Annabel Lawson and Simon Scutt, of Andante On Foot Walking Holidays. DA6158P1A BUSINESS in Alderbury that offers walking holidays in Europe unveiled its new routes for 2005 at an open evening at Salisbury Museum earlier this month.

Andante on Foot, of Old Road, hosted the event, which attracted more than 80 people.

Andante's business manager, Annabel Lawson, said the idea of independent walking holidays first came to her two years ago and had been evolving ever since.

"I got together a group of friends and listened," she said.

"They said things like 'we want to be able to go with friends or partners, but not a group', 'we do not want to be organised', 'we do not want to have our hands held, but we want help in an emergency' etc.

"This March, the first customers set off."

She said the great thing about walking holidays off the beaten track was the opportunity to sample local food and wine, experience the traditions and culture of the region, and, above all, to enjoy the countryside.

Route development manager Simon Scutt explained that all the routes are developed by local people (route advisers) and supported by them.

"The first six walks were devised by existing contacts or friends," he said.

"They came up with an idea - a route their father walked as a child, for example."

Mr Scutt said the development of the walk - from the original idea to the brochure - required regular communication and meetings with the route advisers, assessment of the hotels and landscape, and then the route being walked from beginning to end by him.

"We then send our pioneers to test the routes and then the routes go into the brochure," he said.

He said Andante's administrator, Fiona Barrett, "makes the routes work" by dealing with all the paperwork, maps, hotel bookings, arrangements for luggage and walkers' packs.

The walks are not guided, so they can be experienced at the customer's own pace.

They are graded to suit people from the occasional walker to the regular walker, and the advisors, all of whom live in the locality of the walk, ensure there will be flora, fauna and local culture to see.

The original six walks are in France, Spain, Greece and Slovenia.

Next year, walkers will be able to travel to Italy, with a walk centred on the Parma area, Bulgaria, Croatia and the Czech Republic.

And, added Ms Lawson, customers can now take advantage of cheap flight deals from Southampton, Bournemouth and Bristol, so there is no need to fly from Heathrow or Gatwick.