August Newsletter
from Contours Walking Holidays

Welcome to the August edition of the Contours Walking Holidays newsletter, sharing stories and advice to inspire you to get out on the trails!

We hope that everyone is enjoying their walks at the moment, regardless of the changeable weather, and we are thoroughly enjoying looking through your competition entries; keep them coming! Remember, you could win up to £500 off your next Contours Walking Holiday if you win, so make sure to submit your photos, stories and videos to us before the end of November! Click here to find out more.

This month's newsletter is once again bursting with content, including a review on hiking shorts by Damian Hall and some great advice on what to eat when you’re out walking by Nicky Jacquiery. On top of this we have some exciting new developments from the Contours office and a fantastic offer for you to take advantage of; we hope you enjoy reading and getting involved! Happy walking!

Featured film:

Walking in autumn with Contours Walking Holidays

Walking in autumn is usually an adventure full of beautiful colours, dramatic low lighting and abundant wildlife encounters. What do you love about autumn walking?

With the ‘season of colour’ fast approaching, our friends at Summit Fever Media, along with Contours Contributing Editor Damian Hall, have created this fantastic short film showcasing the highlights of walking during autumn.

Check out the full video here.

Do you have an idea, article or account of your walk that you would like to share? Send an email to newsletter@contours.co.uk to contribute to our newsletter.

New Short Breaks available –
book yours now and get 10% off!

We are excited to launch twelve brand new Taster Breaks into our already enviable range of walking holidays; these are our little 2-3 day walking breaks designed for a quick getaway, and are also perfect if you want to get a feel of a trail before walking the full length version.

Our newest additions include short walks along the South West Coast Path, Severn Way, Cotswold Way, Glyndwr’s Way, Usk Valley Walk, Anglesey Coast Path, Fife Coastal Path and Arran Coastal Path, giving you plenty to enjoy and explore!

We also have a special offer available to anyone wanting to try more than one of our short breaks – book two or more of ANY of our 2-3 day walking breaks in a single transaction, and receive 10% off the cost! Check out our full selection of 2-3 day walking breaks here.

For full terms and conditions, please click here.

What to Eat on your Summer Walks

By Nicky Jacquiery

In my last article I wrote about the importance of staying hydrated when out walking and the dangers associated with not drinking enough. Here I’m going to continue the theme of summer health and look at what to eat in order to stay healthy and get the most out of your walks over the summer months.

If you’re lucky enough to have been out walking on one of the few hot days that we’ve had this summer, you’ll know how energy-sapping walking in the heat can be. Walking, especially a full day’s walk, requires fuel to supply our body with the energy it needs to keep us going. Add heat to the mix and walking suddenly feels much harder than it should. Just as when it’s cold you need to eat to maintain your energy and keep warm, likewise when it’s hot you need to eat to maintain your energy to keep cool. Walking on a hot day inevitably means that you’ll be exposed to direct heat, since you’re unlikely to find a route that is in the shade all day.

Continue reading ...

Reviewed: Hiking shorts

By Damian Hall

Don’t get caught short when walking this summer!

Shorts time can be a nervy time. There’s the embarrassment that the world will see your spindly, hairy, pale legs, but fear not; the sheep and cows really don’t seem to care about all that. In the right conditions, wearing shorts makes hiking a more airy, breathable and comfortable affair. And even if it rains, skin dries out quicker than any material, so shorts are in fact an excellent option for much of the year, not just summer.

Perhaps the trickiest part of buying good hiking shorts at the moment is that it’s fashionable to wear outdoorsy-looking clothes. We all want to look like action men and women, right? So some fashion brands design clobber that looks outdoorsy, but really isn’t; such as sporting thick, heavy material and pockets that aren’t actually pockets, that kind of thing. Confusingly, you get some brands that make things in the middle – that cater for those who want to be a bit outdoorsy, but fashionable too. And even some of the shorts here have elements of that.

Continue reading ...

Featured Posts

Lessons from Haweswater by Beth Pipe

The Coast to Coast route is such a challenge that it’s tempting to plough on through in order to get the job done, but there are some wonderfully interesting places to pause at along the way, like Haweswater for example. It’s one of our favourite spots to visit in the Lake District, and over the years we’ve been lucky enough to learn more about it and enjoy some wonderful experiences there.
Read more...

Previous Newsletter

In last month's newsletter we have some invaluable summer health advice from Nicky Jacquiery, and Beth Pipe returns with her pick of the finest quiet walks around Cumbria, ideal for when you need to escape the hubbub of everyday life. We also have Christine Saul’s diary of her recent walk along the Yorkshire Wolds Way, and as usual there is plenty more good stuff to read and get involved with. Thank you for reading, and happy walking!
Read more...