Walking Grades Explained

It is important that you choose a level of walking that suits your ability as it is fundamental to your enjoyment of the holiday. At Ramblers Worldwide Holidays our grading system indicates the pace and terrain you should expect on your chosen tour or skiing and winter activity holiday plus the personal fitness required, so that you can be sure it’s right for you. See below:

NEW! 2x WALKS, 2x LEADERS, 2x GRADES

For the first time we are now offering two walks each day at several of our centres. Here you'll have the choice of an easier or harder walk each day. Sometimes the walks on offer will be similar - one taken at a slower pace than the other. On other days the walks will be quite distinct. Maybe you would like to have a go at a harder grade one day, maybe you like to take some time out occasionally with an easier walk. We believe this flexibility will appeal to many of you and look forward to your feedback.

Upper Inn Valley, Austria D+/FL, D+, C

Walking from Iseo D/FL, D, D+

Klosters D+, C

Walking in the Mountains of Tuscany D, D+/C

Puerto de Soller D, C

Francavilla in Sicily D+, C

Madeira - Mountains & Levadas D+, C

Las Alpujarras D, D+/C

Tirolean Summer D/D+, C/C+

For safety reasons the minimum number on any walk will be four, plus leader.

Our walking grades explained

SS (Sightseeing) Grade Holidays 

A sightseeing holiday with some days walking at the grade indicated.  They are, in general, of a leisurely nature, but where the grade and symbol are reversed, the emphasis is more on walking.  For example D/ would mean a D grade holiday with a small amount of sightseeing. We recommend walking boots with good ankle support, moulded soles and waterproof, breathable uppers for the walking element of these holidays.

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E Grade Holidays -Terrain Easy 

These holidays suit people who wish to enjoy the hills and mountains but without too much strenuous activity and at a slower pace.  Expect three hours’ walking on several days, with a maximum of approximately five hours’ walking on any one day.  The remaining time is spent relaxing or sightseeing – your individual holiday description will be able to tell you more. We recommend walking boots with good ankle support, moulded soles and waterproof, breathable uppers for these holidays.

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D Grade Holidays - Terrain moderate 

There will be some reasonably energetic days walking on hills rather than mountains, but not too strenuous (although some paths may be rough).  Your average daily walking will be less the five hours and you will get some free days to explore alone if you wish.  We recommend walking boots with good ankle support, moulded soles and waterproof, breathable uppers for these holidays.

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D+ Grade Holidays - Terrain moderate 

Expect energetic days among hills and easy mountain walking.  Daily walking time will rarely exceed six hours, with some ‘easy’ or ‘rest’ days.  We advise that walking boots with good ankle support, moulded soles and waterproof, breathable uppers are essential for these holidays.

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*Please note on holidays with mixed grades, for instance D+/C, on some days we walk at D+ grade and some days at C grade. Generally speaking the easier grade walks would be at the beginning of the holiday so you can build up fitness over the week and tackle the higher grade walks later on.

C Grade Holidays - Terrain moderate to hard 

Your daily walking time will be about six hours but there will be some opportunities for rest days.  We advise that walking boots with good ankle support, moulded soles and waterproof, breathable uppers are essential for these holidays and mandatory for safety and insurance reasons.

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C+ Grade Holidays - Terrain hard 

The itinerary includes strenuous days, offering excitement and challenge, with up to seven hours walking and occasional scrambling, with some opportunities for rest days.  We advise that walking boots with good ankle support, moulded soles and waterproof, breathable uppers are essential for these holidays and mandatory for safety and insurance reasons. Fixed wires (Via Ferrata) may be encountered on some routes.

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B Grade Holidays - Terrain hard to severe 

Hard walking and scrambling, up to an average of eight hours daily.    Please note from holiday descriptions, the altitudes that are likely to be reached.  We advise that walking boots with good ankle support, moulded soles and waterproof, breathable uppers are essential for these holidays, as is previous experience of hard mountain walking. Fixed wires and routes through snow are likely to be encountered.  A good head for heights is also necessary.

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Skiing & Winter Activity Holidays

XC      Cross Country

Ideal for the first-time skier, or for the skier who has already had some experience but prefers a leisurely holiday, and wishes to continue at a gentle pace. A local instructor will conduct the first morning’s tuition in the basics of the cross-country skiing, this is included in the price of your holiday. This will give new comers and returning skiers a decent grounding.

All skiing is along machine-prepared tracks or loipen and done under the watchful eye of your leader who, after your first morning’s professional tuition, will help you to learn and develop the gliding technique of the sport. Whilst the first few days will be mainly on flattish terrain to familiarise you with the skis and the basics of moving about, as the holiday progresses and your skill and confidence improve, the leader will show you techniques for climbing, cornering and controlling speed on descents. Please note, however, that we are not a ski school but additional lessons in cross-country skiing can be booked locally, should you prefer more formalised instruction.

Read more about our cross-country skiing holidays >

DH     Down Hill

For experienced downhill skiers, see the downhill skiing description  for more information. No tuition included.

Read more about our downhill skiing holidays >

Snowshoeing 

These holidays have been graded at D+ - if you enjoy our walking holidays at D+ you should enjoy this level of snowshoeing. Whilst the ascents and descents are comparable to those on a D+ walk, and the time spent in the mountains should be pretty much the same, snowshoeing is a slower way of enjoying the mountains than summer walking. The distances covered, are therefore, significantly shorter than on a D+ walking programme. The technique of snowshoeing itself is not difficult and can be mastered by most people very quickly.

Read more about our Snowshoeing holidays >