3 Jan 2015

Walking holidays

From The Weekend , 11:07 am on 3 January 2015

Robert Macfarlane on the Broomway
Robert Macfarlane on the Broomway. Photo: David Quentin.

Going on holiday can mean cramming in so much that you dash from one tourist hotspot to another, without really getting a feeling for the country you’re in. Going on a walking holiday gives you time to explore the scenery, breathe the air, meet local people and keep fit. 

British travel writer and academic Robert Macfarlane has written many books about his walks along the lesser known highways and byways of not only the UK but other parts of the world. His latest is called The Old Ways published by Hamish Hamilton.

William Helmreich (right) is also an avid walker and writer, but his turf is New York City and he’s walked more than 6,000 miles of its streets and avenues for his book The New York Nobody Knows (Princeton). He talks about the characters he’s met, how he walks through notoriously dangerous parts of the city, and what’s he’s learned along the way.

Aucklander Gitti Harré has been going on walking holidays for years and is currently saving leave for her next walking trip to the Balkan Sea and a 600 kilometre excursion. She has tips for would be holiday walkers.

Gallery: Walking holidays