Growing up, my family did our fair share of family walking holidays. And as we got older, we grew to love them. My three siblings and I had conquered Munros in Scotland and walked many coastal paths before the age of 10. Encouraged by parents and always with a picnic in tow, we made the outdoors our favourite kind of holiday – making little bunches of wildflowers, seeking out freshwater swimming spots, and picking wild blackberries remain among my favourite childhood memories. Fast forward 25 years, and now, with my own London-born-and-bred daughter, I insist that she feel the same kind of fondness for the outdoors that has always been and remains so special to me.
We decided to book the Dolomites for our first family walking holiday, with a short two-ish-hour flight to either Verona, Venice or Bolzano (the shortest journey on the other side but the most expensive route). Once there, walking routes can be as easy or as strenuous as you prefer. We opted for cable cars that took us directly to the routes, avoiding steep inclines with a one-year-old on our backs, and always stopped at a refuge for a tasty local lunch.
The region spans 15,942 square kilometres, so it is impossible to discover it all on a one-week trip. We spent our time exploring the area between Alpe di Siusi and Merano, which offered the perfect mix of the outdoors and a city break.