Spring for via ferrata, Lake Garda, Italy
Spring in the north of Lake Garda is an adventure paradise. I’ve been there several times and enjoyed the via ferratas: iron cables attached to scrambling routes, which require fitness and a sense of adventure, but no technical mountaineering skills (safety equipment required). The views are amazing and varied, from gorges and ridges to grassy peaks and, for the daring, huge vertical ladders – with castles, bastions and shrines along the way. It is also a great area to rent a bike or choose one of the many apartments that come with it, to explore the trails and view the lakes and mountains by stairs. Are you tired of all that? There is also paddle boarding, windsurfing, swimming and river boat trips. All accompanied by brilliant food and gelato.
David Thomas
Spectacular by boat or bike, Lake District
I enjoyed many perfect activity breaks around beautiful Keswick. Paddleboarding, kayaking and sailing on both Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake are fantastic – although you should always be aware of the boating bans put in place to protect breeding birds. Once we have enough water, we rent mountain bikes and enjoy various trails in Whinlatter Forest. The 26-mile Back o’Skiddaw trail is a true wilderness ride. Walkers are spoiled for choice: my favorites are the nine-mile Coledale Horseshoe and the climb to Blencathra via Sharp Edge to get your heart pumping. The solitude and spectacular scenery make Dock Tarn, a few miles south of Derwentwater, perfect for a wild dip.
Katharine
High level hiking in the Pyrenees, Andorra
The Coronallacs Trail offers fantastic hut-to-hut walks in the Pyrenees. Comprised of five stages, the course covers 57 challenging but hugely rewarding kilometers (92km), passing remote mountain lakes and breathtaking vistas, reaching a peak of 2,900 meters above sea level. The route connects all four of Andorra’s staffed mountain huts, offering accommodation and food, so you can pack light. At 22 kilometers long, the fourth stage is the longest and toughest and ends in a refuge on Andorra’s highest mountain, Coma Pedrosa. Four-night half-board packages in the cabins can be found for around £180pp (€219.72) on stadesport.com.
Jasper
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Exotic plants and winding paths, La Gomera, Canary Islands
La Gomera on the Canary Islands is a walker’s paradise. There is exciting mountain scenery, beautiful marked trails, mild weather all year round and everywhere is so unspoilt and peaceful, without too many people. Sometimes it is as if you are walking along a winding path through an ornamental garden, with special plants at your feet but with a spectacular view of the mountains all around. The island also has an excellent road network, allowing you to shorten walks by taking taxis or buses at the start or finish. However, you still feel far away from everything. I traveled with On Foot Holidays on a self-guided route with excellent app and luggage transfer.
Paul Kirkwood
On wheels in Wales and looking for warblers
West Pembrokeshire is known for its steep cliffs and turquoise waters that rise and fall in secluded coves. But if you get on two wheels on a spring day, you can enjoy an entire field guide to backcountry wildlife. Traffic-free asphalt and irregular climbs make this an achievable destination for cyclists of all experience and levels. The gorse hedges in spring are as yellow as the cross on the flag of St. David. Do not hurry. Stop regularly and be rewarded by the first swallows and warblers arriving from Africa. Step carefully onto the sun-warmed ground where lizards and vipers bask. At the end of your ride you can relax in one of the quiet, independent tea rooms.
Matthew Page
A river trekking adventure, France
My family and I went river tracing (also river trekking) in Les Gorges du Toulourenc in the Drôme in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, 40 kilometers east of Orange. It is a wonderful place to embrace physical activity and the beauty of nature at the same time. The color of the water – which is often around calf height, but in some places reaches above the waist – is an ethereal turquoise. With a bit of rock scrambling and swimming through deeper water there’s enough challenge to feel like you’re on a real adventure, but you can also just sit quietly at the water’s edge and admire the rocks that lead to the sky and to the rare Bonelli’s eagles soar high above.
Jenny Ross
The air is as sweet as wine in Portugal’s Douro Valley
There’s no better place for a burst of spring energy and activity than the Douro Valley. In mid-March the air is as sweet as the wine and golden grapes, making it perfect for walking or cycling holidays. It’s also quite flat, as we discovered last year, making it accessible to the very old (in my case) and the very young (in the case of my grandchildren). It’s easy to reach by train from Porto, and you can rent bikes for €20 a day or just walk. Swimming in the river – from one side to the other – is also fun. Make sure you visit Aveiro, ideally by boat, to see the colorful houses, cafes and streets.
Gayle
Our activity dreams came true in the Alps
Before working with children, we went to the French Alps for a multi-activity holiday with Responsible Travel (from £700pp excluding travel), sleeping in an off-grid yurt with a pick-and-mix menu of activities. We opted for via ferrata, gorge walking, mountain biking and – a dream come true – paragliding! All activities were easy to book. Cooking facilities were available on the farm; we also tried local food markets and restaurants. We’ll be back for more once our little people are old enough to jump into cold rivers.
Charlotte
On the quiet route from Amsterdam to Brussels
I booked a leisurely six-day cycling holiday from Amsterdam to Brussels with Dutch Bike Tours (€889 pp for two people, including breakfast), after taking the Eurostar to Amsterdam and then back from Brussels. It was a beautiful, serene bike ride that would be suitable for families, although I did it alone. Dutch Bike Tours took care of my luggage and booked hotels, so I could explore the peaceful countryside and picturesque towns like Gouda, Bergen op Zoom and Leuven at a pace of my choosing. The route is led through a series of numbered ‘junctions’ and shows what cycling in Britain could be like.
David Bryce
Winning tip: my reservoir cycle in the Peak District
We enjoyed a traffic-free cycling holiday in the beautiful town of Bakewell in the Peak District. We warmed up on the flat, family-friendly 8.5-mile Monsal Trail, which passed through spectacular limestone valleys and over the amazing Headstone Viaduct. The Upper Derwent Valley circular route (15 miles) around the Derwent, Ladybower and Howden reservoirs was a longer challenge, with beautiful views everywhere. Slippery Stones, just beyond the northern end of Howden Reservoir, proved to be the perfect lunch stop halfway through. We ended our journey on the High Peak and Tissington trails, which offered easy cycling with far-reaching rural views. Afternoon tea in Hartington’s farm shop and cafe ended a fantastic break.
Hossein
Use the comments to tell us about your own favorite spring adventure vacations