National Geographic Traveller UKSeptember 2021.pdf

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WYE VALLEYExplore riverside routes & market towns along the castle-studded borderlands

NEW ORLEANSAmerica’s cocktail capital is mixing things up with a new generation of bars

UGANDA

COLOMB IA

KENT

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UK EDITION // SEPTEMBER 2021 // £4.95 NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/TRAVEL

ALSO: BRISBANE // DRESDEN // FEZ // KOS // PORTUGAL // SLOVENIA // UK NATIONAL PARKS

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Do you have a way with words? Are you forever regaling your friends and family with tales from your travels? If the answer’s yes, then our Travel Writing Competition’s just the thing for you. Submit your 500-word entry before 19 September to be in the running to win an eight-night luxury tour of Kenya, courtesy of Kuoni and Governors’ Camp Collection — plus, the chance to kickstart your travel writing career in our pages

CALLING ALL ASPIRING TRAVEL WRITERS

4 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel


So, what are you waiting for? Enter now at

Competition closes 23:59 on Sunday 19 September 2021. Entrants must be residents of the UK and Ireland aged 18 or over.

Winners announced in the December 2021 issue. Full T&Cs: nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel-writing-competition-2021

NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/COMPETITIONS

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR THE GRAND PRIZE

For your chance to win, simply write up to

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should be a well-cra� ed ‘snapshot’ narrative

with an original, impactful beginning and

ending. Don’t forget to capture the essence

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September 2021 5

TRAVEL WRITING COMPETITION 2021


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Issue 95

Contents

September 2021

64 IcelandEscape the tourist trail and

explore the hidden highlights of

this wild, elemental isle

84 UgandaConservationists are striving

to protect the wildlife of the

country’s national parks

96 Wye ValleyRuins, raptors and one great,

winding river in the ‘birthplace

of British tourism’

108 ColombiaIn the country’s Zona Cafetera,

growers have been harvesting

coffee beans for generations

118 New OrleansWith new bars and a mixology

museum, there’s something astir

in the US cocktail capital

130 DresdenThe German city has re-emerged

from the wartime rubble as a

thriving, elegant cultural capitalAerial view of Iceland’s

geothermal Blue Lagoon,

Reykjanes Peninsula

IMAGE: Alamy

64

I N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C T R AV E L L E R I S T H E U K ’ S # 1 T R AV E L M A G A Z I N E B Y S U B S C R I P T I O N S

September 2021 7


Contents

September 2021

32 54 58

SMART TRAVELLER

17 SnapshotA close encounter in Laos

18 Big pictureSeeing purple in Provence

21 Seeing starsThe lowdown on Hollywood’s newest star

23 Access all areasThe Open House festivals not to miss

25 FoodFlavours from the French Caribbean

27 On the trailAn architectural amble through Rotterdam

29 RoomsRooms with a view on Kos

30 FamilyA grand new opening in Nottingham

32 Inside guideThe lowdown on Fez’s magical medina

35 Stay at homeWhat to do in Weardale, County Durham

37 The wordSix of the best new guidebooks this season

38 Kit listEthical accessories for a trip to the beach

41 CompetitionWin a four-night stay in a luxury treehouse

43 Author seriesCatrina Davies on Portugal

44 Meet the adventurerConservation pioneer Kristine Tompkins

46 OnlineWeekly highlights from the website

INSIDER

48 Weekender: MariborA guide to Slovenia’s leafy second city, where

food and festivals take centre stage

54 Eat: KentThe Isle of Thanet is cementing itself as one

of the UK’s most exciting dining destinations

58 Sleep: BrisbaneA string of hot new hotels are helping breathe

new life into the Queensland capital

TRAVEL GEEKS

148 Travel GeeksThe experts’ travel manual

154 National parksHow travellers can get involved with the

hands-on preservation of our green lungs

GET IN TOUCH

160 SubscriptionsMake the most of our latest offer

161 Inbox Your letters, emails and tweets

162 Your picturesThis month’s best travel photos

DON'T MISS

152 Reader Awards 2021Vote for the chance to win an incredible prize

159 EventsDates for your diary this autumn

GO ONLINE V IS IT NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC .CO.UK/TRAVEL FOR NEW TRAVEL FEATURES DAILY



London, August,

2021

see the world, differently

T T T T T T T .__________

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a to ato. o

Dear 2019,

with hope,with hope, 2021 2021

This is the year 2021 writing to you.


Copyright © 2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All Rights Reserved. National Geographic Traveller and the Yellow Border Design are registered trademarks of National Geographic Society and used under license. Printed in the UK.

Jamie Laff ertyI spent eight packed days in Iceland in the

height of summer, and yet I came away

feeling I’d only scratched the surface. Its

population might be modest, but Iceland

has a wealth of things to discover, including

a new volcano. ICELAND P.64

Charlotte Wigram-EvansI explored a thriving, modern regional

capital brimming with culture that the

locals share with a newfound sense of civic

pride. The shadows of history might linger

in Dresden, but the city’s darkest days are

behind it. DRESDEN P.130

Sarah MarshallOver the years I’ve watched Uganda emerge

as a leading force in conservation. Meeting

the heroes who help protect the nation’s

wildlife was upli� ing and inspiring — a

reminder of just how much can be achieved

with passion and dedication. UGANDA P.84

Ben OlsenWith the emergence of towns like

Margate as hotbeds of new ideas

coupled with Kent’s already excellent

produce, the Isle of Thanet is

transforming into a paradise for

food-lovers. KENT P.54

Ben LerwillThe Wye Valley may not attract as much

attention as the big-name UK destinations,

but its riverscapes are glorious, its history

fascinating, and my meal at The Whitebrook

was quite possibly one of the best I’ve had in

my life. WYE VALLEY P.96

Contributors

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National Geographic Traveller (UK) is published by APL Media Ltd under license from National Geographic Partners, LLC. For more information contact natgeo.com/info. Their entire contents are protected by copyright 2021 and all rights are reserved. Reproduction without prior permission is forbidden. Every care is taken in compiling the contents of the magazine, but the publishers assume no responsibility in the effect arising therefrom. Readers are advised to seek professional advice before acting on any information which is contained in the magazine. Neither APL Media Ltd or National Geographic Traveller magazine accept any liability for views expressed, pictures used or claims made by advertisers.

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Mastersastersreativityreativityofofofof

-Amateur Photographer

“The X-S10 is an easy camera to recommend for photographers of all kinds”

-DP Review-Photography Blog

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Editor’s letter

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In the a� ermath of the 2008 fi nancial crisis and the

eruptions of the Eyja� allajökull volcano in 2010, Iceland

experienced a tourism boom that transformed the

country. A steep depreciation in the Icelandic krona and

an increase in the number of airlines fl ying to the country

saw travellers arrive in their thousands to experience the

spectacular landscapes, geothermal activity and endless

possibilities for adventure.

Visitor numbers peaked just before the global

pandemic, but many eyes had already turned to

attractions beyond the popular Golden Circle route, Blue

Lagoon and capital Reykjavík. So, as travellers return to

the Land of Fire and Ice, we shine a spotlight on its most

spectacular unsung attractions and adventures.

Whether it’s getting up close and personal with an

active volcano, exploring ice caves, diving between

tectonic plates, relaxing in geothermal pools or kayaking

in � ords, Iceland’s wealth of off -the-beaten-track

experiences — all just a three-hour fl ight away — aren’t

ones you’ll forget in a hurry.

A fi xture on the UK’s green list since it launched this

May, Iceland has forged ahead as one of the most

desirable destinations for UK travellers this year. Fingers

crossed it stays that way.

PAT RIDDELL, EDITOR

LATA Media Awards 2020: Online Consumer Feature of the Year Award � BGTW Awards 2020: Travel Feature

of the Year — Non UK � Travel Media Awards 2020: Consumer Writer of the Year � Visit USA Media Awards

2020: Best Consumer Travel Magazine Feature � British Travel Awards 2019: Best Consumer Holiday Magazine

� BGTW Awards 2019: Best Travel Writer � BGTW Awards 2019: Best Europe Travel Feature � Travel Media

Awards 2019: Young Writer of the Year � Travel Media Awards 2019: Specialist Travel Writer of the Year � AITO

Travel Writer of the Year 2019 � AITO Young Travel Writer of the Year 2019 � BGTW Awards 2018: Best Travel

Writer � Travel Media Awards 2018: Consumer Writer of the Year � BSME Talent Awards 2018: Best Designer

� British Travel Awards 2017: Best Consumer Holiday Magazine � BGTW Awards 2017: Best Travel Writer

� BGTW Awards 2016: Best Travel Writer � British Travel Awards 2015: Best Consumer Holiday Magazine

@patriddell

@patriddell

Travel Writing Competition 2021Whether it’s a far-fl ung escape or a trip on

your doorstep, share your travel tales for a

chance to see your name in print — and win

the trip of a lifetime with Kuoni. (p.4)

Covid-19

The ongoing pandemic continues

to aff ect travel. Please note,

prices and travel advice are

subject to change. Contact your

travel provider for the most up-

to-date information. For the latest

news on safe travel and border

restrictions, visit gov.uk/fcdo



Iceland is blessed with abundance of freshwater,

crystal clear spring water, hot and cold, silty glacial

water, geysers, glaciers and myriads of waterfalls.

The exhibition aims to promote respect and

admiration for the nature of water, informing

visitors about its wonders and importance for

the future prosperity of humankind.

Welcome to our exhibition

in Perlan, Reykjavík

Icelandic Museum of Natural History

WATER in Icelandic Nature

nmsi.is | perlan.is


PHOTOS: TERJE ATONEN

@EOMAP

Folk wisdom.

Agu Hollo, elder of the Hartsmäe eco-farm in the dome landscape of the Haanja Upland, keeps Hereford beef

cattle with his sons and perpetuates the traditions of the ancient Haanimaa.

Travellers looking for hidden gems – it is time to head to Estonia, more

precisely to Southern Estonia, located on the outskirts of Northern

Europe, next to Russia and Latvia. Near Lake Peipus, one of the largest

inland water bodies in Europe, there is a very special region where diff er-

ent cultures and worlds meet. But it’s hidden treasures reveal themselves

only to those with curious eyes!

South EstoniaA Hidden Gem in Europe

The Haanja Upland, together with Suur Munamägi, the highest peak

in the Baltics, rises 300 metres above sea level and marks the birthplace

of Estonia, where the natives have lived for thousands of years. For

many explorers and conquerors, the area was part of the mystical and

distant north, Ultima Thule, located beyond the borders of the known

world. For the Vikings, however, the place marked a transit corridor,


Wild creativity.

Anu Taul, a singer and musician, founder of the creative company

Willendorf Sound, picks inspiration from nature.

Novel approach.

Toomas Samuel Silbaum, a fashion student, passing

the University of Tartu on an electric bicycle.

Ancestral traditions.

Kaidi Kerdt, the hostess of Kirsi Farm wearing

a Seto folk costume in her backyard.

www.visitsouthestonia.com

or Austrvegr, the Eastern Route, on their commute to the Byzantine

Empire in the south.

More important than the material wealth of Southern Estonia are its

vibrant communities, which continue to carry on the traditions of their

ancestors. The real treasures of Southern Estonia are its preserved local

language, culture, and intangible heritage. The UNESCO list of intangible

cultural heritage includes the smoke sauna traditions of Vana-Võromaa,

as well as the Seto leelo – the unique folk singing tradition of the Seto.

Tartu, which is considered the capital of Southern Estonia and has been

an internationally known university town since 1632, will be the European

Capital of Culture in 2024.

See you in Southern Estonia!


SMART TRAVELLERWhat’s new // Food // On the trail // Rooms // Family // Inside guide // Stay at home // The word

SNAPSHOT

Phongsaly province,LaosThe remote mountain villages of Laos’

northernmost province are home to the

Akha-Noukouy people. While visiting

the region, I met this teenager wearing a

traditional indigo dress embroidered with

various designs. She talked me through

the embellishments, each of which has its

own cultural significance: the colourful,

chequered headdress is worn by younger

tribeswomen who are ready for marriage,

while the coins pinned to their garments

indicate the wealth of their families.

NICO AVELARDI // PHOTOGRAPHER

nicoavelardi.com

@nico.avelardi

September 2021 17


BIG PICTURE

Valensole, Provence, FranceEvery July, the fi elds surrounding the small

town of Valensole in the Alpes-de-Haute-

Provence department of southwest France

are ablaze with violet shrubs. I picked this

spot between the rows of lavender, as they

roll gently over the hill and lead your eye to

the perfectly placed tree on the horizon. I

hadn’t been shooting long before a brightly

dressed photographer named Marco turned

up and started snapping away too. He

politely asked if he could get a little closer

if he was quick, and I immediately noticed

the contrast of his yellow T-shirt against

the purple lavender, and happily agreed.

JORDAN BANKS // PHOTOGRAPHER

jordanbanksphoto.com

@jordanbanksphoto


SMART TRAVELLER


September 2021 19

SMART TRAVELLER


Imagine the feeling when you find a magnificent paradise to escape from your routine.You can feel it in Bali. Aside from the beauty of nature, Bali offers serenity and peace through the authenticity of a tourist village. Here, you can also find the best local creation for your collection. The combination of nature and culture enrich the story of this place.

Now, we are preparing to implement a set of standardized practices based on Cleanliness, Healthy, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability (CHSE) aspects to ensure the safety factor for everyone so that we can welcome you back soon.

Ubud - Bali

A Lot of Wonder Explore it Better

indonesia.travel

Indonesia.Travel

indtravel

www.indonesia.travel


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Lights, camera, action! Hollywood’s cinema museum is finally set to open after a decade of delays

SEEING STARS

W H AT ’ S N E W

Following a string of setbacks, many film fans may still

be wondering if they’ll ever see the new James Bond flick,

No Time to Die. Thankfully, a release date has been set: 30

September — the same day the red carpet will be rolled

out across the pond for another of Hollywood’s most

exciting new releases. Despite similarly slow progress

— funding and construction issues, plus a pandemic all

playing their part — the Academy Museum of Motion

Pictures is finally set to open its doors on Los Angeles’

Wilshire Boulevard.

This is a blockbuster of a development that’s been a

decade in the making. The museum is housed in a former

1930s department store that’s been spruced up by architect

Renzo Piano; he’s topped it with a huge glass dome, where

visitors can marvel at views across the Hollywood Hills.

This is more than a collection of movie memorabilia,

this is a 300,000sq ft celebration of filmmaking. Its core

exhibition, Stories of Cinema, will explore everything from

screenwriting and special effects to casting and costume

design. The multi-floor display features a 1,000-seat

screening theatre, installations by the likes of director

Pedro Almodóvar, a room devoted to The Wizard of Oz

(featuring a pair of Judy Garland’s ruby slippers) and a cast

of celluloid icons, including E.T., Snow White and Bugs

Bunny. The museum isn’t shying away from uncomfortable

truths, either; a case in point is the Regeneration: Black

Cinema 1898-1971 exhibition, which will open in 2022

and shine a timely spotlight on African Americans’ often

unsung contribution to filmmaking.

After a year and a half like no other, this month’s

opening is a milestone for the entertainment industry.

But until then, fans can get their fix with the museum’s

range of virtual events, including screenings and

interviews with directors, composers and actors.

academymuseum.org CONNOR MCGOVERN

MORE MOVIE MAGIC

THE HOTEL

You might be used to in-room TVs, but what about

your own cinema? Dubbed the world’s first ‘cinema-hotel’, Hotel Paradiso has made its debut near Paris’s

Place de la Nation. As well as 36 plush rooms, each

with a huge projector screen, there’s also a karaoke

room, plus bagels and vegan apple pie at Bob’s Juice

Bar. Head to the rooftop for cocktails and show-

stealing views of the City of Light. From €224 (£193),

room only. mk2hotelparadiso.com

THE EXHIBITION

With immersive exhibits and eye-popping

virtual reality experiences, Alice: Curiouser and

Curiouser, at London’s V&A, goes down the rabbit

hole and beyond to explore the various interpretations

of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,

from Disney’s 1951 adaptation and shows by The

Royal Ballet to a fashion collection from Vivienne

Westwood and works by Salvador Dalí.

Until 31 December. vam.ac.uk

THE FESTIVAL

Film & Food Fest 2021 will be making four-day

stops at major parks in 15 cities across the UK,

from Bournemouth to Leeds. Cinephiles can expect

outdoor film screenings — ranging from Dirty Dancing

to Joker — as well as plenty of street food, with craft beer and cocktails to boot. The festival runs over

selected weekends throughout the summer, with the

final event at Heaton Park, Manchester from 23-26 September. filmandfoodfest.com

Stories of Cinema exhibition,

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

ABOVE: Facade of the Academy

Museum of Motion Pictures

September 2021 21

SMART TRAVELLER


THEGREAT

INDOORS

FORD TRANSIT CUSTOM NUGGETSpacious sleeping for four adults, fully equipped kitchen, shower facility and onboard WiFi.* It’s your mobile home from home.

ford.co.uk

Model shown is a Ford Transit Custom Nugget 2.0 185PS Manual EcoBlue Diesel with optional Orange Glow metallic paint, Trailer Tow, Visibility Pack and Bi-Xenon headlamps. Fuel economy mpg (l/100km), (Combined): 39 (7.2). CO2 emissions: 204g/km. Figures shown are for comparability purposes; only compare fuel consumption and CO2 fi gures with other cars tested to the same technical procedures. These fi gures may not reflect real

life driving results, which will depend upon a number of factors including the accessories fi tted, variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load.*Onboard WiFi is available at extra cost and requires FordPass and a connection to a network provider. Wi-Fi hotspot includes complimentary wireless data trial that begins at time of activation

and expires at the end of 3 months or when 3GB of data is used, whichever comes first. A� erwards a subscription to Vodafone is required (please refer to their website for details of data packages).


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Step behind the doors of private buildings this autumn with a bevy of open-house events

ACCESS ALL AREASO P E N H O U S E

Open House London, which marks its 30th birthday this

year, offers the inside track on around 800 architecturally

interesting buildings usually closed to the public. This

year’s festival offers a mix of walking tours, open-house

venues and live events, as well as podcasts, online talks

and some enticing new architectural publications (see

right). London’s post-Covid recovery is a key theme this

year: Local London, a partnership of eight boroughs, will

highlight the places that have been highly valued during

lockdown, while language and culture group Global

London will celebrate the capital’s boroughs as centres

of global culture and diversity. Book ahead for visits to

venues such as the Reform Club, designed by Charles

Barry; Grade II-listed Hackney Town Hall; and the

Centre Building, Richard Rogers’ sustainable addition

to the London School of Economics. 4-12 September.

open-city.org.uk/open-house SARAH BARRELL

DID YOU KNOW?

A total of 49 cities form the Open House Worldwide

network, with annual architecture festivals taking place throughout the year in

Athens, Atlanta, Helsinki, Taipei, Zurich and beyond. Next month:

Dublin hosts its Open House, Ireland’s largest architectural festival, from 15-17 October. openhouseworldwide.org

BUY THE BOOK

Public House: a Cultural and

Social History of the London

Pub is a new guidebook that

explores the colourful role

pubs have played in London

life, from 1388 to 2021. shop.

openhouselondon.org.uk

TWO TO TRY

TOP TOURS

FOR GOURMETSFood is the theme for this year’s

Heritage Open Days, England’s

largest festival of history and

culture, led by the National Trust.

Nine days of nationwide events

offer novel experiences and access

to private venues, both in person

and online, including a culinary roam

around Grainger Town in Newcastle

upon Tyne. 10-19 September.

heritageopendays.org.uk

FOR ART-LOVERSStep inside the workspaces of over

300 artists across the county as part

of Somerset Open Studios 2021,

from watercolourists to scrap-metal

sculptors. Through a programme

of guided tours, demos, workshops

and talks, you’ll discover where the

artists get their inspiration.

18 September to 3 October

somersetartworks.org.uk

FROM LEFT: The Grand Staircase at

the Foreign Office, featured as part of Open House London; Ceramics by

Somerset artist Richard Pomeroy

September 2021 23

SMART TRAVELLER


VANESSA

BOLOSIER

is a food writer

and the author

of Sunshine

Kitchen

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From patties to plantain, Vanessa Bolosier selects herfavourite fl avours of Guadeloupe and Martinique

FRENCH CARIBBEANA TA S T E O F T H E

The word ‘Creole’ makes lots of people think

of New Orleans. But Creole represents the

convergence of many diff erent peoples and

cultures; it’s a word associated with those

who were born in a former colony, as opposed

to those who migrated there as adults.

The islands where I grew up — Guadeloupe

and Martinique — have seen many

cultural infl uences over the centuries. The

Amerindians cleared land on which to grow

cassava and maize, and lived near rivers and

on the coast, so fi sh and seafood were staples.

Native plants included chillies, pineapple,

pomme cannelle (sugar-apple), guavas and

coconuts. Cassava, sweet potato, pumpkin

and various peas and beans also grew wild.

The Spanish introduced onions, garlic,

oranges and more. Other Europeans came

later, bringing culinary trademarks such as

the use of saltfi sh and pickling, as well as

foods from their trade with Asia, including

rice, limes, ginger and mangoes.

Most Creole cooking is a legacy of the

slaves and indentured servants, and when

it came to meat, they were le� the parts of

the animals the Europeans didn’t want;

pigs’ tails, cows’ feet and off al are frequently

found in Creole single-pot stews. The

tradition of slow-cooked food was reinforced

by the lifestyle of slaves on plantations,

with stews simmering throughout the

day as they worked. If fi sh or vegetables

were available, slaves would use them

in quick-fried foods such as fritters.

Several dishes introduced during

colonisation have also been integrated

into Creole cuisine, among them beef

patties, black pudding and rice pudding.

A� er slavery was abolished in 1848,

plantation owners still needed low-cost

labour. Immigrants from India arrived,

and a� er serving their years of indentured

servitude, many decided to make a go of it

and built a small community of farmers.

Their descendants still own plantations, and

they herd the best goats to make Colombo

curry — now considered one of the ‘national

dishes’ of the French Caribbean.

This is an edited extract from Sunshine

Kitchen: Delicious Creole Recipes from the

Heart of the Caribbean, by Vanessa Bolosier,

published by Pavilion Books (RRP: £12.99).

BOKITTravelling to Guadeloupe without trying a bokit is

considered a sin. This superstar ‘sandwich’ is simply

deep-fried dough, split in half, and fi lled with fi llings such as saltfi sh, charcuterie or smoked chicken. It’s generally available from roadside food trucks.

DOMBRÉSThese small dough balls are a staple in the French

Caribbean. The simple way to enjoy dombrés is with

red kidney beans and cured meats, while the fi ve-star version is a large bowl of them in a tomato-based

sauce with shellfi sh (crayfi sh, prawns, lobster or crab).

PLANTAIN GRATINThe mother of all French Caribbean gratins, this

side dish is both sweet and savoury. Plantain is a

local favourite and this gratin can be made in myriad

ways. Whether the plantain is pureed or sliced with

bechamel sauce, it never disappoints.

MUST-TRY DISHES

THE INGREDIENT

Piment végétarien is similar to the habanero, but without the heat. Its popularity has grown in recent years and it’s the star of many contemporary French Caribbean dishes.

SMART TRAVELLER

September 2021 25


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vz_vMacgHsVIDEO LINK

CLICK HERE


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ROTTERDAM

O N T H E T R A I L

The Dutch city has long been

pushing architectural boundaries

— from a 1930s functionalist

house to a futuristic art depot,

these are the buildings to

see. Words: Chris Schalkx

1 CENTRAAL STATION

Even if you’re not arriving by

train, start at the Centraal

Station for a primer on

Rotterdam’s architectural

ambitions. Redesigned in 2014,

this glass-walled giant heralded

the renaissance of a once-dicey

district. Thanks to the steel

cladding of its soaring roof,

locals dub it ‘Kapsalon Station’

— a nod to the aluminium

takeaway trays Rotterdam’s

poutine-like signature snack,

kapsalon, is served in.

2 MARKTHAL

Next, hop on a tram to Blaak

Markt, the city’s biggest street

market, for a bite to eat and

a gander at the Markthal, a

striking, horseshoe-shaped

residential and dining complex

designed by a local architecture

firm. Under its arched ceiling,

swathed in artwork by Dutch

artists Arno Coenen and Iris

Roskam, the food court dishes

up a multicultural buffet that

spans syrupy stroopwafels

(waffles), baklava and nasi

goreng. markthal.nl

5 MUSEUM BOIJMANS

VAN BEUNINGEN

Even though this fine

art museum is closed for

renovations until 2026, just

west of the museum entrance,

you’ll find its giant, bowl-shaped

depot, covered in 1,664 mirrors,

which reflects the city’s skyline.

When it reopens in November,

you’ll be able to browse through

almost all of the 151,000

artworks and artefacts in the

museum collection. boijmans.nl

3 KIJK-KUBUS MUSEUM-HOUSE

Just across the square is

Rotterdam’s most emblematic

architectural marvel. Designed

in the late 1970s by Dutch

architect Piet Blom, this housing

estate comprises 38 apartments

shaped like tilted Rubik’s Cubes,

each perched on a hexagonal

concrete column. One of the

cubes doubles as a museum and

an Airbnb, offering the chance

to experience life between these

geometric walls. kubuswoning.nl

6 DE ROTTERDAM

Few designers defined 21st-

century architecture like Rem

Koolhaas, the Rotterdam-born

architect. In 2013, he added De

Rotterdam to his portfolio: this

gravity-defying behemoth is the

Netherland’s largest building.

End your day here with a drink

next door at Gastrobar Elvy,

whose seventh-floor rooftop bar

looks out over Erasmus Bridge,

another of the city’s architectural

icons. derotterdam.nl

4 SONNEVELD HOUSE

Head two Metro stops west for a

Dutch take on the functionalist

architecture movement

that swept through Europe

in the early 20th century.

Commissioned by a local family

in the 1930s, Sonneveld House

was meticulously restored

in 2001, down to the original

furniture. It’s now a museum;

tickets also allow entry to design

hub Het Nieuwe Instituut, across

the street. sonneveldhouse.comILLU

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September 2021 27

SMART TRAVELLER


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Views of the Aegean take pride and place in the Greek island’s crop of stylish hotels

OKU KOS

Kos has long been a destination well-catered to couples,

its coastline lined with classy ‘boutique-style’ all-

inclusives. OKU Kos, which opened last summer on the

island’s north coast, has taken things up a notch. Sure,

it’s adults only and has the same beachside vibe, but this

is rather more boho than the cookie-cutter aesthetic

elsewhere on the island. This was an outpost of Casa Cook

(formerly Thomas Cook’s millennial-orientated brand)

and OKU has taken its photogenic bones and turned it

into an Ibizan-style retreat, inspired no doubt by its sister

hotel on the White Isle. There’s a laidback indoor-outdoor,

shack-style restaurant, To Kima, serving Mediterranean

food with plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, and a

focus on regional produce and a farm-to-fork mentality

overseen by Mark Vaessen, who’s come from Amsterdam’s

SUSHISAMBA to keep things upmarket. The spa,

meanwhile, uses local ingredients in its treatments, and

there are daily yoga and Pilates classes right on the beach

in the shaded shala, as well as wood-framed, design-

focused NOHrD cardio equipment in the gym.

The rooms are equally chic: again, think boho Balearic

rather than classic Greek island. Hessian drapes float

from floor-to-ceiling windows, woven straw lamps dangle

beside the beds, and balconies and terraces are shaded

by woven roofs. It’s a space to recharge, but very much

a couples’ retreat, with lazy hammocks threaded along

the balconies and semi-private pools if you upgrade to

a swim-up room. The ultimate? Two-bedroom villas,

complete with private pools. From £160, B&B.

okuhotels.com

KOSW H E R E T O S TAY

FROM LEFT: Deluxe

Bungalow Suite at Ikos

Aria; olive tree in the spa

area at OKU Kos

IKOS ARIA

All rooms here have sea views but some

overlook a tiny church-topped island. The

small Ikos chain, which opened this property

in 2019, does all-inclusive, but on a boutique

level. Floor-to-ceiling windows and breezy

seaside decor are standard, but with 374

rooms, there’s a choice of everything, from

beachside retreats to suites with private

pools. From £222, all inclusive. ikosresorts.com

MICHELANGELO RESORT & SPA

Infinity pools don’t get much better than the

Michelangelo’s yawning 525ft stretch melting

into the Aegean, complete with swim-up bar.

There’s also a beach with extraordinary views

of neighbouring islands and the Turkish

coast beyond. It’s a good bet for families,

with a kids’ club and sea-view playground.

From £106, half board. michelangelo.gr

HOTEL SONIA

If you’re just stopping over in Kos en route

to another island, this lovely little family-

run hotel in Kos Town is just a block from

the harbour, with Roman ruins in between.

Simple but stylish rooms run the gamut

from twins to family suites, and breakfast

is served in the lovely, jasmine-fringed

courtyard. From £85, B&B. hotelsonia.gr.

JULIA BUCKLEY

September 2021 29

SMART TRAVELLER


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KING OF THE CASTLEFA M I LY

The legend of Robin Hood looms large over Nottingham, a

city that has re-embraced its storied past in recent years.

The 450-acre Sherwood Forest, which opened a new visitor

centre in 2018, hosts the annual Robin Hood Festival,

returning this year with a slimmed-down programme.

The big news for 2021, however, is the reopening of

Nottingham Castle a er a £30m restoration. A new

playground, cafe and galleries have brought the site up to

date, off ering an immersive way to explore the legend of

the infamous outlaw. visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk

The castleThe brawls between Robin Hood

and the Sheriff of Nottingham

are well known, but the city’s

forbidding fortress has seen its

own fair share of clashes, from

royal rebellions to devastating

fi res. It was burnt to the ground

by rioters in 1831 and, almost 50

years later, was rebuilt with a

grand, manor-like replacement.

Now, it’s had a 21st-century

sprucing-up to ensure its

turbulent history is kept alive.

Key to the castle’s popularity

are its gloriously green grounds

— the city’s leafy heart is dotted

with information panels and

nature trails, and is set to host an

array of family-friendly events,

from battle reenactments to

outdoor fi lm screenings.

The playgroundBuilt into the old castle moat is

Robin Hood’s Hideout, a new

adventure playground with

a jumble of slides, climbing

frames and wooden castle

turrets. It’s strung with tree

walkways, so kids can scurry

to lo y heights pretending to

be in the band of Merry Men

or attempt to penetrate the

castle and fi ght off the Sheriff

of Nottingham. For local myths

and stirring tales, there’s

also a storytelling chair just

beyond the moat.

The cavesThe action isn’t solely focused

in and around the castle’s moats

and mounds. Below ground, the

castle’s subterranean passages

and caves — from former

dungeons to wine cellars — have

reopened for eerie, dimly lit

guided tours, and are well worth

exploring. The 25-minute walks

explore the intriguing stories of

both Robin Hood and the city of

Nottingham itself. The caves are

part of a much wider network

of more than 500 sandstone

passageways running beneath

Nottingham’s streets, dating

back to the Dark Ages.

The exhibitionDon’t leave without visiting the

temporary exhibition exploring

the works of fashion designer

Sir Paul Smith, one of the city’s

most famous sons. Hello, My

Name is Paul Smith is made

up of over 1,500 objects that

span Smith’s long and colourful

career, including a recreation of

his fi rst shop on Byard Lane and

his iconic, multicoloured Mini.

For something a little more

historic, many of the city’s

museums and galleries tell the

story of Nottingham’s industry

and its rebellious history.

Exhibition until 20 February

2022. nottinghamcastle.org.uk

HELEN WARWICK

Nottingham Castle gatehouse,

built in the 13th century

ABOVE: Children explore the new

Robin Hood’s Hideout playground

A new generation of Robin Hood fans has plenty

to get excited about this summer, as Nottingham

Castle reopens after a £30m transformation


SMART TRAVELLER



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FEZLose yourself in the Moroccan city’s maze-like medina and discover

crafts, cafes and age-old mansions awash with colourful tiles

I N S I D E G U I D E

LIKE A LOCAL

Kate Kvalvik’s favourite art & architecture hotspots

AIN NOKBI

This district, just outside

the medina, is home to

a group of workshops

specialising in clay tiles

(zellige) and pottery.

Moroccan zellige has an

extensive colour palette

and complex geometry.

In the workshops, you

can observe the whole

tile-making process.

NEJJARINE MUSEUM

My favourite museum

in Morocco is in an

impressive building built

in the early 19th century

as an inn for visiting

traders. Today, it houses

a private collection of

wooden arts and crafts

from across the country.

There’s also a peaceful

rooftop cafe.

GUIDED TOURS

My architect husband

offers private tours of

Islamic architecture

in the city. They focus

on private houses in

residential areas, with

an opportunity to see

some undergoing

restoration, as well

as completed homes.

darseffarine.com

Kate Kvalvik and her

husband Alaa Said

restored an ancient

former palace in the

medina and now run

it as the guesthouse

Dar Seffarine.

darseffarine.com

To step into the Fez medina is to enter one of the greatest

medieval cities in the world. Its tangled network of lanes

is home to extraordinary Islamic architecture — elaborate

mosques, palaces and madrasas (theological schools)

— but it’s the magic of the everyday that enchants most:

artisans hammering patterns into brass, donkeys ferrying

sacks of spices between the souks, the wa� of fresh mint

tea dri� ing from a doorway. It may seem like a vision from

Arabian Nights, but this is no fantasy — Fez is a living,

working city rather than one preserved largely for tourists,

and it’s that character that makes it so bewitching.

Spend time getting lost in the labyrinth of the

MEDINA, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, making

new discoveries every time you set out — perhaps an

elegant courtyard or a decrepit palace, its tiled fl oors and

creaking colonnades awaiting renovation. First, order a

fresh fruit smoothie and admire the views of the old city

from the roo� op of NAGHAM CAFE, close to the BAB BOU

JEOUD gate that leads into it. restaurantnagham.com

Apart from the odd donkey, the medina is traffi c-free

and made for ambling. A fi ne starting point is the TALA’A

KEBIRA, a long street winding through the old city. There

are numerous sites of architectural interest along the

way, marked by two medieval madrasas at either end: the

BOU INANIA MADRASA in the south west and AL-ATTARINE

MADRASA in the north east. Both are fi ne introductions to

Moroccan cra� smanship, with every surface decorated in

intricate tiling, plasterwork and carved cedar wood.

It’s best not to be in too much of a hurry to get between

those two points — hours can be lost meandering

through this city. Stop to sample snails or fava bean soup

from a street stall, but if you’re a� er something more

substantial to eat, head up to the roo� op of CAFE CLOCK,

near the southern end of Tala’a Kebira. There are some

interesting local dishes on the menu, including camel

burger, and the cafe also hosts cooking classes that

include a tour of a local market to pick out ingredients

— a good way to get a handle on Moroccan cuisine.

cafeclock.com

The nearby DAR BATHA MUSEUM tells the story of the

unique architectural and interior features you’ll spot all

over Fez. Dedicated to Moroccan arts and cra� s, from

zellige tiles (a handcra� ed Moroccan style) to tadelakt

plasterwork, the museum is housed in the former summer

palace of a sultan and has a beautiful garden. Many of its

exhibits were rescued from derelict houses in the medina,

and there’s a similar atmosphere of faded grandeur at the

PALAIS GLAOUI, 10 minutes away. The elegantly timeworn,

18th-century residence is a warren of terraces and

courtyards, no less impressive for its dilapidation.

But Fez’s cra� scene is very much a living tradition,

with everyone, from coppersmiths to carpet-makers

perfecting their creations in tiny workshops. One of the

city’s most famous products is its leather goods, and no

trip to Fez should skip the CHOUARA TANNERY. Leather

hides have been washed and dyed in this extraordinary

complex of baths since at least the 16th century.

So pungent is the smell of the tannery that you might

need to scrub the experience from your skin. There

are public HAMMAMS, or steam baths, across the city,

including the marble-lined HAMMAM MERNISSI & SPA.

Many riad hotels have their own private hammams,

marrying traditional methods with products such as

aromatic oils to create a more luxurious experience. The

tiled spa at LA MAISON BLEUE is one of the best.

facebook.com/hammam.mernissi maisonbleue.com

Suitably restored, tuck into dinner at THE RUINED

GARDEN. Set in a former merchant’s house, the restaurant

serves dishes such as beef tagine and roast lamb

alongside vegetarian options in a courtyard garden.

A� erwards, watch the sun set over the Atlas Mountains

as the muezzin’s call to prayer rises above the city from

the terrace at RIAD FÈS, close to the Ruined Garden.

ruinedgarden.com riadfes.com AMANDA CANNING


SMART TRAVELLER


SMART TRAVELLER



Traditional Moroccan mint tea

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Bab Bou

Jeloud gate; Chouara Tannery;

a man sits in the doorway of the

Palais Glaoui, in the medina

September 2021 33

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WEARDALES TAY AT H O M E

Long walks and industrial heritageawait in this area of County Durham

DON’T MISS

Running for almost 10 miles, the Waskerley Way is Weardale in microcosm. Join the trail at Parkhead Station, a B&B and tearoom tucked off the steep Crawleyside Bank, and wend your way past woodland and moorland. The route is part of the epic Sea to Sea Cycle Route, so can also be tackled on two wheels. parkheadstation.co.uk

Why goSome destinations display their heritage in

museums and art galleries, but Weardale

wears its past on the landscape. This was

once a hunting ground for the county’s

prince-bishops and, later, a hub for

mining and quarrying. It’s currently only

accessible via roads that weave through

moorland, although a campaign by charity

The Auckland Project to fully restore the

seasonal Weardale Railway could link up

villages with towns such as Stanhope and

Bishop Auckland and entice more visitors

to this bucolic corner of the North East.

discoverweardale.com

What to doPack a pair of walking boots because this

is a landscape best explored on foot. The

Weardale Way is a 75-mile trail linking

villages, historic railway stations and,

occasionally, fi elds grazed by alpacas. You

can fi nd maps at the Durham Dales Centre in

Stanhope, Weardale’s biggest town. Linger

here a little longer for paths along the River

Wear, arty shops, cafes and pubs and the

12th-century St Thomas the Apostle church,

home to a 250-million-year-old fossilised

tree stump. durhamdalescentre.co.uk

Where to eatHead to Cross Keys, in Eastgate, for pub

classics such as beer-battered fi sh and chips

and homemade burgers. Alternatively, try

Che Restaurant, in honey-hued Stanhope, for

a Spanish-inspired menu of tapas and paella.

crosskeyseastgate.co.uk cherestaurant.co.uk

We likeExplore the region’s heritage on the two-

mile circular walk around Ashes Quarry in

Stanhope, where, from the 1870s to the 1940s,

limestone was hammered and blasted from

the land. You can also learn about the area’s

lead-mining history at Killhope, a mostly

open-air museum with a working waterwheel

and guided tours of its underground mine.

killhope.org.uk

Where to stayA converted, two-person shepherd’s hut

and hot tub make up Weardale Retreat

— an idyllic place to bed down between

hikes. From £125, room only, minimum

two nights. For a grander address, opt for

the Lord Crewe Arms, housed in a 12th-

century priory near Blanchland. Doubles

from £169, B&B. weardaleretreat.co.uk

lordcrewearmsblanchland.co.uk ELLA BUCHAN

Lunch in front of the

fi re at the Lord Crewe ArmsABOVE: Wildfl owers along the banks of

the River Wear near Bishop Auckland

September 2021 35

SMART TRAVELLER



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We select this season’s best new guidebooks to help you head back

out into the world and explore with expert assistance

GET THE GUIDEST H E WO R D

52 Great British WeekendsTravel journalist

Annabelle Thorpe offers

up inspiration for a

year’s worth of mini

adventures, with ideas

for exciting staycations

that take in everything

from ballooning in Bristol and summiting

Snowdonia to watersports on the River Wye

and a theatrical trip in Cornwall. Find out

the best spots for dolphin-watching, wine-

tasting, bike riding and more, and plan each

escape based on what suits your areas of

interest, as well as your chosen travel season.

(IMM Lifestyle Books, £14.99)

Slow Trains Around SpainThis is a lyrical journey

by rail as much as a guide.

If you need insight or

encouragement to plan

your next trip by train,

then Tom Chesshyre’s

book detailing a 3,000-

mile adventure on 52

rides is surely it. Such hubs as Madrid, Seville

and Granada are covered, along with routes

along the Atlantic coast and into Spain’s

lesser-known interior, including the wilds of

Extremadura and the plains of Aragon. It’s a

riveting read for those keen to plan their next

no-fly adventure. (Summersdale, £16.99)

Sassy Planet Featuring interviews

with local characters,

descriptions of little-

known hideaways and

nuggets of regional

culture, this queer

guide to 40 cities aims

to uncover the less

obvious LGBTQ+-friendly destinations.

The writers, including The New York Times’

David Dodge and video artist Nick Schiarizzi,

draw on the expertise of local DJs, artists,

activists, drag performers, DIY historians and

long-time residents, such as RuPaul’s Drag

Race star Alaska, who shares her Pittsburgh

recommendations. (Prestel, £18.99)

A Field Guide to LarkingFrom the author

that brought us the

bestselling Mudlarking,

which extolled the

joys of looking for lost

treasures in and around

the muddy banks of

rivers, this is a practical,

illustrated guide for larkers everywhere.

Learn how to take joy in the small things

uncovered by beachcombing, fieldwalking

or even ‘gardenlarking’ — all mindful

activities that can be enjoyed whatever

the weather. (Bloomsbury, £14.99)

SARAH BARRELL

Epic Hikes of Europe The Pembrokeshire

Coast Path, Shetland’s

Ness of Hillswick circuit,

the Causeway Coast Way

and Helvellyn’s Striding

Edge are among the 31

UK walks mentioned in

this new guide, which

taps into our recently discovered appetite

for exploring close to home. Further afield,

there are epic trekking tours in places as far

and wide as Andalucia and the Arctic Circle.

The guide packs in 50 first-person narratives

from travel writers out in the field, along with

a further 150 suggestions of great places to

explore on foot. (Lonely Planet, £24.99)

Take the Slow Road: FranceAuthor Martin Dorey

hits the road once more,

this time in search of

inspirational journeys

around France via camper

van and motorhome. Dorey,

the author of multiple

camper travel books and

presenter of BBC Two’s One Man and his

Campervan, takes it slow around our cross-

Channel neighbour, finding plenty of scenic

spots to park up and put the kettle on, as well

as highlighting the top destinations for all

kinds of travellers, from climbers and skiers

to wine-lovers and walkers. (Conway, £20)

Pembrokeshire Coast Path

at Whitesands, near St Davids

September 2021 37

SMART TRAVELLER


2

3

4

5

6

THREE MORE

PLASTIC-FREE ACCESSORIES

HASTSHILP MARLOW WOVEN BAG (LARGE)Sturdy and spacious, each bag is a unique piece

woven by hand from natural water reed (kauna)

grass by artisans in northern India earning a fair

and stable income. £50. hastshilp.co.uk

NAE BAY BLACK PIÑATEX VEGAN SANDALSThis durable, leather-effect pair of vegan

sliders is made in part from pineapple leaf fi bre, providing a much-needed income boost for

Portuguese farmers. £78. nae-vegan.com

PLAN TOYS SAND PLAY SETLittle ones will love this wooden bucket and

spade set, ethically and sustainably made in

Thailand from the recycled sawdust of rubber

trees. £29.95. naturalbabyshower.co.uk

BEACH ESSENTIALSK I T L I S T

1 LACK OF COLOR PALMA

WIDE BOATER

This boater is a summer staple.

An inner elastic sweatband

provides a more personalised

fi t, while a 50+ UPF rating

guarantees ultimate sun

protection. Aussie brand Lack

of Color’s workshops maintain

fair wage standards and its

headquarters runs on solar

power. £93. lackofcolor.com

2 DENYS & FIELDING STOWAWAY

BEACH CHAIR

Built in Kent, these chairs

weigh just fi ve kilos and fold

fl at, making them easy to carry

around. They’re made from

sustainably sourced Indonesian

merpauh wood and cotton

canvas that’s GOTS-certifi ed,

meaning it’s not just organic but

also responsibly produced. £68.

denysandfi elding.co.uk

3 BOHEMIA DESIGN ARIZONA

HAMMAM TOWEL

Working in ethical partnership

with artisans worldwide,

Edinburgh-based Bohemia

Design’s lightweight and

quick-drying Turkish

hammam towels are

handwoven using wooden

looms and super-so� cotton

and bamboo fi bres. £36.

bohemiadesign.co.uk

4 ODYLIQUE NATURAL SUN SCREEN

Fairtrade and family-owned

Odylique’s bodycare products

are handmade in Suff olk using

organic ingredients. Its 100%

natural, broad-spectrum SPF30

uses a non-nano zinc oxide fi lter

alongside UV-protective karanja

oil. Hypoallergenic and reef-safe,

this plant-based formula is so

gentle on sensitive skin it’s even

safe for babies. £15. odylique.co.uk

5 STAY WILD SWIM THEA ONEPIECE

These swimsuits are made from

recycled plastic. Stay Wild’s line

includes the minimalist Thea

Onepiece; a classic shape with

a square neck cut, double-lined

fabric and adjustable straps.

This made-to-last essential is

available in shades of ocean

blue, red or black, and arrives in

recyclable packaging, too. £110.

staywildswim.com

Get ready for the coast withsome sustainably minded andethically produced beach gearWords: Stephanie Cavagnaro

6 BIRD EYEWEAR KAKA HONEY

Devon-based Bird Eyewear is

the UK’s fi rst B Corp eyewear

brand. This pair is manufactured

from biodegradable acetate

and slips into an eco-cork case

with a cleaning cloth made

from recycled plastic bottles.

Each pair purchased funds

a solar light for a family in

Malawi, Zambia or Uganda. £99.

fi ndyourbirds.com


SMART TRAVELLER



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10 min from the airport, the guest can enjoy safe and relaxing holidays, explore the island

at his own pace, taking advantage of the resort’s central location.

There are a common pool, kids pool, snack bar, gym, Spa facilities and villas with private

pools and direct access to the beach. The spacious 3-bedroom apartments & villas are

waiting for you to come and fall in love with Atlantis, as we all do.


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THE DESTINATION

This corner of Scotland offers a wealth of

outdoor experiences: just four miles away

from The Treehouses at Lanrick — itself only

an hour from Glasgow and Edinburgh — is

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National

Park, where adventurers can go mountain

climbing and wild swimming. Doune Castle,

Blair Drummond Safari Park and Deanston

Distillery are all a short drive away, while the

famous Gleneagles and Loch Lomond golf

courses are also within easy reach.

National Geographic Traveller (UK) has teamed up with

The Treehouses at Lanrick to offer a luxurious four-night

break for two people in Perthshire

Answer the following question

online at nationalgeographic.

co.uk/competitions:

IN WHICH SCOTTISH COUNTY IS

THE TREEHOUSES AT LANRICK?

Competition closes on 30 September

2021. The winner must be a resident of

the UK and aged 18 or over. Full T&Cs at

nationalgeographic.co.uk/competitions

TO ENTER

A FOUR-NIGHT STAY AT A LUXURY

TREEHOUSE IN SCOTLAND

W I N

THE PRIZE

The winner and a guest will spend four

nights at one of The Treehouses at Lanrick’s

five individually designed properties, with

a stay up to the value of £800, on a self-

catering basis. Built from local timber, the

treehouses feature handcrafted furniture,

freestanding bath tubs and barbecues.

Prize must be redeemed by 31 December

2022. lanricktreehouses.co.uk

ABOVE: Nuthatch, one of The

Treehouses at Lanrick’s properties

BELOW: Bedroom in Treecreeper,

another of the properties

September 2021 41

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BE NATURAL, BE YOU.


PORTUGAL

Back in rural Alentejo, I

find a subculture of young people reversing a decades-old trend of depopulation,

choosing to live close to nature and grow their

own vegetables, instead of pursuing the glittering

rewards of capitalism

My boyfriend and I are in sleeping

bags on the tiled floor of a disused

swimming pool, counting shooting

stars and drinking Vinho do Alentejo from

a plastic water bottle, which we filled up in a

bar for €2 (£1.72). The pool is in an overgrown

garden — one of many picturesque ruins

along the Rota Vicentina, a long-distance

hiking trail connecting Santiago do Cacém,

two hours south of Lisbon, to Cabo de São

Vicente, outside Sagres.

Fifteen years ago, when I was 26, I busked

here from Nordkapp in Norway. Twenty

thousand miles, from one end of Europe

to the other, it was the adventure that

inspired my first book, The Ribbons are for

Fearlessness. I spent a month unwinding at

Praia do Amado (‘beach of the beloved’), near

Carrapateira. There were several of us there

living in vans, from all over Europe. I surfed

so much my eyes burnt. I’d never experienced

such waves, sunshine and simplicity.

Protected by the Parque Natural do

Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina, the

Rota Vicentina takes in Southern Europe’s

last wild coast — miles of raw, west-facing,

sandy beaches, much of it only accessible via

dirt tracks with four-wheel-drive vehicles.

The trek offers a choice of routes: hug the

rugged coast or wander inland through a

rolling landscape of cork oaks, umbrella

pines and sun-soaked fields ringing with the

sound of sheep and goats with bells around

their necks. This time around I choose the

inland route walking with my boyfriend

to the small town of São Luis where we say

goodbye. I’m to spend the winter finishing

my third book, in a wooden cabin set in

the garden of a friend’s house that sits on

the outskirts of a village that seems largely

populated by dogs and chickens. Then,

Portugal enters lockdown. Borders close.

Brexit fosters uncertainty. The internet

curdles my shrunken world. Unable to write,

I seek comfort outside, in the open spaces of

the Alentejo.

Less known than the neighbouring

Algarve, and less developed, Portugal’s

largest region covers a third of the country

— about 10,000sq miles — yet is home

to around 700,000 people, roughly the

population of Leeds.

A return visit to the surf-battered Costa Vicentina throws up memories of a formative solo journey on foot, when freedom was more easily found

I explore the surrounding fields, where

majestic cork oaks seem to stand outside

of time. The only evergreen oak, with a

fire-resistant outer bark that’s used to

make corks for wine bottles, the leaves

are constantly falling and regrowing,

simultaneously giving a sense of spring and

autumn. Farmers must plough around the

trees as they can only be cut down if they’re

dead or diseased — and even then, only with

written permission from the authorities.

I ride through acres of eucalyptus on my

mountain bike, emerging on the shores of

hidden lakes and snaking rivers. At the coast,

when storms permit, I paddle into the cold

Atlantic, often the only person in the water. I

make a pilgrimage to Amado when lockdown

ends, just after the Portuguese government

announces a new law banning wild camping

in vehicles. There are too many people trying

to escape the constraints of civilisation, and

not enough toilets or rubbish bins. I get it,

but I’m sad, too. It strikes me that freedom is

more complicated than it used to be.

Back in rural Alentejo, I find a subculture

of young people reversing a decades-old

trend of depopulation, choosing to live close

to nature and grow their own vegetables

instead of pursuing the glittering rewards

of capitalism. There are conversations

about the drastic consequences of intensive

farming in polytunnels, the problems

associated with non-native eucalyptus trees.

I pick up the Rota Vicentina along high

cliffs south of Praia do Malhão, where a pair

of white storks nest with their chicks on a

narrow pillar of rock, about 30ft offshore.

It’s an impressive spot they’ve chosen,

battered by wind, surrounded by crashing

waves. At Vila Nova de Milfontes, I sit with

my notebook at my favourite cafe, recalling

those storks nurturing new life in the face

of such wild and ever-changing emptiness.

Here I am again, staring at the sun, burning

my eyes, making my sentences, word by

word, and hurling them into the void.

Fearless, by Catrina Davies details a solo journey

busking across Europe, and is published by

Summersdale (RRP: £9.99). It is a re-release of her first book, The Ribbons are for Fearlessness.

catrinadavies.co.uk

NOTES FROM AN AUTHOR // CATRINA DAVIES

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KRIS TOMPKINS

Until the 1990s, you were the CEO of outdoor clothing brand Patagonia. What led you to move to Chile and devote your life to conservation? My husband Doug [the late Douglas Tompkins, who co-

founded the North Face and Esprit clothing companies

before becoming a full-time conservationist] and I’d

begun to see what was happening to the natural world.

It was his idea to find opportunities where we could

buy large tracts of land, aggregate them and turn them

back over to the country in the form of national parks.

It was obvious to us that it’s not enough just to conserve

the land — it’s important to get people onto the land, to

begin to love these places, so they can look after them

long after we’re gone.

What were the initial challenges? We were the first to do something like this, and we were

foreigners, too, so were met with a lot of suspicion.

Also, there’s always conflict between those who want

to protect the jewels of a place and those who’d like to

cut the forest down. Two things happened that turned

it around. One, we just decided we’d keep working and

build infrastructure to welcome everyone. People started

visiting the parks and they were shocked to see that

everything we’d said we were doing was true. Two, the

presidency of Chile changed: one president who wasn’t

in favour of conservation rolled out, while the following

president was very enthusiastic about our project. And we

were learning: by then, we were four or five years into it.

What are some of the most memorable experiences you’ve had exploring Chile?The adventures you remember are when everything goes

wrong! Doug and I certainly had a lot of those, especially

in the deep south, among volcanoes in southern Tierra

del Fuego or in the Darwin Range on a two-week

horseback ride into a completely trail-less region.

Ultimately, it’s about the people you meet along the way.

In January, Tompkins Conservation helped reintroduce three jaguars to Argentina’s Iberá Wetlands, where the species had been absent for over 70 years. Why was this project important?Keystone species are the ones that lay the foundation for

all others. When we first got to Iberá in 1997, the place

was crawling with capybaras, alligators and other species

who’d just gone mad because there was no predator. The

ecosystem was out of balance; that’s the main change we

were addressing. But the other aim, just as important, is

to see communities all throughout the province be proud

to have jaguars back. It’s invigorated tourism, too. It’s

been a great model for the social, cultural, economic and

local-level benefits of rewilding species.

Many of the areas you’ve nurtured have become hot-ticket travel destinations. Any favourites?We’ve been really involved in creating the Route of Parks

in Chile, and I’d absolutely recommend that. If you’re

hardy, go all the way from north to south — or you can

start in the middle then go south. The thing about it

is — and I’m not kidding — the whole 1,740 miles are

varied: you go through pristine forests, then Patagonian

grassland and so on. I could work for the tourist bureau!

If you were able to change one thing in the world of travel what would it be? There’s an enormous gap between what the tourist

industry is and where its responsibilities lie. The idea

of travel companies going into fabulous places and

skimming the cream off the top without leaving anything

behind is a real moral issue, in my opinion. Travel

companies have to help protect the very places they take

tourists to. If the tourist industry isn’t contributing to the

wellbeing of the ecology and communities, then it’s like

fishermen overfishing the sea: you’re not going to have

many places left. If we love something, we have to find a

consistent way to participate in its wellbeing.

INTERVIEW: ANGELA LOCATELLI

We talk to the business mogul-turned-environmental leader who’s established 13 national parks and numerous rewilding projects across Chile and Argentina

Satopia Travel, in partnership with Journeys with Purpose, offers

travellers the chance to meet Kris, co-founder and president of

Tompkins Conservation, on a Hosted Experience in Argentina.

tompkinsconservation.org satopiatravel.com

READ THE FULL

INTERVIEW

ONLINE AT

NATIONAL

GEOGRAPHIC.

CO.UK/TRAVEL


SMART TRAVELLERSMART TRAVELLER

MEET THE ADVENTURER


An enchanting, unique and friendly resort with a beautiful reef, white sandy beaches surrounded by swaying palms and crystal clear waters. Perfect for couples and families seeking an idyllic tropical paradise escape, with endless

possibilities of dining, activities, and celebrations.

[email protected] T: +960-664-2324


Here’s what you’ve been enjoying on the website this month

INTERVIEW

In conversation with Tristan GooleyThe ‘Natural Navigator’ reveals

how to read the weather

FOOD

The best croissant in ParisThe journey to awarding one

bakery — Pâtisserie Colbert — a

prestigious French culinary prize

UK

The UK’s best vintage vans and trailer hotelsIn the market for a quirky

staycation? Look no further

TOP

STORIES

A delicious dip in water that’s sometimes

toasty, sometimes cool and sometimes

absolutely freezing is a daily pleasure for so

many of us. Outdoor swimming is fi rmly in

vogue. Our most popular participation sport

has waxed and waned though, but when

the great lidos of Britain opened, mostly in

the 1920s and 30s, an outdoor dip was what

everyone did. This was before all homes had

bathrooms and cheap fl ights abroad were

within everyone’s grasp — it was a way to relax

and socialise, and off ered a taste of the exotic.

Somewhere between then and now we

lost our love of lidos. Indoor pools, computer

games, holidays abroad, council cutbacks

— all manner of things conspired to push out

our outdoor swimming pools, and so many

were lost, like those in Birmingham and

Barry and across London too, in Chiswick,

Muswell Hill and Tottenham. Those that

remain are cherished by their communities

and regular swimmers. And some of those

that closed down are making a comeback

— like Grange in Cumbria.

For me, that time spent swimming every

day is just the half of it. Catching some sun,

eating a slice of cake a� er your lengths,

chatting with friendly fellow swimmers,

escaping from the grind for an hour — these

are all part of the lido’s appeal. Exploring the

diff erent architecture (and temperatures) of

Britain’s varied outdoor pools inspired me

to write a book, and in that book, I pondered

something more primal, too — how water

reminds us of being babies, how a cleansing

daily dip is something akin to religious

immersion for the secular swimmer, how

time in the water is immensely powerful as a

mental self-help tool. As well as clear evidence

for swimming’s power to fi ght depression and

anxiety, recent reports suggest cold water can

even stave off dementia.

As lockdowns ease, along with memories

of lidos being bolted shut, there’s never been a

better time to dive into the joys of an outdoor

swimming pool.

READ THE FULL STORY ONLINE NOW AT

NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/TRAVEL

THE 10 BEST BRITISH LIDOS TO VISIT THIS SUMMER With summer in full swing, we look at Britain’s love affair with outdoor swimming andcelebrate the historic lidos that have survived to the present day. Words: Christopher Beanland

W H AT ’ S O N L I N E

46 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel46 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel


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Putting fiction on the mapFrom New York to Colombia, the

travel destinations that inspired

this summer’s hottest novels

E V E R T H O U G H T A B O U T C O N V E R T I N G A VA N I N T O A C A M P E RVA N ?

Offering the chance to get outdoors, live

off-grid and take less-frequented back roads,

travel by campervan allows the journey to

be as important as the destination. But with

high costs and long waiting lists for new

campervans and bespoke conversions, more

people are choosing to convert regular vans

into mobile holiday homes themselves.

The National Caravan Council reports

threefold increase in sales since 2000, while

demand for commercial vehicles is up 57%

year on year, according to Auto Trader, whose

2020 survey found that more than half of all

new van buyers wanted a van for personal use,

travelling and converting into campervans.

An Instagram search using #VanLife

reveals around 10 million posts, most of which

give a sense that campervan trips today equate

to something akin to mobile glamping — with

all the show-off home comforts to hand. It

seems the lifestyle is increasingly appealing

to those working remotely; campervans have

proved to be excellent mobile home offices.

Today, companies offering van conversions

or purpose-built vehicles are reporting wait

lists of up to 18 months. So, an increasing

number of people are doing it themselves. It’s

the lockdown project that’s launched a litany

of lifestyle blogs — but is the process as easy

as social posts suggest?

“Planning is everything,” says Dale Comley,

who co-authored The Van Conversion Bible

with his partner, Charlie Low. “No single

task is that difficult or technical — YouTube

is helpful for tutorials. The hard part is

understanding the order in which things

need doing. We know people who have spent

lots of money converting and ended up with

a van that doesn’t work. It’s crucial to look at

potential pitfalls at the drawing-board stage,

weighing up all options before you build.”

READ MORE ONLINE

The authors of The Van Conversion Bible, a new how-to guide for campervan connoisseurs, discuss the perks and pitfalls of #VanLife. Words: Sarah Barrell

BEYOND THE

TRAVEL SECTION

26 ways to live lighter on

the planet, starting now

To mark the launch of National

Geographic’s new initiative Planet

Possible, we look at sustainability

ideas that begin with the most

important changemakers of all: us

| E N V I R O N M E N T |

‘Dragon Man’ skull may be

new species, shaking up

human family tree

Hidden down a well for decades,

the stunningly complete cranium

is stirring debate about the

increasing number of fossils that

don’t neatly fit in the classic

human origin story

| H I S T O R Y |

Searching the icy oceans off

Norway for sperm whales

Close encounters with the world’s

largest toothed predator remain

rare. These hardy researchers not

only want to find them — they

want to dive with them

| A D V E N T U R E |

FAMILY

Ultimate ‘glampsites’ in England and Wales Rustic-chic roundhouses and

glamorous safari tents await

ACTIVE

Five of the best cycling day trips from London Gear up for two-wheeled

adventures beyond the city limits

September 2021 47

ONLINE


MARIBORAgainst a backdrop of a restored old town, the Slovenian

city is embracing its cultural identity, from colourful

festivals to age-old winemaking. Words: Jessica Vincent

WEEKENDER

On the banks of the Drava River,

Slovenia’s second-largest city cuts a

handsome dash. A riot of colour, the

medieval, red-roofed houses and turquoise

church spires of Maribor stand against a

forested backdrop of the Pohorje Mountains.

As the seasons change, so too does the

landscape, shifting from green to orange to

brown and then snowy white.

The city itself is no stranger to

transformations, either. After decades of war

and occupation, Maribor has been revitalised.

It’s no clearer than in the car-free centre,

where restored baroque buildings are now

home to fine dining restaurants and boho

cafes serving speciality coffee and vegan ice

cream. With six of its restaurants receiving

Michelin stars for the first time in 2020 and

now the 2021 European Region of Gastronomy,

Slovenia is enjoying its culinary moment in

the sun — palpably so in Maribor, where the

streets smell of freshly baked rye bread and

tarragon-filled dumplings, and restaurants

serve buckwheat stews, and Slovenian ales are

sipped kerbside on candle-lit Poštna Street.

The country’s largest wine region is right

on the doorstep, too. Here, family-run

vineyards age their wines just as the Romans

did, with the finest bottles appearing on

tables across the city.



TOP 5

Vineyard visits

VADHUBER

The Vadhuber family have

been producing dry white

wines in the Slovenian Hills,

close to the Austrian border,

since 1931. Today, they

host guided wine-tastings,

which you can enjoy with a

selection of cold cuts and

homemade bread. Don’t

want to leave? Stay the night

in one of the vineyard-view

apartments. valdhuber.si

DUCAL

The design of Ducal justifies a visit in its own right.

Modern touches — floor-to-ceiling windows, various

interesting sculptures — sit

alongside a century-old wine

cellar. Wine here is aged

using qvevri, Georgian-style

vessels made from clay.

ducalwines.com

HIŠA JOANNES PROTNER

This award-winning winery

in the Šempeter Hills, just

above Malečnik village, is most famous for its Rhine

Riesling, but also produces

excellent Pinot Noir,

Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Wine-tastings come with

home-made pate and

cottage cheese drizzled

with pumpkin seed oil. joannes.si

LEBER-VRAČKO

Eco-conscious Leber-Vračko has been cultivating Styrian

white wine varieties since

1795. Today, the family

estate is largely solar-

powered and pesticides

and herbicides, are banned.

The wines are aged in oak barrels and amphoras.

leber-vracko.si

FRESER

In the hills of Ritoznoj,

seventh-generation

winemakers Matjaž and Andreja Freser are at the

helm of this family vineyard,

which has been producing

wine since 1832. Sommelier-

led tastings include a tour of

the winery. freser.si

MORNING

Glavni Trg, Maribor’s main square,

in the old town, was once a

marketplace. Second World War

bombing badly damaged many of

its pastel-coloured, 14th-century

buildings, but most have now been

restored to their former glory,

and there are plans to reintroduce

a farmers’ market — a tradition

dating back to medieval times.

Take it all in from the terrace

of Nana, a cafe serving brunches

made using local ingredients such

as pumpkin seeds and honey.

Afterwards, head to Gosposka

Ulica and Jurčičeva Cesta,

the main shopping streets, to

browse Idrija lace in Slovenski

Zakladi or handmade souvenirs

at ARTmijeMAR. Refuel with

homemade vegan ice cream at

Slaščičarna Ilich, a cafe dating back

to 1909.

AFTERNOON

It would be remiss to visit Maribor

without experiencing its wine

culture. A five-minute walk from

Glavni Trg is Vinag Wine Cellar,

one of Slovenia’s largest and

oldest underground wineries.

Walking through dimly lit tunnels

lined with bottles and barrels

is an adventure in itself, but the

wine-tasting, which takes place

inside a room-sized concrete tank

and involves squeezing feet-first

through a metal hatch, is quite the

experience, too. For an extra fee,

you can enjoy local cheeses with

more wine, all by candlelight.

Afterwards, cross the river to

the Lent area to visit the Old Vine

House. Home to the world’s oldest

productive vine (at the ripe old age

of 400), this small museum tells

the story of Slovenian winemaking

and offers tastings and purchases.

EVENING

There was a time when the

neighbourhood of Lent

didn’t have a great deal to tempt

visitors, but the growing number

of wine and cocktail bars are

slowly pumping life back into

this historic riverside hangout.

Vinoteka Maribor, housed in a

former 16th-century fortress

known as the Water Tower, has an

extensive list of ecological wines

from the Podravje region, plus

views over the Drava.

A few minutes’ walk away,

the recently revamped Piranha

Cocktail Bureau serves some

of the city’s best cocktails from

a menu of 277 spirits, while

Kavarnica Rokaj, a bar where

posters of Queen and AC/DC

grace the walls, is the place

for Slovenian craft ales with a

generous side of rock ’n’ roll.

DAY ONE OLD TOWN & OLD VINES

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September 2021 49


YOURGREEN

ADVENTUREAWAITS

FRESH TROPICAL AIR

CLEAN SPARKLING WATERS

HIKING TRAILS TO EXPLORE

AMAZING MOUNTAIN VIEWS

www.visitmontserrat.com

#islandofmontserrat


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MORNING

Maribor is the ideal base for exploring Podravje, the largest of Slovenia’s three wine-growing regions. Family winemakers here preserve age-old viticultural traditions, such as using amphoras to age wine underground, or using all-natural methods. You can hire a car in Maribor and explore the many vineyards yourself — most are best-known for their white varieties. Call ahead for tastings.

Alternatively, take a half-day tour with local sommelier Jernej Lubej, who focuses on boutique ecological wineries near the Austrian border, such as Ducal, Doppler and Kušter. Be sure to make time for Dreisiebner, a guest house, winery and restaurant in Špičnik with great views of a much-photographed heart-shaped road nearby.

AFTERNOON

Take a short detour on your way back to Maribor to visit Ptuj, Slovenia’s oldest settlement. The ruins of Roman temples discovered here suggest this riverside town has been continuously inhabited since the first century AD. Today, Ptuj is a picturesque mix of medieval churches, Roman ruins and cobbled streets lined with cafes, wine bars, art galleries and craft shops.

Climb to the top of Ptuj Castle to look out over the Drava, then head down to its 700-year-old cellar for a peek at Slovenia’s oldest vintage, bottled in 1917. Afterwards, indulge in some of the 100 beers served at Kavarna Bodi, or fuel up on coffee and a slice of gibanica (a pastry made with cottage cheese and eggs) at Kavarna Kipertz, a cafe roasting its own beans since 1786.

EVENING

The east of the country played a key role in securing Slovenia’s title as European Region of Gastronomy, with a focus on sustainable, experimental, yet traditional, cooking. It’s the sort of cuisine you’ll find at Mak, a menu-less Maribor restaurant that was recently awarded the Michelin Plate. Maverick chef David Vračko is bold with his choice of flavours, but his interaction with guests — theatrical and memorable — is even bolder.

If you finish your meal early enough, dive back into the town centre for a nightcap along Poštna Street. It’s Maribor’s liveliest thoroughfare past 8pm, with wine bars such as LeVino Wine Bar and Kavarna Isabella often spilling out onto the pavement at weekends.

DAY TWO WINE COUNTRY & ROMAN RUINSTOP 3

Culinary souvenirs

PUMPKIN SEED OIL

If you notice something

unusual about your salad in

Maribor, it’ll be the pumpkin

seed oil. This nutty, almost

spicy, dark brown elixir is

produced in the regions

of Styria and Prekmurje,

and often replaces olive

oil in salad dressings and

marinades. Pick up a Kocbek-

brand bottle at the Old

Vine House’s on-site shop.

staratrta.si

BOROVNIČEVEC

Crimson borovničevec is a sweet liqueur made from wild

Pohorje blueberries. Home-

distilled by families in eastern

Slovenia for centuries, it’s

a popular aperitif served

before an evening meal,

particularly in the cold winter

months. You’ll find it served in most restaurants, and you

can buy a bottle at Zadruga

Dobrina. zadruga-dobrina.si

HONEY

There are more than 10,000

beekeepers in Slovenia,

producing a range of honey

varieties, from acacia and

spruce to chestnut and

linden. In Maribor, you can

buy local honey-based

products in Medičar in Svečar, or, for a more hands-on experience, visit nearby

apiary Čebelarstvo Vogrinčič. facebook.com/Lectar-medi

apicebelarstvo.si

LEFT: The famous heart-

shaped road, viewed

from ŠpičnikPREVIOUS PAGES, FROM

LEFT: Maribor Town Hall and

Plague Monument, Glavni

Trg; Old Bridge over the

Drava River

September 2021 51

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MORE INFO

Nana. nana-bistro.si

Zadruga Dobrina.

zadruga-dobrina.si

ARTmijeMAR.

artmijemar.si

Old Vine House.

staratrta.si

Vinoteka Maribor.

facebook.com/

vinotekavmaribor

Piranha Cocktail Bureau.

facebook.com/

piranhacocktailbureau

Kavarnica Rokaj.

facebook.com/rokaj.maribor

Jernej Lubej’s Big Guy’s

Wine Tours.

bigguyswinetours.com

Doppler Winery.

doppler.si

Dreisiebner. dreisiebner.si

Ptuj Castle.

pmpo.si

Kavarna Bodi.

kavarnabodi.si

LeVino Wine Bar.

levino-wine-bar.business.site

Visit Ptiuj. visitptuj.eu

Visit Maribor. visitmaribor.si

HOW TO DO IT

EasyJet flies from Stansted to Ljubljana year-round, while

British Airways offers summer flights from Heathrow. Maribor is then around a

two-hour bus or train ride

away. easyjet.com ba.com

Hotel City Maribor offers doubles from €185 (£159), B&B. hotelcitymb.si

GOING GREEN

Maribor has embraced sustainability when it comes to public transport, with free electric taxis that whizz visitors around the Old Town. E-bikes are also available for hire, with self-guided cycle routes listed on the Visit Maribor app

LENT FESTIVAL

Hosting more than 500,000

visitors each summer, the Lent

Festival is one of the biggest

multi-genre performance

events in Central Europe. For

two weeks at the end of June,

a number of venues operate in

the neighbourhood, including

a floating stage on the Drava

that hosts jazz concerts, ballet

performances, theatre shows, folk

music, comedy and much more.

Street food stalls, meanwhile,

serve regional delicacies from

around the country. festival-lent.si

THE OLD VINE FESTIVAL

This festival in late September

serves as a tribute to a local vine

that’s said to be the world’s oldest.

Celebrations include wine-tasting

events led by the region’s vintners.

FIVE OF THE BEST MARIBOR FESTIVALS

Locals will tell you that there’s no bad time to visit Maribor because there’s always something to celebrate. The city hosts dozens of events throughout the year, from classical music concerts and puppet shows to grape-picking ceremonies and street food festivals

There are also food stands, brass

bands and folk dancing. The event

concludes with the ceremonial

harvesting of the 450-year-old

vine, followed by a public tasting of

the freshly picked grapes in front

of a crowd of hundreds.

FESTIVAL MARIBOR

Slovenia’s most famous classical

music event sees the country’s

biggest chamber and orchestral

music stars come together for two

weeks of nightly performances

in September. The shows are

staged in venues across the city,

including the fin-de-siècle Union

Hall and the Slovenian National

Theatre Maribor. festivalmaribor.si

SUMMER PUPPET PIER

For over a century, puppet

theatres have been a popular

form of entertainment in

Slovenia. Every August,

Maribor Puppet Theatre hosts

national and international

puppeteers, who stage shows

for adults and children alike.

Puppet-making workshops

and exhibitions are also on the

programme. lg-mb.si

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF

CHILLI AND CHOCOLATE

It was Trappist monks who first

introduced chocolate-making to

Slovenia, in the late 19th century,

yet few people outside the

country have tasted Slovenian

chocolate. This festival, held in

October, aims to raise the profile

of independent chocolate-makers

in the country. Expect spicy

chocolate cocktails, chilli-eating

competitions and live music.

Folk dancers celebrate the

Old Vine Festival


WEEKENDER


@tahinewzealand Tahi New Zealand MADE IN NEW ZEALAND


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At the northeastern edge of the county, the Isle of Thanet is attracting a wave of creative chefs whose fresh ideas have transformed the peninsula into one

of the UK’s most dynamic dining destinations. Words: Ben Olsen

KENTEAT

It’s just turned midday and, with the sun

winning its battle against a lingering

sea mist, day-trippers start to stream

from Margate station, past the Dreamland

amusement park and towards the beach.

I sidestep the crowds and bag a table at

Dory’s — a sophisticated spot with sea views

and a just-updated chalkboard of seafood

dishes. While weighing up the wine list, I

watch as staff hurry past delivering plates of

Whitstable oysters to neighbouring tables.

It’s not the obvious image of a county

known as ‘the Garden of England’. For anyone

who’s passed Kent’s orchards, vineyards

and farmland to reach Margate, the county’s

rural reputation is obvious, but the Isle of

Thanet has an identity all its own. Once

separated from the mainland by a now silted-

up channel, this peninsula on the county’s

north-eastern tip is defined by its cluster

of Georgian seaside resorts — Margate,

Broadstairs and Ramsgate — which, until

recently, had seen better days. Previously

a fashionable destination for Londoners

seeking a salty-aired retreat, the European

package holiday boom of the 1960s signalled

a change in fortunes. But, following decades

of decline, a recent influx of optimism and

fresh ideas means Thanet is starting to

thrive again.

Margate’s revival was jump-started in 2011

by the arrival of the Turner Contemporary art

gallery, swiftly followed by a growing roster of

hip new studios, cafes, shops and restaurants.

Often, these new businesses were launched

by enterprising newcomers, lured by the

prospect of a fresh start by the sea — a life

decision that seems increasingly convincing

as I sit in the sun, dipping smoked prawns

into aioli. After a leisurely lunch, I’m joined

by art director-turned-restaurateur Lee

Coad, who opened seafood hotspot Angela’s

in Margate’s newly restored Old Town in

2017, with Dory’s — it’s no-reservation sister

restaurant — following two years later.

“You could see that Margate was this

untouched gem, and launching a seafood

restaurant located by the sea made sense to

me,” he says, recalling his decision to move

to Thanet. “Whatever arrives from the day

CLOCKWISE FROM

ABOVE: Quirky shop

and boutiques clustered

around King Street in

Margate; boats docked

at low tide off the beach

at Broadstairs; Bulgarian-

born, Thanet-based

Alexander Taralezhkov

making bread at his

restaurant, Dolma

Bar; torta ricotta e

pera dessert served at

Bottega Caruso



September 2021 55


BEER

Margate-based Northdown

Brewery’s cans have won over the

CAMRA brigade and craft market

alike. The hazy Tidal Pool pale ale

and crisp Northdown lager are

particularly worth tracking down.

northdownbrewery.com

COFFEE

The single-origin coffees at

Curve Coffee are brewed at

many local restaurants as well as

at Curve’s own Storeroom cafe

in Margate. Standouts include

the citrusy Gitesi from Rwanda

and the chocolatey Colombian

Montebonito. curveroasters.co.uk

ASPARAGUS

Sea breezes and a sunny climate

provide perfect conditions to grow

these hefty, hand-picked spears

from Sevenscore Farm just south

of Ramsgate. See them on menus

across Kent between April and

June. sevenscoreasparagus.co.uk

SHELLFISH

Thanet’s commercial fishing

industry may have dwindled but

its seafood huts remain, with

both Cannon’s in Ramsgate and

Manning’s in Margate your port of

call for crevettes and cockles.

GELATO

With all its seaside resorts, ice

cream in Thanet is a strong suit;

the expansive offerings at Morelli’s

in Broadstairs and Melt Gelato

in Margate more than justify

the queues. morellisgelato.com

instagram.com/melmargate

Five food finds boats that morning — skate, turbot, bass,

mackerel — is on your plate at lunchtime.”

Both Angela’s and Dory’s work in tandem

to share ingredients and minimise waste,

with the former featuring fresh fish cooked

over charcoal, and the latter placing an

emphasis on raw, pickled or cured dishes.

“We source well and try not to use any

plastic. I think that’s part of the reason why

we’re popular,” says Lee. It’s worked — earlier

this year, Angela’s picked up one of the

Michelin Guide’s inaugural ‘Green Stars’.

Aiming to create a neighbourhood

restaurant with a lasting legacy, Lee remains

inspired by Margate’s evolution. “There’s a

wonderful spirit of creativity here,” he says,

gesturing at his chefs as they blowtorch

mackerel fillets in the open kitchen.

“Whether it’s the photographers, the artists,

the restaurants or the community groups,

there’s a desire to do something good in the

area. And I’d much rather be doing this by the

sea, which gives you a wonderful backdrop.”

It’s a vista that also inspired Bulgarian chef

Alexander Taralezhkov to switch London

for Margate, as he explains on a walk along

the coast. He’s just opened Dolma Bar at

Cliftonville’s Tom Thumb Theatre, where his

Ottoman-inspired concept of dolma (stuffed)

and sarma (wrapped) dishes allows him to

experiment with local produce.

“The English language is very good at

creating concepts like ‘cold-water swimming’

or ‘foraging’,” he says, as we watch swimmers

at Walpole Bay. “But in Eastern Europe, we

just swim or pick things.” With the tide at its

lowest, he points out the seaweed species he

often puts to good use in his cooking. There’s

bladderwrack, thrown over fire to impart the

flavour of the sea onto grilled food, and sea

lettuce and kelp, used to make umami-rich

stocks. “I also pick a lot of sea purslane for

pesto,” he adds, pointing to the shoreline

shrub that lines the coastal path, “and there’s

wild peppery rocket here, too.”

Having made the jump from high-flying

hospitality jobs, his latest venture benefits

from Thanet’s long growing season, which

allows his allotment-grown vegetables to

shine. “Dolmas are often a celebratory dish

as they’re time consuming to make — I

liken them to Balkan dim sum,” he says

of these intricately assembled parcels.

“Whether that’s Mangalitsa pork wrapped

with cabbage, or stuffed artichoke or smoked

mussels, there’s a real artistry to these


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HOW TO DO IT: Thanet is easily accessible with

Southeastern’s frequent high-speed services from

London St Pancras to Margate, Broadstairs and

Ramsgate, with slower trains departing from London

Victoria. southeasternrailway.co.uk

MORE INFO: visitthanet.co.uk

dishes.” Not that the concept will be too alien

to the locals, with Cliftonville’s significant

Balkan population likely to ensure

Alexander’s craft connects with more than

just the DFL (down from London) crowd.

I follow the Viking Coastal Trail

eastwards, past fields of brassicas and the

dramatic chalk outcrops at Botany Bay, to

the town of Broadstairs. My first port of

call is Morelli’s, a perfectly preserved 1950s

throwback, complete with soda fountain and

pink leatherette booths, for a silky-smooth

scoop of pistachio gelato. The Morelli family

arrived in the UK from southern Italy at the

turn of the 20th century before settling in

Broadstairs in the 1930s. Even as the area’s

fortunes have changed, this storied parlour

remains one of the town’s most iconic spots.

More recently, however, Broadstairs has

seen a growing amount of restaurant hype,

yet not all of the chefs fronting up new

ventures are newcomers. Ramsgate native

Ben Crittenden opened Stark with his wife

Sophie in 2016 and says the area is changing

fast. “There are a lot of people moving down

from London to start businesses here, which

is great,” he says while prepping for evening

service. “Broadstairs was always seen as the

nicest town of the three, while Margate has

definitely become the trendy one. Ramsgate’s

a bit further behind but if someone was

willing to take a chance on launching

something new, I think people would go

there, too.”

To set Stark apart from other restaurants

in the area, Crittenden decided to offer a

six-course tasting menu. “We wanted to do

something that no one else was doing and

knew that a set menu would be unique,” he

explains. “I simplified my approach, with the

aim of maximising flavours and making them

stand up against each other.” It’s an approach

that clearly paid off, with Stark being awarded

a Michelin star in 2018 — a first for Thanet

— and the couple moving to a slightly larger,

16-cover spot on the same street, with frosted

windows and quirky, ski-lodge decor.

Later that night, he’s hard at work behind

the stoves, sending out immaculately

presented dishes against a buzzy, indie-rock

soundtrack: squid and asparagus in a smoky

bisque; halibut dressed with fronds of wild

fennel; and a wonderfully balanced salt-sweet

goat’s curd dessert. While far-removed from

the image some might have of a Michelin-

starred venue, it’s a compelling formula

underpinned by excellent food. “Winning the

star made us surer than ever of who we are,”

says Ben. “Stark probably isn’t for everyone

but we do it how we like it — and that’s

important for us to keep the passion alive.”

FLOTSAM & JETSAM

A hugely successful idea during

the pandemic saw the founders

of Broadstairs institution Wyatt

& Jones launch this charismatic

‘seafood and frites’ takeaway just

seconds from Viking Bay. Pairing

chips made with local potatoes

with elevated fish dishes, the

new set up became an instant

hit. Expect fritto misto cones, half

lobsters, and monkfish scampi

in squid-ink batter — as well as

upwards of 15 dips, including

seaweed mayo. Now a permanent

fixture on Harbour Street, its

beautiful take on a seaside staple

is worth defending to the last from

the bullish local seagulls. Mains

from £6. wyattandjones.co.uk

STAPLE STORES

Thanet boasts an impressive tally

of first-rate sourdough bakers.

Among them is chef Steve Gadd,

who opened Staple Stores cafe

and bakery last year on the pretty,

flint-fronted Reading Street

in St Peter’s. Just a 20-minute

walk from Broadstairs town

centre, it has swiftly become

a weekly pilgrimage for many

thanks to its great coffee, cakes,

pastries and loaves, made from

organic, heritage-grain flours.

Gadd recently opened a second

site in the nearby town of

Westgate-on-Sea. Pastries from

£1.80, sandwiches from £5.50.

staplestores.co.uk

BOTTEGA CARUSO

Starting life as a deli at Margate’s

Old Kent Market, Harry Ryder

and Simona Di Dio’s love letter

to regional Italian cuisine moved

into this corner of the Old Town

in 2018. With its walls lined with

jars of homemade sauce, bottles

of Primitivo and bags of dried

pasta, Bottega Caruso specialises

in dishes inspired from Simona’s

native Campania. Alongside

plates of imported meats and

cheeses and freshly made pasta,

its menu specialises in cibo povero,

or ‘food of the poor’, with the

restorative verdura e fagioli stew

and rustic, herby polpette di pane

just two reasons why it’s become

one of Margate’s most prized

reservations. Mains from £10.

bottegacaruso.com

A TASTE OF THE

Isle of Thanet

Customers at Mannings Seafood in Margate,

which serves a variety of fresh shelfishFROM LEFT: Fresh asparagus is a seasonal

highlight of the region; a dish of korma-

spiced hake, grape, cashew, korma sauce

and coriander oil, served at Stark

September 2021 57

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With mammoth regeneration projects underway, change is afoot in Queensland’s capital — and a stylish crop of new hotels, restaurants and cultural spaces means it’s never looked better. Words: Justin Meneguzzi

BRISBANE

Always the bridesmaid, but never the bride — travellers in search of a city break have often overlooked Brisbane in favour of Melbourne or Sydney, while those

making the visit have often stayed only as long as it took to escape to the beaches of the Sunshine Coast. But that’s history. With its sights set on hosting the 2032

Olympics, Brisbane is all about the future, with a wave of new hotels, restaurants, bars and cultural venues transforming Australia’s third-largest city into a

destination that rivals its southern siblings. There’s the Galley of Modern Art, the eye-popping street art on Fish Lane and the nightlife of Howard Smith Wharves, plus Fortitude Valley’s heady mix of rock, queer, glam and pub culture. As for the

hotels, the choice has never been better, ranging from New Age razzle-dazzle to the quieter charm of refurbished historical stays. But the city’s reasonably compact

size means no matter where you rest your head, you’ll never be far from the action.

SLEEP



Best for the stylish set THE CALILE HOTEL

A lack of beaches in Brisbane hasn’t stopped

The Calile Hotel from introducing its own

subtropical vibes to the city. Every detail

— from the pink granite to the geometric

lamps — has been carefully selected, resulting

in rooms that feel warm and elegant. Drag

yourself from the poolside cabana and you’ll

find Ada Lane, where global fashion brands

are squeezed between local boutiques and

gelaterias. Book a table for Greek-inspired fare

at the in-house restaurant, Hellenika.

ROOMS: From A$329 (£180). thecalilehotel.com

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Best for sports fans BRISBANE CITY YHA

With Suncorp Stadium just across the road,

the Gabba cricket ground a short ride away

and breweries and distilleries scattered all

around, Brisbane City YHA is a hub for fans

of cricket, rugby and Australian football.

The rooms come with a choice of shared

bathrooms or private en suites, while reduced

occupancy during the pandemic means guests

can maintain a safe social distance. Families

or groups can stay together in private rooms.

Eye-catching murals from Drapl, one of the

artists who painted Victoria’s famous regional

art silos, add a pop of colour to the rooftop

pool and bar, which offer five-star views of the

CBD, Brisbane River and Mount Coot-tha.

ROOMS: Private rooms from A$70 (£38).

yha.com.au

Best for design aficionados W BRISBANE

The diamante-studded pineapple in the

foyer tells you all you need to know about

W Brisbane. It’s flamboyant and fun, with

the interior design a visual love letter to the

serpentine Brisbane River: carpets inspired by

light-dappled water, floodwater marks etched

onto walls and nary a straight line to be found.

The 312 guestrooms are kitted out with wacky

Australiana, from boomerang-shaped coffee

tables to golden crocodile skulls styled as

light pendants. The hotel’s prime location

on North Quay means the Queensland Art

Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art are within

easy walking distance, and the three onsite

restaurants will keep visitors well-fed. But the

highlight? The zebra-patterned pool and bar,

which converts into a floating cinema.

ROOMS: From A$369 (£201). marriott.com


SLEEP


Best for rock ’n’ rollers OVOLO THE VALLEY

Mix two parts whimsical with one part

nostalgic, add a sprinkle of Ziggy Stardust

and you end up with Ovolo The Valley. Set on

the edge of Brisbane’s live music district, the

hotel frequently hosts musicians and their

entourages. An obsession with David Bowie

means it has references to the icon at every

turn. The rooftop pool is the place to nurse

a hangover after a night at nearby venue The

Zoo, and foodies will delight in the onsite

vegetarian restaurant Ta Za Za. Unleash your

inner Ziggy with a stay in the Rockstar Suite,

featuring ’70s-inspired decor and art.

ROOMS: From A$253 (£138), B&B.

ovolohotels.com.au

Best for location HYATT REGENCY BRISBANE

The sleek, newly refurbished Hyatt Regency

Brisbane has an enviable central location,

leading right onto the hustle and bustle

of Queen Street Mall. While the mall’s big

names may be irresistible to shopaholics,

a sneaky back entrance onto Brisbane’s

oldest laneway reveals a world of street art,

hideaway cafes and heritage-listed cocktail

bars inspired by the underground bars of

London and Paris. After a day beating the

pavements, the hotel’s mezzanine-level

infinity pool and bar await. Alternatively,

retreat to the comfort of your room with

comfy bed, large TV and walk-in shower.

ROOMS: From A$259 (£141). hyatt.com

September 2021 61

SLEEP


Best for naturalists SANCTUARY BY SIRROMET

Wake to the sound of cockatoos and whistling ducks

before stepping out onto the deck of your private

tented pavilion to see wallabies hopping past. Located

at Mount Cotton, a 30-minute drive from Brisbane

Airport, Sanctuary by Sirromet is a winery glamping

experience set on 560 acres of natural bushland.

Visitors can sample wines at the Cellar Door, take a

behind-the-scenes winery tour, dine al fresco at its

Tuscan-inspired terrace restaurant or book a tour to the

nearby islands of North Stradbroke and Moreton.

ROOMS: From A$237 (£129), B&B. sirromet.com

Best for art-lovers THE JOHNSON

Set in the heart of heritage neighbourhood Spring

Hill, and named for Australian artist Michael Johnson,

the hotel is chock-full of the abstract artist’s colourful

creations. Aesthetes can join the in-house art tour,

browse the art library, watch the dedicated art TV

channel or make use of the hotel’s bikes to ride to South

Brisbane’s art precinct. Each of the 97 family-friendly

suites comes with kitchen facilities and neighbourhood

views, while the sprawling three-bedroom penthouses

offer spectacular 180-degree views of the skyline.

ROOMS: From A$179 (£98). mantrahotels.com

Best for night owls SAGE HOTEL

Rubbing shoulders with the historic QA Hotel pub, Sage

Hotel is a gateway to Fortitude Valley’s boho cafes

and restaurants, boutique fashion outlets and fine art galleries. Guests are welcomed by a towering vertical

indoor garden, with black-and-white streetscapes

adding a tinge of urban grunge. A complimentary

chauffeur is on hand, but the hotel’s prime position on

James Street means walking is a great way to explore.

Pop into Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers, enjoy a pint at

Sixes and Sevens or join a wine tasting at City Winery.

ROOMS: From A$140 (£76). nexthotels.com

Best for history buffs ADINA APARTMENT

HOTEL BRISBANE

Built in 1922, and having variously served as

the state bank, tax office and the national

radio broadcaster, this heritage-listed dame

of Brisbane’s hotel scene is looking grand

for her age. You’ll find plenty of nods to her

storied past, from the Queensland Coat of

Arms mosaic at reception to the giant musical

notes suspended over the pool. Each of the 170

rooms feels stately yet modern, with kitchens,

in-room laundry and separate living areas

that make them ideal for families, too. Nearby

Queen Street Mall is perfect for exploring

on foot, but be back in time for an evening

cocktail in the Boom Boom Room, housed in

the building’s original bank vaults.

ROOMS: From A$215 (£117). adinahotels.com

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Best for fashionistas HOTEL X

It seems fitting there’s a little black book of

quotes from Karl Lagerfeld on the bedside

table at Hotel X. Brisbane’s newest hotel

— the architectural embodiment of the

late master of couture — landed on the

scene decked out from head to toe in casual

glamour, from the foyer’s marble-and-gold-

trimmed opulence to the outrageous, glitter-

bombed fashion photography in each room.

Guests are encouraged to be equally bold:

indulge on caviar at the in-house French

bistro, sip curious gem elixirs (sparkling

water positively charged in the moonlight)

by the rooftop pool or stroll to the nearby

hubbub of Howard Smith Wharves for a

seafood banquet by the river.

ROOMS: From A$214 (£117). hotelx.com.au

September 2021 63

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ICELAND

a symphony



Iceland has captured the global imagination like few other countries its size. Its natural treasures range from mineral-rich hot springs to

sprawling glaciers and whale-rich fjords, while its stylish settlements thrum with modern music and new riffs on traditional cuisine. Although visitor numbers have swelled over the past decade, Iceland has retained

its distinctive identity — forged amid the drama of the seasons in the high North Atlantic, on the tectonic frontier of Europe. It’s easy to lose

the crowds and sample the best of the country, if you know how. Come with us, off the beaten track, into the Land of Fire and Ice

W O R D S J A M I E L A F F E R T Y

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For a ruthless killer, the Arctic fox is a cute little rascal. The razorbills, puffi ns and northern fulmars who have their eggs and young stolen may not agree, but it’s hard not to side with the mammal when the birds are so abundant here at Látrabjarg. My only complaint is that the vixen I see out raiding enormous sea cliff s at Iceland’s westernmost point doesn’t hang around for a photograph. Instead, she regards me brazenly, with an egg in her mouth, then turns her bushy tail and bounds off into the long grass.

It seems fi tting that this kind of intimate wildlife encounter would happen somewhere like Látrabjarg, the most distant end of one of Iceland’s most remote regions. Only around 7% of visitors to the country come up to the West� ords — and that was before the pandemic hit. Numbers at Látrabjarg are lower still.

Travelling in the early days a� er Iceland reopened to tourists, this seems like a blessing. Over the course of three days spent driving around in the long days of the boreal summer, it o� en feels like I have the whole place to myself. Covid may be partly to blame, but the West� ords is also a region where the population has been in decline for a century (just over 7,000 people call it home).

Ísa� ördur has the region’s only airport and car rental companies, making it a natural base. Even on the fl ight in from Reykjavík, the landscape’s extraordinary beauty seems to call out from below. It looks like somewhere people should be running towards — to travel, to live — not leave.

“They say we’re cut off up here, that it’s impossible to drive or you need some kind of super jeep,” says Birna Jónasdóttir, from the local tourism offi ce, when we speak by the town’s dock. “But I drive around here all year in all conditions in my little Suzuki Swi� .” The land, she insists, is not as formidable as its remote geography might suggest.

She’s not wrong. But travelling in the unyielding light of summer, it’s perhaps easy to have a favourable view of the driving experience up here: I feel like I’m behind the wheel in a Hollywood road trip caper, dramatically turning the wheel this way and that, paying more attention to the scenery

than the snaking, � ord-side roads, whistling and grinning all the while.

This is an ancient landscape, a natural home for the many myths and legends born here, but it has, in fact, recently been changed signifi cantly. In essence, the Dýra� ardargöng Tunnel is just a hole through some rock, but for residents and visitors in the West� ords, it’s a revelation. The opening of the 3.4-mile passage, which replaces a mountain road o� en closed during winter storms, lets drivers complete a loop of the region — even in the coldest months. No longer does it have to feel distant and inaccessible. Dýra� ardargöng only opened in October last year, and as tourism in the country resumes, few people have had a chance yet to drive the Ring Road 2 — now known as the West� ords Way.

As the fulmar fl ies, it’s only 50 miles from Ísa� ördur to Látrabjarg, but even with the new tunnel, the drive takes three glorious hours. The fi rst half is characterised by the high mountains of the � ords and humpback whales — visible from the road — breaching the dark waters. The midsection is all waterfalls, including Dynjandi, a three-tiered monster, at the top of which the water fans out like a peacock’s tail. And then to the sandy south, where rivers bisect beaches and the land briefl y fl attens before building once more to those sensational cliff s in Látrabjarg. The Vikings sailed west from here to Greenland, but for me, this is far enough, for now.

It’s 9pm when I start my retreat to Ísa� ördur and while the sun is still above the horizon, clouds keep it hidden almost the whole way. I don’t want the journey to end, and decide to follow the headland, through yet another tunnel to Bolungarvík, and emerge into sunshine so dazzling I have to pull over. It’s one of the near-magical moments this part of the world can gi� you. Extraordinarily, the clock reads one minute past midnight.

Of the small number of travellers who make the journey to this far-fl ung northwestern

peninsula, fewer still reach the wildlife-rich western corner of Látrabjarg — one of many

highlights on the country’s newest touring route for intrepid drivers, The West� ords Way

the Westfjordswest of

HOW TO DO IT: Iceland Air has fl ights from Rejkjavík to Ísafjördur year-round. Europcar, Avis, Hertz and Budget operate from Ísafjördur Airport. Rooms at Hotel Ísafjördur start at £109, B&B. icelandair.com europcar.co.uk avis.co.uk

hertz.co.uk budget.co.uk isafjordurhotels.is

westfjords.is

Multi-tiered Dynjandi waterfall, known as the

‘Jewel of the Westfjords’PREVIOUS PAGES, FROM

TOP: View towards Kirkjufell mountain on the north coast of the

Snaefellsnes Peninsula; a puffi n on Látrabjarg,

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The lead singer of Icelandic folk/indie band Of Monsters and Men refl ects on the country’s prolifi c creative output,

including otherworldly music from the likes of Björk, and recommends the ultimate festival for music-lovers

When we meet in the Ásmundarsalur art gallery and coff ee shop in central Reykjavík, Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir has only recently returned from a cabin retreat in the Icelandic wilderness, where she spent time writing songs, playing music and walking her dog. While this has helped give a sense of creative and personal renewal, the pandemic has meant the band hasn’t played a gig for well over a year. “I really miss it now,” explains Nanna, touching a spot in the centre of her chest. “I really feel it. I think the next time we play, I’m going to cry and be emotional.”

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the release of her band’s hugely successful debut album, My Head Is an Animal. Its lyrics teem with nods to Iceland’s myths and sagas: you’ll hear lines about kings, mountains and forests of talking trees. Nanna admits the link between the country’s culture and landscapes and the band’s music wasn’t always obvious to her but is something she’s becoming increasingly aware of as she gets older: “I hear it more now, with every year I get it more.”

For such a small country, Iceland punches well above its weight musically — Björk and Sigur Rós are household names, while rockers Kaleo and composer Ólafur Arnalds command impressive followings. Nanna is quick to agree the nation’s creative lineage helped her. “As a girl growing up making music, I did have Björk,” she says. “It didn’t feel like it was impossible.”

This is a country of novelists and bookworms, too: it’s believed that more books are written, published and read per capita here than anywhere else in the world.

I wonder out loud what makes Icelanders so artistically inclined. Nanna has been asked this before, but still isn’t sure of the answer. “I think maybe creativity is encouraged here — it feels like having a third arm,” she says. “We have long, harsh winters and quite a lot of isolation, so maybe that has something to do with it, too. When you go out, there’s a community feeling with other artists. Then, of course there’s the magic water.” She can’t quite keep a straight face as she makes this joke. “Honestly, I’m not sure.”

So, there’s really no great Icelandic secret? “Well, people are listening,” Nanna says, looking around the cafe, her eyes fl itting side to side conspiratorially. “I don’t want to be the one to spill the beans.” ofmonstersandmen.com

Book it nowICELAND AIRWAVES, REYKJAVÍK

Iceland’s biggest music festival isn’t held in a muddy fi eld,

but right in the heart of the capital. attracting international

artists and Icelandic acts. 3-6 November 2021

NANNA SAYS: “If you visit Reykjavík during Iceland

Airwaves, there are a lot of cool things happening

everywhere. There are off -venue shows where artists can

book their gigs in cafes or record stores, so there are things

happening all over the city.” icelandairwaves.is

Nanna Bryndís HilmarsdóttirIcelandic art with

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Golden CircleStarting and ending in Reykjavík, the popular

155-mile loop can be comfortably driven in

a single day. Many people choose to take

their time, however, as highlights include

Thingvellir National Park and the sensational

Gullfoss, a multi-tiered waterfall that thunders

into a canyon, shooting out rainbows like

fireworks. south.is

Arctic Coast WayOpened in 2019, this 560-mile route

connects two villages, Hvammstangi and

Bakkafjördur. In between is a coastline

comprising seven peninsulas — each with

its own distinct charms. Extend the trip by

lingering in Iceland’s second city, Akureyri,

or its whale-watching capital, pretty Húsavík.

arcticcoastway.is

Ring RoadThis is the big one, the mother road around the

entire nation. Most drivers aim to complete

this 825-mile route in around 10 days to take

in the major sites along the way. Expect scenic

fishing villages and yet more fjords, as well as

the chance to visit East Iceland, a region very

few travellers explore. It may not have as many

banner attractions as the west of the country,

but the hiking opportunities, beautiful

landscapes and lack of crowds all make for

a memorable trip. visiticeland.com

Driving is the best way to explore Iceland.

From serpentine fjords in the north to

smoking volcanoes and calving glaciers in

the south, there are weeks’ worth of

natural spectacles to take in

Road trips to remember

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP

LEFT: Nanna Bryndís

Hilmarsdóttir, of the

band Of Monsters

and Men; humpback

whale near Húsavík,

the country’s oldest

settlement; the black-

sand beach at Stokksnes,

beneath Vestrahorn

mountain in southeast

Iceland; the view from

Hallgrimskirkja church in

Reykjavík; hikers reach

the Kerid Crater Lake, a

stop on the Golden Circle

ICELAND


Ultimate Iceland adventures

top 10

Many of the country’s blockbuster travel experiences are shaped by the seasons. We round up the best tours, from summer

hiking in a volcanic national park to enjoying aurora-painted night skies in the icy depths of winter

EXPLORE THE WESTMAN ISLANDS

VOLCANOES

For budding geologists, the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago is a dream destination — the frequency of volcanic eruptions means they can study events like the 1963 appearance of Surtsey, a new island that rose from the chilly waters of the Atlantic. For the people living on these southern islands, the volcanoes are more of a daily concern. To get an understanding of what it’s like to live in the shadow of a potentially deadly peak, hike Eldfell, a volcanic cone, in summer with a local. Tours from £35. visitwestmanislands.com

SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS IN

EAST ICELAND

Despite lying just outside the Arctic Circle, Iceland is a dream location for spotting the Northern Lights. A clear sky and high solar activity are required for the aurora to be at its best. February, March, September and October are regarded as the best months, with East Iceland arguably the best region for sightings, due to minimal light pollution. Tours from £94. guidetoiceland.is

TRY A MIDNIGHT SUN QUAD BIKE TOUR

Quad bike tours are available almost all year in Iceland, but if you’re arriving in the height of summer it’s possible to combine this distinctly local experience with another popular Icelandic pastime. Safari’s Midnight Sun ATV Tour starts in Reykjavík and takes in Hafravatn lake and the excellently named Wolf Mountain. Driving the ATVs may seem daunting at fi rst, but expert guides will make sure you have all the training you need before heading out. Tours from £119. safari.is

RUN A HUSKY TEAM

While it’s technically possible to run huskies all year round, the dogs get the most benefi t in the depths of winter. Head up to Akureyri, in the north, to meet the mutts at

Go Husky, then spend a few hours mushing through the snowy woods. The only time you’ll see the dogs looking anything less than enthusiastic is when they’re in their kennels, desperate to get out into the wilderness. Tours from £130. gohusky.is

HIKE IN SNAEFELLSJÖKULL

NATIONAL PARK

The caldera of Snaefellsjökull, the remarkable volcano on the Snaefellsnes peninsula, has long been covered by an ice cap, making for some extraordinary hiking. So otherworldly is this environment that NASA sent 32 of its astronauts, including Neil Armstrong, here to train in preparation for landing on the moon. A century earlier, the same peak captured French novelist Jules Verne’s imagination, too — it’s the gateway to the centre of the Earth in his 1864 science fi ction classic Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Tours from £115. gowest.is

TRY HELISKIING

For a proper taste of adventure, jump in a helicopter. Needless to say this isn’t for amateurs, but those confi dent on skis or a snowboard will have an unforgettable experience in the country’s remote slopes. The best heliskiing is to be found in the north of the country, with the season typically running from February to June. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this James Bond-like experience doesn’t come cheap. Four days from £6,360. arcticheliskiing.com

DIVE BETWEEN TECTONIC PLATES

There aren’t many dive sites around the world where there’s close to no chance of seeing any animal life and yet the prospect still seems irresistible. Then again, there aren’t any other dive sites like Silfra. Located inside the Thingvellir National Park, just an hour east from Reykjavík on the Golden Circle, this ri� off ers extraordinary visibility at depths of up to 300� and the unique opportunity to dive

between the North American and Eurasian Plates. Dives from £166. dive.is

EXPLORE ICE CAVES

Mighty Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier, was one of several fi lming locations in Iceland to benefi t from a Game of Thrones-related tourism boost. The show may have since fi nished, but the glacier and its eponymous national park have remained popular. Guided hiking on the ice is one option, but if you’ve got a bigger appetite for adventure, then head into the sapphire-blue ice caves. Still not enough? Then enquire about ice climbing. Tours from £175. adventures.is

KAYAK IN THE WESTFJORDS

On a calm summer’s day, kayaking in the West¤ ords off ers a chance to leave all the drama on shore. The sheer canyon walls surrounding Ísa¤ ördur make a spectacular backdrop as eider ducks and northern fulmars glide across the glassy water. That’s not to say these pleasant excursions always play out without incident — families of grey seals are o� en spotted among the kelp and, once in a while, pods of orca come into the bays looking for them. Half-day tour from £87. boreaadventures.com

TREK BETWEEN HUTS

In the Fjallabak Nature Reserve in the Icelandic Highlands, it’s possible to hike in the wilderness from hut to hut. These rudimentary dwellings are akin to the bothies in the UK and have similarly off ered shelter to those in the wilderness for decades. The occasionally spiteful weather means they o� en come in handy, but in calmer conditions, these week-long hikes off er the chance to enjoy some of the country’s most scenic and raw landscapes, far from the crowds. Tours from £2,845 per week. wildlandtrekking.com IM

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Northern Lights over the Skaftafellsjökull Glacier

in east Iceland; Thingvellir National Park, an hour east from Reykjavík on

the Golden Circle; northern fulmars nest at Látrabjarg, in the Westfjords

September 2021 71

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The dust from Siggi’s car is still settling

on the road as a dozen young stallions

approach. They look not unlike The Cure in

their heyday, all big hair and inscrutability.

These boys don’t cry, either — not even when

they’re biting each other and stampeding

around the fi eld. As they edge towards us,

owners Siggi Jensson and partner Alex Hoop

watch on with something like parental pride.

We’re just outside their couple’s

remarkable Tor ús Retreat, a luxury hotel

that could also be called a ranch. The horses

spend their formative years in fi elds around

the site before going into proper training.

The couple explain that these Icelandic

horses are all three or four years old, but are

yet to really start their training. The next 12

months will represent a steep learning curve

for the horses, as they go from untamed

animals to athletes fi t for show. “Some

people think it’s somewhat controversial that

we wait until they’re four,” says Alex. “But

really, they’re only ready by then.”

By contrast, on mainland Europe some of

the most successful racing thoroughbreds

have their most prominent seasons as three-

year-olds. It’s not uncommon for them to

be retired to stud a� er that. The horses in

front of me certainly don’t look like they’re at

retirement age.

How best to describe their appearance?

For an total equine ignoramus like me,

it’s pretty hard to say. They’re not unlike

Shetland ponies, but scaled up. Their

temperament is, generally, much more placid

and aff able than the average thoroughbred,

too. When they run, especially in

competition, perhaps their most singular

quality is their tölt, a particular type of gait

during which their front legs thunder down

onto the turf as though trying to crush the

heads of a thousand snakes. Their manes are

uniformly extraordinary, and their winter

coats are so thick and cosy as to look like

knitted jumpers.

Siggi and Alex take great pains to explain

to me that there are plenty of specifi cs, too.

In fact, the world of the Icelandic horse is

as involved and complex as that of their

counterparts on the European mainland.

Speaking of those foreigners, they’re banned.

“Yes, it’s true,” explains Siggi. “No other

horses can come here to Iceland.”

“And if ours go outside of the country, they

can’t come back,” adds Alex. “It’s important

to keep the bloodline pure.”

The couple have a neat habit of dovetailing

their conversation like this.

Alex is from Austria via Liechtenstein,

and Siggi is Icelandic through and through.

“More or less all my life, I’ve had Icelandic

horses,” he says. The couple live in what was

once just a summer house on the edge of

their ranch and the wider Tor ús property.

Saddle up to learn about Iceland’s equine obsession at Tor� ús Retreat, off ering

turf-roofed cabins and private geothermal pools on a working horse ranch, just

a short detour from the geological drama of south Iceland’s Golden Circle route

CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT:

One of the attractions of

south Iceland’s Golden

Circle, Strokkur geyser

blasts water to heights

of around 56ft every fi ve to 10 minutes; Icelandic

horses are distinct

from their European

counterparts; two of

the horses at Torfhús

Retreat, which offers

traditional turf-roof

cabins on a working

horse farm

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in the business of

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September 2021 73

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Built in the style of traditional Icelandic turf-

roof houses, it’s a retreat just off the much-

visited Golden Circle, the popular tourist

route offering a sampler of some of Southern

Iceland’s easiest-access attractions. Each

of these beautiful cottages has its own hot

plunge pool — in the dark months of winter,

guests can lie in the soothing water and

watch the Aurora Borealis flickering in the

sky above.

“Many of the guests are interested in the

horses and some want to ride as well. We can

also arrange for them to go to Gullfoss if they

want,” says Siggi, referring to the region’s

most popular waterfall.

“Or further, if they like,” adds Alex. “We

leave it up to them, depending on what

they’re comfortable with.” In any case, the

horses are often in fields surrounding the

cottages, adding to its sense of belonging to

a different era.

On my final night in Torfhús, the couple

bring an iPad to dinner in the hotel’s

outstanding onsite restaurant. The menu

changes every night and though tonight’s

meal is a spectacular symphony of Asian

fusion food, the owners are focused on the

screen. One of the country’s Icelandic horse

shows is on and the couple have entered

three of their animals. While Siggi and Alex

watch the live stream, I watch them. It’s clear

their eyes see things mine can’t — almost

imperceptible movements of the horses’

heads seem like crushing disappointments.

Conversely, when the tölt is precise, they

both beam with pride. Regardless, none of

the judges’ scores seem entirely satisfactory.

“We won’t lose any sleep over it,” says Alex

with a wave of her hand, but for once, Siggi

has nothing to add.

HOW TO DO IT: A three-night stay at Torfhús Retreat

starts at £,1395 per person based on two people

sharing a Torfbaer Suite on a B&B basis, including a

light lunch each day and gastronomic dinner on the

arrival night, international flights with Icelandair and four-wheel-drive car hire for the duration.

abercrombiekent.co.uk torfhus.is

ABOVE: The traditional

huts at Torfhús Retreat are

crafted from local stone,

reclaimed wood and turf

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EAT Hold your horses // Experienced riders can book

a tour to help farmers herd hundreds of semi-wild horses in from the hills of north Iceland, ending in a spectacular mass corralling event known as Laufskálarétt, taking place on the last weekend of September in Skagafjördur. riding-iceland.com

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Travellers watching the lava

flow from Fagradalsfjall, which started erupting in March; a photographer shoots an eruption from a safe distance; lava has pooled across an area of one square mile in the Reykjanes Peninsula, an hour from the capital

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Separate clouds of smoke rise from either side of the road to Grindavík. On the right, steady while plumes emanate from the famous Blue Lagoon. Long before Iceland became a poster child for mass tourism, this was one of its main attractions — those stopping over en route to or from America could come to these soothing waters just 20 minutes from Kefl avik Airport. Today the experience has been refi ned to become one of the sleekest spa experiences in Europe.

On the le� , the smoke is coming from something altogether newer and less polished. Around three miles from the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s newest volcanic arrival, Fagradals� all, has had a spectacular birth. I’m visiting just three months into its fi ery delivery, witnessing terraforming in real time; some scientists suggest it’ll continue to erupt for several years to come.

The mountain cracks opens again and again during my visit, thousands of gallons of bright orange lava crashing down the side of the ever-growing volcano. From a safe distance, watched by rangers, I join a few dozen visitors to witness this subterranean light show as it goes off , geyser-like, every 10 minutes or so.

People have been drawn like moths from all over the world to this subterranean fl ame. If Fagradals� all (the name translates as ‘Fair Valley Hill’) keeps going and tourists return en masse to Iceland, authorities will have a lot of work on their hands to keep the site safe and accessible.

Nonetheless, it represents an incredible gi� for the country at a time when global tourism is reopening a� er the Covid-19 pandemic — an elemental pull for adventurous tourists and a welcome boost for Icelandic coff ers. “People were mesmerised by the material we were putting out online,” says Eythor Saemundsson, whose job promoting the Reykjanes Peninsula has got a lot easier with the new arrival. “But in the beginning, we were overwhelmed just trying to grasp the whole thing. The entire nation of Iceland came hiking to see it, along with a few tourists who were in the country at the time.”

In a way, the Covid-19 controls helped manage the number of visitors. In the

volcano’s infancy, images of locals playing around Fagradals� all went viral. Some cooked food over the lava; others played volleyball. There was plenty of nakedness. At least a dozen drones were lost in the molten rock. This behaviour — and worse — would have been exacerbated were it not for the pandemic limiting the amount of global travel.

Whatever becomes of this newest addition to the country’s volcanic roster, it’ll likely be handled with the sort of smart entrepreneurship Iceland has learned to master. The Blue Lagoon is a good example of what’s possible when time and money are added to natural volcanic phenomena — even the infamous, ash-spewing 2010 eruption of Eyja� allajökull was quickly turned into a marketing opportunity.

Elsewhere, near Reykjavík, there’s the incredibly rare opportunity to climb into a volcano, albeit one that’s been empty and dormant for millennia. Thríhnúkagígur was discovered by accident by cave enthusiast Árni B Stefánsson in 1974. Its potential as a tourism site wasn’t immediately obvious. “When I fi rst got down there, I was so disappointed. It was nothing more than a quarry,” he says, preparing for our tour. He was so underwhelmed, he didn’t reinvestigate the site for another 17 years.

Yet since 2012, visitors have been getting lowered inside the volcano, all the way to the bottom of its pristine magma chamber. Now lit dramatically, it looks like a subterranean cathedral, safe if not entirely tamed. The best guess is that unlike most of Iceland’s other volcanoes, here the magma simply drained away, creating an unusually welcoming environment in the heart of a volcano.

Its pioneer now talks about it with a sense of wonder, though hearing his words, he could be talking about almost any of his nation’s volcanos. “I want people to come here and feel humble,” he says.

Earlier this year, the world was transfi xed by images of Fagradals� all, Iceland’s newest

volcanic fi ssure, spewing molten lava (and swallowing drone cameras) in the Reykjanes

Peninsula, south of the capital city — ushering in a fresh wave of tourism to the area

& dark descentslava light shows

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HOW TO DO IT: Fagradalsfjall is currently free to

approach along a clearly marked path. Guided tours,

including a bus from Reykjavík, are available from £49

per person. re.is

Day tours to Thríhnúkagígur, including transfers from

Reykjavík, start at £257. insidethevolcano.com

September 2021 77

ICELAND


Stay at our family-run luxury lodges

in the HEART of THE ICELANDIC WILDERNESS.

the perfect BASE for exploring SOUTH ICELAND.

A PLACE WITH SPACE.

+354 419 1400

www.seljalandsfoss.is

[email protected]

@seljalandsfosshorizons

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Mývatn Nature BathsLying 50 miles east of Akureyri,

in the north of the country, the

Mývatn area is best known for

its eponymous lake, created by

a volcanic eruption more than

2,000 years ago. The swimming

facilities here make the most of

the natural setting: expect slick

Scandinavian design, open pools

and a gigantic sky — when you

can see it through the steam.

myvatnnaturebaths.is

Sky LagoonThe new Sky Lagoon bathing

spot may have plenty of

competition around Reykjavík,

but few places offer a more

polished experience. Completed

in the spring of 2021, it offers a

seven-stage cleansing treatment,

as well as incredible views from its

elevated position at the end of a

peninsula. Order a chilled blonde

beer at the swim-up bar tucked

into a cave. skylagoon.com

Hveravellir Nature ReserveThis reserve in the country’s

western Highlands is home to lava

fields, glaciers and fumaroles,

as well as geothermal pools that

appear like volcanic welts on

the skin of an alien planet. While

some of the pools are cooled and

designated for bathing, others

are said to be hot enough to

use for cooking. Hveravellir is

also a great spot for seeing the

Northern Lights. hveravellir.is

SeljavallalaugBuilt in 1923, the 25-metre

Seljavallalaug pool in southern

Iceland is one of the country’s

oldest. It’s set at the end of a mile-

long trail, offering a refreshing,

back-to-nature experience. The

pool isn’t far from the mighty

Eyjafjallajökull volcano, but to

help you avoid struggling with the

pronunciation while asking for

directions, the website lists the

coordinates. nat.is/seljavallalaug

While the Blue Lagoon, just outside Reykjavík, is world-famous for its warm, milky waters, you’ll find plenty more idyllic swimming

spots around the country, from a modern spa with a swim-up bar to remote hot springs reached via a countryside hike

In hot water

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Sky Lagoon, a geothermal

spa that opened near central

Reykjavík earlier this year

September 2021 79

ICELAND


ICELAND

DISCOVER

CONTACT US TO START PLANNING TODAY!

www.activityiceland.is

WE BUILD THE PERSONALIZED

TRIP OF YOUR DREAMS

+354-5336003 [email protected]


CAN YOU DESCRIBE SOME TRADITIONAL ICELANDIC DISHES?

We have something similar to black pudding and haggis,

and a smoked horsemeat sausage called bjúga. There

are lots of foods connected to Thorri [the fourth month

of winter, according to the ancient Icelandic calendar],

when we eat Greenland shark, dried fi sh and all sorts of

fermented produce. A lot of our national nostalgia relates

to these foods.

HAS TRADITIONAL ICELANDIC FOOD ALWAYS BEEN POPULAR?

I don’t think so. I got the impression it wasn’t very

fashionable when I was training 10 years ago. Back

then, there was a big trend for Asian fusion food, and

everyone wanted to be doing that. People sometimes

think foreign things are more exciting than what we

have right here.

HOW DID THE PANDEMIC AFFECT THE RESTAURANT?

Previously, our restaurant was mostly for tourists

wanting to try Icelandic food. We had to close because

of the pandemic, but when we reopened, locals started

showing up. They were very excited about the food

and the nostalgic feeling of the restaurant. I got a lot of

requests for traditional dishes.

HOW DO YOU THINK THE INFLUX OF TOURISTS HAS

AFFECTED ICELANDIC CUISINE?

We’ve thought about selling traditional Icelandic foods

like whale, seal or horse, but the global opinion on

those is diff erent to the local one, so we take that into

consideration when making our menu. But, of course,

having people arrive from all over the world has also

given us a more versatile, diverse culinary culture.

OTHER THAN MATUR OG DRYKKUR, WHERE WOULD YOU

RECOMMEND EATING IN ICELAND?

In Reykjavík, my fi rst recommendation would be

Baejarins Beztu Pylsur — it’s a staple of the downtown

area. The ‘hot dog with everything’ is the best. For fi ne

dining, of course, you’d have to consider Dill. It has a

Michelin star and sets the standard that other restaurants

try to follow. It’s done a lot for Icelandic cuisine.

Outside of Reykjavík, I’d recommend trying seafood

from a waterfront restaurant. What we have [in Iceland] is

always very high-quality. Sjavarpakkhusid, overlooking

Stykkishólmur harbour, is one of my favourites.

Near Reykjavík’s harbour, housed in a former

cod-processing plant, restaurant Matur og Drykkur

(meaning simply ‘Food and Drink’) takes a novel

approach to traditional Icelandic dishes —one that’s

been recognised by the Michellin Guide. Head chef

Helga Haraldsdóttir explains her culinary style

icelandic cuisinethe rebirth of

FROM LEFT: Soft-boiled

black-headed gull eggs

with lemon zest, chives

and smoky lamb chips,

served at Matur og

Drykkur; head chef Helga

Haraldsdóttir in her

Reykavík restaurantIMA

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MORE INFO: en.maturogdrykkur.is

bbp.is dillrestaurant.is sjavarpakkhusid.is

September 2021 81

ICELAND


GETTING THERE

Iceland Air flies to Reykjavík from Glasgow, Manchester, Gatwick and Heathrow, while EasyJet has flights from Edinburgh, Manchester, Gatwick and Luton, and Play flies from Standsted. icelandair.com easyjet.com flyplay.com

GETTING AROUND

While an extensive bus network covers large parts of the country, the best way to see Iceland is on a self-drive tour. Reykjavík’s Keflavik Airport is home to a large fleet of rental cars. straeto.is

WHEN TO GO

Iceland lies just outside of the Arctic Circle, but still enjoys midnight sun and long summer days averaging 12C. Winter months average a chilly 1C, and sports snowmobiling and skiing are popular. From late August until mid-April, it’s possible to see the Aurora Borealis.

HOW TO DO IT

DISCOVER THE WORLD offers a three-night, self-drive, tailor-made Reykjanes Peninsula and Volcano Explorer package, starting from £568 per person, with accommodation at the Northern Light Inn. discover-the-

world.com

G ADVENTURES offers a seven-day Best of Iceland small-group tour from £1,936 per person, taking in the highlights of the Ring Road, including Lake Mývatn. gadventures.com

ARCTIC ADVENTURES offers a seven-day hiking tour of the Highlands, including hut-to-hut hiking and glacier trekking, from 234,990 IKr (£1,387) per person. adventures.is

MORE INFO

visiticeland.com

A T L A N T I C O C E A N

I C E L A N D

FAGRADALSFJALL

WESTFJORDS

VESTMANNAEYJARARCHIPELAGO

LÁTRABJARG

Dynjandi

Ísa�ördur

Lake Mývatn

THINGVELLIR NATIONAL PARK VATNAJÖKULL

GULLFOSS

BLUELAGOON

Akureyri

Húsavík

REYKJAVÍK

SNAEFELLSJÖKULLNATIONAL PARK

50 miles

ICELAND

ESSENTIALS

Book a boat tour It would be inconceivable to describe humpback whales as boring, but as anyone who has regularly watched them — possibly right here in Húsavík — will tell you, their behaviour is predictable. The town is set on northern Iceland’s Skjálfandi Bay, whose relatively shallow waters mean the creatures tend not to stay submerged for more than 10 minutes at a time, sometimes breaching as they frolic or communicate with other whales. Between May and September each year, it takes considerable misfortune to not catch sight of these behemoths while out in the bay.

This abundance would be extraordinary on its own, but humpbacks are just one of a score of cetacean species to frequent these waters. Lucky visitors might also spot dolphins, orcas, sperm whales and blue whales.

The easy access to marine mammals has built Húsavík a reputation as probably the finest whale-watching location in Europe. Gentle Giants and North Sailing are two established operators in town, and also offer summer puffin-watching trips to the nearby island of Flatey. gentlegiants.is northsailing.is

Check out the museums To flesh out your knowledge of cetaceans, visit the excellent Húsavík Whale Museum, based in an old slaughterhouse (although the focus today is very much on living creatures).

The Museum of Exploration, dedicated to the history of human exploration, is also well worth a visit — the area around Húsavík is thought to have been the first to be settled by Vikings. hvalasafn.is explorationmuseum.com

Beer and a bite Hats off to the entrepreneurial locals, who, drawing on the success of Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams’ 2020 film Eurovision

Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, have hastily opened Jaja Ding Dong, a cafe-bar named after a song from the film’s soundtrack. Elsewhere, the family-run Naustid restaurant has won plenty of admirers for its clever use of locally caught seafood. And, perhaps surprisingly for a town of this size (population: 2,300), there’s also a microbrewery: the better-than-it-has-any-right-to-be Húsavík Öl. facebook.com/jajahusavik

facebook.com/naustid facebook.com/husavikol

Take a dip Húsavíkurkirkja, a distinctive wooden church built in 1907, is a popular visitor attraction, but the town’s crowning glory is a much newer addition. Perched on a hilltop, and offering peerless views across the bay, is Geosea, a luxurious thermal spa complete with mineral-rich infinity pools and a swim-up bar. husavikurkirkja.is geosea.is

Boat tours of Skjálfandi Bay explore the migration paths of more than 20 species of

cetacean, including blue and humpback whales. But there’s plenty to explore on land, too

The inside guide to Húsavík

MORE INFO: visithusavik.com

LEFT: Húsavík Harbour, a popular launching pad for whale-

watching trips in Skjálfandi Bay

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TRAVEL


ICELAND


www.northice.is

You deserve it.


WO R D S & P H O T O G R A P H S S A R A H M A R S H A L L

CHAMPIONS

WILDof the

Behind the scenes in Uganda’s national parks, an army of conservationists works tirelessly to defend the country’s natural

treasures from the threat from oil pipelines, hydro dams and poaching. With elephant numbers stabilising and lion tracking programmes in

place, tourism numbers are returning, not least to the dense, misty forests that shroud the south of the country, home to

more than half the world’s mountain gorillas



September 2021 85


Waves swell with the force

of five oceans as water

charges and tumbles over

rocks. Foaming with fury

and roaring with rage,

jets explode from every crack and crevice,

clouding the area in white smoke.

Spilling over an escarpment at the

northernmost tip of Africa’s Western Rift

Valley, Uganda’s Murchison Falls has forever

been in a state of turbulence. This mighty

bottleneck in the Nile has swallowed bridges,

thrown light aircraft off course and narrowly

escaped a hydro dam development.

A boiling pot of controversy, where

disagreements continuously bubble away,

today her mood is darker than the depths of

hell. Skittish butterflies skirt over the surf

and rainbows fail to reconcile their arcs as

the cataract consumes everything in its path.

Heavy rains have caused water levels to

surge but her anger could be down to other

reasons, suggests my guide, George, as we

hike from the car to a nearby viewpoint.

Termite mounds sparkle with flecks

of mica and the quartzite rocks shimmer

like jewels. But other riches are currently

determining the future of Uganda’s oldest

conservation area and biggest national park,

which sprawls across a section of land larger

than Cornwall in the country’s north west.

“Oil is like a curse,” complains George as

we reach the top. “Countries with it never

do well.”

A decision to drill for black gold in

Murchison Falls and build a pipeline to

Tanzania has been met with mixed responses

in Uganda, a nation wealthy in natural assets

but economically poor. While French oil

company TotalEnergies has promised to

minimise its footprint, lodge owners, guides

and environmentalists remain sceptical.

Any concern is testimony to the

value Uganda places on its wild spaces.

Historically, the country has been praised

for its environmental efforts, and behind the

scenes of its 10 national parks and multiple

reserves are individuals working hard keep

them safe. Meeting them is as rewarding as

viewing big cats on a game drive or tracking

great apes in a primordial forest — something

I learn first-hand on an itinerary exploring

some of the most important conservation

projects accessible to tourists.

Although the oil extraction is a done deal,

with most infrastructure in place and the

construction of a pipeline due to start this

year, only 1% or the park will be directly

impacted. Exploring by dirt road and river,

I encounter a precious Eden: waterways

heave with crocs and hippos; papyrus

reeds twitch with the stealthy tiptoe of shy

shoebills; and rare Rothschild’s giraffes

stride across sweeping savannahs and hills.

NGO Uganda Conservation Foundation,

in collaboration with the Uganda Wildlife

Authority (UWA), works diligently to

protect this paradise. On a tour of its newly

completed Law Enforcement and Operations

Centre, founding trustee Mike Keigwin

proudly shows off a complex where every cog

of a well-oiled anti-poaching mechanism

— from satellite-linked surveillance screens

to temporary prison cells and a police station

— whirs away under one roof. One hundred

young people from the fringes of Murchison

Falls were contracted for the construction,

with many now training as rangers for UWA.

“It’s the first of its kind in Africa,” beams

Mike, a sharp-thinking British problem-

solver who ditched a job with consulting firm

Deloitte to work in conservation. Detaining

poachers on site speeds up the judicial

process, he explains, while computers

mapping incidents of crop raiding help

rangers swiftly deal with problem animals

straying from the park into community land.

From the late 1970s until 2000, elephant

numbers in Murchison Falls — once the most

visited park in Africa — crashed from 16,000

to 500, but in recent times the situation has

stabilised, and tourism is returning.

An armoury packed with confiscated

weapons, which are safer under lock and key

than discarded, is a chilling reminder that

illegal activity is still a threat. “Under every

building in this complex, there are another

20-30,000 snares,” sighs Mike, picking

through wire coils and hefty wheel clamps,

some still with tufts of animal hair in their

jaws. “We were running out of space.”

The cost of protecting Africa’s wild areas

is enormous, but the potential losses are too

overwhelming to contemplate. Although

the trade in animal parts has largely

been brought under control, the biggest

threat now lies in the conflict between

communities and wildlife, as populations

grow and habitats shrink.

Into the woods

Budongo Forest, a 45-minute drive south of

the falls along a newly paved, Chinese-built

road, is ever-threatened by illegal logging and

encroachment. A strict set of hunting rights

issued by the King of Bunyoro safeguarded

the tropical rainforest in the past, but now

chimpanzee tourism is its key custodian.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: A gorilla

trek with Nkuringo Walking Safaris,

on the southwestern side of Bwindi

Impenetrable Forest, traverses local

plantations; the peaks of the volcanic

Virunga Massif, seen from Nkuringo

Bwindi Gorilla Lodge; a resident of the

Batwa community of Sanurio village,

high in the hills of Nkuringo

PREVIOUS PAGES: A gorilla trek in

Buhoma, home to Dr Gladys

Kalema-Zikusoka’s research lab


UGANDA


UGANDA


Setting off at 7am, I join Amos Wekesa, owner

of the Budongo Eco Lodge, for a full day

chimp ‘habituation’ experience — providing

an opportunity to discover how these great

apes are acclimatised to humans. His simple

wooden lodge and cabins, once used by the

Jane Goodall Institute as a field base, sits at

the mouth of several trails.

Silenced by thick walls of spiralling ferns

and a canopy of latticed branches, human

voices quickly drift away as we tumble into

a fairytale forest beyond the imagination of

even the Brothers Grimm.

Ancient mahogany trees form a colonnade

of Corinthian pillars, supporting a temple

more sacred than any man-made place of

worship. Epiphytes balance on borrowed

altars, while strangler figs grip their victims,

performing a slow act of sacrifice. On the

soft, spongy ground, decaying trunks sprout

with wisps of ghost white fungi.

Alongside a stream, Amos picks up

a freshly discarded seedpod. “Chimps

use these as drinking cups,” he explains,

indicating they must be nearby. On cue, we

hear the thundering of ironwood buttress

roots, followed by grunts of joy.

Perched contentedly like a Buddha on his

plinth, 43-year-old chimp Jacko is munching

on the ripe fruits of a fig tree.

“Watch out or you’ll be hit by the wadge,”

warns Amos, as we narrowly avoid a bombing

of chewed up pulp.

Sociable or otherwise, behaviour of the

Kaniyo Pabidi chimp community has been

studied since the 1960s, and now tourism

revenue generated by visits to the habituated

group guarantees their future.

Amos and his tour company Great Lakes

Safaris, which manages the Budongo

concession on behalf of the National Forestry

Authority, helped generate US$300,000

(£217,000) per year before the pandemic

struck — funds used to employ a team of

forest rangers on the ground.

Equally impressive is Amos’s own rags

to riches story, which he shares with me

over dinner back at the lodge. Born into a

destitute family on the Kenyan border, he

was smuggling goods by the age of six.

An educational grant from the Salvation

Army provided a stepping-stone out of

poverty, but it was determination and

tenacity that paved his way. Despite

earning only $10 (£7) a month as a sweeper,

progressing to $1 (£0.70) a day as a tour guide,

he still managed to stash some savings,

starting Great Lakes Safaris 20 years ago with

only $200 (£145) in his pocket.

Amos is extremely likeable: a businessman

whose heart lies in conservation. When the

Ugandan government considered plans to

dam Murchison Falls, Amos threatened to

protest naked, and his Facebook page (with

more than 75,000 followers) functions as a

platform to educate young minds.

“We’re not the last generation,” he

complains, scrolling through a deluge of

social media comments that could put some

of the biggest influencers in the shade. “We

can’t live like we’re the last people to leave.”

Amos owns three lodges in Uganda,

including the newly revamped Elephant

Plains Lodge in the northern section of Queen

Elizabeth National Park (QENP). It takes me six

hours to reach the long, thin park, which shares

Lake Edward with the Democratic Republic

of the Congo (DRC). But driving through the

country’s wildly varying climatic zones is an

experience, enlivened by a cast of daredevil

drivers and sideshow attractions on the way.

Swathes of green forest fan out into

grasslands and settlements rise from fields of

orange dust. Boda boda electric bikes carry

cargo ranging from sacks of bananas to a

three-piece suite. One ambitious driver has a

longhorn cow strapped to the back.

“That’s so Uganda,” laughs my guide and

driver, Robert, shaking his head.

Rising up to the Albertine Rift Escarpment,

we reach the lakeside lodge, a collection

of eight elegant cottages built to some of

the highest Ugandan standards, gazing

out on the Blue Mountains of the DRC and

the Ruwenzoris — a range of other-worldly

peaks aptly described by ancient geographer

Ptolemy as ‘mountains of the moon’.

It’s a short drive to the park gate the

following morning, where I have an

early appointment for lion tracking with

conservationist and vet Dr Ludwig Siefert

from the Uganda Carnivore Program. Initially

created in response to a feared outbreak of

a distemper virus killing the park’s lions,

the project subsequently switched focus to

community intervention when it became

clear poisoning was causing the deaths.

Tourists can pay a $110 (£80) fee, which

goes towards law enforcement and the

community, to join Dr Ludwig and his team

as they track collared lions and leopards,

offering a rare opportunity to game drive off-

road in the park. Seeing big cats in the wild

is always exciting, especially in a setting of

crater lakes and curious cacti bursting from

Martian-red soil, but the real highlight is an

opportunity to learn about the challenges

facing conservationists in QENP.

LEFT FROM TOP: Chimpanzee trekking

from Budongo Eco Lodge offers a

window into the lives of the animals;

Dr Ludvig and his team from Uganda

Carnivore Program search for collared

lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park

September 2021 89

UGANDA


Dr Ludwig holds aloft a telemetry device

from the roof of his four-wheel-drive vehicle

as we weave through prickly candelabra

trees whose embracing stems often provide

beds for leopards. There are around 40,000

people living in the park, and 90,000 on the

periphery, with numbers swelling daily as

refugees seek solace from armed conflict in

neighbouring DRC and South Sudan.

“The mindset of the Congo is different;

they eat more things,” states Dr Ludvig.

Illegal fishing and bushmeat poaching are

exacerbated by superstitious beliefs, he

explains, citing a custom for women eating

hippo meat to become fertile. But the biggest

issue is crop interference and retaliation

killings, carried out by lacing carcasses with

poison. As animals and humans continue to

battle for space, there’s no easy solution.

“Sometimes I want to leave this planet,”

sighs the exasperated vet, his brow furrowed

by several decades of frustration. “It’s so

difficult.” Having located his lions, Dr

Ludwig can at least rest easy for another few

hours, knowing they’re a good distance from

danger zones. But it’s a never-ending job.

In March 2021, six lions were found

dead and dismembered after a suspected

poisoning in the southern Ishasha section

of the park. To get a better understanding of

what happened, I visit farmer and herbalist

Deo Karegyesa, who’s started a Save Our

Lions campaign in response. Working with

tour operators, he invites tourists into his

homestead to see the various methods he’s

deployed for keeping wildlife at bay.

Short and slight, he hardly looks a

match for elephants and predators, but his

inventions are working: a straw hut where

he sleeps to ward off bush pigs, a treehouse

to keep an eye out for elephants and a deep

trench to prevent any invaders from crossing.

“I teach the people in this community

how to live with the animals without hurting

them,” he proclaims, scrambling up a ladder

to his leafy watchtower. “They think the

animals are devils, but we need to teach

them that these animals are theirs.”

Silverback safari

Taking ownership of wildlife has

been crucial to the success of gorilla

conservation, focused mainly around the

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a 90-minute

drive south in a cool, damp, high-altitude

environment a world away from the dry,

scorching savannahs of QENP.

When I arrive at Sanctuary Gorilla Forest

Camp in Buhoma, the only property inside

the park, mist has already wrapped the

treetops in a loose-knit shawl. Built by

Geoffrey Kent, founder of tour operator

Abercrombie & Kent, after he convinced

now-president General Museveni to set

aside Bwindi as a national park, the safari-

style tented camp cascades down Bwindi’s

famously steep slopes.

The following morning, I set off at 7am

to trek to the gorillas with researchers

from Conservation Through Public Health

(CTPH). Founded by former UWA vet Dr

Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, the NGO stresses

the interdependence of community and

wildlife wellbeing. After linking an outbreak

of scabies in gorillas with human clothes

left on scarecrows, Dr Gladys proved how

easily diseases can jump to some of our

closest cousins. The pandemic has made

her message even more pertinent, and in

cruel twist of fate, she’s isolating at home,

recovering from Covid-19 when I visit.

Unable to trek, she leaves me in the

capable hands of her team who visit all 22

habituated gorilla troops once a month to

collect faecal samples for testing. Searching

for nests belonging to the Rushegura family

of mountain gorillas, we hike into the belly of

the dense forest, where branches tangle like

entrails and roots thread a network of veins.

After measuring faeces deposited at every

nest (a silverback’s is around 7.4cm long,

for anyone keen to make a comparison), lab

technician Annaclet Ampeire uses a spatula

to gather scrapings into a pot.

Continuing with the gorilla trek (fully

masked), we’re surprised to find the group

are only a few minutes’ walk from their

vacated nest — an indication, I later learn,

that something’s wrong.

“That wasn’t there yesterday,” exclaims

one of the trackers, pointing to a newborn

gorilla clinging to silverback Kabukojo’s

chest. As time passes, it becomes apparent

the vulnerable bundle has been rejected

by its mother, a wild gorilla who’d recently

joined the troop. Watching a tiny hand grip

at the chest of a creature 50 times its size is

heartbreaking, especially after I’m told the

baby stands almost no chance of surviving.

Back at CTPH’s lab in Buhoma, in sombre

mood, we analyse the pieces of faeces under

a microscope to check for signs of parasites.

Stored at -20C, the remaining samples will

soon be sent away for Covid-19 testing,

providing a clearer picture of the impact of

the virus on gorillas in Uganda for the first

time. In the absence of a park buffer zone,

social distancing with gorillas is hard.

Searching for nests belonging to the Rushegura family of mountain gorillas, we hike into the belly of the dense forest, where branches tangle like entrails and roots thread a network of veins

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Murchison

Falls, one of the world’s most powerful

waterfalls, spilling over an escarpment

at the northernmost tip of Africa’s

Western Rift Valley; farmer Deo

Karegyesa, who launched a Save Our

Lions campaign this year, uses chillies

to keep predators away from his crops;

a giraffe in Murchison Falls National

Park, Uganda’s oldest and largest

protected area IMA

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September 2021 91

UGANDA


KAMPALA

L a k e

V i c t o r i a

U G A N D A

SANCTUARY GORILLA FOREST CAMP

MURCHISON FALLSNATIONAL PARK

BUDONGO FOREST

BUDONGO ECO LODGE

QUEEN ELIZABETHNATIONAL PARK

ELEPHANT PLAINS LODGE

BWINDI IMPENETRABLENATIONAL PARK

UGANDA

50 miles

Getting there & around

Kenya Airways flies to Entebbe International Airport via Nairobi and Emirates via Dubai, both daily. kenya-airways.com emirates.com

Other operators include Egypt Air via Cairo, Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa, Qatar Airways via Doha, Turkish Airlines via Istanbul and KLM via Amsterdam. egyptair.com.

ethiopianairlines.com qatarairways.com

turkishairlines.com klm.co.uk

Average flight time: 11h.Few internal flights operate in Uganda, so travel is mainly by road. Link runs buses between major towns. link.co.ug

When to go

Uganda’s dry seasons run from December to February and June to September with average temperatures of 26C. January can be extremely hot, reaching 40C in the north.

More info

Uganda Conservation Foundation. ugandacf.org

Uganda Carnivore Program. uganda-carnivores.org

Conservation Through Public Health. ctph.org

Nkuringo Walking Safaris. nkuringowalkingsafaris.com

Uganda Tourism. visituganda.com

Where to stay

Budongo Eco Lodge, Murchison Falls. Doubles from $250 (£183), full-board. ugandalodges.com

Elephant Plains Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park. Doubles from $315 (£231), full-board. ugandalodges.com

Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Buhoma, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Doubles from £300, full-board. sanctuaryretreats.com

Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Nkuringo. Doubles from £215, full-board. mountaingorillalodge.com

How to do it

AUDLEY TRAVEL offers a 16-day trip to Uganda from £8,245 per person (based on two sharing), including flights, transfers, accommodation and wildlife activities. audleytravel.com

ESSENTIALS

In 1991, Batwa tribal communities were

forcibly and controversially removed from

Bwindi when it became a national park,

although many are desperate to return.

Ostracised, bullied and beaten, the ‘pygmy

people’ have struggled to find a new home.

On a four-hour hike across the forest with

Nkuringo Walking Safaris, using a trail

originally built during Idi Amin’s regime, I

understand why they were so reluctant to

leave. Vines finer than angel hair flow into

waterfalls creating a heavenly setting, and

a peppery rush of fresh ginger mingles with

the earthy scent of recent rain.

“I miss the honey most and the meat,”

reminisces elderly Batwa lady, Jerlina, when

we sit together later that afternoon. The 244

residents of Sanurio village, high in the hills

of Nkuringo on the southwestern side of

the forest, greet me with celebratory songs

and dances, once used to welcome hunters

returning from the forest. Supported by

the Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, the

community has learned to weave baskets,

stitch clothes in bright kitenge fabrics and

make their own honey — although they

insist it’s not the same.

Owned by dynamic Ugandan Lydia

Nandudu, the eco-lodge is a champion of

community healthcare, education and arts

projects. It’s beautiful too, with cottages

floating above the forest and offering views

of the eight peaks of the Virunga Mountains.

At night, I fall asleep listening to drumming

and singing in the village, watching the

glowing tip of the Congo’s Mount Nyiragongo

torch a star-studded sky. Borrowing Lydia’s

words: “This is where the world ends.”

At nearby Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, I’m given

a walking stick engraved with my name,

something every guest receives as part of an

initiative to support local craftspeople. The

chance to spend longer with the gorillas here

(costing $1,500/£1,090) was launched in 2014.

Only available in Uganda, these extended

sessions aim to generate more revenue for

conservation while also helping to familiarise

gorillas with foreign faces and give visitors an

insight into the work involved.

The extra time is worth every penny.

It allows me to settle into the gorillas’

rhythm, noting behaviour from nuanced to

crude by human standards. Grunting is an

expression of happiness, while farting, I’m

informed, is a sign of feeling comfortable.

Most of all, the experience opens my eyes

to the difficulties rangers face: the danger

of falling trees or the threat of a charging

silverback. “If a gorilla ran at you, you

wouldn’t like them anymore,” insists Miel.

Joking aside, his words ring true.

The reality of protecting animals and

communities is neither glossy nor glamorous,

and anyone interested in the natural world

should understand what’s involved. Eternally

complex, it’s a constant struggle. But

Uganda’s conservation heroes — from rangers

and hoteliers to academics and farmers

— are glittering examples of what’s possible.

When oil wells dry out and dams eventually

collapse, these are the prized natural assets

that will be worth their weight in gold.

Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka picks ripe berries on a coffee safari,

visting a farm benefiting from the Conservation Through Public Health Gorilla Conservation Coffee scheme

ILLU

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UGANDA


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CORFU

The artist Edward Lear described Corfu’s

seas as ‘peacock-wing-hued ... tipped with

lines of silver snow’. Discover the second-

largest island in the Ionian Sea by sailing

through its waters in search of Venetian

fortresses, royal palaces and stunning

beaches. Corfu is mountainous in the

north, low-lying in the south, and its main

yachting harbour is Gouvia Marina, on the

east coast, four miles from the international

airport. Sail south to the Old Town of Corfu,

a UNESCO World Heritage Centre and drop

anchor at Mandraki Harbour beside the

stone walls of the 15th-century Old Fortress,

the manicured lawns of Spianáda square

and the French-built Liston promenade.

Then, hike up to the New Fort, where

tunnels and passages lead up to ramparts

with views across the city. Protected from

northwesterly winds, horseshoe-shaped

Kalámi Bay on Corfu’s northeast coast is a

lovely spot for waterfront dining.

TOP TIP: Cape Drastis, Corfu’s most northerly

point, is home to sheer white cliff s and other

dramatic rock formations. Achilleion palace

(built in 1890 for Empress Elizabeth of

Austria) is also a must-see, in Gastouri village.

With light winds, reliable sunshine and a plethora of idyllic beaches, the

Ionian islands of Corfu, Paxi, Kefalonia and Ithaca off the west coast of

mainland Greece make for the perfect island-hopping getaway

Sailing around the Ionian Islands

KEFALONIA

The largest of the Ionian islands, Kefalonia

is home to beautiful Myrtos and Petani

Beaches. Guiding crews across azure seas

towards the island is 5,341ft Mount Ainos, the

Ionian Peninsula’s tallest peak — protected

within a national park studded with rare

black pines. The Port of Sami became

globally famous when it appeared in the

2001 fi lm Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, but it

can’t compete with the Venetian architecture

and cosmopolitan vibe of Fiskardo, the pick

of harbours on the island’s east coast.

On Kefalonia’s western side, pray that

the prevailing winds grant you access to

the crescent-shaped cove that shelters the

village of Assos, arguably the island’s most

photogenic location. Also on this side of the

island is the lively capital, Argostoli — some

of its historic buildings were destroyed by

an earthquake in 1953, but the town has

been sensitively rebuilt and its quayside

restaurants will draw you in for delicious

seafood. Don’t leave the island without

trying its Robola wines and fruity olive oils.

DON’T MISS: Platia Ammos, near cliff top

Kipouria Monastery, is a beautiful beach

accessible only from the sea.

| PA ID CONTENT FOR GREEK NAT IONAL TOUR I SM ORGAN I SAT ION


ITHACA

Ithaca is essentially two islands linked by

the Isthmus of Aetos. It’s easy to believe this

unspoiled island, with its verdant mountain

roads and turquoise seas, was the home of

the mythical warrior king Odysseus from

Homer’s epic poem Odyssey. The approach

to the capital, Vathy, on the island’s east

coast, is likely to be one of your most

treasured memories of sailing around the

Ionians. Tumbling down green hillsides

at the end of a cerulean bay, this town is

guarded by the wooded islet of Lazaretto.

Cream- and mustard-painted houses are

reflected in clear waters at the village

of Kioni, an alternative anchorage in

northeast Ithaca.

Step ashore to hike up to Anogi, the

highest village on Ithaca, at 1,804ft, before

continuing on to historic Kathara Monastery.

On the island’s west coast, stunning Polis

Bay provides access to the colourful village

of Stavros. Nearby is an archaeological

site that might just be the remains of

Odysseus’s palace.

TOP TIP: Take a boat to Gidaki Beach for a

day of sunbathing on smooth white pebbles

and cooling off in turquoise waters.

PAXI

According to Greek myth, Paxi was

created when Poseidon slammed down his

trident on Corfu, chipping off this eight-

mile-long chunk of chalky, olive-grove-

covered rock. Although it flies under the

radar of many visitors to the Ionians, on a

sailing itinerary it’s the obvious next stop

on a route south from Corfu. The seaward

approach to Paxi’s picturesque capital,

Gaïos — through a fjord-like channel

— is spectacular. On one side is the wooded

islet Agios Nikolaos, crowned with a 14th-

century Venetian fortress; on the other,

colourful neoclassical villas.

If you’re looking for even quieter spots,

then the smaller resorts of Loggos and

Lakka at the island’s northern end are worth

checking out. The scenery is most wild

on the west coast, where limestone cliffs

descend into aquamarine waters. Here, near

Erimitis Beach, you’ll find the ‘blue caves’, so

called because of the vivid colours reflecting

on the rock walls.

DON’T MISS: Anchor off the tiny island of

Antipaxi, and you’ll have gorgeous Vrika

and Voutoumi Beaches to yourself long after

the day-trippers have departed.

READ MORE ONLINE AT

VIS ITGREECE.GR

Ithaca

FROM LEFT: Myrtos

Beach, Kefalonia; Cape

Drastis, Corfu; Paxi

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Cape Drastis, Corfu’s most northerly point, is home to

sheer white cliffs and other dramatic rock formations

| PA ID CONTENT FOR GREEK NAT IONAL TOUR I SM ORGAN I SAT ION


WILD IN

THE WYEWO R D S B E N L E R W I L L

P H O T O G R A P H S G R E G F U N N E L L



The river-veined valley that bills itself as the birthplace of British tourism is an ageless scene. The Wye’s simple pleasures — chattering birdlife, slow-moving boats and walking trails weaving through steep, squirrelly beechwoods to views of the castle-studded Welsh borders — have long had the power to seduce, inspiring authors, artists and even a poetic tribute from Wordsworth

September 2021 97


CLOCKWISE FROM TOP

LEFT: Symonds Yat Rock at

dawn; a nuthatch goes about

building a nest; naturalist

and zoologist Ed Drewitt on

Symonds Yat Rock enjoying

the dawn chorus, keeping an

eye out for peregrines

PREVIOUS PAGES: Canoeing

on the River Wye near Welsh

Bicknor with Stuart Wyley

of Wye Canoes


WYE VALLEY


Far below me, the River Wye is a silver

swathe through high-banked woods. The

sky is soft and peach-coloured, the forest a

dense, dark jade jungle. Through it all, filling

the scene, is a crescendo of squawks, tweets

and hoots. “Cup your ears,” says Ed Drewitt,

as we face the natural amphitheatre in front

of us. “What you’re hearing is the sound of

hundreds of birds singing at the same time.”

I’ve met birdwatching guide and local

resident Ed on Symonds Yat Rock, a 400ft-

high outcrop of cliff-flanked limestone

looming over the Wye Valley. On my last visit

here, the viewing platform had been packed,

but at this hour it’s empty — of humans, at

least — and under Ed’s commentary, the

wash of birdsong becomes an orchestra of

identifiable parts: chiffchaff, firecrest, coal

tit, nuthatch. And then something different.

“Hear that?” he says, his eyes lighting up

with excitement. “Peregrine.”

Within minutes his telescope is trained on

the bird, resting on a rockface. I see a flecked

breast, a black hood, pointed wingtips. The

peregrine falcon is the world’s fastest bird,

able to spot prey from a mile away — pity any

wood pigeon in the wrong place at the wrong

time. I watch the raptor while it scans the

view as a citrus sun swells over the hills. On

a morning like this it’s hard not to wish for

wings of your own to unfurl.

Visitors have been wowed by the

panorama here for hundreds of years. The

Wye Valley bills itself as the birthplace of

British tourism, or the original staycation

spot (as they definitely wouldn’t have said

in the Georgian era). From 1770 until at

least 1830, the so-called Wye Tour attracted

poets, artists and regular carriage-loads of

other sightseeing ladies and gents. Turner

came. Lady Hamilton and Lord Nelson, too.

Wordsworth visited twice. For the leisured

classes, a trip here was the must-do travel

experience of its day, a domestic alternative

to the European Grand Tour at a time when

the Napoleonic Wars had made continental

journeys all but impossible. I can’t help but

feel a little pandemic-era symmetry.

The Wye Tour centred not just on a river,

but on a book. Reverend William Gilpin’s

Observations on the River Wye, which gave

a first-person account of the author’s

two-day boat trip between Ross-on-Wye

and Chepstow in 1770, is considered the

first tour guide to be published in Britain.

It’s fair to say it caused a splash. Gilpin,

who lived in South London, was an artist,

cleric and schoolmaster, and his guidebook

championed the then-radical idea of finding

artistic beauty in the outdoors. Initially only

circulated among his London acquaintances

(this being an era when sharing your travel

journals with friends was the done thing:

a kind of old-time blogging), the book was

eventually published widely. Stride forward

a few decades and an entire industry had

IT’S 4.30AM AND

THE HEREFORDSHIRE

DAWN HAS ARRIVED.

September 2021 99

WYE VALLEY


sprung up around replicating Gilpin’s trip,

with some 20 rival guidebooks now in print.

So, why the Wye? The simple reason is

that the winding stretch of river between

Ross-on-Wye and Chepstow — a distance

of 38 miles by water, though only 19 miles

as the peregrine flies — is shudderingly

handsome, and not just at sunrise. The Wye

rises in the Cambrian Mountains in Wales

and flows down to Chepstow and the Severn

Estuary, twisting, turning and crisscrossing

the England-Wales border at will. By the time

it reaches Ross-on-Wye, the waterway is a

wide, chuckling thing, passing crumbling

castles, wild green escarpments and the

kind of pastoral, sheep-chewed scenery that

belongs to a slower time. Symonds Yat is

today the route’s most celebrated viewpoint,

but it’s one of many that conform to the

notion of nature as something to marvel at.

“Gilpin promoted the idea of the

picturesque. It was a new way of looking at

the landscape,” says Anne Rainsbury, the

curator at Chepstow Museum, based in a

grand, 18th-century townhouse befitting the

grandeur of this historic port town. Anne

is showing me round a permanent display

room dedicated to the Wye Tour. “It wasn’t

long before this that people on the European

Grand Tour would pull the blinds down in

their carriage as they were crossing the Alps.

Mountains were seen as unnatural.”

The display room is dominated by a replica

of one of the smart canopied boats that

carried tourists down the Wye, stopping

off at key points of interest, historical and

scenic. “Three guineas, which was a lot of

money at the time, would get you hire of a

boat, two oarsmen and a steersman, who

doubled as a guide,” explains Anne. “Gilpin’s

book became a kind of bible. People wanted

to experience it themselves.”

Some 250 years after Gilpin’s landmark

trip, what joys does the region hold for

today’s visitors? This portion of the Wye

Valley doesn’t draw the kind of attention that

falls onto other UK destinations — and sadly

you’ll find no more oarsmen or steersmen

— but there’s plenty here to make a noise

about. And not just the dawn chorus.

DYKE TO DEVIL’S PULPIT

‘If you’ve never navigated the Wye,’

wrote Gilpin, ‘you’ve seen nothing.’ It’s

a dazzlingly warm midweek afternoon

and I’m travelling along the river in a

more modest form of watercraft than the

early tourists used: a lightweight canoe.

The scene in front of me is ageless. Oaks,

beeches and alders throng the banks in a


WYE VALLEY


chaos of different greens; a salmon leaps, a heron stands

in the dappled shallows. Looking up and down the river,

nothing else is astir. When I trail my hand in the water,

it’s icy cold to the touch.

I’m making the eight-mile journey downstream from

Kerne Bridge to Symonds Yat with Stuart Wyley, owner

of Wye Adventures. The stretch we’re paddling is very

much the go-to spot for self-guided canoe hire — busy at

weekends, deliciously quiet on this spring day — and the

wide, woody-hilled surroundings make it simple to see

why. It’s also an activity conducive to easy conversation.

Stuart talks about otters (present, if rarely spotted), and

anglers (parts of the Wye are prime fishing territory), and

the benefits of homemade nettle soup. “I moved here to

escape the corporate world,” he smiles at one point, as we

follow the looping meanders of the river. “Working here

in the valley is a way of not having a real job.”

It takes four unhurried, smartphone-free hours for us

to paddle the route, in which time we pass a few swans, a

herd of butterscotch-coloured cows and a group of day-

tripping canoeists who have decided to stop paddling

and are simply allowing the current to carry them south.

To be fair to them, if there’s anywhere that promotes the

idea that life is best unrushed, it’s the Wye Valley on a

hot day. By the time we haul the canoe from the river,

it’s early evening and Stuart’s words are like gospel: the

nine-to-five feels like another world altogether.

I’m staying a short distance north of Kerne Bridge

in Ross-on-Wye, one of the three historical towns that

served as overnight calls on the old Wye Tour route.

IF YOU’VE NEVER

NAVIGATED THE

WYE,’ WROTE

GILPIN, ‘YOU’VE

SEEN NOTHING’

FROM LEFT: Ross-

on-Wye seen from

across the River Wye;

a waymarker in the

countryside outside

Ross-on-Wye, crossed

by trails including the

John Kyrle circular walk,

the Wye Valley Walk and

the Herefordshire Trail;

Stuart Wyley of Wye

Canoes on the River Wye

September 2021 101

WYE VALLEY


The tourists of yesteryear traditionally began their trips

with a stay here before sailing south past Symonds Yat

to spend the night in Monmouth — then and now, a fine

little Welsh county town — and finishing their travels the

next evening in Chepstow, where Britain’s oldest stone

castle still hogs the skyline. And the sections in between?

Save for the occasional hamlet, stately home and age-old

ruin, today you’ll find just rambling countryside and a

river that shimmers in the sun like cut crystal.

The towns themselves retain plenty of period charm.

Ross-on-Wye still has a 370-year-old market arcade, a

clifftop public garden and at least two hotels that hosted

Wye Tour visitors: The Royal once welcomed Charles

Dickens and gives a deep view out across the borderlands,

while The King’s Head, where I’m staying, is all twisty

staircases and oak-beamed dining rooms. The lady in a

high-necked blouse who reputedly haunts the inn doesn’t

cross my path — not visibly, at any rate — although if she

has any sense, she’ll be enjoying the outdoors.

If you’re not in a canoe or kayak, or taking one of the

40-minute pleasure cruises that depart from below

Symonds Yat several times a day, the best way to explore

the valley is on foot. Short walks can be found almost

wherever you go, but there are also two key long-distance

paths that snake alongside the river. One is the Wye

Valley Walk, which begins right back at the source. The

other, and the one I’m sampling, is the Offa’s Dyke Path

National Trail, a long-distance hiking route that traces

the valley for its southernmost 17 miles.

“There’s a lot of speculation around King Offa,

since we have no written information from the time,”

WE HIKE PAST ANCIENT YEWS,

BEDS OF WILD GARLIC AND

CENTURIES-OLD BADGER SETTS

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:

The view of Tintern

Abbey from the Devil’s

Pulpit; St Mary’s Church

spire looms over the town

of Ross-on-Wye; boots

planted with flowers at The Filling Station Cafe

in Tintern, which is run by

cycling enthusiasts


WYE VALLEY


says trail officer Rob Dingle as we climb

through the squirrelly beechwoods above the

river. With the canopy closing in overhead,

we hike past ancient yews, beds of wild garlic

and centuries-old badger setts. Then Rob

stops. “This is part of the dyke right here,” he

says, pointing in front of us to an innocuous

bank of earth around 18ft high, overgrown

with trunks and holly.

Constructed some 1,200 years ago on the

orders of the enigmatic Offa of Mercia, the

dyke loosely follows the England-Wales

border, making it Northern Europe’s longest

ancient monument. The theory is that the

earthwork was designed to protect Offa’s

kingdom from attacks from the west. The

National Trail, which clings where it can to

the dyke’s course, border-hopping numerous

times, celebrates its 50th anniversary this

year with a campaign to begin much-needed

safeguarding and repair. Running for 177

miles from the Irish Sea to the Severn

Estuary, it aims to give people a taste of

local landscape, culture and history — as

evidenced here in the Wye Valley.

The trail route cuts right through the

heart of Monmouth, for example, crossing

its medieval gated bridge and passing the

now-ramshackle castle where King Henry

V was born, although up here in the woods

the path is all about being somewhere that’s

pleasing on the eye. In the days of the Wye

Tour, dedicated panoramic viewpoints were

set up along the length of the valley — some

of them requiring a serious slog to reach,

presumably doubly so in tight Georgian

breeches. Rob leads me to one of the choicest

spots. “This,” he says, as the tree cover clears

to reveal the yawning green of the valley

spread before us, “is the Devil’s Pulpit.”

I clamber onto a large rock wedged into

the hillside. The sight it reveals is special.

More than 800ft below, on a sweeping bend

in the river, stands what was the Wye Tour’s

most popular set-piece attraction: the

roofless relic of Tintern Abbey. Legend has

it that from where I’m standing, Satan used

to holler down and try to tempt the monks

from their holy ways. I don’t know whether

he succeeded, but you can’t fault his choice

of location. I suspect it was just an excuse for

him to take in the view.

September 2021 103

WYE VALLEY


Tintern Abbey from above

BELOW FROM LEFT: Tintern

Abbey, which was founded in

1131; Cornish plaice cooked

in jack-by-the-hedge butter,

violet artichoke, brown

shrimp and hop shoots at

The Whitebrook restaurant

WYE VALLEY


WAL E S

E NG L AND

Symonds YatKerne Bridge

Ross-on-Wye

Hereford

Chepstow

Monmouth

TINTERN ABBEY

WHITESTONE WOODS

River

Wye

Wye

Off

a’sD

ykePath

National Trail

5 miles

SACRED SECLUSION

Up close, the abbey is a sandstone colossus.

For visitors on the Wye Tour, the sight

of the abandoned gothic church, with its

soaring arches and traceried windows, was a

celebrated one. The building dates from the

second half of the 13th century and has now

spent longer as a ruin (blame the Tudors)

than as a place of prayer. In its pomp, around

60 monks and some 150 lay brothers made

it a busy place, and the remains of their

cloisters, kitchens and infi rmary can still

be explored.

The site was chosen for its seclusion. Gilpin

himself described it as ‘occupying a great

eminence in the middle of a circular valley,

beautifully screened on all sides by woody

hills, through which the river winds its

course. A more pleasing retreat could not be

found.’ Well, quite. The years have taken their

toll on the church, however, and incidents of

falling masonry mean it’s now undergoing

serious conservation work. On my visit, the

resulting lack of footfall along the nave has

le� the grass inside overrun by a riotous

confetti of daisies. Here, the message seems

to be, that nature can’t be bossed around.

It’s very easy to romanticise what Gilpin-

era tourists would have made of their trips to

the Wye Valley, but of course it wasn’t always

a pleasant experience. “In those days, travel

really wasn’t something you’d undertake

lightly,” Anne Rainsbury at Chepstow

Museum had told me. “Journals from the

time moaned about surly landlords, boulders

on the road and poor food.”

The last point is a pertinent one (I’m

shown an old hotel tariff off ering the less

than appetising ‘Chop, potatoes and cheese’),

so I’m making the most of being here in 2021

by wrapping up my trip with lunch at The

Whitebrook. Hidden away down a narrow

single-track lane near Tintern Abbey, and

half-hidden by vegetation, this Michelin-

starred restaurant isn’t so much based in the

region as forming a living, breathing part of

it. The produce is organic, o� en foraged and,

where possible, sourced from within three

miles of the kitchen.

It’s one of those meals where you fi nd

yourself savouring each forkful. The menu

uses unusual local ingredients like maritime

pine, butter made with jack-by-the-hedge

(wild garlic mustard) and Tintern mead

sauce — mysterious on the menu, delicious

on the plate. They elevate the more familiar

likes of asparagus and plaice into dishes

that feel gloriously simple and wildly

complex at the same time. There’s even a

Monmouthshire Chardonnay, which turns

out to be just the thing to cue up a three-

part dessert featuring the likes of dandelion

honey, Wye Valley rhubarb and oak-and-

juniper fudge. The Georgians can keep their

mutton and spuds.

On his second visit to the valley, in

July 1798, the Wye’s biggest Georgian fan,

William Wordsworth headed into the hills

and penned his famous poem ‘Lines Written

A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey’. In it, he

revels in returning to the region (‘Once again

do I behold these steep and lo� y cliff s … O

sylvan Wye! thou wanderer thro’ the woods,

How o� en has my spirit turned to thee!’),

and ponders the power that the scenery has

held over him even in his absence.

I make my own way to the spot where

he’s believed to have written the poem,

the Whitestone Woods high on the west

escarpment of the valley. A bench has been

set up beneath some sycamores, looking

out over the countryside. The river furls out

in the distance, lazy in the heat, fl owing

down to Chepstow. I’m alone up here

— but not for long. While I’m sitting, a

he� y buzzard materialises from the void

below and comes to rest on a branch no

more than 50� away. It stares out at the

land for a few seconds, shi� s its weight,

then disappears back into the valley. For

the second time in as many days, I fi nd

myself wishing I had wings.


Chepstow railway station has direct

services from South Wales and the

Midlands, connecting to London, the

West Country and onwards. Ross-on-

Wye and Monmouth are both close to

the A40.

In the valley itself, bus 34 runs

between Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth

(also stopping near Symonds Yat), while

bus 69 runs between Monmouth,

Tintern and Chepstow.

When to go

With warmer temperatures, spring

through to early autumn is the best time

to enjoy the area’s natural attractions.

Places mentioned

Ed Drewitt Dawn Chorus Walks.

eddrewitt.co.uk

Chepstow Museum. monlife.co.uk/

heritage/chepstow-museum

Wye Adventures. wyeadventures.com

Offa’s Dyke Path National Trail.

nationaltrail.co.uk/offas-dyke-path

Tintern Abbey. cadw.gov.wales/visit/

places-to-visit/tintern-abbey

Where to stay

The King’s Head, Ross-on-Wye. Doubles

from £85, B&B. kingshead.co.uk

Tintern Abbey Cottage, Tintern.

Three-night stays from £440.

monmouthshirecottages.co.uk

Where to eat

The Whitebrook, near Tintern.

thewhitebrook.co.uk

The Saracens Head Inn, Symonds Yat.

saracensheadinn.co.uk

More info

Visit the Forest of Dean & Wye Valley.

visitdeanwye.co.uk

Observations on the River Wye, by

William Gilpin (Pallas Athene, £14.99)

How to do it

WYE ADVENTURES offers two-person

canoes, to paddle from Kerne Bridge to

Symonds Yat, from £55. The Whitebrook

has set lunch menus from £47.

wyeadventures.com

ESSENTIALS

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September 2021 105

WYE VALLEY


Maasai warriors carry spears and

shorts swords, and are in charge of

protecting the community

RIGHT: Beadwork is a sign of

beauty, strength and social status

WORDS FROM A WARRIORSabore Oyie

We have about 45 tribes in Kenya now,

and I’m one of the Maasai. I grew up in

the jungle, in the Maasai Mara reserve, and

from a very young age I learnt how to live in

harmony with nature.

In our culture, we don’t have anything

that’s written. Everything is passed on

verbally, and you learn from the whole

village: from your peers, your brothers,

your friends and your neighbours, as well

as your parents.

We can tell the diff erence between a lion,

a hyena and a leopard footprint. If we fi nd

elephant poop, we can tell how many hours

old it is, and we always know which way the

wind is blowing, in case we need to run away

from wild animals. These are the things you

learn as a young Maasai.

When I was young, we used to go out at

night to hunt wild hares and train to be

strong. We’d also hunt birds to turn into

headdresses for ceremonies. Traditionally,

when you become a warrior, you kill a lion, but

because of conservation we no longer do this.

As a Maasai, nature is us, and we are

nature. We depend on the trees, from its roots

to its fruits, and we use natural herbs to treat

illnesses. My parents only trust medicine

KENYA

Perhaps Kenya’s best-known tribe, the Maasai traditionally live in and around

the country’s game parks and are renowned for their red robes, nomadic

lifestyle and deep respect for nature. We talk to Rose and Sabore, two prominent

members of the community who off er an insight into what it means to be Maasai

Meeting the Maasai

from the forest. Younger generations are

turning more towards modern doctors, but I

don’t see why the two can’t go hand in hand.

I always tell people that you can hold

a pen in one hand and still hold a spear

in the other; you can practice and protect

your culture, and embrace education and

modernisation at the same time.

I’ve travelled all over the world, but I

always return to the village I grew up in.

For me, that will always be home.

| PA ID CONTENT FOR KENYA TOUR I SM BOARD


IMA

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THREE MORE

MAASAI

CRAFTS

KIONDO (WOVEN

BASKETS)

Basket weaving begins

in the field, where the

sisal plant is harvested.

Its fibres are extracted

and crushed before

being dried and dyed

with natural colourants.

Eventually, the weaving

process begins,

transforming the fibres

into colourful baskets,

ideal for storage or plant

pot coverings.

WOOD CARVINGS

Wood carvings are

also widely available

everywhere from markets

in the centre of Nairobi to

roadside stalls. It’s a skill

that’s earned the Maasai

a worldwide reputation.

They typically take pieces

of olive wood and shape

them into faces, animals

and masks.

SHUKA (BLANKETS)

You’ll likely recognise

the distinctive cotton

blankets worn by the

Maasai, with their red

hues and colourful stripes.

Designed to wrap around

the body and protect the

skin from the elements

and terrain, the blankets

are now taking the fashion

world by storm.

IN CONVERSATION WITH A BEADWORKER

Rose Sairowua

As a child, Rose Sairowua spent

hours tinkering with glass beads,

looping them onto wire before

slipping the bangles onto her

arm, following the direction of her mother,

who taught her the generations-old tradition.

“Beadmaking is a huge part of our culture

and my background as a Maasai,” says Rose,

“It’s a skill that I hope will never die out.”

In recent years, there’s been a shift in the

story for Maasai beadmakers. Rose is one of

a collective of Maasai women who now work

with the non-profi t social enterprise The

Maa Trust, selling their pieces to travellers

passing through the Mara’s camps.

What was once a skill mastered in

childhood to create intricate accessories for

members of the family is gradually evolving

into a fl ourishing enterprise, empowering

Maasai women and handing them a

sustainable income while still maintaining

their artisanal traditions.

Rose’s work could involve stringing beads

onto wires or smoothing pieces of leather

for chokers and thick bracelets. “We do

everything by hand; it’s a real skill,” she says.

Buy any of The Maa Trust’s beautifully

colourful pieces, and you’re helping to keep

an age-old practice alive, while bringing

opportunities and fi nancial freedom to the

women involved in the enterprise.

Sales have, predictably, taken a hit

with the ongoing pandemic but The

Maa Trust has now launched an online

shop to help tide them over until safari

camps again buzz with the chatter of

international visitors. There are dainty

necklaces crafted from turquoise stone,

brass beads fastened with elephant

clasps; traditional tassel earrings; and

monochrome stacking bangles. Even bolder

are the embellished necklaces that cover

your décolletage in beaded glory.

“We want to make women feel good about

themselves,” Rose says, “I feel bare without

my statement necklaces. Traditionally, we

Maasai wear beads every day, as an indicator

of power, age or marital status.”

What does Rose consider good beadwork?

“It usually comes down to the design — how

complex it is, the colours used, and whether

they’ve chosen the best leather,” she says.

“This is a skill learnt over many years. Not just

anyone can pick up some beads and create our

designs. It’s easy to spot a novice.”

“What do I love most about being a

member of the Maasai? We’re a proud group;

how can we not be when we have such an

enduring culture? We’ve worked hard to

keep our traditions alive and will continue

to pass them onto the next generations.”

The Maa Trust has its HQ in the Maasai Mara,

where you can meet the Maasai ladies behind the

beads and browse their jewellery. themaatrust.org

READ MORE AT

MAGICALKENYA.COM

| PA ID CONTENT FOR KENYA TOUR I SM BOARD


W O R D S & P H O T O G R A P H S K A R O L I N A W I E R C I G R O C H

COLOMBIAIn the lush central hills of Colombia lies the Zona Cafetera — or the

‘coffee axis’ — where the majority of the country’s world-renowned coffee beans are grown. Since it was introduced to the region in the early 18th

century, coffee has become more than a mere crop or commodity in this corner of the Andes — it’s the lifeblood of communities, especially in the

departments of Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío and Tolima, where whitewashed, working fincas dot the landscape and generations of farmers harvest

the bitter gold from a landscape of endless green

September 2021 109


Fertile volcanic soil and a subtropical highland climate make this part of the country perfect for growing arabica coffee. The farms are a hive of activity, especially during the two main harvesting periods, between April and May and from October until December. Many plantations welcome visitors, who come to learn about the growing process. At the Hacienda Venecia, a large plantation near the city of Manizales, Harold offers tours of the estate. A grandson of coffee growers, farming is in his blood and he’s passionate about the business.


COLOMBIA


September 2021 111

COLOMBIA


Nando picks coffee beans at Finca El Poema, a small coffee farm near the town of Palestina. He’s in charge of the farm in the absence of the owner and, along with his wife, also takes care of any visitors. In the morning, travellers are served a typical farmer’s breakfast of corn arepas (patties), rice and eggs.


COLOMBIA


September 2021 113

COLOMBIA



COLOMBIA


Set among lush green hills, the picturesque town of Filandia is full of characterful cafes, restaurants and quirky shops. At Helena Adentro, a bar strung with garlands and hanging baskets, the menu celebrates Colombia’s varied culinary traditions and highlights the area’s produce. Snacks include croquetas with cassava; arepaswith sour cream and hoago (a rich tomato sauce); or roasted Salento trout with coconut rice and shavings of fried plantain, and there’s an excellent selection of coff ee and cocktails.

September 2021 115

COLOMBIA


For years, coffee culture among Colombians was virtually nonexistent — the growth of tourism in the Zona Cafetera brought with it a caffeine revolution. Now, it’s much easier to enjoy a good brew, with numerous cafes in the Zona’s towns and cities serving locally grown and roasted coffee.


COLOMBIA


Five places to spot

Wildlife journalist Simon Barnes shares some great wildlife-watching experiences to have on British shores

UK wildlife

There’s wildlife everywhere,

but it’s only if you know where

to look that you’re likely to

see the sort of animals that

makes you gaze open-mouthed. Read

on for five spots that will increase your

chances of seeing true British wildlife.

GANNETS IN THE FIRTH OF FROTH

At fi rst sight, the steep, black sides

of Bass Rock might seem to be covered in

snow; look closer, and you’ll make out the

silhouette of countless white birds. More

than 150,000 northern gannets pitch camp

on this volcanic island during the warmer

months — the world’s largest colony of

Britain’s largest seabird — although you’ll

be able to spot them throughout most of the

year. These Arctic birds can dive into the

sea from astonishing heights; to learn about

them, head to the Scottish Seabird Centre

in North Berwick or join a boat trip to the

island to glimpse them up close.

OSPREYS AT RUTLAND WATER

Ospreys became extinct in England in

the 19th century before making a comeback

to Scotland in the 1950s and later being

reintroduced to Rutland Water Nature

Reserve, where they’ve thrived (since 2001,

when the fi rst healthy chick hatched, over

150 of these birds of prey have fl edged from

nests in the area). Visit the Lyndon Visitor

Centre, on the south shore of the reservoir

(open mid-March to early September). To

view the birds, head to one of the hides in

the meadows or join a guided wildlife cruise.

SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLIES IN

THE NORFOLK BOARDS

You may have thought insects were the

preserve of specialists, but swallowtails

can make entomologists of us all. The UK’s

largest and rarest butterfl y — with yellow-

and-black wings pointed like a swallow’s tail

— is only found in the Norfolk Broads. To see

it, visit Strumpshaw Fen or Hickling Broad

in the early morning on a sunny, still day

from late May to mid-July, when the adult

butterfl ies emerge, keeping binoculars at

hand (swallowtails are fast-fl ying creatures,

and rarely sit still). A few tips: before you

visit, learn how to identify milk parsley, the

host plant where the females lay their eggs,

and keep an eye out for yellow and purple

fl owers: their food of choice.

DOLPHINS IN NEW QUAY

Cardigan Bay is home to Britain’s

largest population of dolphins, and in the

Welsh town of New Quay you’re almost

guaranteed a sighting. Go in the summer,

when you can sometimes spot them from the

harbour wall. Otherwise, the charter boat

trips out into Cardigan Bay will increase

your chances of seeing them break the

surface, and spotting other marine species,

including harbour porpoises, Atlantic grey

seals, razorbills and guillemots.

EAGLES IN THE ISLE OF MULL

Mull is home to fantastic birds of

prey, with the eagles arguably the most

impressive. White-tailed and golden eagles

— both of which had become extinct across

the UK by the early 20th century — are now

thriving in this Highland habitat. They’re

easy enough to see, on boat trips and at

observation points.

Swarovski Optik manufactures long-range optical

instruments of the highest precision. The new NL Pure

32 premium-class binoculars (part of the NL family

range) combine a wide fi eld of view with a compact

mechanism, helping everyone appreciate nature.

READ MORE ONLINE AT

SWAROVSKIOPTIK .COM

IMAGES: SWAROVSKI OPTIK; GETTY

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| PA ID CONTENT FOR SWAROVSK I OPT IK


NEW ORLEANS

Slick new drinking dens, booze festivals and a

mixology museum are stepping things up in America’s

cocktail capital. WORDS: Jonathan Th omson PHOTOGRAPHS: Susanne Kremer & James Breeden

CITY LIFE



September 2021 119


Over the years, plenty of plaintiffs

have toasted victories on the steps

of the Louisiana Supreme Court, but

few like this.

“Congratulations, you made it!” says

Elizabeth Pearce, our tour guide, as we stand

in a slightly sloshed semicircle near the

entrance. “If you look across the street, you’ll

see the exact spot where apothecary Antoine

Peychaud first mixed his famous bitters,

and the sazerac cocktail began. Now grab

the green container in your bag, and let’s all

drink a sazerac in his honour.”

This is our third delicious, cooling

cocktail on a sweltering summer afternoon

in New Orleans, as we wind towards the

denouement of The Cocktail Tour, which

zigzags through the city’s hectic French

Quarter. Over the past couple of hours, we’ve

explored the historic, labyrinthine lanes

at the heart of this city, with their squeeze

of Creole townhouses, hidden courtyards

and cast-iron balconies with intricate,

filigree detailing — walking with increasing

confidence as we slip each pre-prepared

drink from our ingenious, tool belt-style

cocktail carriers. To be frank, we look like

a bevy of boozy builders — all we need is a

few screwdrivers to complete the look — but

nobody seems to mind in the slightest. After

all, this is the Big Easy, famously America’s

most laid-back city.

But New Orleans isn’t just renowned for its

relaxed attitude; it’s also the spiritual home

of the cocktail, a fact that Elizabeth — a

Mardi Gras // New

Orleans hosts the

biggest Mardi Gras

celebrations in the

US, with parties and

parades lasting for

two weeks before the

grand bead-spangled

finale on Shrove Tuesday, centred on

the French Quarter

drinks historian and author, as well as the

owner of the Drink & Learn tour company

— is at pains to point out between her

captivating tales of rum and rebellion.

“We’ve been a celebrated destination for

drinking, partying and generally having

a good time since the early 18th century,”

she says, as we drain our sazeracs and sway

down the court steps together. “The French

ruled Louisiana back then, and they had a

certain laissez-faire attitude to the rules

here in New Orleans, which created a psyche

that’s still alive and well today. We’re a port

city too, of course, which means all kinds

of different influences — and all kinds of

different spirits — were arriving from all

over the world, all of the time. Particularly

every type and taste of rum, from places

like Jamaica, the Bahamas and Barbados.

People used to joke that New Orleans was the

Caribbean’s northernmost city.”

Throw in the invention of the first ice-

making machine right here in Louisiana’s

biggest city, plus the presence of innovators

like Peychaud — ready to mix ‘restorative’

herbal bitters with booze to help the

medicine go down — and you have the

perfect environment for the birth of one of

the world’s finest cocktail scenes.

Now that legacy has a new focal point

— a magnificent new temple to the art of

cocktail-making, located on the edge of the

French Quarter: Sazerac House.

A palatial, three-story edifice, the grand,

airy museum, on the corner of Canal and

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Streetcar

on Canal Street, a Downtown

thoroughfare; Bourbon Street, the

raucous heart of the French Quarter;

Kiah Darion, general manager of Bar

Marilou, serves a la luz cocktail through

a hatch in the wall of the ‘speakeasy’

room; neon sign on Bourbon Street

advertising po’ boy sandwiches

PREVIOUS PAGES: Early evening revelry

on Bourbon Street

NEW ORLEANS



NEW ORLEANS

September 2021 121


NEW ORLEANS



Magazine Streets, contains all manner of

interactive exhibits exploring the beloved

rye whiskey sazerac itself — which became

the official cocktail of New Orleans by

state decree in 2008 — as well as the city’s

revered bar culture. Lifesize, hologrammatic

bartenders help you to select cocktails, while

interactive displays allow you to delve deeper

— sampling flavours and smells to create

your perfect blend. Meanwhile, there are

demonstrations to observe — and tastings to

enjoy — on every floor, a working distillery

to explore and a reconstructed apothecary

to visit, actively blending and using

Peychaud’s famous bitters (still seemingly

the foundation of half the cocktails in this

city) using his original secret recipe from

the 1830s.

The museum is a game-changing addition

to New Orleans, and a major milestone in

an ongoing resurgence of cocktail culture

here, in the aftermath of 2005’s devastating

Hurricane Katrina.

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL

If you ask those in the know which

establishment was the trailblazer for the

city’s current cocktail renaissance, the

majority will point you towards a renovated

former fire station in Uptown, about a

15-minute drive south west of the boisterous

French Quarter. Here, in the eight-block

neighbourhood of Freret, you’ll find what

many consider another bona fide sanctuary

of mixology: Cure.

The man behind this extraordinary

(and multi-award-winning), cavernous bar

— vaulted of ceiling and vaunted of

reputation — is local entrepreneur and

lifelong New Orleanian, Neal Bodenheimer.

“There’s an entire category of cocktails

that originated right here in New Orleans,

including the sazerac, the gin fizz, the la

louisiane, the grasshopper and the hurricane

— and that gives us a completely unique status

among American cities,” says Neal. “We’ve

always had this deep-rooted appreciation of

spirits, fortified wines and cocktails, and after

Katrina, that all came back with a vengeance.

Cocktail culture became an integral part

of the city’s attempt to rediscover its own

identity, and that makes a lot of sense, because

cocktails unite us in a very real way. They’re

a simple luxury we can gift to ourselves and

to each other, in good times and in bad. And

that’s a belief we built Cure upon.”

Cure proved an effective shot in the arm

for Freret, which was desolate and down on

its uppers a decade ago but is now a bustling

corridor boasting 15 booming bars and

restaurants that attracts a stylish evening

crowd of well-heeled young professionals.

Then Neal went a step further, founding an

international festival, Tales of the Cocktail.

Held each July at bars, hotels and event

venues, and serving also as the world’s largest

cocktail conference, it attracts thousands

of leading mixologists and industry figures,

further cementing the city’s status as the

world’s cocktail capital.

Easy does it //

New Orleans has no

shortage of nicknames,

but stories abound as

to how it earned its

best-known moniker,

‘The Big Easy’. One theory is that it came from The Big Easy, a former music hall,

and soon began to be

used to refer to the city as a whole, thanks to

its ‘gentle pace of life

and lax morals’, as one newspaper put it

in 1887

LEFT: Coffee shop Café du Monde first opened in 1862

ABOVE: Café du Monde’s beignets are famous city-wide and are best served with a café au lait

NEW ORLEANS

September 2021 123


“In many ways, we’re the bearers of the

torch now,” says Neal. “This is a festival

that’s grown out of the new craft cocktail

movement in New Orleans, but we now

have 96 countries involved and counting,

so it’s become way, way bigger than we ever

dreamed. Before the pandemic, the event was

bringing 15,000 visitors into the city every

year. And we hope that we’re going to pick up

exactly where we left off post-Covid.”

It’s not just Tales of the Cocktail that’s

successfully muddled mixology and

tourism, either. Plenty of other festivals

have emerged in its wake, including a winter

counterpart, Tales of the Toddy, and Love in

The Garden, held in the stately grounds of

the New Orleans Museum of Art. The hotel

industry is getting in on the act too, with a

raft of stylish new boutique hotels popping

up across town, complete with their own

craft cocktail bars. These include the

decadent Bar Marilou, at Maison de La Luz,

in the Warehouse District; the eclectic,

tiki-inspired The Elysian Bar, at Hotel Peter

and Paul, in the Marigny (set in a converted

church complex); and the newest of them

all, the creation of adored hipster hotelier

Liz Lambert — the breezy, effortlessly cool

Paradise Lounge, at the Hotel Saint Vincent,

in the Lower Garden District.

All of these disparate, colourful

neighbourhoods are laced together by a

single steel ribbon — the Mississippi River

— which winds and weaves itself through

New Orleans. It’s near the gleaming banks

INSIDER TIPS

The locals love their sugar-dusted

beignets (square doughnuts).

Head to Café du Monde, on

Decatur Street, for the perfect

example — ideally served with

chicory coffee — to start your

morning with. cafedumonde.com

Leave at least two to three hours

for The National WWII Museum.

It’s particularly strong on the

D-Day landings and the final push

to Berlin. nationalww2museum.org

Few drinking establishments in

the French Quarter open early,

but Erin Rose, a cosy Irish bar on

Conti Street, serves its famous

bloody mary and moreish frozen

Irish coffee from 10am, whether

you’re recovering from the night

before or starting early on the

night ahead. erinrosebar.com

New Orleans is famed for its po’

boy sandwiches; an alternative

Creole lunch is a hot muffuletta,

a cross between a multilayered

sandwich and a pizza slice.

Enjoy one in all of its delicious,

gooey glory at the Napoleon

House in the French Quarter.

napoleonhouse.com

of the Ol’ Man River, where the water gently

kisses the French Quarter by Jackson Square,

that Elizabeth’s cocktail tour finally ends.

“The Mississippi informs this whole city, as

does death,” she states dramatically, as we sip

our fourth cocktail — a spicy rum hurricane

— in the swollen heat of early evening. “This

entire town was hacked out of a snake-

infested swamp, and that breeds a certain

macabre mentality; if you could drop dead at

any moment, why not have another drink?”

Elizabeth’s logic makes sense, particularly

in a city obsessed with voodoo and

otherworldliness, where the bayou landscape

means the cemeteries must all be built above

ground, becoming grisly yet exquisite tourist

spots in their own right. Not to mention the

fact that one of New Orleans’ most popular

attractions is the Museum of Death, set on the

French Quarter’s celebrated Dauphine Street.

Laissez les bons temps rouler (‘let the

good times roll’) is New Orleans’ unofficial

slogan, and that decadent, to-hell-with-

it attitude jumbles together many of the

city’s obsessions, including its rampant

rediscovery of cocktail culture.

There’s an old Creole proverb you’ll often

hear in these parts too: ‘Tell me whom you

love and I’ll tell you who you are’. The people

here (in a city most Americans consider to be

a national treasure) truly love their cocktails,

and that’s because they’re from the new

New Orleans; the light-hearted, fun-loving

post-Katrina city that can’t wait to get the

post-Covid party started.

NEW ORLEANS



COCKTAIL BARSTop 8

CURE

BEST FOR: TOP-DRAWER DRINKS

Housed in a magnifi cent Edwardian former

fi re station, Cure opened its doors in 2009,

reigniting the Freret neighbourhood and

sparking New Orleans’ current cocktail

renaissance. Still considered one of the fi nest

mixology spots in town, the cocktail menu

here seeks to reinvent the classics while

rebooting long-forgotten gems. The elite

‘reserve cocktails’ (referred to informally

as ‘baller cocktails’) are a particular treat,

particularly the 1980s martini, made with

genuine vintage Plymouth Gin from this

decade. curenola.com

JEWEL OF THE SOUTH

BEST FOR: RESURRECTED CLASSICS

An elegant tavern tucked into an old

Creole cottage in a tranquil corner of the

French Quarter, Jewel of the South is a

treat just to sit in, never mind drink in.

The brainchild of co-owner Chris Hannah

— one of the doyens of the city’s cocktail

scene — its menu changes monthly, but

always contains the house special, brandy

crusta: a refreshing blend of Cognac and

citrus, garnished with lemon peel and a

sugared rim. jewelnola.com

CAROUSEL BAR & LOUNGE

BEST FOR: SPINNING TALES

Part drinking establishment, part

fairground ride, the Carousel Bar at

the Hotel Monteleone has been a New

Orleans staple since 1949. Its centrepiece

is a 25-seat, circular bar built into a grand,

gold-and-red merry-go-round, which takes

15 minutes to make a complete turn. Famed

for its Vieux Carré cocktail (rye whiskey,

Cognac, sweet vermouth, Benedictine and

bitters). The trick is to make each drink last a

full two turns — and to recognise when your

head starts spinning faster than the bar.

hotelmonteleone.com

THE CHLOE

BEST FOR: PORCH SUNDOWNERS

Lying on an oak-lined avenue in the city’s

bucolic Garden District, boutique hotel The

Chloe opened in October 2020. At its heart

is an understated but outstanding cocktail

bar, where you should grab a delicious pre-

dinner drink (ask bar manager Matt Sorbet

to mix yours, but don’t let him hustle you

at dominoes), before moving to the rocking

chairs on the picture-perfect front porch. It’s

a great spot to toast a New Orleans sunset in

true Big Easy style. thechloenola.com

WHEN DID NEW ORLEANS’

COCKTAIL RESURGENCE BEGIN?

I’d say around 2005 or 2006,

after Hurricane Katrina, when

the Tales of the Cocktail

festival really took off. The best

bartenders from all over the

country would travel here for

that — and then they started

staying. When I fi rst came to New Orleans, I was fl oored by the amazing amount of options

in terms of drinks here.

HOW ENTWINED ARE COCKTAILS

WITH LOCAL CULTURE?

Very. We’ve had more drinks

invented here than in any other

city in the country. This place has

an old soul, and many of these

cocktails have old souls too. It

all ties together beautifully with

the architecture, the jazz and

the unique sense of romance

and nostalgia here. Everything

sits together perfectly: the

backdrop, the soundtrack — and

the cocktails.

WHAT MAKES A GREAT COCKTAIL?

The balance of ingredients:

spirits that were thought about

before they were put together,

and carefully considered

proportions. Plus, a good

cocktail always needs to have a

good story to tell.

Q&A with Chris Hannah, Jewel Of The South Bar

FROM LEFT: Saint Louis Cathedral

in Jackson Square, French Quarter;

Dominican musician Fermín Ceballos

performs at the rooftop bar of the Ace

Hotel New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS

September 2021 125


GARDENDISTRICT

MARIGNY

WAREHOUSEDISTRICT

FRERET

FRENCHQUARTER

N EW O R L E AN S

Mississippi

R iv e r

Museum of Death

Sazerac House

New Orleans

Museum of Art

New Orleans

UN I T E D S TAT E SO F AM E R I C A

LOUISIANA

1 mile


British Airways is the only airline fl ying direct between London and New

Orleans, with six fl ights a week during peak season. ba.com

Average fl ight time: 9.5h.It’s easy to cover the French Quarter on foot, but if you’re planning to visit the city’s other neighbourhoods, it’s wise to use an Uber or Lyft account (especially if you’re drinking cocktails). Alternatively, anyone can ride the public streetcar with an exact fare of $1.25 (90p) each way, or you can buy an offi cial Jazzy Pass, which allows unlimited rides for one, three or fi ve days. These can be bought at local convenience stores or via the New

Orleans Regional Transit Authority’s app. norta.com/fares-passes

When to go

February-May is the best time to visit New Orleans — coinciding with many of its biggest festivals (including Mardi Gras) and before the heavy humidity of summer. Alternatively, September and November are excellent bets — you’ll still get the heat but none of the heaviness. Whenever you visit, always pack an umbrella; only the foolhardy bet against southern Louisiana showers.

Where to stay

Doubles at The Chloe from $247 (£178), room only. thechloenola.com

Doubles at The Roosevelt New Orleans from $155 (£112), room only. therooseveltneworleans.com

More info

neworleans.com

drinkandlearn.com

talesofthecocktail.org

Wildsam Field Guides: New Orleans. RRP: £14.49

How to do it

ABERCROMBIE & KENT offers a

seven-night trip to New Orleans from £2,999 per person based on two people sharing. Includes fl ights, transfer and accommodation at the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans, B&B, plus guiding, and is covered by Abercrombie & Kent’s fl exible booking policy. abercrombiekent.co.uk

ESSENTIALS

FRENCH 75 BAR

BEST FOR: OLD-WORLD CHARM

Oozing historical elegance, drinkers fl ock

to this refi ned establishment — part of

feted French restaurant Arnaud’s — for

its eponymous signature French 75

cocktail: a delicate blend of Cognac and

Champagne. The whole place, right down

to the bar staff in their immaculate,

white tuxedos, feels like throwback to a

sophisticated Parisian brasserie of the

1930s. Meanwhile, the bar is also home

to a little-known secret: upstairs is a

quirky museum of ornate Mardi Gras

gowns, collected over the past century.

arnaudsrestaurant.com

HOT TIN

BEST FOR: SHOWSTOPPING VIEWS

The Hot Tin roo� op bar boasts one

of the most astonishing skyline

views you’ll fi nd anywhere in New

Orleans. Situated atop the stylish

Pontchartrain Hotel in the Garden District,

it’s adorned with a wonderfully eclectic

selection of paintings, photographs and

objets d’art (apparently, the designers

drove here from Chicago with an empty

van, stopping at every thri� store they

passed on their 925-mile journey). Hot

Tin is indisputably a party bar (one of

its best sellers is a feisty tequila number

called chasing sunrise), but it also boasts

an impressive selection of delicious

mocktails. hottinbar.com

PEYCHAUD’S

BEST FOR: OUTDOOR DRINKING

This sleek, stylish establishment — the

latest French Quarter cocktail bar — from

the team behind Cure is situated in the

former home of Antoine Peychaud, the

father of the sazerac. Just a few yards from

the bacchanalian bombardment of Bourbon

Street, its hidden, fountain-adorned

courtyard (part of the Maison de Ville hotel)

feels like a genuine oasis. The cocktails

— conceived by award-winning mixologist

Nick Jarrett — are of the understated

blockbuster variety. Perhaps start off with a

peychaud’s fi zz, a deliciously refreshing twist

on a Pimm’s cup. maisondeville.com

THE SAZERAC RESTAURANT

BEST FOR: SOLO DRINKERS

The list of distinguished names who’ve

enjoyed drinks at the bar of The Roosevelt

New Orleans’ The Sazerac Restaurant over

the decades — from Orson Welles and John

Wayne to Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley — is

borderline ridiculous. But this grand dame

of New Orleans’ cocktail-making remains a

remarkably relaxed establishment, dominated

by its long, curved, walnut counter. A

combination of aff able, laid-back staff and

the fact that pretty much everyone sits at

the bar itself, makes this a superb spot for

drinking solo. The smart money, of course, is

on the sazerac itself or the silken ramos gin

fi zz — shaken (and shaken and shaken) to

perfection. therooseveltneworleans.com ILLU

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Head bartender Brooke Flaherty mixes a drink at Erin Rose, an Irish bar in the French Quarter

NEW ORLEANS



ITS ITALY

London-based ITS ITALY

hopes to turn the tide by

regenerating a number

of these authentic

villages, preserving

their historic properties

and reinvesting in

local businesses.

Having signed a

partnership with over

50 municipalities across

the country — from

Tuscany to Puglia, Sicily

to Sardinia — ITS ITALY

not only simplifies the

process of buying and

managing property,

but also offers concrete

opportunities to invest

and integrate with the

local communities and

their revitalisation. For

more information, simply

register online. itsfor.it

READ MORE ONLINE AT

ITSFOR. IT

THE NEW

Italy’s ancient villages are the cradle of local culture,

yet many have suff ered from a dramatic depopulation.

Now, thanks to a wave of international residents, these

villages are being regenerated by several new initiatives

Italian revival

IMA

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G I N O S A

PUGLIA

Perched on a rocky ledge above the instep

of Italy’s boot, the historic hill town of

Ginosa is a pebble-throw away from the

UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Matera

city and Ginosa Marina on the Ionian Sea.

The deep ravine that envelopes the town is

honeycombed with ancient cave dwellings

and rock churches, while the Greek infl uence

can be seen in the maze of narrow alleyways

and whitewashed buildings. Topped off by

a clock-tower, Piazza Orologio is Ginosa’s

beating heart — but delve into the town’s

back alleys to discover a laboratory of award-

winning tailors, which are reviving the

town’s craftsmanship and providing jobs for

the whole community.

M O N T E D I N O V E

LE MARCHE

Nestled between the Sibillini Mountains and

minutes from the Adriatic Sea, Montedinove

is encircled by sixth-century walls and

off ers some of the most majestic panoramas

in the region. Duck through cobbled

streets and stone passageways to discover

a place pulsing with history — there’s a

convent, church and watchtower bearing

the hallmark of the Knights Templar. Now,

thanks to an enlightened administration

and community eff ort, Montedinove has

risen from the eff ects of the past earthquake

P E T R A L I A S O T T A N A

SICILY

Mount Etna is the undisputed queen of

eastern Sicily, but travel further west to

the Madonie Mountains to witness some

of the island’s most idyllic landscapes and

medieval villages. Enter Petralia Sottana, a

soft-stone town located some 3,409ft above

sea level, which charms year-round with its

cafe-lined Corso, fresco-adorned churches

and a plethora of outdoor pursuits — from

hiking among spring wildfl owers to skiing at

Piano Battaglia in winter. Made up of snaking

alleyways and frenetically stacked houses

spilling photogenically down a wooded

hillside, the town is now regenerating most

of its properties to welcome a new infl ux of

international visitors attracted by its laid-

back pace and quality of life.

and reinvented itself as a quality lifestyle

destination, welcoming back families,

artists and gastronomes, both from Italy

and across the globe.

ABOVE: Petralia Sottana, Sicily

| PA ID CONTENT FOR I T S I TALY


The Omnia

The Alpine surrounds of The Omnia hotel, set at the foot of the

Matterhorn, not only off ers dramatic views, but head chef Hauke

Pohl fi nds it a constant source of inspiration for ingredients, too

A taste of the Alps

The Swiss resort of Zermatt is best

known for its expansive hiking

and ski regions, encompassing

picturesque Alpine landscapes

that unfold in hundreds of miles of varied

pistes and walking paths. For executive

chef Hauke Pohl, the creative mind behind

The Omnia’s Michelin-starred restaurant,

Zermatt’s wild surrounds also provide him

with an abundant supply of sustainable

and seasonal ingredients. For Pohl, fi nding

unique and interesting fl avours is about

more than simply using what nature has

provided; it’s an opportunity to elevate the

region’s cuisine and bring Alpine ingredients

to the fore, really letting them shine.

1 GREEN JUNIPER BERRIESJuniper grows all over Zermatt. We pick

the young, green berries and although using

them dried is more common, when fresh,

they produce a pure green juniper paste,

which we use to season various dishes. It

goes well with mushrooms, apricot and

game, of course, but also regional fi sh like

Arctic char. The taste can be intense, so you

have to use it carefully. The fl avour reminds

me of walking through the Swiss stone pine

forest. I know that sounds cheesy but we

normally pick it while hiking or after a good

climbing session, so the taste really triggers

those memories. This is the super local

taste that we try to capture on the plate at

The Omnia.

2 MOUNTAIN POTATOES FROM

THE ALBULA VALLEY

Back in 2017, I tried my fi rst mountain potato

from the Albula Valley in Graubünden.

The texture and taste were just amazing

— everyone in our kitchen who tried it

got really excited. We put it on the menu

straight away, working some dishes around

it. The variety of potatoes is simply amazing:

FIVE ALPINE INGREDIENTS TO ELEVATE EVERY MENU

| PA ID CONTENT FOR THE OMN IA


creamy, soft, yellow, blue, red, big, small

— and every type has its own character.

I really appreciate the work of Marcel and

Sabina [Heinrich, of organic mountain

farm Las Sorts] and Freddy [Christandl, a

renowned top chef and potato connoisseur],

who are utterly dedicated to this great

local product.

3BARBERRIES

You can fi nd barberries growing just

about everywhere here, sometimes even

at 6,560ft above sea level. We pick the ripe,

red berries in autumn. The taste is sweet-

sour and tart. Since the seed is quite hard,

we normally squeeze the berries and then

extract the juice by pressing them through

a sieve. This very fl avourful essence can be

used to season sauces or beurre blanc. At

The Omnia, we’ve served it with everything

from mountain potatoes, fi sh and venison

and even desserts.

4MOUNTAIN HAY

(NOT ONLY FOR SHEEP)

In summer in Zermatt, the locals produce

hay for their winter stables, where the local

black-nosed sheep and cows wait for spring.

One speciality here in Zermatt is to cook a

creamy hay soup. We use it in diff erent ways,

to season sauces, for example, or clear soups

like our vegetarian Swiss ramen. It brings a

smooth and round, yet intense fl avour. And

there really is a big diff erence between hay

as most people might know it and this hay.

Ours, supplied by local, Ruedi Julen, is from

an amazing sunny wildfl ower meadow and

is dried in late summer.

5MILK AND DAIRY

The winters here have lots to off er,

too, when the local sheep and cows are in

the stables waiting for spring. This is when

we get the fresh cream to produce our

own butter. Our breakfast yoghurts at The

Omnia also come from Horu Käserei, a local

producer and cheesemaker here in town.

We use regional cheeses too — the younger

ones for breakfast, the riper ones for dinner

service or cooking, for example, in barley

risotto, not to mention raclette cheese and

the classic cheese fondue.

ROOM WITH

A VIEW

At 5,250ft above sea

level, The Omnia is the

gateway to Zermatt

and Switzerland’s

iconic Matterhorn,

whether basking in the

Alpine vistas through

the Ali Tayar-designed

lodge’s floor-to-ceiling

windows or with each

mouthful of chef

Hauke Pohl’s Michelin-

starred regional

fare. No two rooms

of the 30 elegant

accommodation

options available

(including 12 suites)

are alike.

A library and a

multifunctional glass-

and-steel ‘cavern’

space utilising the

cliffside rocks to create

a stylish underground

lair offer a retreat from

the elements after

a day on the slopes.

That is, if you can resist

the pull of just a little

more time outdoors in

the heated whirlpool

before exploring the

wellness centre.

ROOM RATES:

Seasonal pricing starts

at 350 CHF (£275) per

night for two sharing,

including transfer

service, use of the spa

and breakfast.

READ MORE ONLINE AT

THE-OMNIA .COM

GO ONLINE

for a recipe using

Alpine ingredients.

nationalgeographic.

co.uk/travel

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ZZZ

DRESDEN

After decades spent rebuilding from the rubble, the

eastern German city is thriving, with beautifully reconstructed architecture, a hip art district and rolling Riesling vineyards WORDS: Charlotte Wigram-Evans PHOTOGRAPHS: Uta Gleiser

CITY LIFE

As sure as the River Elbe runs through

Dresden, so too does an undercurrent

of dignity and stoicism. Even without

prior knowledge of the city’s history, you

can feel it like a physical force emanating

from Dresdeners, who, I learn, have plenty of

reasons to be proud of their home. Located

in eastern Germany, 30 miles from the

Czech border, the Saxon city was bombed to

near-oblivion by Allied forces six months

before the end of the Second World War.

Its baroque edifices were reduced to rubble

and, under the Soviet control that followed,

even more of the city was left to crumble

and decay.

“We always say the Russians destroyed

buildings more efficiently than any bombs,”

says my guide, Susanne, with a wry smile.

“Since the wall came down, we have rebuilt

our city brick by brick.”

Perhaps the most pertinent example is

the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady), a

beguiling sandstone masterpiece softly

glowing golden in the sunlight. Until 1994,

it remained a blackened ruin, but in the

aftermath of German reunification in 1990,

Dresdeners appealed to the world for funds

to help resurrect their beloved church.

“We picked up every stone and worked

out where it would have been,” Susanne says.

“Like the world’s most difficult jigsaw puzzle.”

Reconstruction took 11 years and, in a

moving denouement, Britain donated the

new cross that now stands proudly on its

domed roof. Among the team of craftsmen

commissioned to create it was a goldsmith

whose father had taken part in the air raids.

Hardship has seemingly bred not only

determination, but also a rebellious spirit and

artistic vigour — and nowhere is this more

evident than in Neustadt, an area once so

dilapidated it was destined to be bulldozed.

But in the years following reunification,

creative types moved in, squatting in

buildings and creating the street art for

which the district has become known. Today,

Neustadt is a bastion of independent bars and

lunch spots, but its art scene still thrives, with

galleries such as Galerie Holger John hanging

witty, subtly political prints in their windows.

As dusk falls, I climb the winding walkway

to the Frauenkirche’s dome and look out over

the rooftops. Dresden unfurls beneath me,

most of it restored — a phoenix risen from the

ashes. Now it’s rebuilt, this isn’t a city to stand

still; both place and people are ready to fly.

September 2021 131September 2021 131


Sister cities //

Dresden is twinned

with Coventry,

reflecting the intense bombings both cities were subjected to and as a gesture of solidarity and

reconciliation. A cross from Coventry resides

in the Frauenkirche, while its German

counterpart is in Coventry Cathedral

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Veal fillet served with bacon-wrapped green beans at Kulturwirtschaft; view from the Hausmannsturm, the oldest remaining part of Dresden Castle; crafting bespoke shoes in Innere Neustadt; trendy event spaces-cum-cafes like Altes Wettbüro are a fixture of modern DresdenPREVIOUS PAGES: A cyclist passes by the Stallhof, part of the Dresden Castle complex, where — just out of sight — the tiled Procession of Princes mural can be found

SEE & DO

ZWINGER: To visit the Zwinger is to

dive into Dresden’s baroque heyday. Built

as a party pad for royals in the 1700s, when

Augustus the Strong sat on the throne (his

own residence, Dresden Castle, stands behind

the Zwinger and is also worth visiting), the

lavish, sculpture-studded palace complex

surrounds an enormous courtyard filled with

fountains. It now houses three museums: the

Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters

Picture Gallery), in which hang celebrated

artworks including Raphael’s Sistine

Madonna; the Porzellansammlung (Porcelain

Collection); and the Mathematisch-

Physikalischer Salon, which displays a

curious collection of telescopes, clocks and

globes. gemaeldegalerie.skd.museum

PROCESSION OF PRINCES: This 335ft-

long mural presents Saxony’s rulers as a

procession of riders. The 24,000 porcelain

tiles adorn the outside of the Stallhof, part of

the Dresden Castle complex, and were among

the only items in the vicinity to survive the

bombing of February 1945. Porcelain can

withstand temperatures of up to 1,000C, so

while much of the city burned, Augustus and

his ancestors rode on.

KUNSTHOFPASSAGE: After the Berlin Wall

came down, Kunsthofpassage, in Neustadt,

was taken under the wing of a group of

artists. The result: a series of refreshingly

original street art. The most famous features

interlinked drainpipes twisting and turning

against a turquoise backdrop; when rain

trickles through them, it produces a musical

tinkle. Another building is adorned with a

giant relief of a giraffe, plus monkeys swinging

from window to window. Murals and art can

be found all around the area, and a walking

tour with guides like Susanne Reichelt offers

an insider’s perspective. tourguide-dresden.de

GROSSER GARTEN: In Dresden’s biggest

park, sprawling east from Altstadt, paths

are overhung with horse chestnut trees

and a small train chugs around the border.

The real draw, though, is the crumbling

baroque summer palace, built in 1680.

In spring, a flower festival sees its rooms

filled with plants, while each winter a local

theatre company performs A Christmas Carol

— Ein Weihnachtslied by candlelight.

GERMAN HYGIENE MUSEUM: This museum

was founded by Karl Lingner, best known

for manufacturing the mouthwash Odol.

Far from focusing just on sanitation,

however, the purpose of the space was to

examine trends in science and culture.

There are sections on life and death,

nutrition, sex, movement and beauty, and

recent exhibitions have included a thought-

provoking look at the future of food. dhmd.de

ON YOUR BIKE: As Dresden is fairly flat, cycling

is an easy way to cover lots of ground. Cycle to

Blasewitz, a residential area full of pastel-

hued 19th-century villas, before turning

towards the river, where you’ll get a great view

of the city’s three palaces — Albrechtsberg,

Lingner and Eckberg — on the opposite bank.

Many hotels provide bikes, or you can join a

tour. Private guide and Dresden local Cosima

Curth offers a four-hour cycle with multiple

stop-offs for £150. cosima-curth.de

TAKE A HIKE: The Saxon Switzerland National

Park lies to the east of Dresden, and trains to

the picturesque town of Pirna — the park’s

entry point — take less than 20 minutes. From

here, you can explore a fairytale landscape

of epic proportions, where sandstone peaks

puncture a forest of pine, oak and fir trees.

Consider a culinary hike with BrotZeit Tour;

founder Kristin knows the area like the back

of her hand and will even rustle up a picnic of

local cheese, meat and wine. brotzeittour.de


DRESDEN


September 2021 133

DRESDEN


Vintage glassware at Kulturwirtschaft

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Schloss

Wackerbarth winery and its vineyards;

Christiane Spieler, the cellar master at

Schloss Wackerbarth; the eye-catching

interior of Pfunds Molkerei dairy shop


DRESDEN


BUY

PFUNDS MOLKEREI: Hand-painted tiles

featuring dancing angels, cherubs, cows and

woodland creatures adorn this dairy shop

from floor to ceiling. After purchasing some

cheese, head to the upstairs cafe for a lactose-

laden snack (the cheesecake is particularly

good) and a spot of people-watching. Cheese

and wine (or milk) tastings are available, as

are tours of the dairy — just be sure to book

in advance. pfunds.de

HAUPTSTRASSE: This tree-lined boulevard

in Innere Neustadt, known as the baroque

quarter, has shopping opportunities aplenty.

Ignore the chain stores and keep your eyes

peeled for the passages full of independent

shops: try Goldschmiedewerkstatt

Barbara Oehlke for handmade jewellery or

Blumengalerie Dresden for plants and vases.

Afterwards, head to Neustädter Markthalle

for pop-up stalls, cafes and a supermarket

with an excellent confectionery section.

barbaraoehlke.de markthalle-dresden.de

MARKETS: Most famous for its Christmas

markets (including Striezelmarkt, the

country’s oldest), Dresden also has plenty of

year-round offerings. Elbeflohmarkt (open on

Saturdays, pre-pandemic), sells everything

from antique furniture to retro posters, while

music fans could spend days rifling through

records at Schallplattenbörse, a second-hand

vinyl market. elbeflohmarkt.de

EAT

OSWALDZ: This is a cafe that takes

pride in its coffee. Compact, cosy and with

a courtyard looking out across the Elbe,

Oswaldz stocks several blends from local

roastery Phoenix, plus an excellent array of

cakes. Come for the flat white and stay for

the pastrami sandwiches and raspberry-and-

beetroot cheesecake. But be prepared to wait

— it’s a popular place, and queues regularly

snake down the street. oswaldz.de

KULTURWIRTSCHAFT: Opened last

year in Kraftwerk Mitte, a disused factory-

turned-cultural hub, Kulturwirtschaft does

decadence better than any other restaurant

in Dresden. If you can tear your eyes away

from the chandeliers, silver vases, velvet

armchairs and two grand pianos for long

enough to peruse the menu (German with a

nod to wider Europe), try the beef roulades

with red cabbage and dumplings, or the

goat’s cheese tart with roasted vegetables.

RESTAURANT ATELIER SANSSOUCI:

Michelin-starred Restaurant Atelier

Sanssouci serves classic French cuisine

in a neoclassical villa surrounded by two

acres of manicured gardens. Enjoy your

meal with a local Riesling, and then, as

the restaurant belongs to the Hotel Villa

Sorgenfrei, consider splashing out on an

overnight stay and saying yes to that second

bottle. hotel-villa-sorgenfrei.de/restaurant

Gender pioneer // In 1930, Lili Elbe — the

inspiration behind David Ebershoff’s novel The Danish Girl — was one of the first people in the world to undergo gender reassignment surgery. She’s buried in Dresden’s Trinitatisfriedhof cemetery

LIKE A LOCAL

VINEYARD VISITS: Dry whites from

Dresden are among the country’s finest,

but as a wine region, Saxony’s small size

means it’s often overlooked. Its vineyards

are as wonderful as the wines themselves:

charming, often family-run affairs that

serve up mulled white wine in winter and

glasses of Goldriesling in summer. Head

first to Hoflössnitz estate, with its half-

timbered house, before moving on to Schloss

Wackerbarth winery for a glass of Bacchus

— both are in the suburb of Radebeul,

only a 30-minute tram ride from the

centre. hofloessnitz.de schloss-wackerbarth.de

FEINBÄCKEREI REBS: At this popular bakery,

local favourites include bauernbrot bread,

glazed pastries and stollen. The latter is

said to have originated in Dresden in 1329

and now has PGI (protected geographical

indication) status. Only a select number

of bakeries, including Feinbäckerei

Rebs, can create these ‘official’ versions,

which beat any supermarket imitations

hands down. feinbaeckerei-rebs.de

ELBE VALLEY: Head downstream from

the Loschwitz Bridge towards the sleepy

meadows of the Elbe, and suddenly the thrum

of the city fades away. Crowned by Pillnitz

Castle and lined with centuries-old villas, this

sprawl of grassland is a prized dog-walking,

sunbathing and picnicking spot for locals.

September 2021 135

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ESSENTIALS

500 yards

D R E S D E N

River E

l be

Zwinger

ALTSTADT

NEUSTADT

Radebeul2 miles

Saxon Switzerland National Park20 miles

Lingner PalaceEckberg Palace

Frauenkirche

Grosser Garten

Albrechtsberg Palace

Dresden CastleDresdenGERMANY


You can reach Dresden by train from

London St Pancras, changing in

Brussels and Frankfurt. There are no

nonstop flights from the UK; instead, fly to Berlin and travel onwards by train (a two-hour journey). Berlin is typically served from various UK airports by British Airways, Lufthansa, Ryanair and EasyJet.

ba.com lufthansa.com

ryanair.com easyjet.com

Average flight time: 2h.The easiest way to get around the city is by bike or tram. Many hotels

offer bicycles, or you can rent one

from Roll on Dresden. The Dresden

City Card covers tram and bus travel, as well as offering discounted entry into some museums.

rollondresden.de dresden.de

When to go

The ideal time to visit Dresden is in winter, when bars sell steaming glasses of mulled wine, the smell of stollen wafts from bakeries and Christmas markets spring up across

the city. For its annual wine festival, however, go in September — dates vary, but it’s normally held towards the end of the month.

More info

dresden.de

germany.travel

Cosima Curth. cosima-curth.de

Susanne Reichelt.

tourguide-dresden.de

How to do it

KIRKER HOLIDAYS offers three

nights at the Bülow Palais hotel, B&B, from £596 per person,

including flights. kirkerholidays.com ILLU

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A view across the Elbe to the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts

and the Frauenkirche

AFTER HOURS

BLUE NOTE: Small, dimly lit and cosy,

with a drinks menu as long as your arm,

this local gem plays live jazz into the early

hours to an enthralled crowd. Bands range

from small-time outfits to national and even

international artists, but whoever’s on stage,

you’re guaranteed to have a good time. Arrive

around 8pm to bag a choice seat by the bar.

BAUTZNER TOR: On entering this pub,

you’ll be forgiven for wondering if you’ve

accidentally walked into a museum, as its

large central room is stuffed full of defunct

East German gadgets. In fact, this is the

official brewery tap of craft beer company

Neustädter Hausbrauerei. Local beer in

Dresden is excellent, so try whatever special

is in season, as well as sampling the Rot,

Helles and Hanf options, available year-

round. bautznertor.de

FRAUENKIRCHE: The Frauenkirche’s

cavernous domed ceiling makes for

compelling acoustics, and the church

regularly holds evening concerts. Many

acclaimed classical musicians, including

oboist Albrecht Mayer, have performed

here, playing moving renditions of works by

world-famous German composers like Bach

and Beethoven. frauenkirche-dresden.de

ZZZ SLEEP

AM SCHILLERPLATZ BED AND

BREAKFAST: This B&B has spotless rooms

in the characterful environs of a 400-year-

old home. It offers views of the Loschwitz

Bridge, also known as the ‘Blaues Wunder’

(‘Blue Wonder’), a sky-hued steel structure

connecting the districts of Blasewitz and

Loschwitz. Don’t miss the farmers’ market

that sets up outside on Tuesdays, Thursdays

and Saturdays. bb-schillerplatz.de

PENCK HOTEL DRESDEN: Local painter

and sculptor A R Penck gained international

recognition for his neo-expressionist pieces,

reflective of tribal art. This design hotel

houses countless artworks by the artist,

including a gigantic sculpture rising from its

rooftop. Rooms are ultra-modern, minimalist

and sleek, and the location is ideal for inner-

city wandering, located just five minutes

from the old town. penckhoteldresden.de

SCHLOSS ECKBERG: As the country

with the greatest number of castles, nowhere

does sleeping in a fairytale tower seem more

apt than in Germany. Schloss Eckberg sits

above the Elbe, all crenellated walls, marble

columns and sweeping lawns. The castle also

has its own vineyard, bringing a whole new

meaning to ‘local wine’. schloss-eckberg.de


DRESDEN


[email protected]

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IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK; AZERBAIJAN TOURISM BOARD

| PA ID CONTENT FOR A ZERBA I JAN TOUR I SM BOARD


Once upon a time in

Woven into Azerbaijan’s beguiling history is the bygone era of the

legendary Silk Road, a wine culture dating back millennia and ancient

mountaintop villages best explored on foot.

Words: Emily Lush & Mark Elliott

Azerbaijan

Traditional kelaghayi scarves

LEFT: The city of Sheki



It wasn’t all that long ago that a visitor’s fi rst glimpse of

Sheki would be from the back of a camel. Today, it tends

to be from the window of a marshrutka, the nostalgic,

Soviet-era minivans that trundle almost as laboriously

up and down the time-worn trade route between Baku and

Tbilisi. Those who prefer a smoother ride can board the

direct train from Baku, reaching this ancient city in around

seven hours. Sheki’s location roughly halfway between the

Azerbaijani and Georgian capitals is your fi rst clue to the

city’s historical signifi cance. For as long as a tributary of the

Silk Road ran through the South Caucasus, this was a place

for merchants to bunk down at stone caravanserais (roadside

inns) to sip tea, barter cargo and swap stories. It was this

meeting of minds that helped shape Sheki into the diverse,

cosmopolitan city it is today.

More than just a thoroughfare, however, Sheki was a major

producer of silks in its own right. The art of kelaghayi (silk

scarves intricately decorated using wooden stamps dipped in

a mix of rosin, paraffi n and solid oil) is but one craft tradition

in an oeuvre that spans everything from shebeke (stained

glass mosaics) to Sheki halva, a saccharine dessert favoured

by the locals, who are known for having a sweet tooth.

Visit Sheki to wander Azerbaijan’s newest UNESCO World

Heritage Site — the historic centre of the city with the Khan’s

Palace — and take a hike to see ancient monuments nestled

in the foothills of the Caucasus mountains.

72 hours in

ShekiA waypoint on the Old Silk Road, Sheki,

in northwest Azerbaijan, is a place of boisterous

spice markets, handicraft workshops and

heritage architecture. Words: Emily Lush



D A Y O N E : PALACES & PITI

MORNING: Go straight to the Khan’s Palace,

commissioned by Muhammed Hasan Khan

in 1797. A masterpiece of craftsmanship, its

exterior showcases Ottoman ceramics and

Iranian mirror work. The real knockout,

though, is the shebeke — timber lattice inlaid

with thousands of pieces of coloured glass.

Pause to admire the facade ahead of a guided

walk through the palace rooms, the walls of

which are adorned with vivid paintings.

The nearby Three Saints Church houses

the Museum of History and Local Lore,

where you can view traditional takalduz (silk

embroidery) and papags (lambswool hats),

and watch shebeke artisans at work.

AFTERNOON:A 20-minute stroll takes you to

Mustafa Bey, a restaurant set among apple

and pear trees. Order the piti, a lamb, chickpea

and chestnut stew that’s an appetiser and

main in one — fi rst, drown pieces of bread in

the broth, then devour the rest.

Head back through the Gilehli district,

using the 18th-century minaret as your North

Star, and stop off at Aliahmad Shirniyyat,

the fi nest purveyor of Sheki halva. The local

take on baklava sees layers of dough, ground

hazelnuts, walnuts and spices fi nished with a

web of sugar reminiscent of shebeke.

EVENING: Visit the Winter Palace an hour

before dusk, when the sun hits the shebeke

and paints the fl oorboards with a carpet-like

kaleidoscope. Tuck into a plate of khangal

(fl at noodles topped with ground beef and

garlic yogurt) at Buta Restaurant, then retire

to the elegant Buta Bar cocktail lounge in the

atrium of the Sheki Saray Hotel.

D A Y T W O : THE SILK ROAD

MORNING: Explore Sheki’s Silk Road past

with a trip to the New Bazaar, where

merchants peddle produce, spices and

halva. Grab a bite at one of the kebab stalls

or duck into a chaykhana (tea house) for a

fi nger or two of bamiya (deep-fried dough

gilded with syrup), washed down with a

warming drink from the samovar.

Sheki’s old town, Yukhari Bash, beckons

you back up the hill to tread the cobbled

streets beyond the fortress walls. Admire

the 18th- and 19th-century houses with

their ornamental brickwork and gabled

roofs, once owned by the merchants who

made their fortune breeding silkworms. The

Juma Mosque, with its 90ft-high minaret, is

impossible to miss.

AFTERNOON: If you’ve developed a taste

for Sheki’s signature stew, break for lunch

in the garden of Restoran Qaqarin, famed

for its piti and dolma (stuff ed vine leaves).

Afterwards, make your way to the perfectly

preserved Sheki Caravanserai, one of the

largest in the region. Push through the

heavy doors and let the sliver of sunlight

guide you through the dim antechamber

towards an inner courtyard, where you’ll

Sheki halva, a local take

on baklava

CLOCKWISE FROM

TOP: Kurmuk Church;

an artisan’s wooden

stamp; the Church of Kish;

colourful scenes inside

the Khan’s Palace

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K| PA ID CONTENT FOR A ZERBA I JAN TOUR I SM BOARD


fi nd sanctuary beneath a palm tree. Drink

in the history as you conjure images of

merchants dashing through the double-

storey arched arcades. The caravanserai

still functions as a hotel, and walk-in visits

to the courtyard and tea house are welcome

between 12.00 and 19.00. The stone cells of

the building’s lower portion, meanwhile,

have been given a new lease of life as cafes

and souvenir boutiques.

Continue down M.F. Akhundzadeh,

Sheki’s main trading street, passing the

ruins of an arched bridge. You’ll see a

number of small workshops, where artisans

carry out tasks as varied as stringing tars

(long-necked lutes) and block-printing

kelaghayi. At the crossroads of F.K. Khoyski

and M.E. Rasulzadeh streets, the spools of

Sheki’s last silk factory — built in 1829 — still

turn. Drop into the adjoining boutique to

buy colourful scarves or a hand-knotted silk

carpet small enough to fi t in your suitcase.

EVENING: Sheki was once divided into

mehelle, or districts, which each had

their own mosque and hammam. Visit

Abdulkhalig Hammam, the city’s oldest

functioning public bathhouse, for a

traditional kise body exfoliation (note that

the bathhouse is open to men and women on

diff erent days of the week).

D A Y T H R E E : CHRISTIAN ROOTS

& HEALING WATERS

MORNING: Fuel up for the day with a quick

breakfast ahead of the 45-minute marshrutka

ride northwest to Gakh. A former province

of Caucasian Albania (an ancient state

that was established in the fourth century

BC and incorporated parts of modern-

day Azerbaijan and Daghestan), Gakh is a

testament to this region’s religious diversity.

Stop off at Kurmuk Church — perched on a

rocky outcrop — before continuing to Ilisu,

a small village whose name comes from the

Kipchak (an extinct Turkic language dating

back to the Middle Ages) word for ‘warm

water’, and whose hot springs, geysers and

waterfalls entice visitors. Slip into one of the

rock pools to unwind after a short walk along

the Hamamchay River.

AFTERNOON: Once suitably reinvigorated,

fi nd a table at a riverfront restaurant in

Gakh. Make sure to order the local speciality,

surhullu (fl at pasta served with a rich sauce

of mutton, herbs and garlic), alongside a

pitcher of delicious wine cultivated in the

valley by Georgian Ingiloys.

After lunch, travel back to the village of

Kish, just outside Sheki, where the echoes of

Azerbaijan’s Christian past ring out clearly.

The Church of Kish is built on what’s thought

to have been a Pagan ceremonial site dating

back to the fi rst century. Crane your neck to

admire the domes overhead and peer down

through the glass-covered portals underfoot

to view the burial crypts.

EVENING: A 30-minute walk will take you

to Garatepe Mountain, where the ruins

of the medieval Galarsan-Gorarsan (‘Come

and See’) fortress provide the perfect

backdrop for sunset. After a 20-minute van

or taxi drive back to Sheki, indulge in one

last pot of piti, and be sure to pick up a box

of Sheki halva from Aliahmed Sweetstore

to savour on tomorrow’s journey to the

capital, Baku.

MEET THE

CRAFTSMAN

Amiraslan

Shamilov

67-year-old Amiraslan’s

family have been

decorating kelaghayi

scarves for over 200 years

HOW IMPORTANT IS

KELAGHAYI TO SHEKI?

Sheki has been famous

for its silk for centuries.

Traditional kelaghayi

scarves started here and

spread to other regions

across Azerbaijan. I’m 67

and every day, I come to

the workshop, put on my

boots and apron and start

working. I’m very proud of

my craft.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE

ABOUT YOUR JOB?

When I see the demand

for old-fashioned styles

and colours and the use

of antique techniques.

Most of my designs

and tools were used by

my predecessors.

AND YOUR FAVOURITE

THING ABOUT SHEKI?

The ancient crafts,

like shebeke, halva,

pottery and takalduz.

WHAT’S A MUST-TRY?

A pot of our traditional

dish, piti. There are other

delicious meals, but if

I had to pick just one,

that would be it.

Amirsaslan’s workshop on

M.E. Resulzadeh street is

open daily, 10.00-17.00.

The perfectly preserved Sheki

Caravanserai still functions as a hotel



From well-rounded vintages to specialist bars,

plus a winemaking history dating back millennia,

homegrown wine is interlaced with local Azeri life.

Words & interviews: Mark Elliott

Azerbaijani wine

For the fi rst-time visitor, Azerbaijan abounds in

surprising discoveries — and few are as unexpected

as the booming wine industry, with its selection of

grapes, fascinating history and undulating seas of

emerald-green vineyards backed by white-topped peaks.

Wine has been produced in this part of the world for

millennia. The earliest evidence of grape winemaking

comes in the form of pottery jars containing residual wine

compounds, dating back to around 6000 BC. They were

discovered in the villages of Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris

Gora, then part of the Shulaveri-Shomu culture, which

occupied territory in the South Caucasus. Fragments of the

oldest-known wine press and fermentation vats, dating back

to 4000 BC, were detected in the valley of the Arpa River,

which waters Azerbaijan’s Sharur region. In 1860, German

colonists in Helenendorf (now Goygol) founded what’s

now the country’s longest-running winery. And by the

1970s, large swathes of Azerbaijani foothills sported scenic

vineyards. In the 1980s, however, over 80% of Azerbaijan’s

vines were ripped up in Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol drive, and

some native grape varieties were almost annihilated.

Fortunately, winemaking has rebounded with vigour

over the past decade. Both small-scale, family-run wineries

and state-of-the-art industrial complexes are once again

producing powerful rounded reds and crisp, fruity whites. The

country has three major wine-making areas: expect robust,

earthy tones from the mid-altitude terroirs of north-central

Shamakhi, home to the indigenous Madrasa red grape; soak

up the history in western Azerbaijan’s Lesser Caucasus zone,

cradle of the country’s viniculture traditions; and sample the

distinct minerality of wines from the Caspian coast, whose

grapes are planted at lower elevations and on salt-rich soils.

Such is the boom in winemaking that Azerbaijan has

proposed a new system of eight smaller appellations,

to include potential wine regions like semi-arid Nakhchivan,

lush Lankaran in the south and Karabakh, with its own

distinctive wine history.Kefli Local Wine & Snacks bar in Baku

ABOVE: Savalan Aspi Winery in

Gabala, northern Azerbaijan

A taste of

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N A S I M I S A D I G Z A D E

FOUNDER OF NASIMI’S WINE TOURS

What should the world know about Azerbaijani wine?

Our wines have a specific story of struggle, from the

seventh-century Arab invasions to 1985, when Gorbachev

ordered the destruction of vineyards. We had to start over

at the beginning of the 21st century, meaning every sip of

wine you have in Azerbaijan is a sign of never giving up,

of new beginnings and of our passion.

What’s your favourite wine?

We have some really nice wines made from international

grape varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah

and Alicante Bouschet (Savalan’s 2016 take on the latter is

fabulous). But it’s my duty to highlight favourites made from

our local grapes, like Chabiant’s dry red Madrasa (the 2016

vintage), Terra Caspea’s Madrasa and Chabiant’s Bayan

Shira (2017’s dry white). AzGranata’s Rubai dry red Madrasa

(2014) is an amazing option if you want great wine at a

surprisingly cheap price.

Where are your favourite wineries around the

country?

That’s a tough one. The Chabiant winery has created a

great ecosystem that benefits locals as well as visitors.

AzGranata has an amazing tasting hall with its own little

museum. Goygol Sherab is Azerbaijan’s oldest, founded

by German settlers in 1860; it also has an amazing cellar,

which is the biggest in the country. Savalan was the first

domestic winery to really introduce quality wines to the

post-independence Azerbaijani market. Firelands is unique

for its proximity to the Caspian Sea, which gives its wines

a remarkable minerality. And Shirvan, the country’s first

certified organic producer, offers wonderful views, a tasting

room and a restaurant.

What local dishes do you like to pair with wine?

I prefer wine with cheese, but our national meal — aubergine

dolma — goes well with local Madrasa reds. Afterwards, try

an Azerbaijani pakhlava with a Savalan Merlot dessert wine.

winetours.az

Chabiant winery in the district

of Ismayilli

ABOVE: A selection of wines from

Savalan winery



WINE BARS

IN BAKU

ENOTECA MEYDAN:

Within the UNESCO-

listed Walled City

of Baku, you’ll find

Enoteca Meydan

— part wine shop, part

tasting bar. The owner

is an expert winemaker,

and you’ll find some of

his own creations amid

a brilliant collection

of Azerbaijani drops.

A great place to

learn about local

wine. facebook.com/

enotecaMeydan

KEFLI LOCAL WINE

& SNACKS: With its

reverence for local

products, Kefli hits the

sweet spot between

specialist Azerbaijani

wine advocate

and understated,

fashionable cafe. Wine-

lovers leaf through

the extensive list of

vintages, hip locals

chat over inexpensive

regional options and

a blackboard displays

the ever-changing

selection available by

the glass. facebook.

com/kefliwinebar

ROOM BAKU: In

the capital’s central

nightlife area, Room

Baku offers high-

quality food and

the atmosphere of

a jovial wine bar. The

wine list includes

offerings from around

the globe, plus

selections from five of

Azerbaijan’s better-

known producers. Its

quirky outpost at Baku

airport, meanwhile, is

a marvellous spot at

which to savour one

last glass while you’re

waiting for your plane

home. facebook.com/

RoomFineArtWineDine

I V A N U V A R O V

OWNER OF KEFLI LOCAL WINE & SNACKS, BAKU

Which wines are the most popular

in your bar?

A lot has changed in the past couple of years.

Many expats have left, and there are almost

no tourists due to Covid-19 restrictions. As

a result, we’ve refocused on local guests.

Firstly, I’m happy to see locals drinking

more dry wine. Over the past two years, the

consumption of dry wine has surpassed that

of sweet ones — and that’s a big leap forward

for Azerbaijan. However, pomegranate wine

is still leading the way. In the past, it was a

favourite among tourists from Russia and

Ukraine, but now it’s mostly popular among

Zoomers — those who are just starting

their wine journey. Five years ago, young

Azerbaijanis tended to avoid rosé, but now

it’s increasingly popular, even in winter. In

general, Azerbaijanis are raising the bar when

it comes to their expectations of wine.

If you could only have one type of

Azerbaijani wine, which would it be?

I don’t want to off end anyone, but if I had

to choose only one white wine, it’d be a

Chabiant made from the indigenous Bayan

Shira grape. It’s light, versatile and perfect

for enjoying daily. For a red, I’d pick a Savalan

Nobel. It’s very Azerbaijani — masculine,

rough and straight-cut.

Which Azerbaijani wine would you

recommend for a fi rst-timer?

Try wines made from indigenous grapes,

like Bayan Shira (white) or Madrasa (red).

We have a very well-preserved 2010 Madrasa

made by Absheron Sharab. For something

rarer, try an Azerbaijani port wine, like

Agdam made from Rkatsiteli grapes; it was

a legendary wine brand in the former USSR.

What are your favourite Azerbaijani

wine-and-food pairings?

Kebabs pair amazingly well with local

Sauvignon Blancs. It really is a mind-

blowing combination!

What makes Baku great for wine-lovers?

As Azerbaijan is a mostly Muslim country,

tourists are often surprised to discover

such a long winemaking history and a mass

culture of wine-drinking. Before around

2016, it was hard to fi nd a good range of

local vintages. Recently, however, wine is

everywhere in the capital. In downtown

Baku alone, there are at least a dozen wine

bars and specialised wine restaurants. And

good local wine has become a symbol of the

new generation of Azerbaijanis who want

to live in their country and drink what’s

produced on local soil. IMA

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FOUR OF THE BEST

Hiking trailsThis quartet of hiking trails take in some of Azerbaijan’s wildest landscapes,

winding past magnifi cent peaks, ancient fortresses, picturesque villages

and thundering waterfalls. Words: Emily Lush

N O R T H : GALAKHUDAT TO KHINALIG

DISTANCE/DURATION: 5 miles/3 hours

Revel in the bewitching scenery and cooler temperatures

of northern Azerbaijan on this trek from Galakhudat to

Khinalig, one of the country’s highest inhabited villages.

Covering fi ve miles of marked paths cast in the shadow

of Bazarduzu, Azerbaijan’s tallest peak, this route can be

completed in three hours and is suitable for any skill level.

Set out from the village of Galakhudat, served by taxis from

the centre of Guba. From there, it’s a steady climb to the pass

before you reach the wide, fl at road that forms the main part

of the trail. You’ll be treated to a glut of Azerbaijan’s most

magnifi cent topography along the way, from Gizilgaya’s

milky cliff s to terraced farmlands and the seemingly never-

ending Gudyalchay valley, tinted 50 shades of green in the

summer months.

The high point comes when you fi rst cast eyes on Khinalig,

a cluster of stout houses sprinkled along a narrow ridge.

Pause at the spring that marks the entrance to the village,

then continue on to visit the mosque and decompress over a

compensatory chai at the local tea house.

The trail is verdant in the warmer months, but for

exceptional winter scenery and views of snow-capped

mountains, set off between December and February. Carry

plenty of water with you and avoid drinking from the river.

Guest houses at either end off er food and a warm bed.

N O R T H W E S T : ILISU TO GASHGACHAY


With the Greater Caucasus as a backdrop, this 10-mile route

traverses forest and pasture before fi nishing in the village of

Gashgachay. This is a physically demanding hike, albeit one

with plenty of chances for reprieve at the ancient ruins and

shepherd’s huts along the way.

Start in the village of Ilisu, reachable by taxi from Gakh in

under 30 minutes. The former axis of the 18th-century Ilisu

Sultanate, it’s home to remnants of strategic glory in the

form of the Ulu Bridge, the Ulu Mosque and the charming

red-tiled houses. Make a brief detour to visit Galacha, a stone

fortress, before bracing yourself for the most challenging

part of the hike: an ascent up to an elevation of 7,400ft.

After conquering the mountain pass, you’ll descend into

a ravine before embarking on a gentler climb and the fi nal

passage into the Gashgachay river valley, where the water is

usually low enough to safely cross on foot. You can conclude

your hike in the village, or continue on to Sheki via Gumukh

and Kish.

The Ilisu to Gashgachay route demands nine hours or

more, so take advantage of the longer days between May and

September to tackle this trek. Be vigilant of shepherd dogs

and note that as there are only a handful of freshwater springs

en route, it’s important to replenish at every opportunity.

W E S T : JAVADKHAN TO AZGILLI


This trail winds through the highlands of Ganja and the

foothills of Murovdag — home to some of the highest peaks

in the Lesser Caucasus — to link Javadkhan peak with

the village of Azgilli. As you trek down sloped paths and

backroads, transfi xing views of Mount Kapaz abound.

To reach the trailhead, you’ll need to charter an off -road

taxi from Goygol bus station to just outside Togana village,

at the monument to Javad Khan — the last ruler of the Ganja

Khanate, and Azerbaijan’s national hero.

1 2

3You’ll be treated to a glut of Azerbaijan’s

magnifi cent topography, from Gizilgaya’s

milky cliff s to terraced farmlands and

the never-ending Gudyalchay valley,

tinted 50 shades of green



READ MORE ONLINE AT

AZERBAIJAN.TRAVEL

There are several forks in the path, so follow the markings

to stay on course. A swift hill climb is the only ascent, and it’s

well worth the burn for the mountain panorama at the top.

This all-season route can be done in either direction.

Shops are in short supply in Azgilli, so bring your own

provisions and refi ll your water bottle at the many natural

springs along the way.

S O U T H : SIM WATERFALL LOOP


In the Talysh language, Sim means ‘slippery rock’ — a fi tting

title for a hamlet set a stone’s throw from a towering waterfall.

This small village is the departure point for an easy four-mile

roundtrip to the cascades of the same name. The gentle path

hugs the periphery of Hirkan National Park, granting ramblers

a brief encounter with the enigmatic Talysh Mountains.

Before you set off , admire the ancient trees and mossy

boulders that give Sim its fairytale-like appearance. Once

you reach the outskirts, you’ll plunge into deciduous broad-

leaf forest — a playground for wolves, brown bears and the

elusive Persian leopard. The high humidity of subtropical

Astara makes the climax of this hike — a refreshing dip in

Sim waterfall — even sweeter. Along the way, you’ll pass

mandarin orchards burdened with heavy fruit and humming

bee hives. If you’re feeling up to it, press further into the park

and tackle one of the higher peaks for views all the way to the

Caspian Sea.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The village of Khinalig; a hiker on the Sim

waterfall route; view of Ilisu village; hiking the Galakhudat–Khinalig trail

4

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Cross the Channel and you’ll

encounter some of the world’s

best-known vineyards, but it

pays to go beyond the classic

French wine regions of Burgundy,

Bordeaux and Champagne.

Corsica, for instance, has been

making wine for millennia, and

the vineyards are spectacular.

Wine Paths can organise tours to

meet the winemakers and taste

their output; the most spectacular

tour, by far, includes a flight over

vineyards set on high slopes (the

island has more than 20 peaks

over 6,500ft). winepaths.com

Another lesser-known option

is Switzerland, which is the best

place to try Swiss wine, not least

because the Swiss drink most

of it — very little gets exported.

Hire bikes in Chippis in Valais and

cycle along the Rhône, stopping

to taste wines as you go. There’s

also the Valais Wine Museum, and

the Caveau de Saillon, a restaurant

Q // I’d like to visit a European winery to coincide with the harvest this autumn. Are there any tours you’d recommend?

with a wide selection of the

region’s wines, including Fendant,

made from local Chasselas grapes.

museeduvin-valais.ch

The city of Porto, in northern

Portugal, meanwhile, is the

gateway to the Douro region.

This has long been the place

where port is made, but there

are really good unfortified Douro

red wines, too. The easiest and

most pleasurable way to visit the

more interesting vineyards is to

stay in the region itself. The Six

Senses Douro Valley hotel can

organise visits to the best-known

quintas (estates) or a tour of

lesser-known, small wineries.

sixsenses.com

Alternatively, Vienna is a great

option for wine-lovers as there

are vineyards just outside the city.

Better still are the city’s heurigen:

old-fashioned taverns that serve

local wines with hearty Austrian

food. In the northern suburbs of IMA

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Strebersdorf or Stammersdorf,

take the ‘little train’, the Heurigen

Express, which is, in fact, a

train-shaped vehicle that stops

at lots of wine-focused spots, as

well as the Beethoven Museum,

two minutes from Mayer am

Pfarrplatz — the composer’s

former house, which is also a

heurige. pfarrplatz.at

You don’t have to go abroad

to enjoy the harvest, however. In

Kent or Sussex, Jamie and Steph of

Vine and Country Tours will pick

you up from your accommodation

(or the train station) and show

you the vineyards on a bespoke

tour, pausing for a delicious feast

they make from local ingredients.

They work with some of England’s

best wine producers, including

Gusbourne, Wiston Estate and

Simpsons, so this is a lovely way

to discover our finest wines.

vineandcountrytours.co.uk

NINA CAPLAN

ABOVE: A winemaker picks

grapes for the harvest,

which generally begins at

the start of autumn

RIGHT: Half-timbered

houses in Lavenham, Suffolk

ASK THE EXPERTS

TRAVEL GEEKS

NEED ADVICE FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP? ARE YOU AFTER RECOMMENDATIONS, TIPS AND GUIDANCE? THE TRAVEL GEEKS HAVE THE ANSWERS…



If it’s that harmonious, honey-

hued aesthetic you crave, head to

Stamford, a historic Lincolnshire

town on the River Welland.

Its centre is full of Georgian

architecture, and has excellent

pubs (try the Tobie Norris) and a

vibrant shopping scene. Lincoln,

with its warren of medieval streets

and enormous cathedral, is an

hour away, while Rutland Water

is even closer. A man-made lake

that’s now a nature reserve, it’s

known for its partially submerged

church and rich birdlife. Rooms

at the George of Stamford, in the

heart of town, start at £270, B&B.

georgehotelofstamford.com

Alternatively, Hampshire’s Test

Valley has a chalk river famous

for its trout fi shing and lush banks

that inspired Richard Adams’

classic, Watership Down. Wend

your way along the 44-mile Test

Way, stopping in chocolate-box

villages such as Longparish,

Travel insurance has changed

dramatically during the pandemic

and travellers should take out

insurance that meets specifi c

travel needs. For much of the year

the Foreign, Commonwealth &

Development Offi ce (FCDO) has

advised against travel to most

parts of Spain. Travelling against

FCDO advice could invalidate

emergency medical cover on

many travel insurance policies,

so it’s important to seek out the

right cover. Spanish regions,

including Andalucia and the

Balearic Islands are trying to

tempt back visitors by off ering

The Finnish town of Rovaniemi

is considered ‘Santa central’, and

while there’s no doubt that most

kids get a kick out of this Disney

on Ice-style experience, exploring

beyond the theme parks — and

into the Sami regions of Finland,

Norway or Sweden — off ers more

authentic experiences.

With many families postponing

trips last season, operators are

aware of a potential scrum for

tickets in whatever windows

of travel the pandemic allows,

particularly with parents keen to

book before children get too old,

and the Santa spell wears off .

Inghams’ most popular Lapland

destination is Levi, two-hours

north of Rovaniemi, but for the

most remote feel, the operator

recommends a stay at Muotka

Wilderness Lodge. Set deep

in Finnish Lapland, this is an

adventurous destination best

suited to children aged fi ve and

over. This family-run property

on the edge of Urho Kekkonen

National Park has minimal light

pollution, which means increased

potential for aurora viewing. Also

on the agenda are snowmobile

safaris, along with gingerbread

baking and a visit from Santa

himself. Seven nights all-inclusive

from £2,738 per person. inghams.

co.uk SARAH BARRELL

Q // I want to take my children to see Santa in Lapland this winter. Where off ers a less commercial experience?

Chilbolton and Mottisfont, where

the highlight is the historic priory

and gardens. Rooms at the 17th-

century Lainston House, just

outside Winchester, start at £238,

B&B. exclusive.co.uk

Otherwise, trace the River Stour

as it forms the border between

Essex and Suff olk in Dedham Vale.

The area has a timeless beauty,

and its quiet waterways and

rolling fi elds inspired the work of

local boy John Constable. Some

of the most picturesque towns in

the area are easily explored on the

Suff olk Threads Trails, including

Lavenham, Clare and Long

Melford. The walks showcase

these 15th- and 16th-century wool

towns in all their well-preserved

glory, passing churches, market

squares and half-timbered

houses. Rooms at the historic

Swan at Lavenham start at £116,

B&B. theswanatlavenham.co.uk

CONNOR MCGOVERN

insurance policies that cover

Covid-19 infection, with varying

benefi ts. In most cases visitors

must stay in ‘regulated tourist

accommodation’ and as these

policies only relate to Covid-19

they’re not a replacement of

normal travel insurance cover.

As part of the Brexit deal,

European Health Insurance Cards

will remain valid until expiry,

when UK travellers should apply

for a Global Health Insurance

Card. As this is for medical cover

only, travellers should still ensure

they have relevant insurance in

place for their trip. KATIE CROWE

Q // I love the charm of the Cotswolds, but I’m looking for somewhere diff erent for a short break this summer. What are some good alternatives?

Q // I’m hoping to travel to Spain this year. What’s the best type of travel insurance?

THE EXPERTS

CONNOR MCGOVERN //

COMMISSIONING EDITOR,

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

TRAVELLER (UK)

NINA CAPLAN //

WINE AND TRAVEL WRITER

KATIE CROWE // DIRECTOR

OF COMMUNICATIONS,

BATTLEFACE INSURANCE

BATTLEFACE.COM

SARAH BARRELL //

SENIOR EDITOR,

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

TRAVELLER (UK)

September 2021 149


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HEATHROWSINCE OPENING FOR CIVIL AVIATION 75 YEARS AGO, HEATHROW AIRPORT HAS GROWN INTO A GLOBALLY

RECOGNISED GATEWAY. WE SHARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM ITS HIGH-FLYING PAST. WORDS: SACHA SCOGING

THE INFO

In 2019, Heathrow was the world’s second-busiest airport by

international passenger numbers, with a record 80.9 million

passengers travelling through the hub — that’s an average of 221,644passengers per day, with a plane

landing or taking off every 45 seconds

SOURCES: BBC; BEATLESBIBLE.COM; BRITISHAIRWAYS.COM; EXPRESS.CO.UK; FORBES.COM; HEATHROW.COM; INDEPENDENT.CO.UK; REUTERS.COM

Heathrow off ers a private VIP service

for the rich and famous, costing from

£3,300. As well as giving access to the airport’s Royal Suite and Windsor Suite,

the service includes a chauff eur, concierge

team, private security and a lounge

complete with personal shopper and luxury menu

FREDDIE MERCURY WORKED

AS A BAGGAGE HANDLER AT

HEATHROW IN THE 1960,

BEFORE GOING ON TO

FRONT THE ICONIC ROCK

BAND QUEEN

IN NUMBERS

FAST

FACTS

In March 2020, A THIRD of

the UK’s imports of medical

equipment to fi ght Covid-19

arrived via Heathrow.

This included PPE, medical

oxygen, swabs and test kits

£15,000The amount aero-engineer

Richard Fairey paid in 1930 for

150 acres of land, on which he

built the Great West Aerodrome

(the precursor to Heathrow)

The Queen lands at

Heathrow following

the death of George

VI — her fi rst steps on

UK soil as monarch

The Beatles return to

the UK from the US as

global superstars and

are greeted by more

than 10,000 fans

Terminal 4 is opened

by the Prince and

Princess of Wales and

becomes the home of

British Airways

Concorde’s fastest-

ever New York-

London fl ights takes

two hours, 52 minutes

and 59 seconds

Love Actually ’s scenes

of travellers being

met by loved ones at

Heathrow are fi lmed

on hidden cameras

7 FEBRUARY 1952 22 FEBRUARY 1964 1 APRIL 1986 7 FEBRUARY 1996 2003

British ESA astronaut

Tim Peake arrives

at Heathrow from

Houston, following

his trip to the ISS

13 JULY 2016

Timeline of iconic moments

1946The year Heathrow Airport

opened for commercial air

travel, with military marquees

serving as the terminals

9.5 millionThe number of cups of

tea served to travellers at

Heathrow each year

50The number of football pitches

you could fi t inside Terminal 5

alone. At 3,799,900sq ¤ , it

covers a space as large as

London’s Hyde Park

2.6 millionThe number of perfume bottles

sold at Heathrow every year.

One bottle of Chanel No 5

is sold every nine minutes

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TERMINAL 5 HAS A VAST,

DESERTED UNDERGROUND

STATION. BUILT IN 2008, AS

PART OF THE TERMINAL’S

ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION,

IT’S THE LENGTH OF AROUND

33 LONDON BUSES


TRAVEL GEEKS


FLEX FARES:

CURRENT OFFERS

I READ MORE AT NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/TRAVEL

WHY DO AIRFARES VARY SO WILDLY?FLIGHT PRICES HAVE BECOME MORE VOLATILE THAN EVER DURING THE PANDEMIC. IS IT STILL POSSIBLE TO BOOK A BARGAIN? WORDS: SIMON CALDER

HOT TOPIC

How has the pandemic affected air fares?The balance of supply and

demand, on which air fares are

modelled, has disintegrated.

Demand from passengers swings

wildly, depending on government

action. When Portugal became the

only major, accessible nation on

England’s quarantine-free green

list, a surge in demand for flights

saw fares quadruple. Just 17 days

later, moving the country to amber

triggered an even steeper rise in

fares for return trips in the 100

hours before self-isolation became

obligatory upon arrival.

Supply, too, is turbulent.

Some passengers sign up early

to attractively priced flights, but

a few weeks before departure,

a tranche are likely to be axed.

Conversely, if a location suddenly

opens up to travellers, airlines will

add capacity overnight, flooding

the market with empty seats.

When should I book?With market forces confounded

by the pandemic, conventional

wisdom on booking early for the

best fare doesn’t apply. All the

signs indicate that fortune favours

the late booker. In early July, for

example, just after Malta had been

placed on the UK’s green list, the

island’s government placed British

arrivals on the Maltese red list

— with very specific vaccination

requirements. As a result, you

could spend more on a couple of

drinks at the airport bar than on

the flight.

As the airline industry struggles

back on its feet, prices will slowly

return to the good old days (from

the airlines’ perspectives), when

they would hold a few seats back

to sell for a fortune to people with

a sudden need to travel.

Flex fares — how good are they?Two years ago, the idea that

passengers who’d paid the lowest

fares would be able freely to

Simon Calder is a travel journalist

and broadcaster, and The Independent’s

travel expert. For the latest travel

restrictions and requirements, visit

gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

EASYJET

Change to any other

departures on any current

routes, up to two hours

before the original trip

is supposed to leave,

for flights up to 30 September. easyjet.com

BRITISH AIRWAYS

Trade your booking for a

voucher up to the close of

check-in, on all trips up to

30 April 2022. ba.com

RYANAIR

Offers a ‘zero change

fee’ on all bookings up to

30 September for travel before the end of the

year. You must make the

change at least a week

before the original trip.

ryanair.com

change their flight would seem

absurd: in addition to paying

any fare difference, there

was typically a hefty fee. This

summer, airlines are falling over

themselves to offer the chance to

change your mind. You won’t get a

cash refund, but you’ll be able to

postpone your trip.

Fares are increasing before my very eyes, what should I do?Be patient. Usually, when a new

destination is placed on the

green list, buyers pile in and

the fare soars. But airlines are

getting nimbler and can readily

lay on extra flights. As soon a

carrier sees its rival commanding

disproportionately high prices, it

will add capacity. When Majorca

was given quarantine-free status

at the end of June, for example,

fares initially rocketed — but

within a few days they’d subsided

again as more planes were

deployed to Palma.

My flight has been cancelled. What are my options?The vast majority of travellers

believe it’s a straight choice

between a different flight on

the same airline or a full cash

refund (ignore the voucher

option unless there’s a healthy

incentive). Airlines seem to

overlook the fact that for many

passengers, the best option will

be rebooking on a rival carrier.

Under European air passengers’

rights rules, when an airline

cancels your flight — for any

reason — and can’t get you to

your destination on the same

day, it must buy a new flight for

you. Hard-pressed carriers won’t

want to be reminded of this, but

as they know: it’s the law.

TRAVEL GEEKS

September 2021 151


VOTE ONLINE

TO WIN ONE OF THESE

FANTASTIC PRIZES!

READER AWARDS2 0 2 1

Looking back at a year like no other, the Reader Awards 2021 asks you to vote for the destinations that kept your spirits up — virtually or otherwise — and had you itching to travel again. We want to reward the companies that gained or retained your trust and the TV shows and books that inspired you, as well as innovative online visitor experiences, standout attractions and unique stays around the country. Visit the website, have your say and help your favourites get recognised.

THE PRIZES

THE WINNERS

Cast your votes for a chance to win one of 23 fantastic prizes. Vote today at

A WEEK’S STAY AT A TRULLO VILLA IN PUGLIA, ITALYYou and five friends can spend a week at

beautiful Trulli Olea, one of Puglia’s distinctive

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kitchen, three apartment bedrooms and a shady

gazebo for al fresco dining. relaxpuglia.com

Winners will be announced in the Jan/Feb

2022 issue. Voting and prize draw close on 30

September 2021 at 23:59 GMT and are open

to residents of the UK and Ireland aged 18 and

over. Prizes subject to availability. Full T&Cs:

nationalgeographic.co.uk/reader-awardsNATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/READER-AWARDS

£300 CITALIA VOUCHER Citalia’s carefully curated trips span 300 hand-

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whether you’re dreaming of a Tuscan road trip

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A THREE-NIGHT GUIDED UK WALKING BREAKEnjoy a three-night guided walking holiday

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

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READER AWARDS



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TAHI MANUKA HONEY UMF 15+Sustainably produced by Tahi, this 100%

pure New Zealand manuka honey is free

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VISIT QUITOEcuador’s capital was one of the very fi rst

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pre-Columbian sites to contemporary art.

visitquito.ec/en

FISH PARTNERCatch Atlantic salmon, brown trout and

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TARTU, ESTONIASouthern Estonia is home to Tartu, a

European Capital of Culture for 2024.

Surrounded by wild nature, the city is

home to inspiring landscapes, a diversity

of fl ora and fauna and fascinating Baltic

culture. visitsouthestonia.com tartu2024.ee

MEET THE MAASAI IN KENYAKenya’s red-robed Maasai tribe have

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the pull of modern life. Learn about their

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tours to meet local Maasai communities.

magicalkenya.com

VISIT ESSENOne of Germany’s greenest cities, Essen

rewards exploration. Try canoeing in

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minded urban districts or visiting the lavish

Villa Hügel. visitessen.de

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Destinations include the Caribbean, the

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PROMOTIONS

SPOTLIGHT


Stanage Edge, a distinctive

gritstone escarpment in the

Peak District National Park

RIGHT: Conservationists

planting trees, one of

the ways volunteers can

support national parks



Since the first national parks

were created in 1951 — the

Peak District, Lake District,

Dartmoor and Snowdonia

— they’ve been joined by 15

others across England, Wales

and Scotland. And they’re more

popular than ever. Last year saw

record numbers of visitors, many

first-timers. Designated for their

unique or special qualities, our

national parks are the stuff of

lockdown cabin-fever dreams.

They take in such diverse spots as

the Cairngorms — the UK’s biggest

national park, home to five of

Scotland’s six highest peaks — and

Snowdonia, where you’re treated

to magnificent coastal landscapes

in addition to Wales’s loftiest

mountain. Free-roaming animals

are encountered in all parks, from

New Forest ponies to deer, red

squirrels and myriad bird species.

Each park also offers traffic-

free terrain for hiking, biking

planning ahead to do simple things

like borrowing a litter-picker or

downloading an app to record

wildlife while you visit,” he adds.

Look Wild, a micro-

volunteering project launched

this summer across all 15

national parks, is one of the most

accessible ways to get involved

with park conservation. At its

heart is a free app that identifies

plants, animals and fungi while

simultaneously contributing to

the largest-ever national park-led

citizens’ science project.

But the most basic piece

of conservation work visitors

can do is take litter home. This

message, being conveyed loud

and clear to visitors in the past

18 months, includes an appeal to

use #LoveYourLitter to share their

‘work’ on social media.

“There were volunteers

before there were staff,” says

Caroline O’Doherty, head of

marketing and development at

Northumberland National Park

Authority, noting that staff roles,

and the national park network

itself only exist today because

of the work of volunteers in the

very early years. “Many of the

things that we do today as an

integrated staff and volunteer

team have their foundations as

voluntary activity,” she says. “We

have a stronger conservation

and education element to

volunteering now, whereas in

the early years it was all about

managing with an emphasis on

policing rather than welcoming

visitors to the countryside.”

Northumberland National Park,

like many of the other national

parks, was heavily reliant on

volunteers even in its early years.

As far back as the 1960s, it could

count 100 volunteers among its

ranks, including mountain rescue

teams and full-time wardens.

Today, it has more than 300

volunteers, who, collectively,

SEVENTY YEARS SINCE THE UK’S FIRST NATIONAL PARKS WERE CREATED, THEY’RE RECEIVING MORE VISITORS THAN EVER. BUT WITH RISING TOURIST FOOTFALL AND DECLINING BIODIVERSITY, HANDS-ON HELP TO PRESERVE OUR PARKS IS VITAL. VOLUNTEERING, WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN ESSENTIAL TO MAINTAINING THESE WILD LANDSCAPES, OFFERS A UNIQUE AND REWARDING WAY TO EXPLORE THE GREAT OUTDOORS. WORDS: SARAH BARRELL

and day-tripping, along with a

growing smorgasbord of outdoors

pursuits, from caving, coasteering

and trail running, to horse-riding,

kayaking, paragliding, rock

climbing, skiing and more. Natural

playgrounds they may be, but

they’re also among the UK’s most

fragile ecosystems — landscapes

that volunteer work has long been

crucial to help safeguard.

“Not all forms of volunteering

require long-term commitment,

and tourism doesn’t always have

to sit at odds with caring for and

protecting the environment,”

says Tom Hind, chief executive

officer at the North York Moors

National Park Authority. He’s

responsible for a site that saw

some of lockdown’s most

notorious littering incidents.

“Simply following the Countryside

Code — never dropping rubbish,

keeping dogs on leads and keeping

to footpaths — is a huge help, as is

do around 4,000 days of work a

year. In 2017, it awarded special

recognition to seven of its

longest-serving volunteers who

between them had clocked up a

staggering 250 years’ service.

Volunteer for change“Our volunteers tell us that

volunteering is life-changing and

improves not only their physical

health but their wellbeing too,”

says Richard Austin, training and

mentoring coordinator at New

Forest National Park. “It gives

people the chance to visit areas

they haven’t seen before, as well

as to make new friends, discover

new skills and learn about, and

become custodians of, this

historic landscape.”

The New Forest, like many

national parks, offers a range

of volunteering opportunities.

They include countryside access

(maintaining public rights of way),

archaeological tasks (restoring

ancient monuments), practical

conservation (restoring woodland,

meadows and hedgerows) and

working as a cycle guide.

“I started volunteering about

three years ago, mainly to get me

outside in the winter,” says New

Forest local, Deborah Gordon.

“I hate that season and find it

difficult to motivate myself to do

much. Volunteering encouraged

me to spend days outdoors in all

weathers and had a positive impact

on my mood. I also developed so

many new skills. Who knew I could

learn how to coppice hazel and sow

a wildflower meadow!”

A New Forest resident of

30 years, Deborah says she

previously had little knowledge

of the conservation issues facing

the park — something that now

drives her volunteering. “The park

attracts millions of tourists each

year and educating them — in

particular, around the free-

roaming animals [ponies, cattle,

PARKS & RECREATION

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September 2021 155


of what they could be,” says

Rewilding Britain in its current call

on the UK government to make our

national parks wilder. It notes that

decades-old laws are hobbling the

ability of national parks to ‘lead

the way in tackling the extinction

crisis and climate emergency’.

In October 2020, a Friends of

the Earth report revealed that

several of England’s most iconic

national parks contain a lower

percentage of woodland cover

than our large cities; the Yorkshire

Dales has just 4.1% compared to

London, at 4.5%, for example.

In September 2018, Natural

England — the government body

that oversees our national parks

— reported that barely a quarter

of its sites of special scientific

interest were in good condition.

Last year, prime minister

Boris Johnson pledged to boost

biodiversity by protecting

30% of Britain for nature by

2030. National parks and other

protected areas make up 26% of

land in England. Rewilding Britain

says that ‘it’s not credible for

government to claim that national

parks, in their current state, can

count towards this commitment.’

Moorland, marshland, downs

and dales, woodland, lakes,

peat bogs and heaths: our parks

encompass diverse ecosystems.

In 2019, a State of Nature report,

which compiled data from more

than 50 organisations, including

the RSPB and Wildlife Trusts,

ranked the UK as one of the most

nature-depleted countries in the

world, with 15% of its wild species

facing extinction.

Rewilding Britain is urging the

public to sign a petition calling on

the government to give national

parks greater powers to tackle

biodiversity loss and climate

change, and to create core

rewilding areas on public land

across 10% of the national parks.

Green-space championsProviding people with access to

nature-rich wilderness areas is one

of the principles the national parks

were established to uphold. It was

our country’s ‘untamed’ places that

inspired the English poet William

Wordsworth to wander ‘lonely as a

cloud’ in the Lake District and add

his voice to the growing call for the

creation of a national park network

back in the fast-industrialising 19th

century. And in the wake of Public

Health England’s 2020 review,

highlighting the positive effects

access to green space has on our

health and wellbeing, it’s clear our

national parks remain as vital as

ever.

“The proximity of three national

parks was very much part of my

decision to move to the North of

England,” says voluntary ranger

David Bream, who began walking

in the North York Moors, Yorkshire

Dales and Lake District National

Parks before becoming aware

of volunteering opportunities

through a friend and signing up to

become a ranger.

David’s volunteer work has

included riverfly monitoring,

peat-depth mapping, ancient

tree surveying and dark-sky

mapping. Having completed over

donkeys, pigs and sheep] — is a

difficult one. Animals are essential

to keeping the forest in its natural

state, but they’re owned by

‘commoners’ rather than the park.”

The New Forest’s commoners

(people who occupy land or

property with grazing rights

attached) are just one of many

human communities that coexist

within national parks. At any

one time there can be around

half a million people populating

the UK’s national parks. They

include farmers, villagers and,

controversially, a growing number

of mining communities, alongside

staff from resident organisations

such as the National Trust,

Forestry Commission, RSPB, The

Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust,

English Heritage and NatureScot.

The inevitable push-and-pull of

their contrasting agendas aside,

these diverse organisations

offer myriad volunteer projects,

making them a good port of call

for tracking down opportunities

to suit particular interests.

Rewilding Britain, the

organisation that works for the

mass restoration of the nation’s

ecosystems, has partner projects

across several national parks.

Among them, Wild Ennerdale, in

the Lake District, is an initiative

that aims to help natural

processes reclaim and shape

the Ennerdale Valley landscape

after years of sheep-grazing and

the cultivation of non-native

tree plantations. Volunteer

work with Wild Ennerdale has

involved fence removal, tree

planting and footpath and wetland

construction. The 10-year-old

project has worked with local

farmers to introduce grazers like

Galloway cattle to the region; they

clear land naturally, helping reset

ecosystems. It’s an approach that’s

seen nature return in abundance:

salmon restored to rivers and

thriving populations of the at-risk

marsh fritillary butterfly.

“Despite some superb

conservation initiatives, our

national parks are nature-

depleted and ecological shadows

It was our ‘untamed’ places that inspired Wordsworth to wander ‘lonely as a cloud’ in the Lake District and add his voice to the growing call for the creation of a national park network

Red squirrels, a native species in decline

in the UK, are thriving in the Cairngorms

National Park RIGHT: Cyclists in Roydon

Woods Nature Reserve, part of the New

Forest National Park


NATIONAL PARKS


MORE INFO

nationalparks.uk

cairngorms.co.uk

lochlomond-trossachs.org

GET INVOLVED

nationalparks.uk/

look-wild

wildennerdale.co.uk

rewildingbritain.org.uk

cnp.org.uk

scnp.org.uk

moorsforthefuture.org.uk

bebuckfastleigh.co.uk

Three great ways to get

out and volunteer in the

UK’s national parks

BECOME A FRIEND

Almost every national

park has a society or

‘friends of’ group that

helps care for and

connect people to their

local park. Activities

could include organising

volunteer litter-picks,

leading guided walks

or creating informative

magazines or campaigns.

Find your local group at

cnp.org.uk/our-council

SPEND TIME IN

THE GARDEN

Fancy getting out into

one of the National

Trust’s estates? The

organisation has roles

for gardeners, guides

and even dog welcome

assistants. Almost half

the land in the National

Trust’s care sits within

national parks, and

its volunteers have

varied roles working

to ‘conserve precious

natural environments for

people and for wildlife’.

nationaltrust.org.uk

GET OUT INTO THE

WOODS

A key issue facing

our national parks is

nature depletion, a

chief aspect of which

is a lack of woodland

cover. Conservation

charity The Woodland

Trust, has opportunities

for volunteers, with

activities including tree

planting, woodland

upkeep, warden duties

and tree seed collecting.

woodlandtrust.org.uk

PICK OF THE PROJECTS:

3,000 hours of volunteering since

2013, David was one of several

volunteers commended at this

year’s Park Protector Awards,

which recognise the work of

national park staff and volunteers.

The awards are organised by the

Campaign for National Parks

(CNP), a charity that champions

national parks in England and

Wales (the Scottish Campaign for

National Parks is the equivalent

north of the border).

The CNP played a crucial role

in working for the creation of the

first four national parks, which all

celebrate their 70th anniversary

this year. Its latest campaign calls

on the government to enable

national parks to be at the centre

of a green recovery.

“It’s a critical time for national

parks,” says CNP campaigns and

communications manager Laura

Williams. “They’re limited by

another year of cuts to their

budgets, and by mixed

messages from a government,

which talks about nature

recovery while giving the go-ahead

for mass road-building, airport

expansion and high-speed rail.”

The CNP champions the

volunteers that national parks

have relied on to help look after

their protected landscapes

— citing the Moors for the Future

partnership as a success story

that’s restored 10sq miles of

peatland, securing it a runner-up

prize in this year’s Park Protector

Awards. Elsewhere, volunteers at

Be Wild Buckfastleigh, another

prize winner, helped connect

hundreds of local people with

Dartmoor National Park through

videos, socially distanced nature

walks and wildlife activity packs

distributed via local food banks.

“Anyone can engage with

volunteer work,” says Denise

Dane a national parks volunteer

of five years. “Park staff offer

a lot of support for training

and help tap into your life

skills to find out where they

might apply. Everyone has

skills that can be used in some

way.” With a background in

education, Denise has done

everything from ancient tree

surveys to collecting and

documenting oral histories as part

of the Ryevitalise project based

around the River Rye in North

York Moors National Park.

“One of the highlights has

been meeting two sisters whose

father was a river keeper on the

Rye,” says Denise. “There isn’t

a memory from their childhood

that doesn’t relate to the river,

and they believe that national

parks — working alongside

farmers, locals and keepers

— have allowed the river to

remain largely unchanged.”

National parks as living,

working landscapes is a concept

Denise thinks people are

beginning to better understand,

along with the need for

balance between footfall and

conservation. “There’s a lot of

emphasis on signage in the parks

currently, encouraging respect

for them as natural working

environments. For example, being

aware of when birds are nesting,

or keeping dogs on leads in

lambing season.

“The more you engage the

public with volunteer work like

nature surveying and hands-on

conservation, the more that

understanding increases.” IMA

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September 2021 157

NATIONAL PARKS


TheDeep South

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Plus // Bath, Berlin, Florence, Latvia, Northern Ireland, Macao, Porto, Seychelles, Switzerland & more



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