• All Availability
• UK Guided Walking
• Europe Guided Walking
• Singles Walking
• Strolling/ Exploring
• Groups

Secret Hills Walking Strolling and Exploring holidays are designed for those who are still active enough to continue their walking, still want to explore, learn and enjoy the wonderful heritage and culture of the places we visit.  Strolling is mainly without much climbing or descending, not always completely flat, but no real strenuous sections - about 3.5/4 miles a day, in the mornings.  After lunch, we travel to view some historical place - or  beautiful gardens - dependent on the theme of the holiday.  We believe also that your Strolling holiday should be supported by excellent hotels and lovely food - nothing like a good deal of comfort after an exciting days activities.

We offer a strolling/ambling option, combined with exploring the country you are visiting .

Why go Strolling and Exploring?

• Culture and history
• Strolling in magnificent scenery
• Personal attention at all times
• Superb hotels/food

We stay in good hotels, all rooms with their own facilities, and generally half board.  In Britain we operate a no single supplement policy and our pricing includes evening dinners and lunches, all the transport we use on each holiday, all our personalized guiding services.  In Europe, there will be a single supplement, and you pay for your lunches, but the overall price quoted DOES include flights and transfers.

We organize UK Strolling holidays in The Shropshire Hills (based in Church Stretton), The Derbyshire Dales (based in Hartington) and historic Ironbridge (where excellent walking is combined with the history of the birth of our Industrial Revolution).

In Europe, we organize Strolling holidays on The garden island of Madeira, alpine Slovenia, in Majorca’s lovely mountain scenery and the magnificent historical island of Gozo.

All are superb, with the Secret Hills philosophy of personal attention, small groups, lovely hotels and good food at its heart.

Let us take the strain - just relax, enjoy good company and being looked after well.

Your leaders

Alan Garner and Chris Bland, supported by other leaders from each area or country, lead the walks.  They then take you off to visit an historical site, or garden in the afternoon.

Local leaders have a wealth of knowledge second to none.  We pride ourselves on the research we have done to stimulate your exploring minds.

Strolling in the Shropshire Hills

Four nights and three days, at the three star Longmynd hotel, set in the hillside overlooking the Stretton Vale in the lovely Shropshire market town of Church Stretton.  We have four themes - Secret Gardens in Spring, Historic Shropshire, Castles, hill forts and Churches and Shropshire’s Historic Market Towns.

The Ironbridge Gorge - Our heritage deep in Shropshire country side

Britain became a major industrial power in the 1700’s.  The process of making iron, and of developing its uses are at the heart of this still thriving valley.  We stroll amongst the historical past, through lovely stream valleys, and ancient woods on this holiday.

Central to the holiday is visiting the museums and memorabilia of those past times.  The Victorian Town of Blists Hill, Coalport’s China site, the Coalbrookdale iron foundries are just some of the past we visit.  It’s a magnificent reminder of what our ancestors were able to achieve.

Strolling in Derbyshire’s beautiful Dales

Glorious dales walking, old railways tracks, lovely moors - all make the Derbyshire Dales just right for Strolling.  Add to this, the majesty of country houses such as Chatsworth, Tissington Hall, Haddon Hall and Eyam Hall and The Dales villages and market towns such as Ashbourne, Tissington, Bakewell, plus and the magnificent stone villages in the White Peak.

We have two programmes for you - Strolling and Derbyshire’s magnificent homes of distinction and Strolling and Derbyshire’s market towns and villages.  We stay at The Charles Cotton Hotel  in Hartington.

Strolling the Garden Island of Madeira

Madeira’s lovely climate entrances the visitor, and its levada paths are just right for excellent Strolling.  This is the island of flowers, of greenery, but also of great historical beauty.  It has been touched by several sea faring nations in its short history, and walking though its leafy and rich countryside simply captivates.

A strollers dream in Glorious Gozo

Gozo, off the coast of Malta is ideal Strolling country - it’s relatively flat, has lots of interesting villages and a historical past to enthrall you. It has a magnificent coast line for walking too, and you are never far from the sea on our walks.  We are never short of historical places to visit in the afternoons, and we travel to Malta as well, to visit the city of Mdina.  We stay in the lovely fishing village of Xlendi, and our hotel - The San Andrea is located overlooking the bay.  Some rooms have balconies looking over the bay - there is a small supplement for this view - and are twin bedded.  There is a small single supplement for those wishing to have sole use of a twin room.

Strolling in Splendid Slovenia

Slovenia -a place to relax amongst alpine scenery - high mountains all around and beautiful lakes and rivers.  This is ideal strolling countryside -round Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj, in the Vintgar Gorge, or in Llubjiana’s lovely historical streets and squares.  There is so much to visit in this alpine wonderland, and we include trips to the capital Llubjliana, the caves at Postnan and the mountain scenery of the Pokluka meadows - a wild flower paradise in spring/early summer.  We stay at The Hotel Tripic, near Lake Bohinj, family owned and run, with large rooms and a superb restaurant.

You matter to us & we promise to provide you with a superb walking & social holiday, tailored specifically to your needs. We provide walking holidays for walkers & as walkers ourselves, we appreciate & understand the requirements of a walking holiday.