Adventure World launches new Headwater Cycling & Walking tours for 2012

Exploring the heart of stunning Sardinia by foot and discovering the sleepy seaside villages of Western Portugal from the seat of a cycle are just two of the exciting new experiences on offer in 2012 from award-winning European soft-adventure travel specialists, Headwater.

Represented by Adventure World in New Zealand, Headwater offers an extensive array of unique and leisurely paced walking and cycling holidays through France, Spain, Italy Portugal, Central Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, all of which have been designed to allow travellers to get deep under the skin of the places they are visiting, taking them to spots they’d likely miss if they were travelling by car or tour bus.

“By walking and cycling through the countryside at their own pace, travellers are able to experience more about the people, customs, history, culture and natural beauty of the places they visit than they ever could on an ordinary holiday,” says Melissa Harris, Marketing Manager at Adventure World.

“Staying in hand-picked, high quality family-run hotels which include historic castles, grand manor houses and working farms and with a strong focus on sampling the finest regional cuisine and wines, Headwater tours are ideal for those who want to immerse themselves in an authentic and truly rewarding travel experience.”

Adding to their already extensive portfolio of walking, cycling and gastronomic breaks, Adventure World has just released five new walking and cycling itineraries from Headwater for 2012, all of which are showcased in the company’s new “Walking & Cycling by Headwater” brochure.

New for soft-adventure loving travellers looking to explore the delights of France is Headwater’s 9 day Vineyards of Vezelay Way independent walking holiday, priced from $2393*. Starting in Auxerre - one of France’s prettiest riverside cities - and staying in boutique accommodation including a grand manor house overlooking Vezelay’s magnificent basilica - this gentle paced ramble takes travellers through picture postcard Burgundy – across towpaths, river valleys and wheat fields alive with vibrant red poppies – as they head via wine capital Chablis to the mediaeval town of Vezelay, the jewel in the Burgundian crown.

In Italy – the perfect country to explore by foot or bike – Headwater has added the Heart of Sardinia guided walking tour (priced from $2417*) into the fray. Delving deep into Sardinia’s heart, the 8 day tour travels from the wild, beautiful Barbagia region down to the stunning coastline of the Gulf of Orosei, offering a wonderful smorgasbord of scenery such as deserted white beaches, stunning turquoise seas, lush river valleys, traditional white-washed villages, tranquil valleys and pretty fishing ports – all of which are just aching to be explored.

For those who prefer to travel via the seat of a cycle rather than their feet, Headwater has released three new cycling tours, with the company’s Porto to Coimbra Cycling tour - which travels along the undiscovered coastline of Western Portugal - among those debuting.

Starting in Porto (ranked by Lonely Planet as one of the Top Ten places to visit in 2012 )- renowned for its colourful, shuttered townhouses and rabelo sailing boats - the tour travels along an almost perfectly flat coastal route, with highlights including exploring vibrant country markets, marvelling at the stretches of sand dunes, salt flats and lagoons replete with colourful birdlife such as pink flamingos,  and exploring alleyways filled with temping restaurants. Ending in Coimbra, Portugal’s capital in the Middle Ages and now a university city filled with cobbled alleyways, markets and aqueducts, gardens and fountains, and staying in a range of properties including a luxury beach and spa hotel in Furadouro, this 8 day tour is priced from $2833*.

New for travellers keen to discover Austria is the 9 day Swiss Lakes hotel-to-hotel independent cycling tour, priced from $3406*.

Perfect for families and first time cyclists, this tour journeys through the beautifully flat, unspoilt and enticing Swiss Jura region, where ancient Roman ruins go hand in hand with nature reserves, vineyards and waterfalls - all scattered like chaff across a patchwork countryside served by an intricate network of dedicated cycling paths. Families will enjoy stopping for cool swims in sparkling Swiss lakes and ice-creams in postcard perfect villages, while culture lovers will revel in highlights like the Roman amphitheatre in Avenches and the swarms of castles, museums, frescoed mediaeval squares and majestic chateaux dotted along the route.

Also new for 2012 is the Highlights of Gozo Cycling tour, which is ideal for those looking to get a taste of the Med with a difference.
 

Staying in incredible 4 and 5 star accommodation (including the romantically secluded Ta’Cenc where travellers can dine under a 400 year old carob tree), this gentle paced 7 day tour takes in the tiny and relaxed Mediterranean island of Gozo (little sister to nearby Malta), with each day offering up a montage of ancient archaeological treasures, sparkling coastal vistas and honey-hued hilltop hamlets, perfectly explored on two wheels.
 

As well as showcasing Headwater’s new selection of products, Adventure World’s new 94 page “Walking & Cycling by Headwater” brochure also features Headwater’s most popular packages, including the 8 day Provence Coastal Walk, priced from $3669*; the 8 day Amalfi Coast Walk, priced from $3227*; the 9 day Villas & Vineyards independent cycling tour, which travels across the beautiful Venetian countryside and is priced from $2466*, and the Vistas of Valencia guided walking tour, priced from $2154* for 8 days, which offers superbly contrasting walking, majestic mountain scenery and panoramic views around each and every turn.