Walking Tours to Explore English Countryside

The American Medical Assn. has endorsed walking as one of the best forms of exercise for older Americans, and British Coastal Trails is one of several firms specializing in Great Britain walking tours that are designed to appeal to the mature traveler.

“The walks are conducted at a leisurely pace covering six to seven miles per day, within the capabilities of anyone in good health but vigorous enough to provide a good day’s exercise,” said Perry Taylor, a retired scientist who founded British Coastal Trails.

Most participants, he said, are professionals and retired people between the ages of 50 and 65.

British Coastal Trails offers 30 carefully planned itineraries of eight, 10 and 12 days, from May to September when temperatures range from 60 to 70 degrees.

There is no backpacking, no carrying of luggage and no walking on roadways. A comfortable custom-built minibus takes walkers to and from country paths, and since there is no pressure to walk every day, participants may opt to explore rural villages, pursue special interests or relax at historic country inns that serve as accommodations along the way.

Seven tours are planned: “Coasts of Cornwall & Devon”; “Cotswolds Villages--Rural Heart of England”; “Ireland’s Green Hills & Rocky Shores”; “North Devon’s Exmoor & Thomas Hardy’s Dorset”; “Scotland--the Historic Border Country”; “Scottish Highlands, Lochs and Glens,” and “Yorkshire Dales and the English Lake District.” Call for dates and details.

Prices depend on the tour and the date and range from $1,345 to $2,085 per person, not including air fare from the United States. Room accommodations are first-class with private bath, and the price includes an English breakfast and a three- or four-course dinner each day. Groups, which are accompanied by an experienced walk leader, are limited to 18 people.

For a color booklet and more information, contact British Coastal Trails, 150 Carob Way, Coronado, Calif. 92118, (800) 473-1210.

GrandPeople Tours, a travel operator that has provided intergenerational tours from Minneapolis since the early 1980s, is offering travel programs from other U.S. cities.

One program scheduled for this summer is “Fairy-Tale Germany,” a tour of the countryside where the fictional Grimm brothers’ stories are set. The tour starts at the birthplace of Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm in Hanau and proceeds to what are thought of as the site of Little Red Riding Hood’s adventure, the castle where Sleeping Beauty reposed (including a play performance of the classic story), and a visit to Hameln, where the Pied Piper rid the town of rats.

The package includes nine nights in Germany, eight dinners, theatrical performances, museums, castles and sightseeing. The trip is set for July 21-31, and prices--including round-trip air fare from Minneapolis--are $2,989 per adult and $1,389 per child 11 years of age and younger. Prices from West Coast cities average $180 to $200 more per person.

Another GrandPeople tour will visit grandparents and children in the Soviet Union. This tour includes Moscow, with visits to the Kremlin, Red Square and St. Basil’s, plus a performance of the famed Moscow circus.

A flight to Leningrad will offer travelers the opportunity to visit the beautiful Winter Palace, the Hermitage Museum and galleries and St. Isaac’s Cathedral. A motor-coach ride through the countryside will end at Tallinn on the Gulf of Finland. Travelers will then journey by ferry to Helsinki for a tour and farewell dinner.

The Soviet Union tour is scheduled for July 16-26 and is priced at $3,089 per adult, $1,745 per child age 11 or under, with departures from West Coast cities running $180 to $200 per person more.

The package includes all meals in the Soviet Union, city tours of Moscow, Leningrad, Tallinn and Helsinki, all ground transportation, air from Moscow to Leningrad, ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki, and all visa, museum and other entrance fees.

For a free booklet, contact GrandPeople Tours, 722 Second Ave. South, Minneapolis, Minn. 55402, (800) 992-1903.