Mountain Adventure Holidays
We are delighted to announce a new venture for Tracks and Trails, a partnership with the Ski Club of Great Britain.
For winter 2022, the Ski Club have enhanced their partnerships programme which we are proud to be a part of. The partnership programme ensures members exclusive discounts only available to Ski Club members.
The Ski Club mainly focuses on Alpine downhill skiing, but after the massive surge in popularity in cross-country skiing, and UK summer staycations, the Club is keen to be affiliated to Tracks and Trails offering its members our trips in the UK, the Alps and Scandinavia.
Having worked out with Joe Wicks in the living room, completed couch to 5km and participated in the local Parkrun it’s time for the next challenge, running 10km.
Doubling the distance can be intimidating but it’s a fulfilling distance to train for, it won’t take over your whole life and following a few simple steps you’ll be able to see huge improvements quickly.
So, what better way to enter the autumn than with a plan ready to challenge yourself, push your limits, and explore new areas outdoors. If it's been a while since you last exercised or you have any health issues or concerns, talk to your doctor before starting a new running routine.
Read on to find out how to progress safely through the stages of running your first 10km.
To be able to slow down and take life at the pace of the 'montagnards' is hugely appealing right now. Too much social media, press, politics, Covid, Brexit and such like make me shy away from the digital world and long to be back in the mountains. In a remote valley in the French Alps I discovered a haven of tranquility where chatting to your neighbour is more important than your Facebook 'Likes', and where the seasons dictate the pace.
It's been a turbulent time for the past 18 months. The global pandemic that is Covid-19 has had a personal, financial and physical effect on everyone. Now we are having vaccines and hoping for normality and freedom to return, and this too could prove to be a daunting time with uncertainty never far away.
Summer is approaching and we know that the easing of 'lockdown' in the UK is encouraging many of you to contemplate a holiday. If travelling abroad is not on your radar this summer, then you might be looking at what you can do in the UK. With this in mind we have a few ideas on how to head for the hills and enjoy the great outdoors. What is more staying local will cut your carbon footprint and benefit the environment, while most likely also reducing the impact on your wallet.
We have trips on offer in Scotland and England as Scheduled Departures, and then, of course, you can also consider booking a private trip with Tracks and Trails which is one of the best ways to ensure some summer fun.
If there was ever a winter when cross-country skiing was a perfect ‘fit’ then this is it! No lift queues, no cheek to jowl crush in the cable car, no teeming lunchtime bars and restaurants. Why would you do that when you can head into the wilderness instead, and enjoy perfect 'social distancing'?
We already offer a wide range of cross-country adventures, but now we’re also giving you the chance to get ‘off-track’. By this we mean cross-country skiing away from the prepared trails - a true mountain journey.
"What's the best way to be sure of a holiday this winter?" A question we are hearing more and more often as we fast approach the winter holiday season. No easy answer, to be honest, as it all depends on government decisions made far from the Tracks and Trails office.
What we can suggest is that booking a private trip, bespoke or tailor-made, whatever you wish to call it, is probably one of the best ways to ensure some winter fun. So consider getting together a group of family or friends, or people you met on previous holidays and we will help you come up with a plan. Create your own 'bubble' of travelling companions.
So here is my honest response to those of you who have kindly asked "How are you doing?", "Is the team at T&T OK?", "Are you able to run trips this winter?" Firstly, it means a lot to everyone here at Tracks and Trails that you care enough about the team to send messages of support.
We have always believed that our guests are part of our extended adventure travel family. With so many repeat bookings I meet up with the same people year after year and believe me right now I really am missing you all. Here is my take on working in the travel industry during a pandemic.
"I'm joining you on a cross country ski holiday and wondering how I can get fit for skiing?". Preparing for an adventure holiday is very much part of the excitement and anticipation, but without access to snow how can you possibility get ski fit? Roller skiing is definitely one of the answers.
There are many cross-country skiers learning and training on rollerskis. It’s a great way to improve technique, fitness and balance between winter trips and will add extra enjoyment to your winter holiday. Fern Cates is a former 'Team GB' Cross Country Skier and teaches roller skiing. Here is her short guide...
This November 17th, America will celebrate National Hiking Day. As an activity hiking has come a long way since the days when it was simply considered the preserve of the vagrant, or impoverished who could not afford other forms of transport to get from A to B.
That all changed during the Romantic era of the Victorian years which inspired people such as Henry David Thoreau, a naturalist and philosopher who reflected on how to live simply in nature. From then on hiking or walking became a pastime of the educated and grew in popularity.