More than 10,000 people are expected to lace up and take part in the Ramblers Association's national walking for health festival, Millets Welcome to Walking Week, from September 18-26. Travel writer KEN BENNETT goes a step further with holiday options to stretch your imagination as well as your limbs...

We are not a nation of slobs, but it's a sad, sobering fact that the majority of tourists only see the bars or beaches when they are on holidays.

But, as many travellers will know, you don't have to get hot and sweaty in a crowded gym to get fit: simply move your exercise programme outdoors at home and abroad.

On the home front, for example, the Ramblers Association is convinced that many will swap the treadmill for a country path as part of their national walking for health festival.

The association believes that its programme of nearly 400 free walks across some of the most inspiring parts of Britain will kick-start a healthier lifestyle.

And this year, they have teamed up with ITV's Britain on the Move campaign to encourage the nation to get off the sofa, celebrating National Walking Day on September 19.

As an added incentive, nature lovers are being to encouraged to become environmental detectives' searching and mapping the location of noble elm trees for the Natural History Museum and Ancient Tree Forum.

Meantime, shrewd tour operators have come up with some exciting packages to discover the inner beauty of some of our favourite holiday countries we may normally only see through the bottom of a wine glass.

Planet Holidays, for example, is giving tourists a chance to flex their muscles in a gorgeous gorges' break visiting the longest gorge in Europe and the second longest in the world after the Grand Canyon.

The stunning Samaria Gorge on the lovely island of Crete promises a tough call but you are rewarded with a dip in a sparkling sea at the small resort of Agia Roumeli at the end of your six-hour trek.

A seven-night bed and breakfast break at a luxury hotel starts at just £479 a head, based on two sharing. It includes return flights and private taxi transfer. Call 0870-066-0909 or click on: www.planet holidays.net or www.aldermar hotels.com.

However, if you are an established walker and literally want to climb every mountain, try the thrilling Via Ferrata trail in Andorra. It's a stimulating hybrid between scrambling and mountaineering and uses fixed cables, ladders and gorge-spanning bridges which were built originally to help the movement of alpine military units during the First World War, Waymark Holidays is one of the few tour operators that offer Via Ferrata breaks with a seven-night half-board accommodation package costing from £695 a head, based on two sharing.

For more information on the break, which includes return flights, transfers and services of an English-speaking leader, call: 01753-516477 or visit: www.waymarkholidays.com. Do remember, though, these breaks are not for the faint-hearted!

Alternatively, you could aim for something really different and take a break on top of old smoky' - the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina's National Park.

With prices from just £46 a person per night in luxury, family-run B&Bs, a break with Carolina Vacations could be just the ticket. Contact the Vacations Group on 01582-469661 for more information and bookings.

However, if you fancy something more down to earth, why not visit Britain's most popular holiday isle Majorca?

Autumn is reckoned to be the best time for walking and Acorn International Hotels has discounted October deals with one night's bed and breakfast costing under £20 a night. Low-cost airline flights can be snapped up for under £50 for a return.

There is great walking in the rearing peaks of Serra de Tramuntana, with a lattice-work of hiking trails to suit all aptitudes: who knows, you may even catch a glimpse of superstar Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, who have settled on the island? Visit: www.acorn-hotels.com for more details.

The island's enterprising tourist board offers a wide range of walking breaks at affordable, quality hotels linked to pretty locations right across the island. Click on its website: www.newsmallorca.com for some ideas.

If you can't make up your mind, I'd suggest you tap into one of my favourite walking break operators, HF Holidays.

This long established, London-based quality operator has a huge range of breaks across the UK and the world at prices that won't leave blisters on your wallet.

A new 200-page brochure is available next month, check it out on: www.hfholidays.co.uk or call: 020-8905-9556 for more information.

For more information on the Welcome to Walking Week and to find walks in your area, visit the Ramblers Association website: www.ramblers.org.uk/walks. It is also offering a 20 per cent reduction on membership to the association.