SUMMER PROGRAMME - DATES AND AVAILABILTY

The summer programme is filling up but below are the current treks that are confirmed but which still have places available. All costs are on my website on this link http://www.trekkinginthealps.com/calendar.htm and I am asking for payment in Euros because of the slide of the £ against this currency. However, I can be paid in cash so you do not need to make an expensive bank transfer.

If you want to come on one of these treks then please go ahead and book your flights and your time off work. If you need to ask any questions then please use the following email address:

trekkinginthealps@swissmail.org and your questions will be answered as quickly as possible. You can also ask for detailed factfiles on all the trips below. If you decide to book please let us know on the above email address.

So here are the treks:

Gran Paradiso trek and summit meet 26 July in Aosta. Fly to Turin, or Milan or Geneva, Turin being the best option. We meet at 7pm in Aosta and from Turin or Milan I can organise a transfer to Aosta which takes 1hr15 and 3 hrs respectively. If you fly to Geneva you need to take a train to Martigny and be there for 4.30pm. You do not need prior experience in glacier walking to do the summit. There are 3 places free on this trek.

Tour of the Matterhorn meet 2 August in Zermatt. Fly to Geneva or Zurich and train onwards (about 3hrs). We meet 7pm in Zermatt. This trek includes 2 glacier crossing and the ascent of a glaciated 4000m peak, but no prior experience in glacier walking is required. There is 1 place free on this trek.

Tour of Mont Ruan meet 9 August in Finhaut Switzerland. Fly to Geneva and train onwards via Lausanne and Martigny (about 3hrs) to Finhaut. We meet 7pm in Finhaut. This is a great trek, very remote, including sevceral trekking summits. There are 4 places free for this trek.

Corsica Northen Summits meet 7 Sept in Calvi. Fly to Calvi or if necessary Bastia. For direct flights from Britain contact claire@directcorsica.com mentioning Hilary Sharp Trekking in the Alps. A fab week exploring Corsica's trekking peaks, away from the crowded main trails. There are 5 places free for this trek.

NB: there is NO single supplement payable on any of these treks so do not hesitate to come alone.

Spring Sunshine in Mallorca

Having enjoyed an excellent winter season in the Alps it was time to rediscover walking on trails. What better place to do this in the spring than Mallorca with its rugged mountain range, the Sierra Tramuntana.

We had 6 days of hiking and every day was hot and sunny. The final night saw the passage of a storm but the sun was back next morning.

Mallorca offers fantastic walking of all levels from strolls through olive and almond groves to summit scrambles to multi-day mountain treks, not to mention beautiful coastal walks discovering remote sandy coves and rocky headlands.

Staying in 3 different bases enabled us to really get to know the northern part of the island, which is where the most spectacular hiking is to be done. We had a memorable night at the Lluc Monastery, situated in the midst of the highest peaks, and therefore a great starting point for the trails.

Some of the braver members took a dip in the sea although for most of us the water was far too cold even though its azure blue depths looked really inviting from the surrounding mountains.

Mallorca is definitely Mediterrannean walking at its best and will have a place in my programme for spring 2009.