Activities cycling, cycle touring

Seasons Suitable all year round. Busier and hot in summer, but with lots going on; ideal temperatures but higher average rainfall in spring and autumn; quietest in winter, but with Christmas markets and fairs.

Centres Toulouse, Carcassone, Beziers, Sète

Difficulty Suitable for all abilities - flat and car-free along the canal with optional slightly hillier excursions by road if desired. Described in five stages to fit within a week's holiday.

Must See Historic towns and cities: Ancient Greek Agde, Roman Narbonne, Toulouse, the 'Rose City', Carcassonne's 12th-century fortified Cité. Real French culture of La France Profonde, including myriad local festivals. Varied countryside with a wide range of animals and plants.

Some of the sections are very short. Yet these stretches often contain much heritage and countryside to enjoy - such as the one mile between Cheshunt and Waltham Abbey. Thanks to the many railway stations alongside the Park, between Ware and London, the Walk can be reached easily.

This is a walk that can be enjoyed by everybody from the keen long-distance walker to those with young children or those new to taking exercise.

Seasons Can be done at any time of the year.

Centres Leagrave, Luton, Harpenden, Wheathampstead, Hatfield, Hertford, Ware, Broxbourne, Waltham Abbey, Hackney Marshes and so to east London, near the Millennium Dome

Difficulty None, except avoiding the building works for the Olympic Games for 2012.

Must See Surprisingly wild Bedfordshire, Waltham Abbey, the industrial landscape through east London, the Thames itself

The Lancaster canal is a child of the canal fever of the 1700s. It runs from Preston, through Lancaster and up to Kendal. The first part of the guide provides a history of the canal's construction, its heyday and the problems it faced with the coming of the railways in the nineteenth century. It also covers its later years into the twentieth century.

The second half of the book describes a walk along the canal from Preston to Kendal. It is divided into four sections of about 14 miles, but the walk can be undertaken in long or short stages according to personal preference. The canal takes walkers through the north Lancashire countryside and into Cumbria, with gentle countryside on either side. It also passes through two cities that reveal much of the industrial heritage of the region.

This flat, gentle walk is ideal for all walkers and especially for those interested in the changes that took place in this area in the wake of the Industrial Revolution.

Seasons Year-round walking.

Centres Preston, Garstang, Lancaster, Kendal.

Difficulty Easy walking.

Must See Gentle walking for all the family. Year-round interest.

Includes the 80 named trails of the Strategic Network of the London Walking Forum.

Describes over 200 shorter routes, mainly heritage and nature trails.

Readers are provided with information to decide which routes to try.

Includes detailed information grid for all routes, and supplies critical information.

All routes are coded for countryside or waterside.

Provides a summary of all the organisations supporting walking in London.

Gives advice on how to get started: guidance on walking, groups, health, challenges, maps etc.

Seasons Year round.

Centres London!

Difficulty Easy walking, some long routes. Many accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

Must See The surprise of open green space and waterside walking in the heart of the city and its surrounds.

The Thames Path towpath route, opened as a National Trail in 1996, has been improved by the addition of new footbridges and the creation of 20 miles of new riverside path. More than 90% of the Thames Path is either public footpath or bridleway.

The Thames, once an important water highway, links a string of historic sites. In the capital there is Greenwich, the Houses of Parliament and Lambeth Palace. Hampton Court Palace lies just outside London, and before reaching Windsor there is riverside Runneymede where King John agreed to the Magna Carta.

The water and towpath in the Upper Reaches can be both beautiful and lonely, with cormorants, herons and swans, as appreciated by Shelley and William Morris.

The climax is the 22 miles of the infant Thames leading to a field with its often dry spring situated just below the Roman Foss Way.

Seasons Throughout the year.

Centres Windsor, Maidenhead, Marlow, Henley, Dorchester, Abingdon, Newbridge, Oxford, Cricklade

Difficulty Easy riverside walking. The Thames Path is 180 miles in 20 stages, described in sections between 4 and 16 miles long.

Must See Royal Naval College, Greenwich; Hampton Court; Runnymede; Windsor; Cliveden; Hardwick House; Oxford; Kelmscot Manor

o all routes illustrated with OS mapping

o lots of background information on the history, geology and ecology of the islands

o practical information on public transport services and accommodation

o a fully updated third edition of this popular guideActivities Walking, boat trips, birdwatching

Seasons Mild climate all year round. You should pre-book accommodation in August, as it gets busy.

Centres Hugh Town, St Agnes, Bryher, Tresco, St Martin's

Difficulty All easy, low-level walks

Must See Wildflowers, Hugh Town Garrison, Tresco Abbey Garden, boat trips (including the 'Seabird Specials'), Bird Life

While some walks visit Iron Age hill forts, others pass more modern features such as Wilton Windmill and the Kennet and Avon Canal. Some follow sections of the Ridgeway, while others meander along the banks of the Thames. What they all have in common is that they take the keen rambler to some of the best parts of the Thames Valley - a patchwork of open chalk grassland, broadleaved woodland and farmland and home to two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

o walks from 10 to 18 miles, including one 2-day route

o shorter, less strenuous alternatives for many of the walks

o detailed route descriptions with information on local points of interest, OS mapping and vibrant colour photographs

Activities

Walking, backpacking

Seasons

Spring and autumn offer the best walking conditions and clearer skies. In winter some paths may become impassable after heavy rain due to flooding, especially along the Thames.

Centres

Reading, Newbury, Abingdon, London

Difficulty

Walks range from 10 to 18 miles, with one 26-mile, 2-day option, all on good paths. Many routes also have shorter options.

Must See

The Chilterns and North Wessex Downs Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the World Heritage Site at Avebury, the Uffington White Horse, lots of cosy pubs and ancient churches