WINE-TASTING IN BURGUNDY

The odd bottle of wine is a given on any self-propelled holiday in France, but what about a trip that’s devoted to the stuff?

The wine-tour specialist Arblaster and Clarke (01730 263111, www.winetours.co.uk) offers several guided walking holidays, but its its Burgundian itinerary offers the best combination of scenery, quality and interest.

Starting in Beaune, it takes in some delightful villages, including Gevrey-Chambertin, Fixin and Chassagne-Montrachet. Each day’s walking is no more than eight miles, broken up with two or three tastings – jump on board the support bus if you need to sleep off the last vintage. The two trips available this year are guided; they depart on May 27 and September 2, with prices starting at £1,299pp, including six nights’ B&B accommodation, seven meals with wine (one of them in a Michelin-starred restaurant) and tastings.

Return rail fares from London Waterloo to Beaune start at £89pp with Rail Europe (0870 830 4863, www.raileurope.co.uk).

AN EASY RIDE IN FRANCE

If you thought cycling holidays were all sweat and gear changes, then check out the nine-day, self-guided Alsatian tour offered by Cycling for Softies (0161 248 8282, www.cycling-for-softies.co.uk). The trip starts and ends in Blienschwiller; along the way, you stay at two hotels with Michelin-starred restaurants (at Colmar and Riquewihr). History buffs will be kept busy by a chain of hilltop castles and the complex yet futile fortifications of the Maginot line, built between the wars to keep the Germans at bay.

The trip, which can start on any day until September 30, costs £1,478pp, half-board, including bike hire and return rail travel from London. Daily luggage transfers cost £160 for the whole trip – although, with the terrain mostly flat, you might be inclined to carry the bags yourself.

BY HORSE THROUGH PERIGORD

All right, so riding can’t exactly be described as self-propulsion. But try telling anyone who’s just spent all day in the saddle that no effort is involved. In any case, it brings the same sense of liberation from hassle and hustle as walking or cycling, and offers a similarly profound engagement with the shape of the landscape around you.

Typical of the treks on offer is a seven-day Périgord itinerary from Ride World Wide (01837 82544, www.rideworldwide.co.uk), which follows a circular route through the hilly and historic country north of the River Lot. Much of the riding is at walking pace, but some steep hills mean you’ll need to be of intermediate standard to handle it.

There’s expert help at hand from the guides, should you need it, with a mouthwatering succession of chateaux, bastides, picnics and swimming pools to enjoy en route. There’s a choice of four departure dates on offer this summer, with prices starting at £1,330pp, full-board. Return rail fares from London Waterloo to Agen start from £99pp with Rail Europe (0870 830 4863, www.raileurope.co.uk).

PADDLING AND PEDALLING IN THE DORDOGNE

For its nine-day canoe trips on the Dordogne, the self-propulsion specialist Headwater (0870 066 2650, www.headwater.com) advises that you have to be a strong swimmer. But don’t worry. You’d be hard pressed to find a gentler stretch of water – wide, gracious, and flanked for much of its journey by one of the great French landscapes. Clifftop castles, fortified medieval villages and miles of quiet wooded countryside – you can drift through the lot, including Sarlat and Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, with the minimum of effort on this easy-going trip. And if there’s too much rain, Headwater takes your craft out of the water and transports you – and it – to your next stop.

This summer, there’s an extra element to the trip – bike hire on each of the three rest days, so you can explore beyond the river banks. There are departures every two days between May 23 and September 24, with prices starting at £1,014pp, including canoe and bike hire, half-board accommodation and return rail travel from London.

HIKING THE HAUTE ROUTE

By no means all self-propelled holidays are soft-core. Much more hairy-chested adventure is on offer in the Alps – and one of the most challenging routes that doesn’t involve any climbing is the Haute Route around Mont Blanc. This classic trek takes 15 days and involves plenty of steep uphill sections and roped walking (with crampons and ice axes) on glaciers. For those with less time, KE Adventure Travel (017687 73966, www.keadventure.com) offers a shorter itinerary, taking you from Chamonix to Zermatt via 26,000ft of lung-bursting ascent. Accommodation is in Alpine huts, so don’t go expecting the Ritz, and the company rates the trip as strenuous – “something only the fitter kind of hill-walker should attempt”, although the ratio of guides to guests is 6:1.

Two departure dates remain, July 21 and August 11, with prices starting at £995pp, half-board, excluding travel. Return rail fares from London Waterloo to Geneva start from £97pp with Rail Europe (0870 830 4863, www.raileurope.co.uk); KE provides transfers to Chamonix for £30pp each way.

FREEWHEELING THROUGH CONNEMARA

The scenery may be wild, but the same can’t be said of the cycling. Irish Cycling Safaris (00 353 1260 0749, www.cyclingsafaris.com) has a seven-night, self-guided tour of the Connemara coast, taking in some of the most striking landscapes in Ireland – including the Delphi valley, the Twelve Ben mountains and the coast road to Clifden – but it can be done by all but the most idle pedaller. Included in the itinerary are two rest days (allowing, for example, a trip out to the Aran islands), and each leg of the journey is no more than 40 miles, along quiet roads that are undulating rather than hilly. There is ample opportunity to sample a pint or two of the black stuff, too. You can leave on almost any day until September 30 (except Saturdays); prices start at £427pp, including B&B accommodation, bike hire and luggage transfers.

Times recommends

• 'New York has lost its edge'
• The UK and Ireland's 25 best Christmas events
• Chalet Chef 2010: the winners