Slowmoves is about enjoying the journey, as well as the destination. Moving away from budget flights and quick getaways to faraway places and moving towards overnight train journeys, cycle trips and home-stays. Why not start a holiday from when you leave your front door, rather than when you enter your hotel room?

Hiking on the GR20: Frederik Vandaele


GR 20 walking route across Corsica

"Bon courage!" Those words normally mean it's time for a deep breath. I learned that and a lot more during days on the trail of the famous GR 20 walking route across Corsica . Walkers going in opposite directions wishing each other the best ahead of a steep turn up or down.

My own experience was fantastic. I arrived in Ajaccio and caught a train winding up in to the mountains, to the small town of Vizzavona . I waited beside the track to meet my friend who had walked the week previous from Conca. Conca to Vizzavona is the flatter southern part of the GR 20, albeit still some distance and challenge. North from Vizzavona to Calenzana, though, holds greater drama. At its most simple, it's stunning. The kilometres I trod over four days included all from barren stony mountain sides to lush wet forest trails, baking dry shepherds’' stone walls to dampened snow. Highlights of the walk include the fall and rise of Cirque de la Solitude and, later, views towards Golfe de Porto.
http://corsica.forhikers.com/gr20
http://slowmovesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/gr-20-and-gr-walking-routes.html






Wwoofing around the world

For those who like a holiday with a purpose, wwoofing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) is a great way to be a part of the country you're visiting. In short, you help out on a farm, doing anything from planting to weeding, fishing to cooking, in exchange for a meal and a bed at night. But more than this, it's a fantastic way to live with a family in their home, learn about the area and farming, and enjoy some good fresh food, straight out of the ground. You can find great wwoofing opportunities across the channel in France (and brush up on your French in the process) or even right here in the UK. What's great is that you work a few hours and the rest is your own time to explore the area, take a dip in the sea, go for a nice long walk, eat the strawberries you've picked.
http://www.wwoof.org
http://slowmovesblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/wwoofing.html





Going overland with Seat Sixty-One

How to get from one place to the other, pretty much any where around the world, without going on a plane? Seat Sixty-One links to all the relevant websites where you can buy tickets (you can trust the times are correct). One of the beauties is that you can plan on a single site without having to tackle a number of websites with drop down boxes, loading times and premature options like facing forward or backwards.

Slowmoves is about taking time but not getting bogged down. If you want to go by train to somewhere you might normally go by plane, Seat Sixty-One is our favourite place to start. It might just take you to finishing in a place you wouldn't have done otherwise.
http://www.seat61.com/
http://slowmovesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/seat-61.html