Algarve Odyssey
The coast, villages and countryside of the Eastern Algarve and then explore the treasures of this most westerly corner of Europe.
The world's more beautiful on foot...
Call us on 01707 331133
Or, email us at [email protected]
Call us on 01707 331133
Or, email us at [email protected]
Nestling between two bays the coast and countryside around St Ives offers some of the best walking in the South West.
From£725
England
Apr
Jun
Jul
Sep
Oct
What does this mean?
Tour codes: 78506
Full and half day walks at a moderate pace over hilly terrain.
Most of these holidays have an element of sightseeing as well.
Half day walks will probably involve about 3 hours of walking, with full day walks having around 5 hours. Expect ascents and descents of up to 600m.
Stamina is the key to these holidays, which will typically be in the Alps or the Dolomites.
There is plenty of ascent and descent over rough and steep ground, so a steady foot and a good head for heights is advisable.
Expect about 800 - 1000m of cumulative ascent and descent each day.
Overview
Take a dip in the turquoise sea, sink your toes in the powdery sands amongst the palm trees and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin while admiring idyllic views. On a holiday in Cornwall, you’ll almost feel as though you’re in the Caribbean.
The coast and countryside surrounding St Ives provide some of the top walking routes in South West Cornwall. The town itself is cushioned amid two large bays where you can watch the world go by, or glimpse surfers battling the rolling waves offshore.
The quirky, narrow and winding cobbled streets of this former fishing village are a joy to stroll around. Peruse old, tightly-packed cottages and meander around the picturesque harbour, before heading to the town’s wealth of small shops, galleries and museums. Home to the Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Museum, this lustrous landscape continues to attract and inspire budding artists with its unique light, beautifully-rugged coastline, secret coves and long stretches of sandy beaches.
Sitting directly on the South West Coast Path, we reside in the Treloyhan Manor Hotel which gives easy access to some of the finest walking in Cornwall. From the beautiful trails located right on your doorstep, immerse yourself in blissful beaches and dramatic cliff tops before exploring the most westerly points of England at Land’s End and the Lizard Peninsula where there’s a chance of spotting seals.
Avid hikers will also trek through inland villages, as well as abandoned mining settlements. This will be followed by a visit to the open air Minack Theatre - perched on the cliff edge, overlooking the sea. Meanwhile, enjoy lush woodland walks covering ancient sites, featuring rows of standing stones.
NO Single Room Supplement - rooms without a supplement are subject to availability.
Click the button below for a detailed Holiday Information Sheet containing all the particulars about this trip.
NOTE: Itineraries and Holiday Information Sheets can vary by a specific date chosen
Itinerary & Travel
Whilst every effort will be made to adhere to the outlined itinerary and advertised programme, local conditions can change due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. This may mean that routes and timings need to be amended or the order of days may change, sometimes at short notice.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we may unfortunately need to withdraw a tour that is currently confirmed to operate and we therefore reserve the right to cancel your booking. We would always do our utmost to give you plenty of notice should we have to do this. Selected elements of this tour, including local attractions and restaurants, may change at late notice. Please ensure you have valid insurance cover before you travel.
Accommodation
Below is the accommodation featured on this holiday across all departure dates. Please refer to the Itinerary for more detail about each night's accommodation for each departure date.
The impressive three-star Treloyhan Manor Hotel sits in sumptuous grounds overlooking the blue waters of Carbis Bay just on the edge of St Ives and within easy walking distance of the centre of town.
Built in 1892 of Cornish granite, the mansion was originally the home of shipping magnate Sir Edward Hain. Today it’s a light, airy hotel with impressive public rooms and comfortable bedrooms. Home cooked dinners are served in the elegant restaurant, and you can have a drink (or a cream tea) in one of the lounges or out on the terrace and then stroll down the coast path right into St Ives. Some of the bedrooms have showers, others baths.
Although the hotel does not have a dedicated bar area, drinks can be purchased from reception or the restaurant for drinking in the comfortable lounges, the outside terrace or over dinner.
Picnic lunches are available from the hotel including a choice of sandwich and a selection of other items from a self service packed lunch 'buffet'.
Free Wi-Fi access is available with good connectivity on the ground floor but patchier in the bedrooms.
Trip Information
This is a two grade holiday with two choices of walks being offered each day, one more challenging than the other. The Grade 4 walks are moderate walks with a moderate amount of ascent and descent. The Grade 7 walks are longer in length and are more challenging with more cumulative ascent and decent.
In addition to the walks we provide, there is a huge variety of walks in the area, both along the coast path and inland, exploring the local landscapes and villages. If you do not want to join us on the walks, you can choose to wander independently around the streets of St Ives, take a trip to the most westerly point of England at Lands End or the most southerly point on the Lizard Point. Alternatively, you could visit small fishing villages such as Mousehole, or one of the many gardens open to the public.
Please note that the three walks where we use the South West Coast Path can, in some places, be very narrow. This tour is not suitable if you suffer from vertigo or dislike drops beside the path as there will not be an alternative route to follow.
Local Transport Costs
All local transport costs in conjunction with the advertised activity programme are included in the holiday cost. There may be occasions where additional visits or excursions are added to enrich your experience, these will be paid for locally by you if you choose to participate. Local transport can be a mix of private hire coaches, taxis, local buses and ferries depending on the itinerary.
Optional Excursions
A range of local excursions and activities may be available to book at your destination through a local operator. We have no involvement in such activities or excursions which are not run, supervised or controlled in any way by us. Your contract will be with the local activity supplier and we accept no responsibility for their actions or omissions.
Holiday Budgeting
When budgeting for your holiday, you will need to consider drinks, any meals not included in the holiday price, non-included entrance fees, optional excursions you may choose to participate in locally and any souvenirs or additional services such as laundry. A general guideline for lunches and drinks is £10-£20 per person per day.
Tipping
Although entirely at your own discretion, tipping is an important aspect of tourism and hospitality life and expectations are fairly high. In order to simplify tipping, we strongly recommend that you allow your leader to take care of making sure tips are given to hotel and restaurant staff and to local guides and drivers. This will be done using some funds provided by us together with, if you wish, a contribution from you, which he/she will collect during the holiday.
Tour Leaders
Your tour leader makes the world of difference to your holiday and ours are as passionate about discovering the world on foot as you are. They're resourceful, organised and widely travelled. They will handle all the local administration and other needs that might arise to ensure that you don't have to worry about planning your days and you can enjoy your holiday. Although leading group holidays, they won't forget that every group is made up of individuals. Each tour leader has their own individual style, talents and professional backgrounds and all are trained, qualified, experienced and dedicated to making your holiday as enjoyable, interesting and inspiring as possible.
Leader's Evening Briefing
Each evening, your tour leader will discuss with you the programme for the following day. This will be your opportunity to discuss the details and ensure the planned activities suit your walking ability. If you have concerns on clothing or equipment, this can be discussed then also. If you do not wish to join the organised group programme, please let the leader know.
To reach St Ives…
By car: At the end of the Hayle Bypass (A30) take the 2nd exit off the roundabout, sign posted (A3074) to St Ives. Continue along the A3074 towards Carbis Bay and St Ives.
As you near the Treloyhan Manor Hotel you will pass Tesco on your left and take the 2nd exit at this roundabout and on your left is the Cornish Arms public house. Carry along the main road for 300 yards and you will see the entrance signposted in blue on the right hand side.
Public transport: the nearest bus and railway station is at St Ives which is less than a mile away. You can order a taxi from the bus or train stations or telephone the hotel who will book one for you. A local taxi company you may wish to phone is Ace Cars (Tel: 01736 797 799). St Ives train station is a branch line. The nearest mainline station is St Erth, 4 miles away. Trains from London, Bristol, Birmingham, the North East and the North West all stop here.
You may also wish to look at the following website for advice on the best way to travel to the hotel: www.rome2rio.com
Route planning to and from St Ives
The AA and RAC both offer free and detailed on-line route planning facilities on their websites which may help you find our hotels. Details can be found at: www.theaa.co.uk and www.rac.co.uk
Meeting your tour leader and fellow walkers: Please check the time of dinner (approximately 6.30pm) on arrival at the hotel and aim to be in the hotel lounge half an hour before dinner for an introduction to your tour leader, an outline of the planned programme for your holiday and the chance to meet your walking companions.
Personal Details Check
To ensure that we can accurately administer your holiday arrangements, please confirm that the personal details we hold for you are up to date and that you have provided the information we need to secure your holiday travel and accommodation arrangements. Please check your passport details, date of birth and any other important details necessary for us to properly manage your holiday booking. You can view and update information already provided, and add details not yet asked for, by using the Manage My Booking facility on our website www.ramblersholidays.co.uk, or by calling our Sales and Reservations team on +44 (0)1707 331133. When you receive your booking confirmation please check the details as soon as possible.
Passport Information for United Kingdom
Any non UK or EU citizens may be subject to passport, identity card or visa requirements to enter the United Kingdom.
Half board en suite accommodation. Breakfast is served at the hotel each morning, and home cooked dinners are served in the elegant restaurant, and you can have a drink (or a cream tea) in one of the lounges or out on the terrace. Picnic lunches are available from the hotel including a choice of sandwich and a selection of other items from a self service packed lunch 'buffet'.
Footwear
Good quality waterproof walking boots with a moulded sole with a deep tread and good ankle support are essential for holidays at grade 7 and above.
General Kit List
Outdoor activities are always safer and more enjoyable if you are prepared.
If you have not travelled with us before the following list might be of use:
This list is not exhaustive and every walker is different and may have their own preference.
Travel Documents Checklist
Documents and Information to take with you:
Water To Go
An alternative to bottled water from single-use sealed water bottles is filtered water from a refillable bottle containing its own water filter such as a Water-to-go bottle available from www.watertogo.eu. Just fill up from any water source and save the environment from disposable plastic bottles.
We have negotiated an exclusive 15% discount with our partners Water-to-Go for you as a thank you for helping the environment. Please go to their website at www.watertogo.eu and enter the code RWH17 when ordering. In addition, Water-to-Go will match the discount with a donation to our charity, Heart & Sole, which will allow us to continue to make a difference in the countries you visit on our holidays.
Maps, Guidebooks & More
Our intended route is covered by the following map:
Ordnance Survey. Outdoor Leisure series (1:25,000): Map no 102: Land’s End
The Map Shop
Maps and guidebooks relating to the areas you will be walking in may be bought before your holiday from The Map Shop at www.themapshop.co.uk
Weather
Visit the following websites for an idea of the climate in your destination:
Health requirements can change at any time. It is your own responsibility to ensure that you inform yourself from a professionally qualified source on, and comply with, such requirements at least 6 to 8 weeks before departure. Advice on vaccinations is available from your GP.
Health Advice for United Kingdom
No compulsory immunisations are required for holidays in the UK although you should be up to date with the usual immunisations recommended for life in Britain. Tetanus immunisation is recommended.
Further Travel Advice
For further advice please visit:
You might wish to take a small bottle of antibacterial hand gel with you for times when you're unable to wash your hands.
Although not compulsory for British and EU citizens resident in the UK, we strongly recommend that you take out travel insurance to cover you in the event of eventualities such as unexpected cancellation, accident or illness before your holiday or the loss of personal possessions.
Visitors who are not British Citizens (or who are not EU citizens resident in the UK), must be adequately insured to join our holidays and will be unable to participate in our local walking and other activity programmes without being able to demonstrate that you have valid travel insurance.
The UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office provides up to date information on security and local laws for travellers, together with current passport and visa information, at www.gov.uk/travelaware. Please take a few minutes to look at the current advice on your planned destination.
Please be aware of what's going on around you, take sensible precautions with your credit cards and passport and avoid displays of wealth such as wearing expensive jewellery or watches. Do not carry more cash on you than you will need for each day, and we recommend that a money belt is used.
Responsible Travel
We're committed to ethical tourism in all our destinations. Our holidays are designed for you to discover the essence of the country you are visiting. Travelling in small groups not only gives you an up close and personal experience of your destination, but minimises your impact on the immediate environment. We feel that the most important starting point to protect the environment is to be out in it. For more details visit our website.
The Ramblers Holidays Charitable Trust
Unlike many tour operators we have our own trust through which RWH Travel’s profits are channelled back into a variety of outdoor, walking-related or environmental conservation projects in the UK. The focus of the Trust’s financial support is Britain’s leading walking charity, The Ramblers, and their role in promoting the benefits and importance of walking to the British public. In addition the Trust welcomes applications for small grants from local organisations in the UK who need support for walking-orientated activities. This includes the establishment of footpaths and bridleways, funding for rebuilding bridges and renovating huts, as well as bursary funding for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for children who could not otherwise afford to do it. Please visit the ‘About Us’ section of our website and click on the Charitable Trust link for more details.
Heart and Sole
We appreciate that we are in a fortunate position to be able to use our profits to help make a difference to people's lives. Heart & Sole is a venture managed by our office staff, whose aim is to reach the heart of the communities in the countries we visit. Through Heart & Sole, we hope to make more of a long term, direct impact to these communities, particularly in less developed countries where even a small amount goes a long way. See our website for more information and details of some of the projects we support.
Mobile Phones
Please do provide us with a mobile phone contact number. We will only use this to contact you with important information relating to your holiday arrangements.
Do keep your mobile phones switched on and readily available when travelling to the airport or if delayed in transit so that we can contact you with any last minute information relating to your travel arrangements.
As a matter of courtesy, please switch off your mobile phone during walks, or endeavour to minimise its use. Please also try to minimise the use of mobile devices during group meals.
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