inspiringholidays.com: peninsula

Tuesday, 24 March 2009

Walking Holiday in the Sorrento Hills

Walking in the Sorrento Hills with Travelsphere. 8 days from GBP699. Explore the glorious Sorrento Peninsula with its winding roads and dramatic cliffs. Discover the beauty of the Amalfi Coast, venture up majestic Mount Vesuvius, and join our fabulous optional excursions to Pompeii and the island of Capri. Take time to wander through the cobbled streets of this historic area or stroll down to the picturesque harbours.

Telephone Travelsphere on 0845 358 2368 now to reserve your space

What's Included
* Return scheduled flights to Naples
* Transfers between airport and hotel
* Services of an air-conditioned executive coach
* Seven nights half board accommodation
* Services of a Get Up & Go Tour Manager
* Welcome drink
* Three walks with a local guide as detailed
* Excursion to Naples
* All UK and overseas airport taxes and security charges
* Insurance and cancellation cover

Walking Information
Our walks require a reasonable level of fitness and ideally some previous walking experience. You will need comfortable walking boots, a small rucksack, waterproofs, a hat and sunglasses. A local guide will also accompany you on your walks.

Grade 1 Walks
These are for anyone of any age. Plenty of rest stops and time to enjoy the local scenery with up to 4 hours walking a day, mostly on good paths but occasionally rough underfoot. Ascent less than 300m per day.

Grade 2 Walks
These are moderate, for anyone who is comfortable walking hills. Still plenty of time to rest and enjoy the scenery, however up to 5 hours walking a day on slightly more rugged terrain. Ascent less than 500m per day.

Accommodation
You will stay in the comfortable medium grade Hotel Delle Palme in the village of Sant’ Agata 2½ miles from Sorrento. The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool and garden, bar, restaurant, terrace and lift. All bedrooms feature private facilities, TV, telephone and air-conditioning.

Telephone Travelsphere on 0845 358 2368 now to reserve your space

Itinerary
DAY 1 - UK/ITALY
Depart on your scheduled flight to Naples. On arrival transfer to your hotel in the Sorrento area for a seven night stay.

DAYS 2 TO 7
Free to relax and enjoy our excursion programme. The following walks and activities are included: Sorrento Hills Offering wonderful panoramic views of the Gulf of Naples, your walk starts from Sant’ Agata village and finishes down in Sorrento town where you will have free time for shopping and sightseeing (approx. 1½ hours’ walk).

Mount Vesuvius
An exciting three-quarter day tour to this famous volcano, including a local volcanologist guide. Enjoy a walk up the mountain path overlooking the lava fields before continuing to the crater itself for a walk around the rim (approx. 2 hours’ walk).

Amalfi Coast
This coastline is simply stunning. We start above the fashionable resort of Positano, which clings precariously to the cliffside and walk up through olive groves and vineyards to the village of Montepertuso. Continue to Nocelle and take the ‘Footpath of the Gods’ with its many steps, back down to Praiano and our waiting coach (approx. 3 hours’ walk).

Naples
A superb full day excursion visiting firstly the National Archaeological Museum, housing the finest artefacts from Campania’s ancient sites, followed by a walking tour of this vibrant and chaotic city, birthplace of the pizza and Sophia Loren.

The following excursions are optional:

Pompeii
A three-quarter day trip including a guided walking tour of this ancient ruined city of the roman Empire, frozen in time when nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD and buried the entire area under a layer of hot ash.

Capri
A full day excursion visiting the villages of Capri and Ana Capri, the Gardens of Caesar Augustus and see the Faraglioni Rocks.

DAY 8 - UK/ITALY
Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.

Dates, Prices & Departure
holiday ref: GEISF
28/04/2009 - £714
11/05/2009 - £749
21/09/2009 - £759
05/10/2009 - £699

Deposit £100 per person
All prices are per person based on two people sharing a twin or double-bedded room with private facilities

Surcharges
The Pound has recently fallen significantly in value against other European currencies and, in common with many other businesses, our prices now include an additional charge for all new bookings which has been introduced to cover these additional costs.

Supplements
* Single room £105
* Insurance

Travel Information
Flights are by scheduled services of British Airways
Departing London Gatwick 1055 hrs Return arr. 1410 hrs
All timings are approximate and may be subject to variation.

Fly From Your Local Airport
You can fly to your destination from the following airports at the supplement shown below (per person).
Heathrow £NIL
Manchester £NIL
Stansted £NIL

Regional Connecting Flights
If you can’t fly direct to your destination from your local airport we offer the choice to take a regional connecting flight to Heathrow or Gatwick from as little as £29 per person return. Fly from Aberdeen, Belfast, Durham Tees Valley, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Jersey, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle or Newquay. (From £29 for Worldwide holidays and from £69 for European holidays.)

Transfers
Transfer time from the airport to your hotel is approx. 1 hour 15 mins

Telephone Travelsphere on 0845 358 2368 now to reserve your space

Thursday, 24 July 2008

Antarctic Cruises - Visit the Big Freezer!

If you're looking for the holiday experience of a lifetime then an Antarctic cruise should be at the top of your list.

Antarctica is a continent of extremes. It is the coldest, windiest, driest, iciest and highest of all the major landmasses in the world. It is the continent with the longest nights and the longest days and it plays host to the greatest concentration of wildlife in the world. It is also one of the last true wilderness areas left on earth and remains largely unchanged since the early explorers and whalers first landed on its inhospitable shores less than two centuries ago.

The lowest temperature ever recorded anywhere on earth (-89.2°C) was recorded on July 21 1983, at Vostok Station. Winds have been recorded at 200 mph in the interior of the continent and the average annual water precipitation in the interior is only about 50 mm.

The continent itself is roughly circular with a spindly arm, called the Antarctic Peninsula, reaching northwards towards Tierra del Fuego in South America, the nearest landmass, some 600 miles away. Considerably larger than either the United States or Europe, and twice the size of Australia, the continent is surrounded by a frozen sea that varies in area from one million square miles in summer to 7.3 million square miles in winter.

Ninety-five percent of the continent of Antarctica is ice covered and contains the freshest water on earth - about 70 percent of all fresh water on earth in fact. The highest point in Antarctica is Vinson Massif, with an altitude of 16,864 feet above sea level; the lowest point is the Bentley Subglacial Trench at 8,200 feet below sea level, located in West Antarctica. Antarctica has the highest average elevation of all the continents at about 7,500 feet about sea level.

The Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands abound with wildlife activity. Penguins gather with their fast-growing chicks, whales are seen in great numbers, seals haul out onto ice floes and beaches, and numerous albatross and other seabirds trail in our wake.

If you would like to visit this land of extremes then you'll need to book well in advance. Only a limited number of expeditions head to Antarctica each year and they book up fast.

Visit inspiringholidays.com for a selection of Antarctic Cruises from top cruise expedition companies like GAP Adventures, Kuoni, Page & Moy, The Adventure Company & Travelsphere: