Readers describe life-changing short trips from Lake District walks to cycling in Italy

Guardian readers have shared short travel experiences they describe as life-changing, ranging from a drizzly circuit of the Old Man of Coniston in the Lake District to a “silver Giro d’Italia” cycling route from Milan to Pisa.

Contributors detailed how these trips affected them: a Lake District climb left one reader “weirdly calm” and prompted a return to long walks; a retiree who joined a cycling club tour sold their car and now uses a bike for transport; volunteering with the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) in the 1980s led another to continue community conservation work with a group linked to TCV; and others recalled solo North Sea sailing, yoga and hikes at the MoaAlm retreat in Austria, a language course and Florentine hospitality after bereavement, a budget road trip in the Loire that inspired children, backpacking in Colombia that taught improvisation, and serene sailing off Croatia.

Some readers report lasting changes to their daily lives after these trips. The Travel section says it collects readers’ tips weekly, that a selection may be published online or in print, and that contributors can enter for a chance to win a £200 voucher for a Coolstays break.

Key Topics

Culture, Lake District, Giro D'italia, Milan, Btcv, Moaalm