Forget expensive spas and punishing detox regimes, Alison Howell's Foot Trails (01747 820626; www.foottrails.co.uk) is advocating an energising walk in the great outdoors as one of the most powerful and sustainable ways to achieve a healthy mind and body in 2016.

A walking holiday can kick-start a new healthy-living plan that is easily assimilated into everyday life, says the West Country-based travel company. And at this time of year, walkers can clear the cobwebs from their minds, reflecting on the past 12 months and setting goals for the future.

“Walking burns more fat than jogging, engaging all the muscles – it's the perfect all-round activity,” says company founder Alison Howell. “But for most of us, it is the soulful, slow and, for some, mindful and meditative rhythm of walking that has the greatest impact.”

Foot Trails designs trips to suit all seasons and has a dedicated page about winter walking on its website. Recommended winter walks take into account the possibility of bad weather, with shorter one-centre itineraries based at cosy country inns, where log fires, good food and drink and comfy accommodation are guaranteed.

These include Secret Cotswolds, a tour of rural landscapes and mellow local villages, calling at Neolithic burial sites and Roman ruins, from £199; Knights Medieval Castle, which delves deep into the Wiltshire countryside to discover historic castles and churches, from £189; and Bath City and Country, travelling from the Avon valley to this beautiful Georgian city with its famous Roman baths, from £259.

All Foot Trails holidays include B&B, transport drop off when it makes for a better walk, the services of a Foot Trails holiday planner, a tailored walk and explore pack, 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 Simone Kane on 07811 161839 and simone@lbbcreative.co.uk, or Kate Simon on 07939 526109 and kate@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 850 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 12 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 cafes, 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.