 Personally guided walking
Holidays around the dramatic coasts, high granite moors, wooded creeks and
enchanting countryside of MAGICAL CORNWALL (and the beautiful Isles of
Scilly), in south west England.
You may have heard of
Cornwall - or even visited it before - but have you ever hiked there?
Have you ever walked through
acres of wild flowers above magical coves and secret beaches?
Have you ever experienced
that particular satisfaction that comes from truly immersing yourself in a
place for an extended period of time?
We promise you an
experience you'll treasure for many years to come - because a walking tour in
Cornwall is spectacular and something really very special.
We knew long ago that Cornwall is indeed a magical place (the reality - and
not a myth!) - and having "spearheaded" walking tours in
Cornwall 20 years ago, we are more than confident that we can provide you
with a truly memorable walking/hiking vacation - one which will enchant you
and entice you to do more.
Since 1987, we have successfully hosted thousands of guests and shared with
them many of the incredible natural wonders which Cornwall (and elsewhere!) has to offer.
We measure our success by the fact that a considerable number of our guests
return year after year - having in fact, become good friends. Such is their
loyalty, that over the past ten years, we have developed quite a few exciting
foreign destinations, so that satisfied customers are able to travel with us
again and again - for once they have experienced our style of operation, they
not only want to return to Cornwall, but they also trust us to take them
somewhere completely new and have fun. On the home page, see "Catch
The Sun".
We provide an “all in” weekly package in Cornwall, which includes 7 (or 14)
nights character Cornish accommodation,
with full breakfast and dinner, 5 days of guided hiking (with healthy packed
lunches), transport to and from walks and use of all necessary equipment. We
usually walk Mondays through Fridays, with Saturday reserved for travel to
and from Cornwall - and Sunday being a free day for rest, personal
exploration and/or acclimatisation.
 Cornwall is Britain's' most south westerly point - jutting out about
100 miles into the Atlantic Ocean - and is consequently the mildest part of
the United Kingdom. In fact, Cornwall is a peninsula surrounded by sea on
three sides. It’s fourth border, the Tamar River,
has for thousands of years presented a formidable barrier to "would be
attackers", leaving Cornwall decidedly Celtic in character.
The county, or "Royal Duchy" (Prince Charles is the Duke of
Cornwall), varies in width from 4 to 30 miles. It is a fairly hilly region,
with the highest point some 1470 feet above sea level. There is however, a
coastal strip which is a little more level - and in places the coastline is
dissected by deeply wooded tidal estuaries which reach far inland.
Incredibly, Cornwall possesses the longest coastline of any county in England
- well in excess of 360 miles - actually 686 miles if you follow every little
inlet and headland in and out at high tide!
We have spent a lifetime exploring the many facets of this beautiful part of
England - and are (still!) having quite an adventure doing so!
We called ourselves "Adventureline" because our walks, although
always relatively easy, do nevertheless combine an opportunity for occasional
adventure:
Most people enjoy a little adventure and challenge now and then, so for
example, for a break from constant walking, we sometimes visit little-known
remote coves and perhaps go swimming or even snorkelling in the most
delightful locations you could imagine. When the weather is settled, the sea
becomes extremely crystal clear, with turquoise colours more like The
Caribbean or Aegean. For the more adventurous, there are also opportunities
to explore the rocks and huge caves which abound around our coastline and
moors. Naturally, such little adventures are entirely optional and you may
prefer to simply sit amongst the wild flowers on the cliff top - just
enjoying observing the flowers, seals and birds, gazing at the breathtaking
views and generally relaxing from the rigours and stresses of everyday 20th
century life. Our overall aim is to walk, look at and feel the spirit of
Cornwall. This is your holiday - and after all, sometimes you
just have to take the time to stop and stare!
 We’ve been careful to design our holidays in such a way as to enable
you to have an enjoyable walking holiday in and around Cornwall’s splendid
countryside and coast - whilst at the same time, learn something more than
you might have expected, about Cornwall’s nature, history, people and
culture.
(Martin speaking now...) "Being a keen general naturalist myself, I have
found that by combining an appreciation of a wide range of natural phenomena,
it becomes much easier to enjoy a particular region, its plants and
creatures, its peculiar local characteristics and its peoples".
"My interests (apart from sharing my enthusiasms with others) include
human relationships (exploring love and friendship!), botany, ornithology,
archaeology, geology and mineralogy, industrial heritage (hard rock mining),
the sea (and its creatures) - and our climate" (the weather!)
"I’ve even been called an "environmental philosopher" by some
friends - something I never really intended, but which just
"happened" - along with my profession, in an organic sort of way!
However, I always try to adopt a very "un-serious" approach as a
guide, for I know from experience that humour, coupled with local knowledge
and a genuine enthusiasm, is what really holds a group happily together and
allows them to get the best out of their shared experiences..."
"These interests may sound like a lot of “ology’s”,
(please don't be put off!) but very simply - it
means that I enjoy observing the physical landscape and the people, plants
and creatures that inhabit it. It is also very interesting to see how people over
time have adapted to take advantage of their particular surroundings.
Furthermore, I obtain great pleasure in sharing these
places/wildlife/history/culture and observations with others".
I believe that sharing beauty is one of the greatest gifts we can give.
Cornwall is composed of several quite distinctive
regions. Each of these has its own unique character, peculiar geology,
soils, wildlife and orientation. Consequently, we find that a great range of
different habitats have evolved over time - and these habitats each have
their own little range of flora and fauna - often unique to that particular
area.
 It is these different terrains
which have endowed Cornwall with a wonderful variety of landscapes - from the
high granite moors, to the sharply indented coastline with its spectacular
cliffs up to 700 feet high, sand dunes, secret coves and beaches - to the
deep and ancient woodland of the tidal estuaries - to the patchwork of old
Celtic fields - to the sudden and secretive "Coombes" - narrow but
very steep wooded valleys, wherein lie many enchanting and magical places.
All of these individual areas have their own special charm and when you
consider the actual extent of the coastline and all the different faces which
Cornwall presents to the sun, wind and sea, it is little wonder that awe and
surprise often greet walkers around every bend along the ancient footpaths
which criss-cross Cornwall and follow much of the coastline. It's hardly
surprising too, that we have explored the best of them - and wherever you may
be, it is not uncommon to experience several changes of weather and overall
atmosphere during a single day of walking.
 Cornwall really is quite
distinct from the rest of England - in so many ways - and for all these
reasons, we like to think that we will take you to those parts of Cornwall
which you may never see if you came here by yourself. We also like to
think that we will show you particular places and wildlife which you might
not see, unless you had a local guide. We will definitely share with you our
knowledge of Cornwall’s Nature and her great historical pageant - down
through the centuries and millennia - and indeed, back into Prehistoric times
and beyond - into the mists of geological time - long before "manlike
creatures" even began to evolve.
As you will see from our electronic (or "virtual") brochure which
we can email you, we will open your eyes to some elements of Natural History
which you might not already know about - but, we will always keep in mind
that you are on holiday and therefore maintain a light-heartedness and sense
of humour - because after all, when you are on holiday, you will probably
want to unwind and relax - and this could also mean that you might not want
to think too hard at all!
Each group of mixed individuals and couples is different and we therefore
always try to remain flexible in our approach, so that we can respond to each
person's wishes in a way which easily fits in with the rest of the group.
This means that we can usually cater for those who might like to "stride
out" a bit further one day, as well as for those who prefer to take
things a little more gently.
 On a typical day, we might cover
between 5 and 9 miles (average 7), but at a pace which will give us time to
observe many things along the way. In particular, we'd like you to have the
opportunity to really "feel" Cornwalls' true spirit. Some days we
may walk further, or even less - it all depends on the general consensus of
the group and what there is to see on that one unique day!
Another possibility might mean that we could divert from our plan for the day
and drop someone off at someplace they might particularly want to see (where
the rest of us won’t necessarily be walking) and pick them up again after we
have completed our walk for the day.
Our flexibility is the key to our success - for although we will have an
itinerary "in mind" for each day, we are always ready to respond to
the vagueness of the weather and to requests for a change of plan. Cornwall,
being surrounded by the ocean on three sides, does have an incredibly
variable number of "micro climates" on any given day...
On the rare odd day that the weather prohibits us from any serious
walking/exploring, there are always many other options, such as visiting
museums, art galleries, country houses and gardens - and if you are feeling
adventurous, even going underground - down an old tin mine! With the
knowledge gained from a lifetime’s exploration of Cornwall, I can always come
up with a good plan for every day - trust me!
Over the past 20 years, as well as conducting our normal weekly programmes
for individuals, couples and families - we have hosted many specialist
organisations, such as America’s Connecticut Audubon Society, The National
Geographic Society of Washington D.C. Sihler Reisen of Germany, Ventures Inc.
of North Carolina, The Sierra Club of San Francisco, The Appalachian Mountain
Club of New England, Global Express of Seattle, 5th Dimension Outdoor Club of
Calgary, The “Chicks with Sticks” of Calgary also, The Wilderness Society of
Georgia, Hotelplan of Switzerland, Naturkontakt of Bavaria, Paddington of
Holland - and here in Britain, Saga Holidays.
If you like a travel agent to handle your arrangements for you, we have
agents who can act for us in Norway, Holland, Germany, Australia, Canada and the U.S.A. But of course, these days it's
really easy (and often cheaper) to deal with us direct by email.
Wherever you may live, we are sure that you would more than appreciate the
unique nature of Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly ... and we shall look
forward to welcoming you to our "home patch" - when it will be our
great pleasure to share with you some of Cornwall’s most spectacular and
enchanting places, wildlife and history.
Please contact us if you would like to receive our beautifully illustrated
colour electronic "Virtual Brochure" (WORD document) by email
-which is very detailed.
Yours sincerely, Martin Hunt.
(adventureline@btinternet.com)
Telephone & Fax: +44 (0) 1209 820847
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