Freedom Treks - Walking and Cycling Holidays

Newsletter September 2007


Tulip tours/Spring Flowers Tours - One of our most popular tours this year was the Tulip Tour and those that booked early ……………… » More	Dear Most people would agree that the weather this summer has been less than conducive for cycling or walking holidays. However, many of you have not been put off and we have had some great feedback - stories of dodging showers etc. One lady wrote “We had a great holiday - lucky with the weather (wet only once other than capsizing the canoe!) and some great sunshine.” Yes, on our Holland Family Special there is some canoeing as well !! With this newsletter we bring you details of new tours for 2008, new dates and prices for some of our most popular tours, and a few ideas for finding some sunshine during those long winter months. We also want to update you on where we are with our new walking tours. In case you are wondering, we are still operating 2 websites – the original 2 Wheel Treks website with all our cycling tours and our new Freedom Treks website with both the cycling and the walking tours. You can book tours through either site. Our 2008 brochures will be available in early December
Walking in Austria – one of our team recently went to Austria to research the Salzkammergut area – this is what he said …………» More
Saxony’s Sandstone Mountain – Mike Chapman returns from East Germany and gives his verdict……… » More
Winter tours – If you want to continue to keep fit during the winter months we have a number of tours available all year round……… » More
New Cruise & Cycle tours – this is such a popular holiday formula we are adding new tours for 2008……… » More

Tulip Tours – Cruise and Cycle

One of our most popular tours this year was the Tulip Tour and those that booked early were able to enjoy the stunning springtime views that are unique to Holland whilst staying on a Dutch barge. It was a warm start to the year in Holland. On this 4-day bike & barge holiday you leave Amsterdam behind you and cycle through the bulb fields to amazing places such as the Keukenhof flower park, Leiden, the birthplace of Rembrandt, a traditional cheese farm and the world’s biggest flower auction in Aalsmeer. Then it’s back to the barge that will return you to the centre of Amsterdam to conclude your tour. Dates and prices are now available for 2008 and we strongly advise that you book early to avoid disappointment. Click here to go to the website

Available in Standard Barge or Comfort Barge

Spring Flowers Cruise and Cycle Tour

This tour introduced in 2007 – an 8 day/7 night Cruise and Cycle tour from Amsterdam to Bruges – proved to be very popular and will be repeated in 2008.

With 4 dates in April and May this is the perfect time to see the famous bulb fields showing the colourful tulips and hyacinths. Furthermore this tour shows you some lovely old Dutch towns such as Haarlem and Gouda. Crossing the border to Belgium takes you to the Belgian pearls of Antwerp, Ghent and on top of that - Bruges! Even when the flowers are finished this will still be a great tour so there will also be a number of dates available during the summer months and have the very catchy title of Holland Meets Belgium. Click here to go to the website

Available in Standard Barge or Comfort Barge.

Walking in Austria - thinking of a walking holiday next year – one of our team recently went to Austria to research the Salzkammergut area. This is what he said and why they want to go back………….

“Having been despatched to Austria to research a walking holiday I was not sure what to expect and my wife was a little reticent to say the least. Flying into Salzburg the signs looked good. It was early June and the sun was shining and as the plane came to rest the first thing that struck us were the beautiful mountains on either side of us, some still with snow lingering in places. We made our way by bus to Abersee on the edge of Lake Wolfgang and there we began 5 fabulous days of walking. We were worried it was going to be demanding. We had no need to worry – it was fairly gentle stuff but the views everywhere were just fantastic. Some days the walking was mixed with boat trips on picture postcard lakes and on buses. Everything ran exactly on time as you might expect and everywhere was so clean. We had a great time. We had gone hoping to lose a few pounds as well and come back feeling smug. Unfortunately we hadn’t allowed for the strudels and cakes – it would have been rude to refuse!! This is the only activity holiday I have done where I actually gained weight and it wasn’t muscle. We only had time for 5 of the 8 days tour and we desperately want to go back and do the rest”

This is a self-guided walking tour called Lake Walking in the Salzkammergut which you can start any day from end of April to the middle of October. There is also a Guided version available on 6 or 7 dates during the year as long as there are enough people.

Saxony’s Sandstone Mountain Walking Holiday Mike Chapman recently returned from our Saxony’s Sandstone Mountain holiday in East Germany – this is what he said - “thanks for your interest in our wonderful holiday in (nearly) rain free Germany. We tacked on a few days in Dresden at the end, just in time for their Stadtfest, an excuse for eating and drinking! The walking and ladder climbing were an eye - opener to a part of the world we had never come across before, but may well go back to some time.”

This tour is just one of a whole range of walking tours in most of the major European destinations such as Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland. We will shortly be adding quite a number of new walking tours to our Freedom Treks website including a few in good old England.

Winter Tours - If you want to continue to keep fit during the winter months we have a number of tours available all year round – such as:

White Villages of Andalusia from Ronda to El Puerto de Santa María

Romantic Traveller - Granada to Ronda

Route of the Caliphate

Magic of Sicily

The tours in Portugal are also available from 15th February onwards

New Cruise & Cycle tours – this is such a popular holiday formula that we are adding new tours for 2008.

One of our most popular tours has been the Family Special in Holland. Aimed at families with young children, this tour combines cycling with other fun activities such as canoeing. In 2008 we will have another Family Tour in Holland called the Family Special – Tales and Castles

In France we are re-introducing The Taste of Burgundy tour. One of the most delightful areas of France this will take you from Dijon where you will follow the canal of Burgundy and the River Saone all the way to Macon.

Holland meets Belgium – a tour from Amsterdam to Bruges (see above)

Rivers Moselle and Saar from Koblenz to Saarbrücken

The Moselle Valley is a romantic river landscape, known throughout the world for its wine. The amazing countryside in which the meandering Moselle carves its way through the rock is the oldest winegrowing region in Germany, shaped by a thousand years of cultivation. The Saarland region takes its name from the river Saar, which starts off in a broad tranquil valley that becomes narrower after Merzig. The river breaks through the high forest near Mettlach, before twisting and winding its way to the Moselle at Konz.

Rivers Rhine and Neckar from Koblenz to Ludwigsburg

Enjoy historic German towns and cities, peaceful riverside cycling, villages with small alleys, castles and fortresses in a history-laden part of Germany. Historic towns such as Worms, Heidelberg and Eberbach allow a glimpse into an eventful past.

The MS Fluvius is your home for the week and this river cruiser has a capacity of 38 people in 20 roomy and fully air-conditioned cabins. All cabins have en-suite shower/toilet, twin beds and colour TV. A spacious panorama saloon with bar and dining room and comfortable relaxing seats on two sun-decks.