Scientists are telling us that the stability of the climate hinges on whether we can keep the global temperature rise in check within this decade, so it’s never been more important to holiday in tune with the planet. Going green is more than just packing a reusable water bottle. By cutting out flying, eating local food, staying in low-impact hotels and booking with carbon-conscious tour operators, you can ensure that all elements of the trip have as low a carbon footprint as possible. Here are five holidays that go the extra low-carbon mile, without losing any of the wow factor…
A whistle-stop tour of Spanish cities
Soak up the Spanish way of life with other like-minded explorers on an easy-paced small group tour. The most transparent tour operators are starting to carbon label their trips so you can know the footprint of your holiday, and Explore Worldwide has worked with carbon consultancy Ecollective to provide this information for all its trips. This nine-day small group city break tour that takes in Madrid, Bilboa, San Sebastian, Rioja and Barcelona, has an average carbon footprint of 124kg per person, including all accommodation, transport within Spain, meals, activities and excursions.
Who this holiday suits: Solo travellers will enjoy the small group vibes, meaning you can share the experiences with new people during the trip. You’ll walk the streets of Madrid visiting its parks, museums and markets, sample the food from the avant-garde cities of Bilbao and San Sebastián (below) where the ‘pintxos’ culture is very much part of city life. Try some of the famous wines of Rioja and be guided along the backstreets of Barcelona, including the Gothic Quarter, the El Born area and the seaside neighbourhood of La Barceloneta.
Where to stay: You’ll stay in characterful hotels specially selected for this trip to help bring travellers together in inspiring surroundings, such as Hotel Silken Villa de Laguardia just outside Laguardia â a beautiful medieval walled town surrounded by vineyards â and Hotel Catalonia El Pilar in the historic centre of Zaragoza.
The nitty gritty: Explore Worldwide’s nine-day trip costs from £1,699 including accommodation and local transport but not international travel. Better still for your carbon count: it’s possible to travel from London to Barcelona by train in just one day (via Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord, then Paris Gare de Lyon to Barcelona), then take the fast 2.5-hour train to the trip’s starting point in Madrid.
Family adventures in the Pyrenees
Travelling by train to Europe is even greener thanks to the low-carbon Eurostar journey across the Channel â the international rail operator claims one flight from London to Paris produces the equivalent carbon footprint of 14 Eurostar journeys â and the burgeoning electric train network on the continent. This makes it a piece of gateaux to reach the French Pyrenees, the rugged range extending more than 260 miles from Perpignan in south-west France to San Sebastian in northern Spain, an enticing option for green adventure travellers.
Who this holiday suits: Families will adore the rugged range of mountains full of age-old villages packed with homespun rural character, markets selling fabulous fresh produce that cut down the food miles, and a huge variety of low-impact outdoor adventure activities that suit all ages and abilities, from gentle walks to mountain biking and instructor-led canyoning down waterfalls.
Where to stay: The town has several majestic belle époque hotels, and our pick is the characterful Hotel Lion d’Or Cauterets. Built in 1840, it’s run by the fourth-generation Lasserre family who welcome you with freshly picked lilacs and just-baked gingerbread cake. The breakfasts, including ‘merveilles’ (small doughnuts dusted with icing sugar made to Grandmother Lasserre’s recipe) are reason alone to go. The two-bedroom apartment sleeps up to five, from €190 per night. A short walk from the hotel is the town’s Les Bains du Rocher, a spa complex with indoor and outdoor pools that’s family-friendly with a dedicated toddler pool, while for those who want to venture further, take a summer shuttle bus to Pont d’Espagne where you can walk along a well-marked trail though a protected forest to an ancient stone bridge that connects France and Spain.
The nitty gritty: From the French capital, the Pyrenees are less than five hours away. Take the train to Lourdes and then the bus (less than an hour) to the historic spa town of Cauterets, the gateway to the Pyrenees National Park.
A Romantic Italian island escape
The island of Ventotene in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the west coast of Italy is not as well-known as other neighbouring Pontine islands, but it’s a fabulous nature island that can be reached by a short ferry trip from Formia on the Italian mainland. Its waters are a protected marine reserve and as it’s a strategic position for bird migration between Africa and Europe, you’ll likely catch sight of remarkable birds.
Who this holiday suits: Romantic restaurants such as Un Mare di Sapori will lure couples down to the harbour: you can dine at the water’s edge at the entrance to rock chambers that were once used by the Romans to store goods. And La Terrazza di Mimì is perched up on the cliff overlooking the sea selling fresh-as-can-be seafood.
Where to stay: Travel with Italian travel company Knature, which specialises in ecotourism trips to spot fine-feathered species and visit some of Ventotene’s ancient Roman ruins, all while supporting the economy by using local guides. On Knature’s trip you’ll stay at one of the island’s small guesthouses, such as Le Parracine, just a few minutes’ walk to Cala Nave’s small stretch of sand from where you can explore the biodiverse sea life as you snorkel around the large rocks.
The nitty gritty: Take the Eurostar to Paris, you can wend your way south to make the most of the new high-speed Italian Frecciarossa trains to Milan and then on by rail to Formia and the ferry.
Cycle across scenic Wales
Discover one of the most scenic railway cycle paths in the UK by exploring the Mawddach Trail, which runs for nearly 10 miles along a disused railway track below the foothills of Cadair Idris in Snowdonia where you can take in views across to the hills to the north rising to more than 600m. The leisurely cycle trail runs from the market town of Dolgellau to the coast, where it ends by crossing the spectacular railway bridge over the mouth of the estuary at Barmouth.
Who this holiday suits: Groups will love this leisurely cycle, and an optional adventure on day two â the world-class Coed Y Brenin Mountain Biking Centre is less than an hour’s cycle ride away (bus services from Dolgellau stop by request at the entrance road to the visitor centre). The centre is geared up for groups so if necessary, you’ll all be able to borrow bikes suitable for its network of all-weather single-track trails (naturalresources.wales).
Where to stay: Midway along the trail there’s the Cefn Coed Bunkbarn â once a bake house and dairy of the farm here in Penmaenpool, it sleeps 12 people in bunk beds in four separate bedrooms (sinks in three rooms, one toilet and one shower) from £260 total per night. There are also camping pitches (from £23 per pitch per night) among oak woodland of the 75-acre site, an onsite shop for essentials and you can pre-order a delicious Thai curry, as one of the couple who run it is from Thailand. From Cefn Coed, it’s a 30-minute walk along the trail to the George III, a hotel and pub, which overlooks the estuary.
The nitty gritty: Take the low-carbon route there by train along the scenic Cambrian Line along the west coast of Wales to Barmouth, then you can hire bikes from Birmingham Garage in Barmouth (01341 280644), from Coed Cae near Penmaenpool (01341 430628), or from Dolgellau Cycles in Dolgellau.
Scottish sleeper plus Highland hiking
Enjoy incredible landscapes of mountain, forest and moorland when you choose to travel from London to Scotland from the comfort of the Caledonian Sleeper. The good news is that you’re likely to be halving your carbon emissions compared to driving solo in a petrol car or even more compared to flying. The even better news is that it’s so convenient. Tuck in to a plate of haggis, neeps and tatties in the Club Car dining carriage, then drift off to sleep as the train trundles across up through the North of England and across the border. When you wake up to views of the Scottish countryside, you have to pinch yourself that bedtime was back in central London.
You can then choose your own adventure, or opt for one of Wilderness Scotland’s trips, which tie in with arriving on the Sleeper (it provides a 15 per cent discount on the cost of it), such as a self-guided trek along the Speyside Way that departs from Inverness and covers just over 65 miles through villages, woods and whiskey distilleries to the foothills of the Cairngorm Mountains. The seven-night trip has a carbon footprint of 70kg per person and costs from £1,085 per person, including B&B accommodation, luggage transfers and route notes.
Who this holiday suits: Anyone who likes a good walk.
Where to stay: If doing a DIIY trip, get off at Corrour station (four stops before Fort William) and walk about a mile on a track to the homely off-grid Loch Ossian Youth Hostel in splendid isolation on the northern edge of Rannoch Moor, where beds in the cosy dorms cost from £25 a night. Alternatively, continue further up to Fort William to take the connecting train to the port of Mallaig; from there, take a ferry over to the beautiful Knoydart Peninsula, a great place for wild camping and walking and home to The Old Forge, the most remote pub in mainland Britain that has been re-opened this summer by the local Knoydart community.
The nitty gritty: The Caledonian Sleeper has two routes from London Euston. The Lowlander route travels directly to Glasgow and Edinburgh, while the Highlander travels further to Aberdeen, Inverness, Aviemore and Fort William. Choose between standard seats (the most economical option) that have adjustable headrests and footrests, wi-fi and reading lights; couchettes that have room service — there are twin bunks (Classic solo), en-suite bunks (Club En-Suite); and en-suite double beds (Caledonian Double En-Suite). Many of the National Railcards can be used with the standard seat tickets on the Caledonia Sleeper; the Two Together railcard provides up to 34% discount, the Family & Friends railcard offers up to 81% for children, while the 16–25 Railcard provides up to 34% discount on Classic solo or Club En-Suite rooms as well as for standard seats.
'It's a balancing act'
For our new campaign, green-travel writer Richard Hammond told us what sustainable travel means to him
'Travelling in a way that's sensitive to the climate and nature emergencies while ensuring that the wellbeing of the places we visit gains long-term benefit from us travelling there. It’s a balancing act between reducing or eliminating the negatives and maximising the positives of travel.'
