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Trips & Tours
The Howell Way
Our Journal
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Trips & Tours
The Howell Way
Our Journal
Talk to an expert

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By Emma Surridge / January 23, 2025

Green field with sheep grazing and a grand country house in the background

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We don't follow the national trails.
We follow the Howell Way.

Our way of walking, our way of caring.
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Far from the madding crowd in Dorset

Last week, David & I (Emma) went to check one of our routes in Dorset. This was the first time

What is a Foot Trails walking holiday?

At Foot Trails, our paths are picked for joy, rhythm and peace – not just practicality. Our aim is –

When’s the best time to visit country house gardens in South West England?

We often get asked this question. As much as we’d like to give a simple answer, we can’t. Simply because

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In Dorset, far from the madding crowd Last week,

In Dorset, far from the madding crowd

Last week, David & I (Emma) went to check one of our routes in Dorset. This was the first time I had walked this particular trail and I was expecting good things. But what I found exceeded all expectations: stunning landscapes and the textbook definition of a rural idyll.

Following our trusty trail guide through the rolling Dorset countryside, we hiked along ridges, beside streams and through remote farms that felt like they belonged to a different century. We stopped at churches and paused on benches in villages, soaking up the stillness and enjoying the warmth of the spring sunshine on our faces.

This part of Dorset feels like you are a million miles from the modern world. It’s a place of ancient paths, farmland that has little changed in centuries and beautiful villages where you can easily imagine Hardy’s Tess or Bathsheba going about their daily business. Delightfully untouched by tourism, you can walk for miles without meeting others (except for the odd local dog walker).

If you’d like to know more about our off the beaten path walks in Dorset, take a look at our website (link in bio) or simply send us an email at enquire@foottrails.co.uk. We’d love to chat.

#dorset #visitdorset #visitdorsetofficial #visitengland #uktravel #englishcountryside #escapetheeveryday #thebestofsouthwest #slowtravel #hikeuk #walkuk #englandtravel #ruralescape #englishcountryside #walkingholidaysuk #lovegreatbritain #ukexplore #ukhikers #yourbritain

What is a Foot Trails walking holiday? At Foot Tr

What is a Foot Trails walking holiday?

At Foot Trails, our routes are picked for joy, rhythm and peace – not just practicality. Each day's hiking is carefully curated to give you the best possible walking experience, not just an A to B route or the usual tick-box sites. With us, you'll explore the beautiful countryside that we know and love: the stunning views, hidden gems and the peaceful places away from more crowded spots.

Each day feels like a mini adventure. You'll have two to three hours to walk & explore in the morning before pausing at a welcoming cafe or inn for lunch or visiting historic site (with a cafe). Then you'll enjoy a few more hours of hiking in the afternoon before arriving at a cosy country inn for refreshments, local ales & ciders and great food.

If you’d like to know more about how we can create a unique hiking & walking trip in South West England for you, visit our website (link in bio) or send us a message here on Instagram.

#VisitSouthWest #foottrailsuk #SouthWestWalks #englishcountry #englishcountryside #englishcountrysides #cotswolds #thecotswolds #englishgarden #countryhouse #exploreengland #southwest #spring #visitengland #visitsomerset #dorset #visitwiltshire #hikethecotswolds

Step into the quiet corners of South West England,

Step into the quiet corners of South West England, where grand country estates sit alongside hidden gems nestled in the countryside. As you wander these stunning landscaped gardens, you'll uncover the stories and history of the people who lived and worked here over the centuries.

On our Country Houses & Gardens trip, you'll experience a wonderful mix of gardens large & small. As your days unfold, you'll walk the landscapes and settings in which they exist and also explore the surrounding villages with their traditional cottages and gardens.

Eighteenth century country houses and landscaped gardens, Elizabethan houses, castles and hunting lodges are just some of the highlights you'll experience before arriving in elegant city of Bath with its stunning Georgian architecture. If you love houses and gardens, you'll find so much here to delight you.

To find out more, visit our website (link in bio) or send us a message here on Instagram.

#EnglishCountryHouses #HistoricHouses #EnglishGardens #CountryEstate #WalkingInEngland #EnglishCountryside #HiddenEngland #SlowTravel

When's the best time of year to visit country hous

When's the best time of year to visit country houses gardens in England?

We’re often asked this and, honestly, there isn't a single answer. Every month has something to discover and every season tells its own story.

🌱 Spring (March-April) is when gardens wake up. It’s the perfect time to wander through swathes of snowdrops, tulips, daffodils and bluebells, and to watch delicate blossoms drift in the bright, fresh air.

🌹Early summer (May-June) is classic country garden season. Roses, wisteria abd peonies are on their urine, borders burst with colour, abd everything feels full of life in the gentle warmth.

🌳 In midsummer (July-August) herbaceous borders reach their riotous peak while roses abd lavender scent the air. And who can resist a picnic under the shade of ancient trees?

🍂 Autumn (September-October) is when the trees take centre stage in a blaze of reds, oranges and golds: last blooming flowers linger and orchards hang heavy with fruit.

Our Country Houses & Gardens trips are curated to show you the best of the South West, whenever you choose to walk.

To find out more, visit our website (link in bio) or send us a message here on Facebook. We’d love to chat about your plans.

#hikeuk #englishcountryhouses #landscapegardens #englishgardens #walkengland

Capability Brown: Hero or villain of the gardening

Capability Brown: Hero or villain of the gardening world?

When you step into the grounds of a country estate in England, you’ll probably be walking into the vision of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. In the 18th century, Capability Brown was a giant in landscape gardening; the man who softened the countryside into what we now see as quintessentially English - rolling green fields and sweeping vistas of lakes and carefully planted trees.

But Capability Brown wasn’t without controversy. Some disliked his ‘naturalistic’ style calling it ‘bare, smooth and bald’. Others described him as a ‘vandal’ responsible for destroying the formal gardens that had previously been en vogue.

So is Capability Brown a hero or villain? Probably neither. His designs are a reminder that landscapes are constantly evolving, shaped by taste, power, fashion, and the human desire to create beauty.

Even the landscapes we consider to be archetypal English countryside are actually just another chapter in England’s fascinating history. Just one of the reasons why we love exploring these fascinating estates and sharing them with our guests the world over.

If you’d like to walk through history in the English countryside on our Country Houses & Gardens trip, visit our website (link in bio) or send us a message here on Instagram.

#FootTrails #CapabilityBrown #EnglishLandscapes #HistoryInTheHedgerows #WalkEngland #CountrysideStories #GardenHistory #ExploreOnFoot

When you walk through a country estate in England,

When you walk through a country estate in England, you’re not just admiring a beautiful house or landscaped garden, you’re stepping through history itself. These grand country estates were once seats of power. Now they tell a wider story and serve as fascinating windows into the past. Inside almost every country house you’ll find centuries of art, craftsmanship and design, along with gardens that reveal how fashions have changed through the centuries.

Our Country Houses & Gardens trip takes you on a journey through the English countryside to some of the country’s most treasured country estates, telling the stories of the people who lived, worked and ruled here over the centuries.

To find out more about our Country Houses & Gardens walking & hiking trip, visit our website or send us a message here on Instagram.

https://foottrails.co.uk/holidays/english-country-houses-gardens/

#EnglishCountryHouses #HistoricHouses #EnglishGardens #CountryEstate #WalkingInEngland #EnglishCountryside #HiddenEngland #SlowTravel #WalkingHoliday #CountrysideAdventures #ruralengland #walkengland #hikeuk #walkuk #countrysidewalks #ukwalkingholidays

Earlier this month, Alison & I (David) were back o

Earlier this month, Alison & I (David) were back out in the countryside creating a new route for our Country Houses & Gardens trip. We were again blessed with clear skies and sunshine and it was a joy to see early spring flowers starting to appear. It’s a wonderful time to be out walking, when you can watch the countryside change week by week as winter slowly gives way to spring.

One of the highlights of this route was a magnificent country house nestled in the rural Dorset countryside. With the sun on our backs, we explored the gardens. Swathes of snowdrops looked like a dusting of snow on the grass and we caught the first glimpses of azaleas and rhododendrons starting to bloom.

This truly wonderful estate in the heart of the Dorset countryside is just one of the tucked away gems in our Country Houses & Gardens trip. If you love the charm and history of manor houses, beautiful gardens and countryside walking off the beaten path, then you’ll feel right at home on this trip.

Visit our website (link in bio) to find out more or send us a message here on Instagram.

David

#minternehouseandgardens #visitdorset #EnglishCountryHouses #CountrysideWalks #WalkingInEngland #SlowTravel #WalkingHoliday #SpringInEngland #walkingholiday #hiking #ukwalking #walks #walkingadventures #walkingtrail #CountryHouses #HistoricHouses #EnglishGardens #LandscapeGardens #selfguidedtravrl

Today is the official (meteorological) start of sp

Today is the official (meteorological) start of spring.

Hints of green are starting to return to country lanes, and splashes of colour are bursting forth in fields and hedgerows - snowdrops, crocuses, primroses and daffodils can already be seen all over the countryside.

Birds are singing their hearts out and fields from the Cotswolds to the coast will soon be echoing with the sound of newborn lambs. Here’s to new beginnings, brighter days and wonderful countryside walking!

#SpringInEngland #CountrysideWalks #FootTrails #ExploreOnFoot #RuralEngland #spring #springhassprung #springvibes #springwalks #visitengland #visitbritain #walkuk #hikeuk #slowtraveling #getoutdoors

Last Saturday, the spring sunshine was out in forc

Last Saturday, the spring sunshine was out in force, giving us the perfect day for creating a new trail for our Country Houses & Gardens trip. An 8.5-mile route full of snowdrops, manor houses, a stunning village & views and quaint churches.

If you'd like to know more about our Country Houses & Gardens trip, visit our website (link in bio) or send us a message here on Instagram.

#LoveWalking #SouthWestEngland #visitengland #swisbest #visitdorset #walkingholidaysuk #hikeuk #hikingholidaysuk #hiking #walking #ukhikes #ukhiking #ukwalking #visitdorset #visitengland #visitsomerset #gloriousbritain #ruralengland #englishcountryside #countrysidewalks #landscapecaptures #thisprettyengland #gloriousbritain #englishcountryhouse #ruralidyll #bluesky

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Credits & small print

Photography credits: Alison & David Howell. Alun Callender, The National Trust, English Heritage

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