Alison Howell's Foot Trails is launching two guided walking holidays in the West Country for 2015. Both of the new expert-led tours balance long walks in the countryside with luxurious lodgings and the odd treat for an invigorating yet indulgent break.  

“A Breath of Fresh Air” will celebrate the arrival of spring in rural Somerset just after the equinox, when daylight and night-time hours are equal. The small-group walking tour will be led by David Howell – a director at Foot Trails, who is a knowledgeable local historian. Based at a characterful country inn in Sherborne, the group will strike out into the heart of ancient Wessex every day.

Following local paths, far from the crowed national trails, which is a signature of Foot Trails' holidays, guests will explore this place of myths and legends. The group will call at a hill fort claimed to be King Arthur's Camelot, and stop to take in the views of Glastonbury Tor across the Somerset Levels, passing honey-coloured stone cottages with blossom-filled gardens along the way.

Meanwhile, “Dorset Chalk and Cheese” traces the border with Wiltshire, crossing the rolling chalk downs and calling at pretty hamlets of thatched flint cottages, a journey that could have been travelled by Thomas Hardy's very own Tess, whose melancholic tale he set in these parts. Again led by David Howell, the group will be based near Shaftesbury, staying in a luxurious country inn that serves award-winning seasonal food and drink.

The tours complement “Ancient Gods, Temples & Myths”, a six-night luxurious walking break launched this autumn. The holiday, which will be led by David Howell and the travel writer Jeremy Seal, begins in Bath and travels through the Avon Valley to South Wiltshire via Stonehenge. A wicker-hamper picnic in Stourhead is just one of its highlights. Departing 7 June, 12 July and 22 September 2015, it costs from £1,769 per person, based on two sharing.

The tours feature in Foot Trails' new 40-page brochure, which not only profiles the collection of walking holidays on offer in 2015, but explains the company's approach to promoting sustainable rural tourism and creating refreshing holidays that reconnect guests with nature.

“A Breath of Fresh Air” departs on Sunday 29 March for three nights, costing from £585 per person, based on two sharing, on a half-board basis. Also included are guided walks, all transport during the tour, welcome dinner and drinks with Alison Howell, founder of Foot Trails, lunches on two days, elevenses and afternoon tea, a donation to Sherborne Abbey, and a welcome pack including postcards, guide book and a bag of fortifying sweets. “Dorset Chalk and Cheese” departs on Tuesday 12 May and costs from £1,269 per person for five nights' half-board, including lunches on four days, entrance fees and all other elements as detailed above for “A Breath of Fresh Air” (apart from donation).

To book, visit www.foottrails.co.uk or call 01747 820626. To order a brochure call or email enquire@foottrails.co.uk

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 contact Little Black Book Creative: 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 and Dorset. 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 tourism is sustainable and impacts positively on the landscapes and economies of rural communities.

David Howell is a walking expert, trail creator and tour guide. Having lived in the West Country all his life, he has not only an immense local knowledge but is also an enthusiastic storyteller, and local historian, and is able to bring the landscapes and histories of the region to life for guests.

Jeremy Seal is a travel writer, journalist, book reviewer, sometime broadcaster and tour leader. Having lived in Bath for the past 16 years, he's not only grown close to the famously beautiful city but also discovered its proximity to some of the most magnificent landscapes in England.

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