Foreign fields
If your boots were made for walking on something other than paving stones, Simon Birch suggets five real hikes for the weekend.
Uphill struggle
After pulling out all the stops to raise the £2,250 required to participate in a sponsored trek to Chile, Alex Fouché finds that the view from the top of the Paine Massif makes the previous six months' work worthwhile
On the steep path to recovery
Paul Pritchard lays the ghosts of a crippling climbing accident by tackling Africa's second highest peak.
Passport, tickets… and form E111
Tracey Boles on how to get free health care abroad.
Walk this way
Cumbria, one of England's most picturesque counties, is also one of the hardest hit by foot and mouth. But it is still possible to enjoy a holiday there. David Ward reports
The simple pleasures are the best
A three-day break at health farm Ragdale Hall left Jill Tilden blissed out
Blind climber sets out to conquer Everest
The Ministry of Tourism in Kathmandu said Erik Weihenmeyer, 32, will be the first blind person even to attempt to climb Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, which stands 8,850m tall on the border of Nepal and Tibet
Walking and climbing in Alsace
We have booked a cottage in Riquewihr in the Alsace region of France for October. We have read that there is good walking and climbing in this area but have been unable to find any guide books. Can your readers recomend any. We have tried the BMC website, but to no avail.
Dengue fever warning in SE Asia
The risk of catching dengue fever on the Thai island of Phuket is higher than usual this year, health officials have warned
A taste of heaven and hell in the frontline fight for my waistline
Anthony Browne, the Observer's health editor, roadtests two very different types of health farm in Ireland, which offer treatments ranging from pampering and gastronomic over-indulgence to colonic irrigation.