Hello and welcome ...

to our spring/summer newsletter...

On 16 April 16 of us arrived at Sirkeci Station on the banks of the Golden Horn in Istanbul. 4 days earlier, we had met under the magnificently restored arches of William Barlow's great engine shed at St Pancras International. We were whisked by Eurostar to Paris, the clean German City-Night-Line sleeper sped us to Munich and the bi-lingual (English & German) Austrian RailJet to Budapest. We stopped for a 24hr visit to this capital city of historic spires and art-nouveau cafés, straddling the Danube. From Hungary the journey slows to a sedate pace, traversing Transylvania at night. As dawn breaks, the railway cuts through the snow-capped Carpathian mountains, and we descend towards Bucharest's Nord Station, thronged with characters from many parts of Eastern Europe. A moment to pause and watch the world rush by as we wait for the train to Istanbul. The bridge from Romania to Bulgaria is one of the longest in the world, crossing the expanded Danube for 2 miles. Then the train meanders through villages, clickety-clicks its way past smart Bulgarian station masters standing to attention under iron clocks, passes over the Turkish border and across the green rolling countryside of Thrace.

The purpose of this journey has been to blaze an over-land trail across Europe, the Balkans and on to our venues in southwest Turkey. Now, I can vouch that this is a viable route. It takes 7 days and nights, including 3 stop-overs. Journeying with a friend or in a small group, the cost of the tickets, sleepers and 3 nights in budget hotels is about £500 per person, one-way. Good veggie/vegan food is available in a range of restaurants, wholefood shops and markets along the way. If you would like to travel to Yuva or the Faralya Hotel this way, please contact me for further information. Our next over-land group 'Istanbul or Bust' will be in April 2011.

Gadding about on trains is just part of what we do! Our next event is the Spring Walking Holiday in Derbyshire, and we have an exciting range of holidays in Britain, Turkey, The Caribbean and Peru. Our Yoga Holidays in Turkey are increasingly popular, and we are running a special Family Yoga Break 26 July - 2 August. Please see below and visit our websites: www.vegiventures.com & www.yuvaholidays.com

Happy Travelling, Nigel

Peak District, Spring Walking Holiday

27 May - 1 June

Looking for a healthy UK break over the bank holiday? We still have a few places available. 4 full days of great walking based at Unstone Grange, set in the rolling countryside of North Derbyshire, near the edge of the Peak District National Park. Two leaders enables us to offer a choice of two walks each day, a gentle walk and a more challenging one. The optional before-breakfast yoga classes will help you to get in shape for the day. The group is led by local guide Chris Bristow, who is known for his warm, caring nature and sense of adventure. Chris lives in Derbyshire and has explored its hills and dales for many years. The food is catered by Nigel Walker, founder of VegiVentures, and his team. Prices from just £169 camping £220 in-house for 4 nights full board; 5 nights from £199/£275. Contact us for full details.

Other UK Holidays

4 - 11 & 11 - 18 September, English Lake District Walking Holidays

12 - 14 November, Creative Cooking Weekend, Derbyshire

Please contact us for full details, holidays@vegiventures.com T: +44 (0)1760 755888. Also see here

Turkey, our Venues

Amazing holidays in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Yuva Eco Holiday Centre and our sister establishment the Faralya Hotel are set on forested mountainside, both with fabulous sea views. Choose the simplicity of Yuva, right by the sea, or the comfort of the Faralya, with its own pool, about 30 mins walk from the sea. Join one of our healthy yoga breaks or a walking and yoga holiday or take an independent break (optional guided walks available). All with great veggie/vegan food and optional therapies. At the Faralya we discretely serve meat & fish, cooked separately from our veggie kitchen, so your non-veggie partner will feel at ease.

Yoga, Walking & Independent Breaks

We have a great choice of holidays with excellent teachers. Still some space available on all these one or two week breaks:

21 - 28 June,       Yoga & Mindfulness with Linda Allam
28 June - 5 July, Yoga and Meditation with Chandra Mauli and Julie Preston
5 - 12 July,    Yoga and Meditation with Chandra Mauli and Julie Preston
26 July - 2 August, Family Yoga Holiday with Faye Robinson
23 - 30 August,      Iyengar Yoga Holiday with Ann Reilly
6 - 13 September, Yoga and Detox with Lauren Manning
13 - 20 September, Yoga and Detox with Lauren Manning
27 Sep - 4 Oct,    Lycian Way Walking & Yoga Holiday with Nihat, Atilla & Nigel

Independent Breaks are available at most times.

For full details see: www.yuvaholidays.com/programme.asp

Family Yoga Week, Turkey

26 July - 2 August

Our third Family Yoga Break is taught by Faye Robinson, with daily yoga classes for children and adults. Faye is a mother of 2, holds the British Wheel of Yoga diploma and specialises in children's yoga, as well as teaching adults. You can be sure of a great family holiday atmosphere, and plenty of time to relax and enjoy Yuva's beautiful environment. Contact us for full details and our affordable family prices.

Peru 'Inka'

15 April - 1 May 2011 & 17 December 2011 - 2 January 2012

VegiVentures has run holidays in Peru since 1992. Following a short break, we are happy to resume our tours to this fascinating country. 'Peru Inka' visits: Lima, Cusco, Machupicchu, The Sacred Valley, Limatambo, Lake Titicaca and Taquile Island. Focussing on the history of the Inkas, and on their descendants' present-day lives, this tour allows us time to absorb the differences of lifestyle and culture.We travel by bus, train and boat and explore as much as we can on foot. We spend time at Ollantaytambo, the only inhabited Inka city with its irrigation systems still intact. On Lake Titicaca we stay on Taquile Island, as guests of the Taquilenos tribe. Natural ecologists, they willingly share their simple colourful way of life. Enjoy delicious local vegetarian/vegan food and expert leadership. We also offer an optional extension to the Nazca Lines. Please contact us for prices and full details.

Caribbean Holidays

A fabulous venue for a quiet holiday with exciting cuisine, on the green tropical island of Grenada. These are independent breaks, staying in the friendly, colonial-style luxury of a planter's house, with ocean and rainforest views. Perfect for couples and honeymooners! Fly at any time. Full details on our website.

The Faralya Hotel, Turkey

Since 1999, we have offered holidays at the Faralya Hotel in Turkey, about 2 miles from our main centre Yuva. Now managed by my colleagues the Sevilmis family, Orhan and his team have created a comfortable environment-friendly hotel, surrounded by organic fruit and vegetable gardens. All our guests who have stayed there recently have reported great holidays and caring staff. Murat Alakus our manager/receptionist speaks excellent English. A large new yoga platform has also been built. The Faralya is open all year, offering Summer and Winter Breaks. www.faralyahotel.com

Volcanic Ash and Flights

The cheap and easy way to get to Turkey, and the only viable way to get to Peru, is still to fly. Since 17 May, NATS (National Air Traffic Service) and the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) have eased the restrictions on flying. Reading between the lines of their cautious reports, it appears that UK airspace is likely to be flyable without interruption from now on.

In the unlikely event that your flight to one of our holidays is cancelled due to volcanic ash, VegiVentures will offer you a full credit for the monies that have been paid direct to us. The credit will be valid for a range of holidays, from which you may choose.

If, due to volcanic ash, you are concerned about booking a holiday with us, please do contact us for a chat. We will be happy to reassure you and help in any way we can.

Assisting

Free holiday?... Well yes, in exchange for some enjoyable work:

Catering assistants are required for some of our UK holidays. Experience is a bonus, but not essential. Please contact Nigel for details: T. 01760 755888 or email: nigel@vegiventures

Food and Art

Powerful message in a fun form, click or copy and paste into your browser:

http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/back-to-the-land/?emc=eta1

Climate Care

Each time we take a flight or travel by car CO₂ is added into the atmosphere. One way we can help to reduce the impact is through carbon offsetting. There are several organizations that offer this service. We recommend Pure: www.puretrust.org.uk and Climate Care: www.climatecare.org. Offsetting isn’t the answer to climate change. The first step should be to see how we can avoid and reduce emissions. However, some emissions can’t or won’t be avoided. That's where offsetting has a role to play. It’s a way of compensating for the emissions produced with an equivalent carbon saving. - You could also consider donating to Trees for Life. It’s not directly a carbon offset provider, but a very worthwhile forest regeneration project in Scotland: www.treesforlife.org.uk

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Thank you

VegiVentures

Vegetarian and vegan holidays

Britain - Turkey - Peru - Guatemala - Grenada

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