake District. The route takes you along the North Wales coast, with a short visit to Chester, a large, attractive market town with many Roman remains. Then north through the rolling Lancashire moors until you enter the Lake District at Windermere, skirt the shore of Rydal Water and so to Grasmere, where you stay for the next five nights. Grasmere is one of the prettiest villages in the area and is an excellent centre for exploring the region. If you are lucky you might coincide with the Grasmere Games (rather like Highland Games, with fell racing (running up and down mountains), caber tossing, hound racing, wrestling etc.) or sheep dog trials. Accommodation at a good hotel, with private bathrooms etc. Dinner at the hotel.

Days 11-14

Breakfast at the hotel each day. Hiking options include the ascent of Langdale Pikes, probably the most photographed peaks in the Lakes, Helvellyn, (3,118 ft.), Weatherlam (2,500 ft.). and the Old Man of Coniston, (2,650 ft), a beautiful ridge walk with super views of Derwentwater (large lake), via High Spy, Maiden Moor (1,890 ft) and Cat Bells, then down to the town of Keswick, Glaramara (2,650 ft) Scafell Pike (3,208 ft.) and Scafell (3,162) etc. Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England (as opposed to Wales & Scotland). This is probably the toughest hike of the trip. Dinner at the hotel each evening.

Day 15

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer back to your pick-up points, in reverse order, at the end of a memorable holiday.

HOLIDAY INFORMATION

The Hiking Grades

This holiday is designed as a Grades B & C walking holiday. The different Grades are described below. With two Grassroutes Leaders, in which case we offer a choice of walks on each walking day, dependent on the abilities and preferences of the party. With smaller parties where we have only one Leader the walks will be a mix of grades designed to fit the abilities of the group. The distances and ascents may be modified, will generally be as follows :-
Grade B
Up to 3,000 feet of ascent / descent, on way-marked paths. Terrain may be steeply inclined and rough underfoot, with loose rock at times. Distances 10-15 miles.
Grade C
Up to 1,500 feet of ascent / descent, on way-marked paths. Terrain may be steeply inclined at times and rough underfoot, with possibly some loose rock. Distances usually 5 – 8 miles.

Travel

Transport will be by either a small, fully fitted coach, in the case of larger parties or comfortable mini-bus, for smaller groups.

Hotel

Accommodation will be at comfortable hotels of 3-stars or equivalent and all bedrooms will have private bathroom & toilet. Each day you will take dinner and breakfast at the hotel

Flights

Grassroutes Holidays does not arrange flights. We can however assist you by telephoning fully bonded Air Tour Operators on your behalf. Please note that we do not take payment for flights ourselves, these must be made directly to the ATOL holder. By ensuring that you are booking direct with an ATOL holder you can rest assured that your flights are financially protected.

*The Price Includes:

• 14 nights accommodation in twin or double rooms, all with private bathroom & toilet, in good quality hotels of 3 stars or equivalent.
• Dinner and breakfast each day, from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 15.
• Transport by small coach or mini-bus, or by private / rental car as appropriate, throughout the holiday.
• Services of one Grassroutes Leader (or 2 Leaders with larger parties).
• V.A.T. and all local service charges and taxes.

THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE
Lunches, insurance (We consider that medical and accident & emergency cover, including repatriation expenses is essential), admissions to castles, museums etc. Items of a personal nature, e.g. drinks, telephone calls etc.