• Historic Helmsley + Farndale's Daffodils - guided walking weekend (Friday 20th March to Sunday 22nd March)

Based in the North York Moors and staying at the YHA Helmsley, a comfortable hostel with log burner + plenty of comfy sofas as well as conservatory and patio for sunnier days, the weekend's walking itinerary includes a route through the valley of Farndale.

Known as Daffodil Capital, the nature reserve at Farndale is a yellow blaze during March and April as swathes of wild daffodils, allegedly first planted by monks at the nearby Rievaulx Abbey, smother the banks of the River Dove.

The weekend costs £135 per person and includes two nights' accommodation, breakfasts, evening meals and packed lunch on the Saturday and two days' of walking with a qualified guide.   

The break will suit both 'strollers' and experienced walkers as two groups will be catered for – one offering an easier walk with café stop halfway round; the other a lengthier hike with more exposed moorland routes and tougher gradients.

www.largeoutdoors.com 01653 740400 or email: hello@largeoutdoors.com

• The Welsh Marches + Offa's Dyke – guided walking weekend (Friday 13th March – Sunday 15th March)

A weekend based in the tranquil backwater of Clun, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Welsh Marches, is an ideal place to see in the 'spring greens'.

Staying in a restored watermill that is now Clun Mill YHA, the weekend kicks off with a curry night on Friday, before two days' of guided walking, taking in sections of the famous long distance path following Offa's Dyke.  

The routes include river valleys, rolling hills and moorland at a time that the landscape is beginning to burst into life.

The weekend costs £135 per person and includes two nights' accommodation, breakfasts, evening meals and packed lunch on the Saturday and two days' of walks with a qualified guide. 

www.largeoutdoors.com 01653 740400 or email: hello@largeoutdoors.com

Large Outdoors is run by qualified guide Gareth Williams, specializing in group guided walks of varying degrees of difficulty from easy strolls through to longer, tougher challenges such as the West Highland Way and walking the peaks and edges of the Lake District.

All breaks are designed to be welcoming for solo guests who are keen to walk in the company of others and who still want to enjoy some luxuries such as good food and time to relax in front of log fires and in cosy lounges.