Springtime for via ferrata, Lake Garda, Italy
Spring in northern Lake Garda is an adventure paradise. I’ve been several times and enjoyed the via ferratas: iron cables fixed to scrambling routes, which require fitness and sense of adventure but not technical mountaineering skills (safety equipment required). The views are amazing and varied, from gorges and ledges to grassy mountaintop finishes and, for the bold, huge vertical ladders – with castles, bastions and shrines along the route. It’s a great area, too, for hiring a bike or picking one of the many apartments that include them, to explore the paths and see the lakes and mountains by pedal power. Bored with all that? There’s also paddleboarding, windsurfing, swimming and river boat trips. All accompanied by brilliant food and gelato.
David Thomas
Spectacular by boat or bike, Lake District
I’ve enjoyed many perfect activity breaks around beautiful Keswick. Paddleboarding, kayaking and sailing on both Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake are glorious – although you always have to be mindful of the no-boating zones set up to protect breeding birds. Once we have enough of the water we hire mountain bikes and enjoy various trails in Whinlatter Forest. The 16-mile Back o’ Skiddaw route is a real wilderness ride. Hikers are spoilt for choice: my favourites include the nine-mile Coledale Horseshoe and the climb up Blencathra via Sharp Edge to get your pulse racing. The solitude and spectacular scenery make Dock Tarn, a few miles south of Derwentwater, perfect for a wild swim.
Katharine
High-level hiking in the Pyrenees, Andorra
The Coronallacs Trail offers fantastic hut-to-hut hiking in the Pyrenees. The trail consists of five stages and covers 57 challenging but immensely rewarding miles (92km) passing remote mountain lakes and stunning vistas, reaching a high point of 2,900 metres above sea level. The route links all four of Andorra’s staffed mountain refuges, which provide accommodation and food, allowing you to pack light. At 14 miles the fourth stage is the longest and the hardest, ending in a refuge on Andorra’s highest mountain, Coma Pedrosa. Packages offering four nights’ half-board accommodation at the huts can be found for about £180pp (€219.72) at stadesport.com.
Jasper
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Exotic plants and winding paths, La Gomera, Canary Islands
La Gomera in the Canary Islands is hikers’ heaven. There’s thrilling mountain scenery, superb waymarked trails, mild weather all year round and everywhere is so pristine and peaceful, without too many people. At times it’s like walking on a winding path through an ornamental garden, with unusual plants at your feet but with spectacular mountain views all around. The island also has an excellent road network, which means you can abbreviate walks by taking taxis or buses at the start or finish. You still feel away from it all, though. I travelled with On Foot Holidays on a self-guided route with outstanding app and luggage transfer.
Paul Kirkwood
On wheels in Wales and looking out for warblers
West Pembrokeshire is famed for plunging cliffs and turquoise water rising and falling in remote coves. But take to two wheels on a spring day and you can enjoy a whole field guide of inland wildlife. Traffic-free tarmac and infrequent climbs make this a viable destination for cyclists of all experience and abilities. The gorse hedges are as yellow as the cross on St David’s flag in spring. Don’t rush. Stop frequently to be rewarded by the first swallows and warblers arriving from Africa. Step carefully on sun-warmed ground where lizards and adders bask. As your ride concludes, recuperate in one of the uncrowded independent tearooms.
Matthew Page
A river trekking adventure, France
My family and I went river tracing (also river trekking) in Les Gorges du Toulourenc in Drôme in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, 25 miles east of Orange. It is a wonderful place to embrace physical activity and the beauty of nature simultaneously. The colour of the water – which is often around calf level, but goes up to above the waist in places – is an ethereal turquoise. With a bit of scrambling on rocks and swimming through deeper water there is enough challenge to feel like you’re on a proper adventure, but you can also just sit quietly on the water’s edge to take in the rocks leading up to sky and watch the rare Bonelli’s eagles soaring high above.
Jenny Ross
The air is as sweet as wine in Portugal’s Douro Valley
There is no better place for a burst of spring energy and activity than the Douro Valley. The air is as sweet as the wine and the golden grapes by mid March – making it perfect for walking or cycling breaks. It’s also pretty flat, as we discovered last year, making it accessible for the very old (in my case) and the very young (in my grandchildren’s case). It’s easily reached by train from Porto, and you can hire 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 check out its colourful houses cafes and streets.
Gayle
Our activity dreams came true in the Alps
Before life with children, we headed to the French Alps for a multi-activity break with Responsible Travel (from £700pp excluding travel), sleeping in an off-grid yurt with a pick-and-mix menu of activities. We chose via ferrata, gorge walking, mountain biking and – a dream come true – paragliding! All the activities were easy to book. Cooking facilities were available on the farm; we also tried out local food markets and restaurants. We’ll be heading back for more as soon as our small people are old enough to jump into cold rivers.
Charlotte
On the quiet route from Amsterdam to Brussels
I booked a gentle six-day cycling holiday from Amsterdam to Brussels with Dutch Bike Tours (€889pp for two sharing, including breakfast), after taking the Eurostar to Amsterdam and then back from Brussels. It was a lovely, serene cycle trip that would be suitable for families, though I did it solo. Dutch Bike Tours took care of my luggage and booked hotels, leaving me to take in the quiet countryside and picturesque towns such as Gouda, Bergen op Zoom and Louvain at a pace of my choosing. The route is guided by a series of numbered “junctions” and shows what cycling in the UK could be like.
David Bryce
Winning tip: my reservoir cycle in the Peak District
We enjoyed a traffic-free cycle holiday based in the beautiful Peak District town of Bakewell. We warmed up on the flat, family-friendly 8.5-mile Monsal Trail, passing through spectacular limestone dales and over the amazing Headstone Viaduct. The Upper Derwent Valley circular route (15 miles) around Derwent, Ladybower and Howden reservoirs was a longer challenge, with beautiful views throughout. Slippery Stones, just beyond the northern end of Howden reservoir, proved the perfect lunch stop halfway round. We finished our trip on the High Peak and Tissington trails, which offered easy cycling with far-reaching rural views. Afternoon tea at Hartington farm shop and cafe ended a fantastic break.
Hossein
Please use the comments to tell us about your own favourite spring adventure breaks
