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New York Times
4 days ago
- New York Times
An Inn-to-Inn Walk on Scotland's Idyllic East Coast
After days of North Atlantic gloom, the sky was an unblemished blue, and frothy waves crashed on the rocks edging the Fife Coastal Path in eastern Scotland, sending flocks of ruddy turnstones wheeling over farm fields inland. The Fife Coastal Path stretches 117 miles from Kincardine to Newburgh, following basalt shores and linking fishing villages to the golf mecca of St. Andrews. It's a walk for nature lovers, popular with through-hikers and my chosen destination for testing the value of surrendering control. As an independent traveler, I spend hours plotting itineraries. This time, I'd entrusted Macs Adventure, which plans self-guided walking trips, with the details. Macs and companies such as Inntravel and InnWalking handle hotel reservations and route planning in walking trips designed for individuals rather than groups. Luggage transfers between lodgings sweeten the deal, freeing travelers to tote only their day packs. For my test run last fall, I chose a relatively short trip from the Macs portfolio, which is primarily Europe-focused, with a few itineraries in Japan and New Zealand. The four-night itinerary on the Fife Coastal Path, which included lodging, breakfasts, luggage transfers and access to the Macs app, which has a detailed map, starts at $795 a person sharing a double room; as a solo traveler, I paid $965. A reasonable price, I thought, figuring that if I planned it myself, I would have paid only about $165 less. But ceding planning meant accepting someone else's idea of a perfect trip. Could my inner control freak let go? A Good Start I began my trip on a Saturday in Kirkcaldy, a roughly 40-minute train ride from Edinburgh. Macs reserved a room for me at the Strathearn Hotel, a former 1880s villa opposite the coastal remains of the 15th-century Ravenscraig Castle where I would begin walking the next morning. At the hotel pub, I met Graeme Mitchell, the owner of the Strathearn, nursing a Tennent's Lager while his wife, Loraine, pitched in behind the bar on an afternoon busy with birthday and anniversary parties. Few in the packed pub were staying in the 15 rooms upstairs, but many locals offered their advice on my route, including where to have a bowl of soup (Crail Harbour Gallery and Tearoom), visit a farmer's market (Ardross Farm Shop) and find the best fish and chips (the village of Anstruther). Since the Macs itinerary didn't include meals, I relied on substantive hotel breakfasts and trail snacks to see me through each day of walking. The Strathearn set a high bar with its generous offerings — I chose two poached eggs on avocado toast — the next morning. Afterward, I entrusted my backpack to the front desk clerk for the handoff to a taxi that would transfer it to the next hotel, and set out with little more than a water bottle. Caves and Castles Below Ravenscraig Castle at low tide, fingers of seaweed-covered rock extended from a rocky beach into the placid sea, allowing me to set out on the sand for Leven, roughly 10 miles ahead. At times, rising tides would push me onto higher ground where parallel trails were edged with white and purple asters. Towns dot the Fife Coast, providing a continual diet of discovery. It wasn't long before I reached Dysart and its 18th-century stone-walled harbor where skiffs rested in the shallows. Stacks of lobster traps leaned against stone buildings, and the nameplates of boats such as Nauti Buoy, Dubbie Braes and Breadwinner decorated a corrugated metal shelter. With an entire day to travel just 10 miles and no bag to slow me down, I often wandered from the path, ducking into a cafe in West Wemyss for tea and diverting far from the trail for ice cream at the Perfect Scoop in East Wemyss. Back on track, I passed the Wemyss Caves, concealing 1,500-year-old carvings by the ancient Picts people. Above them, I scrambled up a steep path to the ruins of MacDuff's Castle, built by the Earls of Fife in the 14th century, and magnificent sea views. In Leven, the path became a paved sidewalk along the oceanfront, busy with dog walkers and strollers on a cloudy but bright day. Just past the town center, I turned a block inland to reach the Lomond Guest House, where I was welcomed by the innkeeper and reunited with my backpack in a cozy second-floor room. Tired by the five-hour walk, I called a cab to go three miles up the shore for dinner at the Crusoe inn (hake with creamed potatoes was £21.95, or about $29) and a chance to stare out to sea from a stationary spot. Tees and Tides From Leven, the beach path traversed soft dunes and then grassy banks that delivered me to the edge of a golf course. A worn groove across a fairway indicated my course despite a warning sign: 'Extreme care is required if using this access way. You are at risk of being injured by golf balls.' Hands over head, I dashed to the far side of the Lundin Golf Club. Scotland has a tradition of open access to private land for walkers — details can be found in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code — and in the next agricultural stretch signs reminded hikers not to make excessive noise or disturb the animals. One farm posted a picture of an angry bull to deter entry. Gradually the path, uncrowded in the shoulder season, climbed a series of cliffs crowned by the ruins of World War II lookout posts. Descending a hill beside the Elie Golf Course, I helped a player search for his ball on a rocky beach. Another cliff-top view introduced the tidy town of Earlsferry and its neighbor, Elie, linked by nearly a mile of golden sand. Since the Victorian age, travelers have visited the area, known as East Neuk, where picturesque villages are nestled in valleys and quarried jetties quell the churn of the sea. Elie's harbor walls curl around to protect the beach and its dunes, site of the Elie Seaside Sauna, with a picture window framing tranquil views of dune grass. I booked an hourlong session (£12) at the end of the day's walk and found myself in a stifling chamber where the thermometer read 95 Celsius, or 203 Fahrenheit. It was enough to drive me and my seven sauna mates into the North Sea despite chilly waters. Booked at the nearby Ship Inn, a stylish, six-room hotel in a series of waterfront cottages, I put my feet up on the bay window of my oceanfront room and, using supplied binoculars, watched oystercatchers foraging at low tide. The inn's restaurant highlights locally grown, raised and caught food (at dinner, wild mushroom stroganoff was £21.95, and lobster linguine £29.95), another Macs win for ensuring that, after a long hike, I could explore the region's locavore culinary scene without leaving the hotel. A Wild Coast Coastal erosion has pushed the first two miles of the trail leaving Elie to the A917 roadway. But at low tide, I found the beach route open and left town via the coastal ruins of the 1770 Lady's Tower, built for the wife of a local industrialist who, when she wanted to skinny-dip, would have a servant ring a bell warning the townspeople to stay clear. As a pod of dolphins swam past, a bird-watcher offered me a close-up through his high-powered scope. The most scenic stretch of the walk, the 10.5-mile route to Crail, passed the Ardross Farm Shop filled with locally raised foods, intriguing tide pools, flocks of pink-footed geese and the moody 13th-century ruins of Newark Castle. Lobster traps lined the stone wharf of St. Monans, and beyond it a windmill marked the location of former salt pans. I wandered into art galleries in tidy Pittenweem, admiring the whitewashed walls and terra cotta roofs that reflect the town's historic trade with Belgium and the Netherlands. In the next village, Anstruther, I heeded the advice of a Strathearn regular and ordered crispy haddock and chips (£14) at Anstruther Fish Bar facing the harbor. Reluctant to give up the last isolated section of the trail, I lingered over the final four miles as the wind rushed waves onto driftwood-strewed shores. The route eventually reached the walls of Crail that buffered the town from the sea, not far from the homey Honeypot Guesthouse, where I again claimed my bag. The next morning, as I hoisted my eight-pound pack for the bus trip to St. Andrews nearby, I realized Macs had inserted itself into the love-hate relationship I have with luggage, in which I love the wardrobe refresh but hate the weight. Unencumbered, I saw more and ached less, two priceless outcomes. Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2025.
The Guardian
29-07-2025
- The Guardian
Alpine adventures: fairytale hiking in the hidden French Alps
The baguette was fresh from the boulangerie that morning, a perfect fusion of airy lightness and crackled crust. The cheese – a nutty, golden gruyère – we'd bought from Pierre: we hadn't expected to hike past a human, let alone a fromagerie, in the teeny hillside hamlet of Rouet, and it had taken a while to rouse the cheesemaker from within his thick farmhouse walls. But thankfully we'd persevered. Because now we were resting in a valley of pine and pasture with the finest sandwich we'd ever eaten. Just two ingredients. Three, if you counted the mountain air. As lunches go, it was deliciously simple. But then, so was this trip, plainly called 'Hiking in the French Alps' on the website. The name had struck me as so unimaginative I was perversely intrigued; now it seemed that Macs Adventure – organisers of this self-guided walk in the Queyras region – were just being admirably to the point. Yes, Queyras. I hadn't heard of it either. Bordered to the north and east by Italy, barricaded by a phalanx of 3,000-metre peaks, this regional natural park might be the least-discovered – and the Frenchest – corner of the Alps. Queyras only really entered the national consciousness in 1957, after disastrous floods made it briefly headline news. Tourism filtered in. But it remains little known to outsiders, and centuries of undisturbed agriculture and isolation mean its rural character has been preserved. Even now Queyras takes some effort to reach. Either you take the narrow, hair-pinning road through the gorges of the Guil River from Guillestre. Or you drive over the 2,361-metre Col d'Izoard (from Briançon) or the 2,744-metre Col Agnel (from Italy), both of which periodically test the thighs of Tour de France riders, and both of which close over winter, all but cutting Queyras off from the rest of the world. Making the most of Macs Adventure's collaboration with the no-fly specialists Byway, my husband and I travelled as close as we could by train. We overnighted in Paris, whizzed down to south-east France, then chugged more slowly towards Montdauphin-Guillestre, where a Vauban hilltop fort surveils a strategic meeting of valleys. Finally, we boarded the end-of-day school bus, joining children inured to the spectacular views to squeeze up the valley to Ceillac, gateway to the natural park. The plan from here was to spend six days hiking a circular route that promised big, satisfying climbs but no technical terrain (and no shared dorms or privation). Covering up to 12 miles each day – and walking for an average of six hours – we'd use parts of the GR58 (the grande randonnée that circuits Queyras) as well as other trails to roam between traditional villages. We'd eat cheese, gaze over lakes and mountains, and generally revel in a region that, reputedly, has 300 days of sunshine a year and as many species of flowers as it does people (about 2,500 of both). On day one this meant walking from Ceillac to Saint-Véran, over the Col des Estronques (2,651 metres). It was a fine start, under blue September skies – we'd come at the end of the hiking season (the trip runs June to mid-September), when crocuses still fleck the meadows and houseleeks hang on higher up, but the bilberry bushes are beginning to blaze in fall-fiery colours and there's a sense of change in the air. We joined a light stream of other walkers, progressing up the valley via lonely farmsteads and meadows bouncing with crickets. Noisy choughs and a boisterous breeze welcomed us to the pass itself; 100 vertical metres more took us to the lookout of Tête de Jacquette, where we felt like monarchs of this mountain realm. These may not have been the very biggest Alps – few peaks sported any snow – but they rippled every which way, great waves of limestone, dolomite, gabbro and schist. From the col we dropped down through arolla pine and larch to Saint-Véran. At 2,042 metres, it claims to be the highest village in Europe. It's also a snapshot of Alpine life before the modern world seeped in. The oldest house, built in traditional Saint-Véran style, dates to 1641 and is now the Soum Museum; the ground floor, with its half-metre-thick stone walls, is where animals and families would sleep together for warmth. The upper floors, built from tree trunks, were used to keep hay, barley and rye; the grains were made into coarse loaves that would last all winter, baked in the communal oven. That enormous village oven is still fired up a few times a year, for festivals. But I was pleased to be fed at Hotel le Grand Tétras ('Capercaillie') instead. Here, we feasted on gratin d'oreilles d'âne (literally 'donkey's ears', actually a delicious spinach lasagne) and stayed in a simple room with a five-star view to the opposite peaks. Sign up to The Traveller Get travel inspiration, featured trips and local tips for your next break, as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays after newsletter promotion After this, our days settled into a familiar pattern. We'd set off after breakfast to buy picnic supplies. We'd hike up through butterfly-wafted green. We'd cross a pass, go by a lake or reach a panoramic ridge. Then we'd descend through forest or towards an icy river. By evening we'd be ensconced in a pretty village, drinking reasonably priced wine, with a multicourse meal or an indulgent fondue. The air was always fresh, the trails always joyful, the crowds largely thin. 'It's busy here mid-July to mid-September,' said Christophe Delhaise Ramond, the owner of a gîte in Abriès where we stayed one night, as he poured us mélèze (larch) liqueurs while we pored over maps. Then he reconsidered: 'But there are only around 2,000 tourist beds in the park, so it's never that bad.' It's thanks to Christophe that we made a slight detour the following day. As planned, we climbed up to 2,583-metre Lac Grand Laus, a lake so brilliantly blue-green it seemed a bit of the Mediterranean had got lost in the mountains. It was spectacular, but as crowded as we'd seen anywhere in Queyras. So, on Christophe's suggestion, we continued to climb, steeply, up to the Col du Petit Malrif, where tenacious flowers popped through the rocks and the views were immense, reaching to snow-licked peaks. From here, we looped back, via two smaller, but no less Mediterranean, tarns, where there were no other people. At the second we flopped down in the cotton grass and chewed baguettes stuffed with bleu de queyras. We stayed there long after the baguettes were gone, listening to the water burbling in the wind. Finally, we headed on, descending via a rocky cleft. Soon we emerged on a track so swirled by puffs of silken thistledown it was as if we were hiking in Fairyland. But no, we were still just hiking in the French Alps – albeit a particularly magical bit. The trip was provided by Macs Adventure and Byway,; the seven-night self-guided Hiking in the French Alps trip costs from £1,150pp half-board. Transport was provided by Byway, which can book return trains from London to Montdauphin-Guillestre, plus a night in Paris in each direction, from £734pp
Hamilton Spectator
18-07-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
A walking holiday together saw us travelling to Austria for Salzburg's Lake District
We asked Star readers to tell us about trips they have taken and to share their experience and advice: Where: Salzburg Lake District When: May 2025 Trip rating: 4/5 What inspired you to take this trip? Friends for more than 50 years, Kate and I started hiking after early retirement 20 years ago, sometimes with other gal friends and sometimes just the two of us. In 2005, our first adventure was to trek Ontario's Bruce Trail. The rest of Canada and Europe's hiking trails beckoned. After that, through two-week adventures, we could be found on any number of them. Our May 2025 walking holiday saw us travelling to Austria to walk the Salzkammergut, Salzburg's Lake District; but not before we walked the streets of exquisite Vienna and Mozart's Salzburg over a five-day period to enjoy the history, art and music both cities had to offer. Kate and I booked a self-guided, eight-day Salzburg lakes walk with Macs Adventure. The company arranges accommodation, moves luggage and provides a recommended route with an app to download to phones. Our first night saw us in Fuschl am See, with subsequent nights in St. Gilgen, Strobl am Wolfgangsee, the spa town of Bad Ischl and Bad Goisern am Hallstättersee. Our walks took us on river and lake pathways, ascents up forest- and foliage-covered hills, for panoramic views of lakes, and down along pastoral animal scenes, by iconic Austrian architecture, as well as on cable car and ferry rides. What was the best sight? In the lakes region, the waterscape was jaw-dropping, traversing the shores of Wolfgangsee and Hallstätter See. The panoramic mountain peak views at the station stop of the Katrin Cable Car were breathtaking. We enjoyed exploring the quaint villages of Bad Ischl, St. Wolfgang, Strobl and St. Gilgen, as well as a scenic start to one hike in the very picturesque but tourist-filled Hallstatt. In Vienna, the Gustav Klimt exhibit and gardens at Schloss Belvedere, and in Salzburg, the Fortress Hohensalzburg , were highlights. What was your favourite activity? We were on a walking trip, so we appreciated navigating our way from one hotel stop to the next using the Mac app, as well as coordinating with ferry and train schedules. One walk saw us on St. Wolfgang's pilgrimage; another on a part of the BergeSeen Trail. We met friendly people every place we visited, and English was prevalent. We walked another 76.88 kilometres during our time on the Salzburg lake journey to add to our 83 kilometres in the two cities. What was the most delicious thing you ate? Breakfasts were a buffet offering of everything from eggs, meats and smoked fish to cheeses, yogourts and pastries. For dinners, we enjoyed turkey schnitzel, pepper veal meatballs with veggies, watermelon and Caesar salads, lake salmon, apple strudel, and ginger cookies from Wallner's Geschichte in St. Wolfgang, famous for its ginger products, dating back to the 1500s. What was the most memorable thing you learned? On this walking adventure, we saw the political history and grandiose lifestyle of the Habsburg monarchy, its subsequent republics, Austria's involvement in wars, the importance of salt as a currency, the cleanliness of villages and trails, a myriad of well-used cycling trails, and the importance of the traditional dirndl dress and of lederhosen. What is one piece of advice you'd give? Get out there and walk! Prepare well for a hiking holiday; take the appropriate safety, medical and walking gear and boots. Study your journey and the logistics before departure. Leave with an itinerary in your hands. Plan around temperatures and bugs in the season you want to hike. In cities, book your accommodation in the historic centre to make for more interesting exploration. Donna McMillan, Port Dover, Ont. READERS' TIPS We've launched a series that invites Star readers to share places they've visited recently and would recommend, whether it's a weekend getaway in Elora, a Banff canoe trip, or a jaunt to Paris or Rome. If you've been, loved it and want to tell us about it, we'd like to hear from you. Email us with 'TRAVEL TIPS' in the subject line at travel@ . Please include brief responses to these questions. If your holiday experience is chosen, we'll be in touch. 1. Where did you go and when was it? 2. Where did you stay? 3. What was a highlight of your trip? Why? 4. Any travel tips?
Wall Street Journal
14-05-2025
- Wall Street Journal
A Walking Tour Worthy of a Jane Austen Novel
'I prefer walking,' declares Anne Elliot, the heroine of Jane Austen's 'Persuasion.' To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Austen's birth, my husband and I decided to channel her characters' love of country strolls, walking from Oxford to Bath, the resort town where Austen lived from 1801 to 1806. A visit to her house in Chawton we'd save for another trip. To make the same pilgrimage to Bath by train takes just over an hour. By foot, it is eight arduous days. Macs Adventure, a tour planner headquartered in Glasgow, mapped out our 'easy-to-moderate' route, arranged our accommodations and transferred our luggage each day. We felt we could easily average about 13.8 miles a day, even while chatting.
Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Get out and about with our step-by-step National Walking Month beginner's guide
Think better, feel better, sleep better. The benefits of walking are proven and the joy of being in the great outdoors with friends and family or by yourself for some 'me-time' is undeniable. So now you want to do more than boost your daily phone stats and step out on a walking holiday? You are not alone – more and more Brits are choosing to lace up and hit the paths and trails at home and abroad. But where do you start? What gear do you need for something more than a stroll round your local park or woods? We've teamed up with the experts at Glasgow-based self-guided walking holiday brand Macs Adventure to help set you on your way. And there's no better time than now, as May is the UK's National Walking Month – an annual campaign that promotes the physical and mental health benefits of walking. And the nation is blessed with a network of excellent signposted and maintained paths. Step this way for our top tips for first-time walking holidays… Your feet are your friends on a walking holiday – make sure you treat them well. Comfy boots are non-negotiable but they don't have to break the bank. Go for three-season boots with durable, water-resistant materials such as Gore-Tex or leather and make sure the soles have excellent grip for various terrains. Don't wait until your holiday to wear new boots. Break them in with short walks to make sure they're well worn-in and to avoid blisters later. Did you know that the way you lace your boots can make all the difference when tackling different comfort issues? Here are some quick and easy techniques to try... Pick moisture-wicking materials such as merino wool to keep feet dry and snug. Ensure a good fit that complements your boots, avoiding socks that bunch up or rub uncomfortably. Layering is key for unpredictable weather so it's worth packing in layers rather than anything too bulky. You can get a selection of the most interesting, important and fun travel stories sent to your inbox every week by subscribing to the Mirror Travel newsletter. It's completely free and takes minutes to do. Other ESSENTIALS Pack smart and pack safe. Here are some must-have items to include in your rucksack... Download the route before heading off as service can be a bit hit and miss in remote areas. Macs also recommends printing off the documents and guides as a back up. Otherwise, you should consider buying (or borrowing) a GPS handheld satellite tracker. Even the best-planned walking holiday requires some physical preparation and it's worth putting in some effort before you hit the trail. Picking the right trip for your first walking holiday is really important. With self-guided tours you are able to walk at your own pace, take breaks whenever you want, and enjoy the freedom of independent travel without having to wait for anyone else to catch up. Macs Adventure categorises all its trips by difficulty levels, so beginners can start with routes graded Easy or Easy to Moderate. Macs founder Neil Lapping said: 'Walking holidays are in great demand, with more and more people looking to turn a leisurely pastime into a great holiday. 'We have a huge range of itineraries to suit everyone, whether you're looking for a slower, more relaxed trip, or something more challenging. One of the best things about doing it self-guided is there is no rush – you can take a break when you want, linger over a long lunch, or just soak up the views. You get to set your own pace.' Here are a few beginner-friendly options to consider: To book a walking holiday see
