A mural by Aches on Cork s Anglesea Street. Photo: Clare Keogh
“Getting the ‘walking bug’ is one of the few positive things to come out of 2020,” says Sara Zimmerman of Travel Department and TD Active. Bookings for future walking trips are outperforming all other holidays, both for overseas and homegrown options like their four-night Kerry Walking Holiday, she adds.
“So many more people have taken to the great outdoors during lockdowns to exercise and for their headspace, which has reinvigorated both the appeal and appetite to explore more on foot.”
New trails are being created, upgraded or waymarked both for local communities and future visitors all over the world. In Spain, the Camino’s Holy Year will be stretched over 2021 and 2022. New Zealand has added a new trail to its 12 ‘Great Walks’, with huts to stay in along the way.