Active Traveller Magazine - Your guide to activity and adventure holidays and travel including: walking, kayaking, sailing, surfing, mountain biking, climbing, family holidays and gear reviews.

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Learn to kayak

To tackle white-water rapids in a kayak you need to get your basic skills sorted. Matt Carroll heads to Wales and learns how to get properly paddling. Pictures Lawrence Looi

Member Article: Kite Surfing

Kite surfing – Extreme fun and a great workout! Active Traveller member Annelies is into kite surfing in a big way and thinks everyone else should give it a try. Read her thoughts on how and why to get started here.

Learn to Horse Ride

Horse riding is accessible, easy to learn and helps you appreciate the great outdoors from a slightly higher vantage point. Rob McKinlay saddles up.

Learning To Climb

Progressive Rock Rob McKinlay makes the move from indoor climbing walls to the rock face, with the help of top alpine climber Matt Helliker.

About the British Surfing Association

The British Surfing Association... Riding the crest of a wave is commonly described as a feeling like no other and one of the reasons why surfing maintains such a strong following around the world. It originated in Hawaii and was a central part of their ancient culture. The modern recreational and competitive sport still has strong links to the islands and also encompasses bodyboarding and bodysurfing.

About the British Canoe Union

The BCU Paddlesports offer something for everyone. From calm, steady paced canoeing on placid waters to facing the challenge of raging torrents, competitive sprint racing and exploring coastal scenery by sea kayak. The diversity of the sport has secured its wide appeal.

Snow Sports Jargon Guide

Do you ride goofy? Whether you are new to snow sports or know your way around on and off piste the technical and not so technical jargon of the snow covered world can be baffling. Read on and get to grips with some of the terms.

Mountain Biking with a Pro

Rock "N" Roll... Learning with a pro may seem like a dream come true, but mountain biking with Steve Peat, downhill world champion, takes Matt Carroll well and truly out of his comfort zone.

Mountain Biking Jargon

Learn the lingo with explanations for some of the most common mountain biking terms.

Getting to grips with Mountain Biking

Get started Mountain biking has something to offer all different skill levels. Alison Ledger tells you how to get started.

WIN! WIN! WIN!

WIN! WIN! WIN!Win awesome holidays to Ontario in Canada, Italy, plus some superb Salomon walking boots!Crater Expectations: IndonesiaMatt Westby explores a chain of the planet’s great volcanoes on foot Focus on... Ontario, CanadaOur guide to the Canadian province of Ontario, an outdoor adventure playground waiting to be explored The best mountain biking in WalesWe share our local knowledge of the best downhill trail centres and wild, independent riding

LATEST FEATURES >>

Grand canyoning in Italy

Scrambling over rocks amid glorious scenery, swimming in clear mountain poo...

Urban cycling, with the kids

It was a crisp autumn day, the sky was a deep blue and the sun shone beauti...

Make the most of summer in South Tyrol

Summer is all about getting out in the great outdoors, soaking up the sunsh...

Crater expectations: Hiking in Indonesia

Some hikers are content with going to Scotland to bag Munros. Matt Westby w...

Peaks of perfection: the Picos de Europa

Alf Alderson heads to Fuenté Dé in Spain’s Picos de Europa for some sun-kis...

The other north shore

Alf Alderson gives the low down on Britain’s best surf

Scuba diving Red Sea wrecks

The Red Sea resorts in Egypt attract sun-seeking holidaymakers in droves. B...

Find World Class Mountain Biking in Wales

From downhill trail centres to wild, independent riding Alf Alderson shares...

Azores by bike

While taking in the history and panoramic views on a bike ride around the v...

Hiking Morocco’s Atlas Mountains

Fancy a hike this weekend? You could pop to the coast, the Peak District or...

A Ridge Too Far

Alf Alderson sets out on some of Britain’s finest ridge walks and revels in...

Say 'Grrrr'; Photography in Tanzania

Research suggests that more than 50 per cent of digital SLR users only ever...

Power to the people!

Ski resorts can often feel like another country – in summer, too - and Saas...

The only way is up!

Norway's fjords offer some of Europe’s most spectacular scenery and they ar...

Climbing Cotopaxi

At almost 5,900m, it's Ecuador's second highest peak and one of the highest...

Five Things to do in Devon

Sunny Devon is a hot place to be for an active stay-cation in the South Wes...

Five Things to do in Cornwall

The most westerly tip of mainland Britain is an exhilarating base for an ou...

Morzine: Downhill MTB in the Dark

So you think you can ride Susannah Osborne takes to moonlit trails in the d...

On a wing and a prayer

From time to time we ask our writers to do something a little...out there....

Two weeks in a tuk tuk

For the past three years, writer and photographer Candace Rose Rardon has b...

Mad about Madagascar

Publisher Jim Walker was torn between actively travelling and inactively re...

The day I fell in love with kayaking

He’s capsized in icy Welsh rapids and bounced over boulders, but Matt Carro...

On the trail of Aphrodite

Susannah Osborne finds a long weekend exploring Cyprus’s Akamas Peninsula w...

Journey to the end of the world

There are places on this planet that cry out to be seen once in a lifetime....

Happy Campers

Dorset’s Jurassic Coast provides the attractions and distractions needed fo...

An Insider’s guide to Pembrokeshire

WAYS OUT WEST Simon Williams has climbed, surfed, swum or run around most...

Lake Garda Via Ferrata

VERTIGO IN THE TRENCHES...If your head for heights is a little fuzzy, go cl...

Family cycling on the Outer Hebrides

Cycling wild and remote places brings its rewards. Cycling them with kids o...

West Coast Trail - British Columbia

Some of the best hiking anywhere in the world is found on Vancouver Island,...

Lake District Via Ferrata

Britain’s first and only via ferrata has proved so popular since it opened...

Inside-out guide to Scotland

Great Scot... Famed for its spectacular scenery, the west coast of Scotla...

Tipi kayak adventure, Ross-on -Wye

Paddle-on-Wye... Kayaking down the River Wye, while camping in snug nativ...

All-action Algarve

The Algarve has it all - surfing, climbing, hiking, mountain biking... Simo...

20 things to do in the Aosta Valley

From skiing, canyoning and mountain biking to wine tasting and spas, the Ao...

Horseback cowboy adventure in Washington State

Ben Bovill saddled up to explore the wide open spaces of America’s Washingt...

Climbing the via ferrata in Switzerland

Head for heights...Clive Tully turns iron man as he takes to the mountains...

Family Farm Holiday in the North Downs

Down on the farm...Here’s the perfect escape – rustic camping on a working...

Exploring Jersey

Mother Nature... Gabriella Le Breton heads to Jersey with her Mum for an ac...

Cycling: Brittany to Britain

Celtic odyssey...You might scratch your head to hear of a new network of cy...

Walking, boating and biking in Geneva

Geneva has so much more than a handy airport for Alpine ski resorts. In sum...

Trekking Machu Picchu

Picchu perfect...With so much hype surrounding the famous lost city of the...

Beginner's Guide to Trekking in the Himalaya

Going up in the world Olly Margry, owner of specialist tour operator Himala...

Rafting, riding and shooting in Texas

Marc Grainger took to the muddy waters of the Rio Grande, broke a humvee’s...

Active Guide to Snowdonia

The Active Destination... Snowdonia offers a whole range of fantastic activ...

A Rapid Adventure in North Wales

10 Activities in One Adventure Filled Day... Written by Eleanor Miller. My...

Action Alps - Austrian Tirol

Forget the snow and the sound of cow bells, the hills and mountains of the...

Mountain Biking in Flims, Switzerland

Flims, Switzerland Advertising promotion on mountain biking in Flims, Swit...

Marsa Wadi Lahami

Patrick Shier tells us about his latest diving trip to the Red Sea

La Plagne Profile

Resort Lowdown: La Plagne... Choosing a ski resort in the Alps can be a tri...

Member Article: Alberta Canada

Alberta is home to iconic lakes and mountain landscapes recognised the worl...

Member Article: Zermatt Uncovered

The Alps offer world-class skiing, great hospitality and summer activity de...

Member Article: Snowboarding holiday in Banff

Snowboarder and Active Traveller member Naeem Alvi took to the snow in Ban...

Member article: Tenerife

I run a dive center in Tenerife so thought I would offer my own local view...

Hiking in Bohinj

With breathtaking views, quiet trails and warm hospitality Slovenia is a hi...

Dedham Vale

Straddling the counties of Essex and Suffolk, Dedham Vale AONB is in the he...

Blackdown Hills

Riven with river valleys and dotted with Iron Age hillforts, the Blackdown...

So South West Wales

Ideas and advice from the tourist board... When you come, don’t forget you...

Ski Holidays in Slovenia

If you are looking for a first-time skiing holiday that offers more than j...

The Lincolnshire Wolds

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty... Once ‘highly fashionable’, the Lincol...

East Devon - Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Olivia Edward goes in search of bats and cliff-top farmland among the rura...

Focus on...

Ontario, Canada

Ontario is a vast adventure playground the size of France and Spain combined. With 300 parks, 250,000 lakes, 33% of the worlds fresh water, 10,000 Moose, the iconic Niagara Falls, great cities and plenty more besides, there is plenty to explore. Read our full guide to this stunning region.

Competitions

WIN! A women’s and men’s pair of Salomon Cosmic 4D GTX boots!

Spring will be with us in a flash and you'll be needing some walking boots that can stand up to the rigours of the early season. Look no firther than the Salomon Cosmic 4D GTX boots.

Discover Italy and WIN a cycling holiday!

Active Traveller and Exodus are offering one lucky reader the chance to win a cycling holiday to Tuscany including flights and accommodation.

Win an incredible holiday for two to Fjord Norway worth more than £1,400

Fjord Tours are giving you the chance to win an amazing holiday to the region of Fjord Norway. The prize is their Hardangerfjord In A Nutshell tour and includes return flights from the UK to the beautiful city of Bergen with Norwegian, and a fjord tour which visits wonderful waterfalls, glaciers, fruit farms and traditional fjord villages.

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VIDEO OF THE WEEK >>

Latest News

Longest cycling trail opens

The world’s longest off-road cycling trail has officially opened in Western Australia – and the first 26 riders have cycled the whole of it too.

Cool Camping guide to Britain out now

The first Cool Camping guide to British campsites has been published this month. The new book, Cool Camping Britain, selects the 150 best campsites in England, Wales and Scotland.

Pilgrim trail reopens in Scandinavia

An ancient pilgrimage route is being reopened as a hiking trail after 500 years of disuse. St Olav’s Way (or St Olavsleden) is a 580km-long route between Selånger in Sweden and Trondheim in Norway.

Cycling events at Keswick Mountain Festival

Keswick Mountain Festival has lined up a programme of cycling activities that’s set to be a highlight of the 2013 event. A combination of displays, coaching sessions, road and mountain bike rides, try out sessions for children, and a special Bike Night in the Alhambra Cinema featuring films and speakers is set to keep cycling enthusiasts entertained.

LATEST KIT REVIEWS //

Regional Guides

The Outer Hebrides

The Outer Hebrides, an archipelago of around 100 islands that border the northwest of...

The Borders

The rolling lowlands of The Borders feature heather-clad hills rising to over 2700 feet,...

The Highlands

The Cairngorms National Park, Britain's largest National Park, lies within the Highlands region. Five...

The Swiss Alps

It's no surprise Switzerland is a prime destination for active travellers – the Alps...

The Slovenian Alps

The Slovenian Alps stretch from northeast Italy west across Slovenia. The highest point, Mount...