The Contours team have all sorts of outdoorsy hobbies, and in Ben's case, those include taking his kid on little leg adventures.

Ben's Little Leg Adventures

We have an incredibly knowledgable and enthusiastic team here at Contours Holidays, with a wide range of interests that give us all sorts of useful insights when we’re researching our tours, providing advice, building those all-important links with accommodation owners and customers alike, and putting together those brilliant tour packs we dispatch to lead you on your perfect holiday.

So we thought we’d share some of the great personalities here — starting with Ben from customer service, who’s coined the term “little leg adventures”.

Walking for generations

Surprise, surprise! I’m a walking nerd. I find old maps interesting, read guidebooks when I’m bored, use my days off work walking in the countryside, and talk about walking with my equally-as-walking-mad friends (we call ourselves the “Hikely Lads”).

But as my father did with me, I enjoy nothing more than taking my kid on walks with me. She plods and potters with me, points at trees and tells me the Gruffalo lives in there. There are promises of ducks, castles, puddles to jump in, rivers to play “Pooh-sticks”, woodlands to collect conkers, and everything else that a 3 year old finds interesting and fun.

And ice cream — we don’t walk far, but we walk far enough to deserve an ice cream.

A clamber to a castle

Our favourite walk involves a hill. It’s 475ft of ascent in less than a mile, along a splendid woodland track to a viewpoint looking out miles over the Derbyshire hills (she goes in the carrier rucksack for most of it). There’s an old engine house at the top you can explore (which we pretend is a castle). We go inside and hear our voices echo around the walls, and usually stop for a snack before heading back down the hill.

One day, Coco Chicken (her teddy) joined on the adventure. And on finishing the walk at the bottom of the hill…

“Where’s Coco Chicken?”
“Oh, at the castle”
“…!”

Daddy needed two ice creams that day.

That extra perspective

I like long walks, so whenever I plan my walks (with the Hikely Lads or just for myself) I enjoy 20+ mile days while my legs can still carry me.

My short weekend hikes with my daughter help me realise that there is fun to be had on shorter days. And with some families booking with Contours having younger walkers in the group, I can better help with suggestions for trails and itineraries for little legs.

Looking forward

With another kid on the way! it’s not the end for our “little leg” adventures. That does mean my multi-day, 20+ mile walks are on hold for a couple of years, but I won’t be getting bored anytime soon (even with our walks to “Coco Chicken Castle”).