Many parents are looking for less traditional, more active family holidays in England. Some may just want to try something new. That is why we are pleased to offer special services for families, who are coming to us in growing numbers, and finding it a fun experience. Several parents have told us that their Footscape holiday was a wonderful way of spending quality time and bonding with their children.
Sometimes even very young children have had less difficulty walking 8 or more miles a day than their parents. We have therefore dropped the minimum age on our hiking tours to 5.
To walk from one place to another along a trail, whether short or long, can provide children with a huge sense of achievement, as well as a load of surprises along the way. All children, therefore, who have been on one of our scheduled or custom walking holidays in Dorset, are presented with a smart “Certificate of Achievement” at the end of their last day.
Whilst our scheduled walking holidays are the most popular choice for families because of the flexible services that we provide, our independent hiking tours are also very suitable for children. Those that include parts of the Jurassic Coast are of particular interest, because there are several safe and beautiful beaches along its length. So instead of just spending all your holiday time on a beach, why not walk part or all of a Footscape trail, stopping off for a short swim at those beaches that you cannot resist?
Children who enjoy hiking will be happy on any of our self-guided walking tours in Dorset, England. However, here is a list of those that we consider to be especially appropriate for children, the coastal trails being the most popular (have a look at our map to identify key places along the way):
Jurassic Coast – stunning coastal scenery and beaches, flexible walking distances (with our vehicle available all day), child-friendly pubs at midday and award-winning ice-cream.
Jurassic Coast West and Inland Heritage – gorgeous coastal and inland scenery; unspoilt villages. You can choose your average daily walking distance and your number of rest days, if any. Children enjoy the experience of discovering a new place to stay each evening, as well as the sense of accomplishment when they reach the end of the trail.
Since we are based in Dorset and operate exclusively in Dorset, we are able to provide a very personalised and flexible service.
This means that on our scheduled Jurassic Coast walking holiday, the daily walking distances can be shortened at either end, since our vehicle is there to drop off or pick up anybody who does not want to do the full number of miles.
We can even organise alternative activities for a part or the whole of the day, if anybody wishes a break from walking. Such activities can include, amongst many others, visits to various safe beaches, Abbotsbury Swannery (especially in May to July when the baby swans can be seen) and the award-winning Monkey World (all year).
Therefore those parents and children who may have different interests or degrees of fitness can still enjoy a family walking holiday together.
If you would like us to design a custom holiday for your family, based on your particular wishes, then please contact us well in advance, if possible, so that we can fit you into our schedule and find the best possible accommodation.
The weather was fantastic as was the walk... The organisation was superb - everything ran like clockwork... Many thanks for doing this so well. Hope to walk with you again some time soon.”
Tony McShane, England