Foot Trails Story,
launching corporate walking experiences
Alison Howell began Foot Trails in 2002, having spotted a niche in the travel market for walking trips in rural England with creature comforts.
Alison grew up in rural England, the daughter of a farmer and this upbringing helped to spark a passion for rural England, its nature, landscapes, stories, history and unique way of life.
Alison's own career before beginning Foot Trails includes roles in business development, marketing and PR. At 23 she set up and ran the successful marketing department at the Wessex Nuffield hospital in Hampshire, increasing sales and loyalty. This was followed by time in fundraising, PR and business development for two charities, The Children's Society and Wessex Heartbeat.
But it was a 3 month walk from the north to south coast of France which changed everything
Alison lived with the rhythms of nature, getting up when it was light, walking through rural France and its countryside and villages and going to sleep when the light fell.
This experience sparked a passion for "walking" as a way of exploring and discovering the countryside, and returning to the UK Alison felt that walking could be an activity which many people could enjoy, and that it could be relaxing and indulgent, not one which involved knee length socks and heavy backpacks.
Alison was also frustrated by travel experiences which took large groups of huge coaches to tiny rural places, herd them on and off and did little to convey what a place or area was really about.
So Foot Trails began. Firstly with leisure guests, walking for day walks initially, then weekend and now holidays of up to 2 weeks in Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, The Cotswolds, Bath and The New Forest
In 2009 we were asked to organise corporate experiences around a Foot Trail for a pan European team from MARS and Aspen Insurance, a London based insurance company. They were attracted by our unique approach and experiences and also by our commitment to sustainable tourism and rural communities and issues.
Now in 2011 corporate Foot Trails are being launched more widely, and our vision is to engage companies, their teams and staff with rural South West England, through enjoyable paced walking, so that their own development and successes are enhanced.
Foot Trails
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