The Country Blog

Wild Poppies, Wiltshire by Alison Howell

Visit England, the UK tourism organisation responsible for promoting England, have launched a new report to help businesses talk openly and confidently about sustainable issues, called Keep it Real.

Aimed at tourism companies who are working hard to achieve sustainable objectives, but are unsure on how to communicate the work they are doing,  the guide gives practical advice and tips.

Foot Trails are thrilled to be one of a handful of top UK travel and tourism companies,  chosen to be included in the report, with our website being highlighted as a piece of communication which conveys our beliefs on working in support of rural communities and being senstive to rural areas, to our guests.

You can read the report here, Foot Trails are on page 28

http://nowemagine.viewpages.net/?id=VisitEngland_KeepItReal

David out on the trail with the family

It is my huge delight to share with you the news that Foot Trails has been honoured with a presigious national award for its work in rural action and corporate responsibility.

The Big Tick for Rural Action is a very difficult award to achieve, and has been awarded to Foot Trails out of hundreds of national entries. The award, given by Business in the Community, acknowledges the work that Foot Trails has achieved for rural England, by ensuring social and environmental factors are intergrated into the key business model. As many of you will know, rural England is what inspires us and our walking holidays, and our belief is that we should ensure we work in a way that benefits and supports rural communities.

Business in the Community are an organistaion who celebrate 25 years with Prince Charles as their president this year. Business in the Community mobilise business for good, providing frameworks and support for business.

Business in the Community chairman Stephen Howard said that customers want more reassurance that the products and services they are buying are responsibly produced, sourced and sold.

I feel there is more Foot Trails can do and we will continue to develop our work in rural action and sustainable tourism.  We are very honoured to be one of a small cadre of UK businesses to receive the award. David was presented with it at a summer garden party in Leigh Court, Bristol, where he swapped his walking boots for a very snazzy summer suit and shoes, and received the award from Jonathan Porritt.

Foot Trails David goes summery

What a lovely thing to be saying to you, that we are going all summery – and we are! The birds are singing nineteen to the dozen, lawnmowers are humming, tractors are chugging and the sun is out.

June is a special month. The peak of spring is still with us, the last of the Bluebells and Wild Garlic, blossoms and spring blooms are joined by bright pink Calendine, Orchids on the chalk downlands and a spectacular greening and fleshing up in the countryside.

To celebrate summer, Foot Trails is launching its brand new summer mini website today. www.foottrails.co.uk/summer_home.html This is THE  place to go if you after some summer inspiration for your walking holiday. There’s a new gallery full of pictures which David and I have taken, a guide to our top three picks for summer Foot Trails, news of our chilled wine offer, trails for picnics,  and much more besides. What do you love most about summer?

Speak soon, Alison

Dorset cottage gate

We love to receive your emails and cards. A few lines or a longer note, it’s great to read about the ways you feel about your holiday. Every now and then we receive more lengthy letters. When it transpires that a trip to the country with Foot Trails has inspired a house move, even provided the impotus to retire or change jobs. Sometimes we know that the holiday has helped you get over a difficult time, or celebrate a special occasion. We’ve seen quite a number of Foot Trail honeymoons now.

We have recieved poems too, beautifully written and we enjoy very much the photos taken on the way.

Please keep sending them to us – we read every note, card and letter and always talk over suggestions and feedback.      Alison

Walk through beautiful English Bluebells

Save £40 per person – late availability is rare on our guided walking weekends, but due to cancellation we have a few places available on the relaxing and intoxicating Bluebell Trail in South Wiltshire on Friday 07 May.

Join us for this 2 night guided walking holiday, and stay in a gorgeous luxury boutique country hotel. By day you’ll explore wild English bluebell woods, unspoilt medieval villages, and walk past thatched cottages and peaceful countryside. Stop on the way for Foot Trails famous elvenesses, hot tea (or coffee) and delicious cookies, before lunch at a country pub.

Return refreshed and relaxed for a yummy dinner in great company. Book now and save £40 per person, price reduced from £340 person half board to £299 per person, (based on 2 sharing, solo supplement applies) but hurry, places won’t be around long! See you May 7th.

Wild English bluebells

Hello, the Bluebells are flowering and blooming. Hurrah! I cannot wait. All that talk of them being late due to the hard winter have proved not to be so.

David was out with a lovely group of our guided guests over the weekend in Wiltshire, and reported that they are in fact flowering now, and will be perfect, just in time for our guided Bluebell walking weekend on 07 May. There are often stories in the press these days about late flowering or early flowering plants. However  in my experience nature often evens itself out and corrects itself. An amazing ability.

The last few weeks of early spring sunshine has certainly helped to develop the flowers and encourage them out, and they are now flowering at the time we would expect, end of April/ early May.

So if you fancy  tip-toeing through the wild Bluebells this year (surely one of the most magnificent spring sights) and enjoying the peaceful and  beautiful south Wiltshire countryside, we’d love to see you on 07 May when we shall be hosting a special guided Bluebell weekend in south Wiltshire. There are still a few places available on the weekend.  Phone 01747 820 626 or email via the website for a mini brochure and further details.

Spring leaves

I always smile when I read articles or catch marketing on spring.

Perhaps one of the most keenly awaited seasons in the English calendar, it’s event is often heralded as a one off instant event – spring is here! In reality of course spring does not suddenly burst forth in a single moment, it gently creeps and emerges from its sleep, beginning with the sunny yellow Daffodils and followed by a sequence of buds, leaves and flowers. The overall effect grows in intensity over the weeks, each seperate event bringing something special to the season.  This is the magic of spring. And I think an English spring is one of the most beautiful sights in the world, and a gorgeous time to walk.

Relaxing by the river

8 Fabulous new British walking holidays have been launched by rural England specialist, Alison Howell’s Foot Trails.

Designed to showcase the best of rural South West England the walking trails feature a mix of local food producers, unspoilt villages, historical sites, country pubs and breath-taking scenery.

Accommodation with creature comforts is available in award winning English country inns and small country hotels.

The new holidays feature both guided and independent trails and include the Dorset Jurassic Coast, Truly Madly Deeply Dorset, Knights Medieval Castle in south Wiltshire and There and Back Again inn to inn on the Wiltshire and Dorset Borders. Prices start from £180 per person for a 2 night holiday.

Alison Howell’s Foot Trails are an award winning rural travel company established by farmer’s daughter and rural entrepreneur Alison Howell. The company holds 6 awards for its excellence in delivering outstanding walking holidays including the Big Tick for rural action and a gold South West Tourism Excellence award.