Media and press information

Southern stages of the Pennine Way (November 2007)

Self-guided walking holiday specialists UK Exploratory are continuing their coverage of the Pennine Way. Their Pennine Way South holiday takes you on a 6-day trek from Edale in the Peak District to Malham on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. This corner of the English uplands is characterised by moor and agricultural scenery; there's some village and town life on the way as well. UK Exploratory book your varied accommodation and give you routecards and maps so that you can complete the walking as you wish. For those keen to walk the whole Pennine Way, a Central holiday is available between Malham and Alston, with the North section as far as Kirk Yetholm currently being researched.

(UK Exploratory, www.ukexploratory.com, 01942 826 270.)

Outdoor adventures in the French Alps (August 2007)

For lovers of outdoor holidays, a new avenue has opened up in France. Walking and trekking holiday operator Alpine Exploratory is offering a new trip, spending a week in a comfortable chalet in the Tarentaise region of France. Each day there is a wide choice of outdoor activities, appealing to old hands and to those who'd just like to try a bit of everything. Try rafting, mountain biking, paragliding, climbing, high ropes adventure, horse riding and more. The walking in the area is also superb, of course, and route cards are included that describe a number of easily manageable half-day walks to a local viewpoint or a mountain hut. The chalet is a converted old barn in the centre of the farming hamlet of Montorlin. In the upstairs living and dining area, relax and take meals with views over the mountains to Mont Blanc. Your hosts serve great food and make sure everything goes smoothly for you - maximising the time for relaxing or exerting yourself, as you choose!

(Alpine Exploratory, www.alpineexploratory.com, 01942 826 270.)

Explore the Julian Alps on your own trek - with a little help! (October 2006)

Alpine Exploratory, the specialist provider of self-guided walking holidays, has added a new holiday to its program for 2007. The innovative Julian Alps Starter Pack aims to fill the gap in the market for practical advice and bookings that will help experienced trekkers get to know a new area. If you and your walking friends are keen to check out the Julian Alps next summer then, as usual with holidays, you have to invest time in researching where to go. What are the best approaches, how do you get there, what are the huts like - all questions that trekkers are familiar with! This is where Alpine Exploratory hopes to help. Included in the Starter Pack are hotel bookings for the first and last nights, to get you started. What might turn out to be the most valuable element of the Pack is a list of contact details for mountain huts in the area, along with a map and information on local logistics, tourist information, language, emergencies and more. With all this information in your rucksack, plus the handy accommodation bookings, you and your group should be able to hit the ground running with a superb trek in Slovenia.

A variety of accommodation is available in the Lake Bohinj area of the Julian Alps. Two nights' accommodation plus all the information costs £195 (£25 single supplement) in a 4-star hotel, £155 (£20 single supplement) in a 3-star guesthouse or £125 (£15 single supplement) in a room with a local family. Extra nights can be booked in Bohinj or in Slovenia's beautiful capital city, Ljubljana. Holidays are available from the start of July to the end of September.

(Alpine Exploratory, www.alpineexploratory.com, 01942 826 270.)

Trek half of the famous Tour du Mont Blanc (July 2006)

Alpine Exploratory, the specialist provider of self-guided walking holidays, has added another itinerary to its program. The Tour du Mont Blanc North holiday takes you on a 6-day trek around the Northern stages of the famous Tour du Mont Blanc route (TMB). The TMB is known as one of the classic treks in Europe, making an 11-day circuit around the Mont Blanc massif. The walking is on well-marked footpaths throughout - it involves some challenging ascents but it should be enjoyable for all active mountain walkers. Stunning scenery along the route includes the Italian glaciers of the Mont Blanc massif, the tranquil and pastoral Swiss Val Ferret, the view of Mont Blanc from the Col de Balme as the route enters the Chamonix valley, and the views to Mont Blanc from the classic Aiguilles Rouges viewpoints of Lac Blanc and Le Brevent.

The new TMB North itinerary is designed to complement the existing TMB South holiday, to allow trekkers to complete the TMB over two holidays. This could be useful for people who can't take more than one week off work.

The self-guided packages include 7 nights' accommodation in valley hotels, all breakfasts and two evening meals, detailed routecards to guide you round the route, plus all the information needed to complete the trek. Holidays start in Courmayeur and finish in the Chamonix valley. Prices are £370 per person with a £80 single supplement available.

(Alpine Exploratory, www.alpineexploratory.com, 01942 826 270.)

New self-guided walking holidays in Snowdonia, the Yorkshire Dales... (March 2006)

Following the launch of UK Exploratory with an initial program of three UK-based self-guided walking holidays, the company has launched seven new UK holidays. New destinations visited include Snowdonia, the Yorkshire Dales and the Peak District.

The seven new holidays are:

South Lakes Circuit
4 days, self-guided, trekking around the lovely Grizedale, Coniston and Langdale area
Available to start on any date between March and November
Prices range from £215 to £275

South Lakes Explorer
6 days, self-guided, exploring easy walks accessible from Ambleside
Available to start on any date between March and November
Prices range from £190 to £330

Peak District Weekend
3 days, self-guided, walking in the High Peak from Hope to Edale and back
Available to start on any date between March and November
Price £215

Snowdonia Weekend
3 days, self-guided, walking through Snowdonia from Betws-y-coed to the coast
Available to start on any date between March and November
Price £215

Yorkshire Dales Weekend
3 days, self-guided, walking in limestone scenery from Settle to Horton and back
Available to start on any date between March and November
Price £215

North Lakes Circuit
4 days, self-guided, walking in a loop from Keswick through Buttermere, Borrowdale...
Available to start on any date between March and November
Prices range from £275

North Lakes Explorer
6 days, self-guided, exploring the best easy walking from a base in Keswick
Available to start on any date between March and November
Prices range from £190 to £330

These new holidays add to our launch program of three UK holidays:

Lake District Traverse
6 days, self-guided, trekking through the Lake District staying in guesthouses, hostels or campsites
Available to start on any date between March and November
Prices range from £195 to £330

Isle of Skye
6 days, self-guided, exploring Skye's wonderful scenery from a base near Portree
Available to start on any date between April and November
Prices range from £190 to £330

West Highland Way
7 days, self-guided, trekking the length of Scotland's classic long distance footpath
Available to start on any date between April and November
Prices range from £195 to £355

(UK Exploratory, www.ukexploratory.com, 01942 826 270.)

New range of UK self-guided walking holidays (February 2006)

Following the demand for its self-guided walking holidays in the Alps, specialist operator Alpine Exploratory has launched a new range of UK-based holidays.

Three exciting itineraries are being offered to complement the existing range of self-guided holidays in the Alps and Spain:

Walkers can trek the famous West Highland Way from Glasgow to Fort William - a 7-day feast of Highland scenery seen from quite manageable paths through the mountains.

Also on a trekking theme is the new Lake District Traverse holiday. This sets off from Penrith for 6 days of beautiful walking through the heart of Lakeland, finishing on the coast at St Bees.

Returning to Scotland, the magical Isle of Skye is the destination for a week-long holiday that lets you explore all the varied scenery the island has to offer. Planning how to use the wide public transport network on Skye is taken care of by UK Exploratory to let you concentrate on the walking.

All three itineraries can be taken with a choice of accommodation options, including friendly guesthouses, hostels and campsites. Prices range from £190 to £355 including accommodation, routecards, maps, your itinerary and local information, but excluding travel to the holiday start point and most meals.

The self-guided way

Self-guided holiday specialists such as UK Exploratory take the hassle out of visiting a new area. Customers have their accommodation arranged for them and are supplied with routecards for the walks, all the necessary maps, language guides where applicable, and local information. This creates the ideal holiday for walkers who are keen to walk independently but are short of time to research and arrange their own trips, or for those who would appreciate the peace of mind that comes from walking a pre-prepared and fully researched route.

Self-guided trips come in two types: trekking and resort-based. Trekking holidays follow a set route, experiencing a new place to stay each night. Resort-based trips stay in one place for the whole holiday and allow even greater flexibility with a range of day-walk routecards supplied. These are ideal for mixed ability groups, allowing people to walk as much or as little as they like.

Lake District Traverse
6 days, self-guided, trekking through the Lake District staying in guesthouses, hostels or campsites
Available to start on any date between March and November
Prices range from £195 to £330

Isle of Skye
6 days, self-guided, exploring Skye's wonderful scenery from a base near Portree
Available to start on any date between April and November
Prices range from £190 to £330

West Highland Way
7 days, self-guided, trekking the length of Scotland's classic long distance footpath
Available to start on any date between April and November
Prices range from £195 to £355

(UK Exploratory, www.ukexploratory.com, 01942 826 270.)

Be your own guide in the Alps! (February 2006)

Alpine Exploratory, a specialist in self-guided walking packages, reports on the newest trend in the holiday market

Guided walking holidays have long been a staple of the activity holiday market. However, 2006 is set to see the rise of the self-guided, but fully arranged, trip. Going self-guided gives walkers the freedom to follow the route as fast or as slow as they like, following carefully researched routecards and arriving each night at their pre-booked accommodation. People are increasingly attracted to the relaxed and satisfying style of holiday that this can offer.

Self-guided holiday specialists such as Alpine Exploratory also take the hassle out of visiting a new country, supplying walkers with a language guide and local information, and arranging accommodation. This creates the ideal holiday for walkers who are keen to walk independently but are short of time to research and arrange their own trips, or for those who would appreciate the peace of mind that comes from walking a pre-prepared and fully researched route.

Self-guided trips come in two types: trekking and resort-based. Trekking holidays follow a route, with rest days for exploring locally, and experience a range of accommodation from valley hotels to mountain huts. Single resort trips allow even greater flexibility with a range of day-walk routecards supplied. These are ideal for mixed ability groups, allowing people to walk as much or as little as they like.

Alpine Exploratory offers self-guided itineraries to the unspoilt Julian Alps of Slovenia as well as the classic mountain walking destination of Chamonix and the Tour du Mont Blanc. During the winter there is also self-guided walking available on the Spanish Costa Blanca where the weather is surprisingly warm all year round.

Summer 2006's most popular route (from bookings already received) looks set to be the Tour du Mont Blanc self-guided trek. This comprises 11 days of walking and 2 rest days for exploring the local area, along with 14 nights of accommodation in a mixture of welcoming hotels and mountain huts. The cost is £685 (excluding flights and some meals).

(Alpine Exploratory, www.alpineexploratory.com, 01942 826 270.)

Trekking Mont Blanc in style (December 2005)

Walking holiday specialist Alpine Exploratory has added two new Tour du Mont Blanc options to its program for summer 2006.

The classic European trek can now be tackled staying in a mix of simple hotels, auberges and mountain huts. This is Alpine scenery of the largest scale and grandeur, seen on a thoroughly satisfying continuous journey from Chamonix. The addition of this hotel itinerary gives two options for the Tour du Mont Blanc; this new Hotel Trek holiday complements the Backpack holiday which stays mainly in campsites. Both holidays involve 11 days of walking and make the full circuit of Mont Blanc, Western Europe's highest mountain.

All Alpine Exploratory groups are led by experienced and fully qualified trekkers holding the prestigious International Mountain Leader award.14 nights' accommodation costs £875 on the Tour du Mont Blanc Hotel Trek and £665 on the Tour du Mont Blanc Backpack, excluding flights, food and local transport.

A new Tour du Mont Blanc self-guided walking holiday is also available, with accommodation booked and a map and routecards supplied: 14 nights' simple hotel accommodation costs £595 excluding flights, food and local transport.

(Alpine Exploratory, www.alpineexploratory.com, 01942 826 270.)

Relaxed walking in the Julian Alps (December 2005)

European walking specialist Alpine Exploratory has expanded its range of holidays in Slovenia's Julian Alps for 2006 with an itinerary exploring the beautiful Lake Bohinj area.

The Bohinj valley is one of the most charming parts of the Julian Alps, a range that is becoming increasingly well known for its perfect Alpine scenery. Despite the easy access the small villages at the Eastern end of Lake Bohinj remain very genuine. Our Julian Alps Bohinj Valley holiday will show you the best the area has to offer, with walks to local waterfalls and gorges and exploring the forested hillsides around the lake. This guided holiday is 5 nights long and stays in local family houses giving an insight into Slovenian village life. The costs is £310 excluding flights, food and local transport.

A self-guided holiday to the Lake Bohinj area is also available. This style of walking holiday would be ideal for anyone wanting to follow Alpine Exploratory's routecards instead of walking with a group. Accommodation is booked in a local house in the village of Stara Fuzina at the head of Lake Bohinj. A choice of holiday lengths is available, from 3 to 5 nights, making this ideal as a long weekend break. 5-night holidays cost £235 excluding flights, food and local transport.

(Alpine Exploratory, www.alpineexploratory.com, 01942 826 270.)

The best walking in Poland and Slovakia (December 2005)

European walking holiday specialist Alpine Exploratory has introduced a range of trips to explore the most dramatic mountain scenery in the new EU countries.

Alongside the Julian Alps holidays in Slovenia, the Tatras in Poland and Slovakia are the destination for two 7-day treks. Each trek explores a different area of the diverse Tatry National Park stradling the rocky border between the two countries.

The Tatras Hut-to-Hut holiday sets off on a trek across and among the highest mountains, venturing from Poland into Slovakia and back again. The Tatras Forests & Ridges holiday plots an intriguing course across the Polish section of the National Park, again staying in huts and with a concentration on the high walkers' ridges and dense forests that typify the Polish scenery here.

Both itineraries comprise 6 nights of accommodation in mountain huts and 7 days of guided walking led by International Mountain Leaders; both cost £340 excluding flights and food.

(Alpine Exploratory, www.alpineexploratory.com, 01942 826 270.)