Last year a new company was born and, within months, beat rivals such as Virgin to win a major environmental award. Upland Escapes specialises in walking holidays which aim to be carbon neutral, attracting environmentally-aware families, particularly those with teens. Such specialist travel firms are waking up to the needs of families, including babysitting arrangements and flexible walking timetables, so the odd day off can be factored in. Now, even the smallest people can be taken walking if they are carried – making the carrier even fitter. Here are my top 10 for 2008 of firms to watch.

1 One of the reasons that Upland Escapes is already way ahead of many competitors, despite its youth, is that its team includes director Laura Whinney. Her father, Christopher Whinney, and stepmother, Philippa Farrow, ran Alternative Travel Group which pioneered walking holidays at the top end of the market.

Upland Escapes specialises in holidays in the UK as well as France, Italy, Spain and Slovenia, and encourages clients to go by train. Children get an activity pack of things to find, see and experience while older children may be offered activities like white-water rafting, canoeing, canyoning, climbing, horse-riding, bungee-jumping, paragliding and mountain-biking.

Overall their focus, like so many walking holidays, is on the beauty of the routes they pick, an aspect highlighted on Upland Escape’s site with a little help from William Wordsworth: "I hear these waters, rolling from their mountain-springs/ With a soft inland murmur.--Once again/ Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs/ That on a wild secluded scene impress/Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect/The landscape with the quiet of the sky."

Wordsworth tended to focus on native delights. Upland Escape’s Italy holiday in Majella National Park costs £615 for seven days including car hire but excluding flights. Infants under 2 go free, children aged 2 - 11 receive a 25% discount and no high season supplements are charged during school holidays.

For general advice and holiday companies offering walking tours of France and the Pyrenees French Entrée’s site is useful.

2 Sherpa Holidays goes for adventurous and sometimes challenging walks in some remote areas like the Himalayas. This is definitely for the teen rather than child family, and their escorted tours won’t leave much energy for teenage angst. Sixteen days for £857 pp excluding flights.

3 LB Tours Specialise in the Med and around Switzerland, France and Italy with two nights in each destination. Their Umbria tour costs £650 for nine days excluding flights. This trip includes various cultural highlights such as Assisi, which are always useful for catching up on general knowledge and art appreciation. Go in spring and you’ll have the added advantage of exquisite wildflowers. And, at the end of the day, you can deaden the pain of aching joints with lashings of local wine.

4 Headwater has lots of experience in arranging active holidays throughout Europe. You are left with detailed route descriptions of highlights along the way. Best of all, Headwater will take people, as well as luggage, from destination to destination for those with small, tired children or droopy teens in the party.

5 HF Holidays arranges trips in the UK and Europe and gives free places to under fours in the UK – it’s a great way to join forces with other families because you eat and walk together. Tours are lead by guides who also arrange competitions and other activities for all ages. Their seven-night holiday in Switzerland costs £695 INCLUDING flights plus substantial discounts for children up to 15.

6 New Experience Holidays has a Davos holiday which is especially appealing in August when the annual music festival attracts international artists. Half board from £399 for seven days without flights. Pools, skating, and lots more summer Alpine activities are available for days when you don’t want to walk.

UK Holidays

7 Footscape is a dedicated UK walking holiday company which encourages family tours. I like the look of their Jurassic Coast 8-day trail from Charmouth to Corfe Castle which costs from £70 per person per night, although family rooms can sometimes be arranged. This is a self guided tour although the company also has guided tours.

8 Drover holidays specialises in walking holidays in Wales. Guided tours include a packed lunch as well as half board and luggage transfer. Beacons Way, a strenuous tour which should probably only be tackled by fit over-12s, costs £675 pp for eight days and covers 100 miles.

10 Wilderness Scotland does what it says on the can. Its tours include a dedicated family holiday in Perthshire from £485 per adult for three days and discounts for children. Rock climbing is an option for those who need a little excitement.

As with any holiday, it’s worth reading the small print carefully to find out what is and isn’t offered down to the amount of support and backup and any genuine commitment to family travel. Above all, make sure you choose a holiday that will have as much for your children to enjoy as you – and make sure you are all well equipped with broken-in walking shoes and a range of weather protection from waterproofs to sun cream.

Five golden questions to ask:

1 What family-stage (ie teen, toddler, primary school) are holidays aimed for? Is this just lip service or do they arrange special services like babysitting, teen activities or competitions to keep children engaged?

2 Are hotels or B&Bs genuinely family friendly, and are they based in safe, family-friendly towns and villages with plenty of interest for all age groups?

3 How much experience has the company had with family travel?

4 Can the company arrange tours with families of a similar age range?

5 What arrangements are made for babies and toddlers – nappies, cots etc?

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