Introducing our Active Ambassador

Our brand ambassadors2 Comments

Last year, we launched a search for our Active Ambassador. And we’re delighted to introduce James to you. Here, he tells us a bit about himself, and looks forward to his summer of adventuring.

“Lost in the deepest, darkest depths of Transylvania, I was forced to shelter in an eerie, abandoned mountain hut.

I prayed the rickety shack would protect me from the bears, wolves and raging thunderstorm outside – and keep Count Dracula away.

My terrifying night in the Fagaras Mountains of Romania was sleepless, scary and soaking wet – but, bizarrely, the experience led to something awesome.

It gave me the perfect anecdote to show off when I entered a competition on the Outdoor Enthusiast website, which tasked entrants to write about an adventure.

And I won.

So here I am blogging away – praising the day I took a wrong turn in Transylvania – and looking forward to three epic adventure trips with Canvas Holidays.

To kick things off I’m heading to Lake Garda in June followed by a week in both the Swiss and French Alps in July and August respectively.

I can’t wait.

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A night at the museum…

Destinations France Places to go and things to do Special eventsLeave a comment

No, this isn’t a blog post about a Ben Stiller film. Much as I’d like to spend time reviewing it, this post is actually to tell you about something rather good that’s happening this weekend.

Free entry to loads of different museums, all over Europe. At night. Oh, and did I mention it’s free?

Basically, on Saturday 16 May 2015, museums all over Europe will throw open their doors after usual closing hours and invite the public to come and explore. Some are ‘roam free’, while others hold special events or talks.

There are thousands to choose from. If you’re on holiday this weekend, the website has useful links to what’s on where.

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Great spots for a cycling holiday in France

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Whatever terrain you prefer, cyclists are spoilt for choice with Canvas. That’s one of the best things about a camping holiday, you can stay in lovely rural spots where there are plenty of cycle paths just a stones throw away. Our Côte d’Azur sites are ideal for mountain bikers, or if you prefer more leisurely adventures, our sites in the Loire Valley offer gentle cycling on a wonderful network of marked cycle routes.

Loire Valley

When people think of cycling in France their minds turn almost automatically to the Loire Valley. Discover a lush green land of gently undulating countryside with rich vineyards, interspersed with charming towns and magnificent fairy-tale châteaux. The region is ideally suited for cycling, offering a wonderful variety of history and culture which is easily toured by bike on cycle paths, tracks and quiet roads.

An impressive network of 800km of cycle tracks knows as the Loire à Vélo run for the most part alongside the Loire River, stretching out westwards to the Atlantic Coast. The signed trails are designed for cyclists of all levels and are made up of quiet country roads and purpose built tracks.

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Black-Forest-hiking

Walking Holidays in Europe

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A Canvas holiday is all about the great outdoors. And one of the best ways to explore the wonderful scenery that Europe has to offer is under your own steam. Pull on your walking boots and hike along hidden trails. Here we highlight some of our favourite locations, ideal for walking and cycling holidays.

The French Alps

The French Alps is an area of snow-capped peaks, dense forests, alpine meadows, waterfalls and sparkling turquoise lakes. This stunning region has four national parks which add to its appeal as one of the best walking areas in France. Thousands of kilometres of well-signposted and maintained paths allow you access to almost every meadow, valley and glacier in the region. Walkers of all ages and fitness levels will find something here to suit them – from relaxing valley trails amongst the woodland to more demanding treks in the peaks. 

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Game set & match – the French Open

Active Holidays Destinations France Places to go and things to do Special eventsLeave a comment

I love watching tennis. It’s the only sport my husband and I agree on, and we’ve always wanted to watch one of the Grand Slams live. Australia and the US Open are a little out of our price range, and we hadn’t been organised enough to enter the ballot for Wimbledon tickets. The French Open however, seemed like a possibility. Tickets were easy to buy online, so we decided to combine our trip to the tennis with a holiday at the campsite at Berny Rivière, around an hour north of Paris.

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Burgundy

Burgundy wines

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The region of Burgundy is famous throughout the world for producing some rather outstanding wine.  If you enjoy a drop of Chablis, Maçon or Côte d’Or then you’re no doubt familiar with some of the names from this region.

Burgundy wines have four classifications. At the very top level are the 33 vineyards privileged to call their wines ‘Grand Cru’ – these wines are known as being the best of the region. The next tier of vineyards produce ‘Premier Cru’. There are around 585 of these vineyards in Burgundy. One easy way to tell the difference on a bottle of wine as to whether it is Grand Cru or Premier Cru is by looking at the label. For a Grand Cru, the label will simply state the name of the vineyard, whereas a Premier Cru will have the vineyard name plus the name of the village.  The following two tiers are the ‘Communal Appellations’ and ‘Regional and District Appellations.’ These two tiers make up 77% of the total wine production of Burgundy.

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