A new inn-to-inn tour of North Dorset has just been launched by Alison Howell's Foot Trails (01747 820626; www.foottrails.co.uk), the latest addition to its collection of walks that allow people to embrace life at 2mph.

The self-guided walking holiday, titled Dorset Royal Chase, explores the centuries-old hunting grounds around Cranborne, once frequented by Henry VIII, dipping into ancient villages of thatched flint and red-brick cottages. As guests cross this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), their journey will take them even further back in time, encountering evidence of Neolithic life such as burial mounds and earthworks dating from 5,000 years ago.

The walk is a linear route of four or five nights, tailor-made to guest preferences. Guests stay in characterful rural inns that have been selected to provide accommodation with a touch of luxury. And Foot Trails even recommends places to eat and drink along the way, such as hand-picked farm cafés and country pubs, serving fresh, local, seasonal produce.

Dorset Royal Chase costs from £495 per person, based on two sharing, including four nights' B&B, luggage transfers, transport, a tailored Walk and Explore pack, featuring waterproof Local Ordnance Survey maps and trail guide cards, local stories and histories, recommendations for lunchtime stops, nature cards for identifying wild flowers, trees and animals, and a seasonal nature guidebook – plus a fortifying bag of sweets and a bottle of wine.

To book, visit www.foottrails.co.uk or call 01747 820626.

Follow developments at Foot Trails on Twitter: @FootTrailsUK, Instagram: @foottrailsUK, and at www.facebook.com/foottrails. Blog: http://foottrails.co.uk/blog/ and Vimeo http://foottrails.co.uk/our-story/we-are-foot-trails/

To request images or further information, to enquire about press trips, and to arrange interviews with Alison Howell, please email travelnews@lbbcreative.co.uk. Alternatively, contact Kate Simon on 07939 526109 and kate@lbbcreative.co.uk or Simone Kane on 07811 161839 and simone@lbbcreative.co.uk.

Notes to editors:

Alison Howell's Foot Trails is an innovative and award-winning British travel company and the leading specialist provider of rural walking holidays in South West England, with more than 900 miles of trails in Somerset, Wiltshire, The Cotswolds, Dorset and Devon. The successful Foot Trails brand, established in 2002 by Alison Howell, has been built on a passion for rural England, an unwavering determination to provide unique walking-holiday experiences, and a strong commitment to ensuring that tourism is sustainable and impacts positively on the landscapes and economies of rural communities.

Foot Trails ­– named Best Local Low-Impact Tour Operator by Greentraveller – draws on expert knowledge gained by the team during more than 14 years spent tramping across the region to create inspiring, seasonally appropriate walks. The company specialises in designing walks for adults to suit individual tastes. Routes are plotted to avoid the crowded national trails, instead following local paths, with notes provided about local history and nature to immerse guests in the cultural landscape and put them back in touch with the natural environment. Country cafés, inns and small hotels are hand-picked for award-winning food and drink and stylish, comfortable accommodation, to add a touch of luxury while promoting sustainable rural tourism.

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