• Try www.art-science.com/Ken/Alpine, an the index of a number of trips in the Alpine region, with route-marked photos & a correspondence page.

Ken Baldry

• Although all the European mountains have interesting wild flowers, for accessibility, number of species and spectacular scenery, the Dolomites are my first choice. Try Dobbiaco (or Toblach as it is also known) in the German-speaking region as a base. There are low-level walks near the town in meadows and woods, but to see the biggest range, take a car to the passes and refuges. You can drive up to the Tre Cima at around 2100m or the Auronzo Rifugio (2298m) where there are excellent paths that aren't too strenuous. You'll see many of the Dolomite specialities like the Devil's Claw and poppies within easy reach. The scenery at the Tre Cima is magical. Further south, I wouldn't miss the Pordoi pass. If you want a more southerly base try Cortina. The last week of June is probably the earliest to go but I prefer the first two weeks in July to see the best range of flowers.
Alan Davison

• I would strongly recommend the Cevennes as a walking area. The scenery is splendid and there is a good network of well signed Grandes Randonees giving a choice of easy or strenuous out and back or circular routes accessible from roadside parking. With three companions in our 50s and 60s, I had an excellent holiday there in 1994, staying in a converted hilltop fortress - the Castella - near St Bonnet, booked through Vacances in Campagne - and the weather was superb!
Michael Miller

• Last year, my husband and I stayed in a lovely chalet in a small village called Manigod, which is about 20 minutes drive from Annecy in the Haute Savoie in France. There were superb walks and trails around the mountains and through the forests and valleys, all within easy access by foot or vehicle from the chalet, and with varying standards of difficulty. You should possibly allow longer than the local guidebooks recommend for these walks to allow time to enjoy the view, sniff the flowers (and take a few breathers!)

We booked through Brittany Ferries, who have several gîtes in the area.

Good luck!
Carolyn Scallan

• We went to the village of Auffach in Wildschönau, Austria, in June 1999. The flowers and the meadows were beautiful. There are at least two gondolas in the valley which allow you to gain altitude easily, and help towards the wilder places. There were some fairly long days' walking, but a pleasant Pension in the village to return to each evening. We went with Waymark, and were very happy with all the arrangements.
Colin and Cyndy Patey

• Last year we visited Slovenia and walked in the Julian Alps and Karavanke range close to the magical resort of Lake Bled. The warm climate produces a higher tree line than in other parts of the Alps, with deciduous trees predominating over evergreens. The abundance of wild flowers on the walks led to slow progress as the flora enthusiasts paused to identify them. We walked with a friendly local company, Koren Sports, whose programme is available through Freedom of Slovenia (www.humanfish.com) and Slovenija Pursuits (0870 2 200 201). They offer adventure sports, trekking and a number of day walks, including transport to reduce the amount of climbing.
John Cresswell and Sharon Smith

• June is rather early for walking in the Alps as some paths are likely still to be blocked by snow, but it is lovely for flowers. Four years ago we flew into Zurich and took the train to Pontresina, thinking that the weather and snow conditions would be best in the south. The railway journey on the Rhaetische Bahn is an experience in itself, and Pontresina is an excellent centre as it is at the hub of several radiating valleys. One can walk straight out along the Val Rosegg, getting wonderful views of the high peaks, or take the bus or train for a few miles along another valley and walk back. For a different level, there is the Muottas Muragl funicular, and here we followed the retreating snow for soldanella and other delights. If the weather is bad one can take the fantastically engineered railway over the pass into Italy for the day.

After a few days, we went north to the Swiss National Park, where marmots and deer are virtually guaranteed, and lammergeier have been reintroduced, though we didn't see any. Here we had more good walking, straight out of the hotel and using the bus. Working our way back in the general direction of Zurich, we spent a few days at Wengen, and although the famous views were mostly hidden in the clouds, the lower level walking was not affected, and the flower meadows were wonderful. If the weather turns really bad, as it did for us, it is a good idea to try the Valais, where there is often a strip of sunshine along the Rhone, and have a couple of nights at Sion to see the castles. Alternatively, there is usually good weather, and good walking, in the Ticino, which can be reached by other interesting railways.

This is in-between-season for the Alps, and some hotels and guesthouses are closed, but those that are open are very welcoming, and half-board (three nights minimum) at the cheaper Swiss hotels is invariably a good buy. It is never necessary to book in advance. Il Fuorn in the National Park was more expensive than the hotels where we normally stay, but not to be missed as it is in the middle of wonderful country. When we arrived at Wengen, as usual we looked for the cheapest hotel, and it turned out to be their rest day. The door was open, and a number to ring left by the telephone. So we rang, and a voice told us to take a room key and make ourselves at home! At Sion, it was rest day when we left, so we were given the hotel key and asked to lock up before we departed! We have many other happy memories of Swiss hotels and hoteliers, while for walking, Switzerland is our favourite country. Despite its reputation, it is not unduly expensive.
Rosemary and Derek Moore

• My wife and I (now aged 64 & 69) have been walking and climbing in the various mountains of Europe for about 25 years and it is our considered opinion that if somewhere is a 'beautiful wild area' as sought after by Peter Adams and is also accessible without some hard work on foot, then it is immediately filled up with people and hotels, destroying the thing that made the place attractive in the first place. However, let's have a try.

The Ordesa (not Odessa) National Park in the Pyrenees is as good a place as you can get and is really fairly easy walking but if that is too tough then one could try the other end of the same range. There is a small French village called Py approachable from Villefranche de Confluent on the N116 west of Perpignan and the surrounding area has narrow valleys which are a paradise for butterflies. There is also 'Le Canigou', the highest point in Catalonia. Above Py is the tiny hamlet of Mantet, also a possibility. These places do not at present have much accommodation but are feasible as days out by car and on foot from the main road.

Another possibility might be the Massif Central which resembles the English Lake District without lakes; it may be crowded in the French holiday periods. Better, in June, might be the Queyras, the mountain group south-east of Briancon. This is a large district and has some considerable mountains on the border between France and Italy but accessible by car there are many delightful valleys with fairly uncrowded excursions. Drive up the D902 out of Guillestre (off the N94 south of Briancon), the route splits here and you can go up the Combe du Queyras to Chateau-Queyras and other villages (try St Veran) or towards the Val d'Escreins Nature Reserve (hotels unlikely) or St Marcellin and Les Claux.

West of Briancon are the Dauphine Alps (National Parc Les Ecrins). These are wonderful for wildlife but may be too rugged if one finds Ordesa a bit hard.

There is, however, the Vosges, between Nancy and Mulhouse; rather a lot of coniferous forests but easy walking and good hotels with gargantuan repasts. Or the Vanoise National Park around Pralognan, which has NO ski lifts.

Further afield there are the Italian Dolomites. The valleys around Alleghe or Caprile have walks in mixed forest (but try the Val d'Ombretta) but also small hills with breathtaking views of the bigger mountains. An alternative might be the (German-speaking although Italian) Pustertal - Val Pusteria at the extreme north of the region; several nice teutonic towns e.g. Innichen (Sn Candido), Sexten, Toblach (Dobbiaco) and so on and there are easy walks to the Austrian frontier which are almost deserted.

But if you want peace and quiet you must be prepared to work for it; the unspoilt, undiscovered, easy mountain country of the Victorians has been discovered and, I regret, spoilt.
Alan Travis Braddock

• We recommend the Vercours, a region of limestone hills, forest and pasture featured in the Guardian in June 1990. We travelled by TGV to Grenoble (we could have flown or driven our car). We were armed with a 50,000 map "Itineraires de Randonnees" sheet 12 and the "Topo-Guide" for France's long distance footpaths GR 9, 91,93, 95, in French. We took the rather sparse bus service westwards out of town and walked south on the GR91 to small villages and towns each having a modest but comfortable hotel. This form of lodging minimised the weight of our rucksacks. Daily distances were not excessive, usually less than 1000m vertical and 20Km horizontal. I particularly recall the delightful ambience of the Hotel Val Fleuri in Lans-en-Vercours and the spectacular location of the Hotel du col de la Machine. On two occasions we hired bicycles by way of a change. Returning along GR9 we visited the impressive Grottes de Choranche.
John and Sylvia Faichney

• How about the Alta Pusteria Valley in the Italian Dolomites? We've been going for 10 years. Very accessible by road and rail from airports such as Verona.Excellent local bus services and excursions if you want a 'day off'. Very helpful local tourist offices. Super hotels, guest houses and apartments in all categories. Wonderful local cuisine and wines, no high rise or modern buildings. We recommend Sesto or Dobbiaco which are well served by cable cars if you wish to do some high walking, but there are excellent waymarked paths on the flat through meadows filled with wild flowers plus river walks. Mainly a winter ski valley, but it excels in summer from mid-May and most hotels do 'Green week' packages which are great value.
Janice Carrera

• Austria is just the right place for you. The Alps in the Eastern part of Austria (2000 metres) are a well-kept secret. You will find lush vegetation and spectacular views, but also cable cars and chairlifts which allow you to choose how much or little you want to walk. I recommend Puchberg/Schneeberg or Prein/Rax as a base. And if you are fed up with walking, Vienna is just an hour's drive away.
Fatima Martin

• We have had many wonderful early summer walks in south-eastern Switzerland. The villages and small towns at 1000 - 1500m above sea level are ideal at that time, and most have hotels or inns, and excellent post bus connections to the main station in Chur. Arosa, Lenzerheide and Savonign are all pleasant towns with many walks; but for somewhere really quiet, one of our favourites is a small village called Tschiertschen. It sits on the side of a valley and is surrounded by meadows and woods, with the open high alp above. The seasons vary, but if you are lucky, in early June you can walk in a couple of hours from meadows in full flower up to crocuses just breaking through the snow. Wild life includes deer, chamois and steinbock. Not a suitable place, however, if you want level walking - or exciting night life.
J Post

• I suggest Crans-Montana near Sierre in the Rhone valley, Switzerland. There are all sorts of walks starting from there, at all grades of difficulty. The easiest are very pleasant strolls and the longer ones can take you to 10000 feet. The walks are well marked and mapped. There is no shortage of alpine meadows with abundant flora - and the"reines de Vallais", as the local cows are known, are on the mountain pastures, bells clanging furiously. Placid creatures they are not, but fortunately they take it out on each other. Alpine choughs were all round us on one walk. The surrounding scenery in every direction is magnificent-snowy peaks in all directions. Not only that, but a bus service (free) will take you from the town to Vermala, which is a main starting and finishing point for the walks. Every day can provide breakfast in a hotel, a great walk, and back for dinner. The ski gondolas will even be working, if you don't fancy walking up, or back down. Civilised, but breathtaking.
Elizabeth Wood

• The Picos de Europa in northern Spain would fit the bill perfectly. The wildlife in this Dartmoor-sized area is wonderful and the mountains are beautiful beyond compare. They soar to over 8000 feet, but at many points there is easy car access to over 5000 feet, and you can then walk along good trails amidst high mountain terrain to your heart's delight. Wherever you go there is a refreshing lack of keep-out type restrictions.

If you go to Fuente De a spectacular cable car trip takes you high into the mountains, with superb walking and scenery. Try the Hotel del Oso in Cosgaya for its excellent cuisine. From various centres, you can hire four-wheel drive transport to get you into the hills. Two good centres, with various grades of accommodation and a good choice of traditional eating-out places after a day in the hills, are Potes in the south of the area and Arenas de Cabrales in the north.

Sunflower Books do an excellent guide to walks in the area. Probably the easiest way to get there is via Brittany Ferries' Plymouth to Santander route followed by a two-hour drive to the Picos. This journey takes you through the incredible Desfilados de Hermida gorge which is one of the deepest in the world and which will take your breath away.

From what you say you want I would say that you will find exactly what your heart desires in the Picos de Europa. They are Europe's best-kept secret.
Steve Shaw

• You haven't said how comfortable you want to be between walks. If the answer is 'very', try some of the higher Austrian resorts like Obergurgl. You can start walks above the tree line and be in grand scenery. "Wild" is a matter of definition as most day walks in that area will be on well-marked paths and you will meet other people. The Polish Tatras can offer you day walks that will take you over excellent high ridges, with only a minibus ride to get you to and from the start of walks. Try a shop with a really good selection of guides, like Jarvis Books in Matlock, for ideas.
David Hart

• For stunning scenery and mountain walking (as opposed to mountaineering) in my opinion the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland takes first prize every time. Alpine meadows nestling under the snow-covered mountains of the majestic Jungfrau and Eiger, what more do you need? 'Transport,' I hear you say. Well, the Swiss have already thought of that and their railway system is superb. The mountain railway takes you as far as possible, and signed footpaths tell you where you are going and approximately how long it will take you to get there. The mountain railway will take you back to your base when you decide you need a sit down with a cooling beer. If you find you need a day off from walking, you can take a cruise on a selection of lakes, or if you need to do any serious shopping, you can nip into Interlaken. Wengen, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen are good bases for a superb holiday. Ask your travel agent for details of the Swiss Travel Service.

Barb Garner

• Firstly the Auvergne region of France. If one bases the holiday on accommodation somewhere like Condat en Feniers or Besse en Chandesse there are numerous superb walks for most abilities in both the Monts du Cantal and the Monts Dore. In June the wild flowers are prolific and many raptors can be observed. The French IGN 1:25,000 map series show footpaths clearly and these are usually well marked on the ground too.

Secondly the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland. We stayed in the Lenk district of the Simmental and purchased a fortnightly pass for use on cable cars going in two different directions. This enabled us to travel up from the valley floor to about 1,500 metres and arrive directly in the Alpine meadows to spend the days amongst the wild flowers. It was quite possible and not too difficult to walk over the mountain passes from the Simmental to places like Gstaad and Adelboden in neighbouring valleys and return on the same day via the efficient Swiss railways. Lenk comes just on the join of four maps but the local tourist office sells a special with the town appearing in the centre, which is much more useful for walkers.
Carol Berwick

• Try Italy. The Sibillini National Park is easily reached from Rome, and has fantastic walking hills and valleys much like the Lake District. Also northern Tuscany, north of Barga has plenty of walking, a bit more rocky than the Sibillini, but still easily accessible (from Pisa or Bologna airports) and with hundreds of waymarked paths in flower meadows.
Stephen

• We also are too old for backpacking and camping, but go with ATG who take luggage to the next stopping point and bring lunchtime picnics. This year we will try the JURA Covantannez gorge to Besancon. Flowers, mushrooms, forest, fertile valleys, castles, mountain villages. Trips in May and June, or September and October. May look expensive but covers all food and drink, everything you need except stamps and postcards.
Eileen Shirley

• Barcelonnette in France. Go north into the Queyras if the weather is good, south into the Alpes Maritimes and Haute Provence (guaranteed sunshine) if it isn't. The very high roads and passes in these areas give access to wonderful, empty and wild mountains without being scared, exhausted or continually rained on (quite possibly all three) that is an ever present risk associated with the higher Alps. In June it will be perfect. See you there!
Simon Reece

• Peter Adams should try the Austrian Tyrol where the mountain slopes are not rock and scree but beautiful pastures with abundant wild flowers. We've stayed several times in Saalbach Hinterglemm where there are plenty of well-marked circular walks suitable for varying levels of fitness - an English route guide is available in the resort. Once there, it's a good idea to buy an Alpin Pass which allows you to ride free on the local Postbus and gives you unlimited travel on the four gondolas that operate in the summer. On most of the mountains there are farmer's 'huttes' where you stop for lunch - do try both Tiroler Grostl and Kaiserscharrn but order one-between-two because portions are usually huge! We've been last week of June/first week July and there has still been snow on the mountain ridges so I wouldn't recommend going any earlier. Many mainstream tour operators offer Saalback Hinterglemm in their Lakes and Mountains programme - our favourite hotel is the family run Hotel Gungau in Hinterglemm. The website for the area is www.saalbach.com
Michele Covington-Jones

• An ideal place for you would be the Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria. I am from that area originally and every summer we go back for some gentle mountain walking. Our favourite is the Reiter Alm, a small mountain range with a mountain hut (run by the German Alpine Club). It's about two-three hours to the hut (depending which side of the mountain you walk up) and you can stay there overnight (they even have double rooms and serve three meals a day), making it an ideal location to explore the various surrounding peaks or just wander along the plateau. June would also be a good time to see all the Alpine flora in full flow. You should also be able to see some Chamois and I know of some people who heard and saw stags up there. The other area worthwhile visiting is the Steinerne Meer, which you can reach from St. Bartholomew, behind Koenigsee (near Berchtesgaden). There are also a range of mountain huts, and you could just wander from one to the other. Enjoy!
Barbara Madigan

• I am loath to mention this, as I want the place to myself, but I really must recommend the Canary islands. Germans have known about the walking country there for ages, but the British seem widely ignorant of the other side of these islands. The north side of Tenerife is the place to go - the Anaga pensinsula in the east and the Teno in the west are lush, verdant volcanic areas with astonishing views and clearly marked paths. A short ferry-ride away is La Gomera - an utterly gorgeous and unspoilt island, and my favourite place in the world so far (there are still a few islands in the archepelago I've not visited yet). If you don't believe me, search out the excellent Sunflower guides in any bookshop and have a look at the pictures. These places are cheap and easy to get to and (another seemingly little known fact) real Canarian cuisine and wine are wonderful and the people, once you get away from the resorts, are shy but friendly and helpful. I'm off there myself in a few days.
Chris Whiteley