The 50 best beaches in the UK 
DRAMATIC BEACHES
July 3rd, 2009
Sumba: the wild little sister of Bali
Why donât I ever listen to my mother? Sheâd have warned me not to go into the undergrowth alone with a strange man, one who at this very moment is grinning widely and brandishing a sword only inches from my face.
July 3rd, 2009
Revealed: the first naturist B&B in Europe
My husband looks doubtful. âWhy the suitcase?â He has a point. I am going for two days to the first naturist B&B in Europe.
July 3rd, 2009
From iron curtain to green belt
When Germany was divided during the cold war, nature took control of the deserted border area. Today it forms a reserve as fascinating as the country's recent historyWhen I told friends I was setting off to explore the former border that once separated East and West Germany, several of them, even the German ones, scratched their heads and dug out their maps to find out where it ran. Unlike the Berlin Wall, the infamous symbol of the cold war that separated West Berlin from East, the much longer border that ran through the heart of Germany, has been largely forgotten. German nature lovers, however, are well aware of the scar left by the iron curtain, once one of the world's most heavily fortified borders. For four decades up to the end of the cold war in 1989, around 600 threatened species of animal and plant life were given a free rein in a no man's land overshadowed by minefields, metal fences and watchtowers. The legacy is a unique and extraordinarily rich chain of ad hoc nature reserves running for nearly 1,400km in a gentle zigzag from the Vogtland region, near the German-Czech border in the south, to the Baltic Sea in the north, now interlinked to form a grünes band, or green belt. It is an impressive living monument to recent European history that is accessible to walkers and bikers. Eckhard Selz, a ranger and former East German from the Harz national park, summed it up over a bowl of pea and sausage soup atop the Brocken peak, one of the highlights of the route: "The division of Germany was a travesty that robbed people of their freedom, but a positive side effect was the way the sealed border allowed nature to flourish."It has created a treasure trove of wildlife, including black storks, wild cats and winchats, a range of rare mosses and wood grouse. The newcomer is the lynx, which has been successfully reintroduced to the region since the border came down.In four days we hiked around 100km of the green belt, starting at the Torfhaus visitor centre in the Harz national park, just outside the picturesque former mining town of Goslar. It was organised for us by the Harz tourist board and the Green Belt initiative, who will arrange guides, luggage transfers, routes and accommodation, allowing you the freedom to concentrate on the surroundings. Alternatively you can do the hikes alone. The paths are well marked and the local tourist offices on the route are stocked with plenty of maps and information about activities. In Torfhaus, our guide, biologist Jens Halves, offered everything from reflexology foot massages in the park's cool mountain streams to tours that trace the past journeys of Hans-Christian Andersen and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe to reconstructing the lives of the 18th- and 19th-century charcoal burners who lived in the forest and served the steel industry. In Goslar - home to the delicious Gose beer that is brewed with a high concentration of malt and the region's soft and mineral-rich water - we stayed at the Kaiserworth Hotel, once a 15th-century cloth traders' guild house. The following day our rucksacks were picked up by a luggage taxi for delivery to our next destination while we set off on foot to the charming town of Hornburg. A room in the local museum details the West German town's precarious proximity to the iron curtain, including a model of the automatic spring guns that the East German authorities installed at the border. Triggered by movement, they sprayed would-be escapees with bullets. "It was like living at the edge of the world," said Hinrich Schüler, our guide, who worked as a forester on the border and recalls the day in November 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down. He and his colleagues had to act rapidly, cutting paths through the forest and laying temporary roads for the thousands of Trabants and pedestrians rushing from East to West. Now the towering 69-year-old was accompanying us on a brisk walk through a forest in Lower Saxony into the 1,030-year-old village of Osterwieck in the former East. Osterwieck has received millions of euros in grants over the last 20 years to help restore its stunning collection of 400 half-timbered houses. But much of the former East is revealed in the many abandoned homes of the thousands who have been forced to leave because of lack of work.In Ilsenburg we spent the night in a former East German army barracks, now the swish Berghotel, from where we trekked in drizzle through the pine and rock landscape of the Brocken along the distinct border patrol path, constructed out of perforated slab concrete, that runs like a seam for practically the entire length of the former border. "The Brocken is to the Germans what Ben Nevis is to the Scots," explained Friedhart Knolle, a national park geologist. The 1,141m mount was also a favourite haunt for British tourists as far back as the 1830s, when they were lured by the promise of the Brockengespenst - the Brocken spectre - an illusion formed, it is believed, by the thick fog and the shadows of climbers cast upon it. The seminal role it played in the history of broadcasting, when the 1936 Olympics were transmitted from the world's first television tower here, is explained in a museum at the summit. The GDR authorities turned it into a military zone, out of bounds for all Germans, so today it is one of the most potent symbols of German partition and reunification.A 19th-century narrow-gauge steam railway, the Brockenbahn, took us downhill to the pretty town of Schiercke (in the former East), close to our next destination, the town of Braunlage (former West). At the foot of Wurmberg mountain there, slalom skiers were once instructed to concentrate on curbing the end of their runs lest they ended up cruising into the forbidden East. Hartmut Dörge, a former customs officer on the West German border who now gives tours of the area around Braunlage, pointed out the gaps in the heavily-fortified fences where foxes, rabbits and badgers were able to tunnel their way through. Our walk took us past a brook, just 1m wide, that was pedantically split down the middle by the international border, a house in the forest where secret agents once met and a former East German army barracks turned asylum seekers' home.Dorge gave me a piece of the metal mesh border fence as a souvenir before handing us over in the pretty town of Hohegeiss to our next guide, his former colleague Manfred Gille. He led us on a steep path through a spectacular pine forest that was so thick and dark it would have been the ideal setting for a Grimm fairytale. In a clearing near the East German village of Sorge, he pointed out how the tilling of the earth in search of landmines inadvertently churned up seeds and helped a wealth of birch and pine saplings to take root all along the former border. There are still bare patches, however, where industrial weed-killer sprayed by GDR authorities to ensure unbroken views of their borders, have killed all the nutrients.Gille recalled a bizarre encounter he had with a Westerner who fled to the East, saying he was sick of the capitalist system: "He clung to the fence, rattling on it and crying 'Let me in!' while ignoring our suggestions that he should think twice about what he was doing."At the Ring of Memory near the village of Sorge (which, fittingly, means "woe" in German), landscape artist Hermann Prigann's sculpture of naked concrete pillars encircled with charred wood piles celebrates how the forest has enveloped the former border area.We met Inge Winkel, the mayor of the 120-soul village, who admitted she still stuck to the border patrol path for fear of stepping on an undiscovered landmine if she strayed into the forest. She stood at the fence marking the first of the two metal fortifications that once separated Sorge from the West and dwelt on a detail that has haunted her for years. "It's the highest quality steel, especially chosen by a regime that needed to keep its citizens locked in, otherwise they'd have run away," she said. We ended our four-day journey in Eichsfeld, a Catholic enclave that is famous for successfully defying the regime, and rested our weary limbs on a bench at the former border - a gift to the green belt initiative from none other than the man who had initiated the monumental changes, Mikhail Gorbachev.Way to goGetting thereAir Berlin (0871 5000 737, airberlin.com) flies Stansted-Hanover and Stansted-Berlin from £48 rtn inc tax. Border trailGerman tour operator Wandern im Harz (0049 5322 559603, wandern-im-harz.de) arranges hikes along the border trail from April to November. Hikes last four to six nights; the four-night tour costs €230pp, including hotel accommodation, transfers to and from the nearest railway station, breakfast, packed lunch, introductory talk, map, information material, luggage transfers and SOS assistance, but no guide.Further informationHarz Mountains Tourist Board: +5321 34040, harzinfo.de. For details of the wider route across Europe: greenbelteurope.eu.GermanyWalking holidaysWildlife holidaysWildlifeShort breaksEuropeguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
July 3rd, 2009
A bite at the opera
A star-studded festival in a tiny Tuscan hill city serves up the Italian passions of food and song in perfect harmonyOn summer afternoons, Cortona sleeps behind its white stone walls. This small city, perched high on rolling Tuscan hills, looks like Jerusalem as Blake might have imagined it. The cafes are closed on Piazza della Republica and the only sound is a soprano voice practising in an apartment high up in Via Ghibellina. For all I know, it might be Anna Netrebko or Angelika Kirchschlager. They've even had Cecilia Bartoli here. That's why I've driven down from Florence. Every August, Cortona is the venue for the Tuscan Sun Festival, when celebrity classical musicians descend on this tiny place not just to perform but also to enjoy the best lifestyle in the world.The centre of the festival is Teatro Signorelli, which dominates its own irregular piazza just above Piazza della Republica. The theatre is a sturdy neoclassical structure faced by a loggia where markets are held during the day. Until 1850 this was the site of a church. You can still see how the main aisle, through the plush red stalls, originally led up to an altar. The interior is lined with 50 gilded boxes, each belonging to a different Cortonese family. In the 19th century the city's music-loving bourgeoisie banded together to form the Accademia degli Arditi (Academy of the Brave). Each of the Arditi sponsored a box and the 50 boxes together funded the building of the city's first theatre. Initially Cortona named it Teatro Leopoldo in honour of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, but once the Hapsburgs were gone, and the Arditi could celebrate Italian unification, it was renamed in honour of the local painter Luca Signorelli.Every evening before the concerts start, there is a degustation event in the forecourt of Palazzo Casali. This sturdy stone structure is now home to MAEC (the Museum of the Etruscan Academy), but during the festival its courtyard is the venue for Cortonese producers to host tastings of local salami, rigatoni, olive oil, unsalted bread, olives and cheese, washed down by the winegrowers' excellent DOC. My festival ticket includes this nightly degustation. The Tuscan Sun Festival is as much about food and wine as it is about music and the tastings are well attended, certainly by the British. "In the summer I think the English love Italy more than we do," says Dr Cattani, a lawyer turned wine producer who is one of our hosts. Cattani is in good humour, but I notice the other winegrowers are standing around gloomily. The strength of the euro against the pound has not done any favours for a region with strong trading links to the UK.At 7.30 we are invited up the hill to this evening's performance. On my first night here, the tenor José Cura was singing his own songs. Last night we had Bach played by Pinchas Zukerman in a black T-shirt (looking remarkably like Billy Connolly these days). Informality is one of the keys to the Tuscan Sun Festival. American pianist Barrett Wissman, who founded it in 2003, took his inspiration from Frances Mayes whose memoir about buying and renovating a villa in Cortona, Under the Tuscan Sun, was in the New York Times bestseller list for more than two years. Mayes is now an honorary citizen of Cortona and one of the artistic directors of the festival.With the irresistible tourist draws of Siena, Florence, Lucca, Pisa and San Gimignano so close, it's not surprising that Cortona, on the Tuscany-Umbria border, gets overlooked. The city is not picture-postcard beautiful. Its piazzas are irregular and its palazzos are crammed into the hillside, one on top of the other, but it has more than its fair share of architectural delights if you look for them. In the afternoons I explored the 18th-century circular Chiesa di San Benedetto, converted out of a tower built by the Etruscans, and the square Renaissance Chiesa di Santa Maria Nuova, renowned for its perfect symmetry - the four sides of Giorgio Vasari's masterpiece are identical.True, there are no stunning architectural vistas in Cortona, as there are in Pisa and Florence, but there's always something to be discovered around the next corner.One day I discovered Chiesa San Filippo, clinging to a vertiginous street. An old verger in a dapper blazer let me into its immaculate pale-green baroque interior and led me to the mummified remains of the Blessed Ugolino Zefferini, which lie below an altar. He seemed to assume that was why I had called by. My host and I established that Ugolino had lived a life of great virtue in the 14th century and that after his death, a lily was found sprouting from his heart, exuding a celestial fragrance. "This lily, when plucked, cured a blind woman. And another lily grew in its place and another, but sad to say these miracles died out."Seven hundred years later, poor Ugolino is still awaiting canonisation.The morning before, I visited the Museo Diocesano, which used to function as a baptistery for the Duomo. My festival ticket got me into this as well, and I soon found myself face to face with an Annunciation by Fra Angelico, the one where Gabriel is beaming lines of golden text into the eyes of a surprised Madonna. There was also a lot of work by local boy Luca Signorelli - crucifixions, lamentations and depositions - all of it as good as the work of Fra Angelico, his master.But in the afternoons I felt I had the city to myself while the shopkeepers, wine merchants and farmers took their rest. This is the charm of Cortona. Its streets and piazzas are never clogged with tourists. The Tuscan Sun Festival has given a reason to visit, especially if you like world-class music, but it will never swamp the place. Like Frances Mayes, you feel that you, too, are discovering it for the first time.⢠Tuscan Sun Festival (020-8133 5571, tuscansunfestival.com or ticketing.terretrusche.com) runs 3-9 August; concert tickets at Teatro Signorelli start from €35, as do lunches and tastings. Meridiana (0871 222 9 319; meridiana.it) flies Gatwick-Florence from £175 rtn inc tax. Car hire from Florence (0870 400 0010, holidayautos.co.uk) from £193. Doubles at the Hotel San Michele in Cortona (0039 0575 604 348, hotelsanmichele.net) from €140 B&B. Where to eat and drink by Frances MayesIn Cortona all the trattorie are good - simply follow your nose and you're sure to find a fine dinner.Trattoria Dardano (Via Dardano, 24) serves ribollita (soup), bruschette, mixed roast - all the local dishes, plus a digestivo made from laurel leaves. La Grotta (Piazza Baldelli 3), in its own secret piazza, has great pastas and bistecca. Trattoria Toscana (Via Dardano, 12) makes perfect pici with duck sauce, and Pane e Vino (Piazza Signorelli, 27), right across from the Teatro Signorelli, has the best wine list in town. Then there's Osteria del Teatro (Via Maffei, 2) where the chef's wife has the greatest laugh in Tuscany and they slice off the top of prosecco bottles with a sword. These are all family-run trattorie, with the friendliness and gusto you hope for when you travel. During the festival, reservations are a good idea. For a celestial dinner and romantic place to stay, head to Il Falconiere (+0575 612 679, ilfalconiere.it) just outside town in the San Martino area. It is sublime, and you can sample owners Silvia and Riccardo's wines, including their famous Ardito red, and their new fizz, the only sangiovese-based wine made using the champagne method. Another favourite of mine is the RistoArte at Corys Hotel (corys.it, 0575 605143) in Torreone, 2km outside Cortona - and just up the road from my house. Giuseppe and Eva are local miracles. Try their lobster pasta, truffle pasta and lavish seafood antipasto. Their focus on seafood is unique in this part of Tuscany and the terrace has the best view in the area. I put myself in Giuseppe's hands, especially for the wine. He always emerges from his cantina with something I love. To buy wine, stop in at Molesini Enoteca (molesini-market.com) on the main piazza. Marco has local wines to taste and ships them worldwide. For gelato, Cocoa on Via Guelfa is up there with the angels. I'm partial to the hazelnut, though the dark chocolate runs a close second. Mangia bene, stare bene. Eat well. Be well.⢠Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy, by Frances Mayes, is published by Random House.Cultural tripsClassical music and operaTuscanyFood and drinkItalyShort breaksWeekend breaksCity breaksguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
July 3rd, 2009
Great eastern lines
Board a train in Istanbul and you can make bargain tracks all over a country that's already one of the cheapest short-haul destinationsThe neo-Renaissance facade of Haydarpasa train station is one of Istanbul's most evocative sights. A gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II to Sultan Abdülhamid II, Haydarpasa was designed by German architects Otto Ritter and Helmut Cuno and inaugurated in 1909. Inside, light streams through stained glass windows and the eye is drawn to the ornately decorated domed roof of the ticket hall. On weekdays, commuters cross the continents, arriving by train from Asia, funnelling outwards to the city's neighbourhoods, huddled along the straits; while passengers arriving by ferry from the busy districts of Sultanahmet, Beyoglu and Kadiköy disembark on the station's dedicated quay. Yet despite being the gateway to Asia - and a strong contender for the world's most romantic station - Haydarpasa seems to entice few foreign tourists to consider travelling through Turkey by train. Carriages are filled almost exclusively by Turks. In six months of intermittent train travel, I've met only one foreign couple on board. And I'm stumped as to why.Turkey's rail system is generally spotless, spacious and relatively efficient. Enthusiastically developed up until the mid 1970s (when long-distance buses became the favoured form of transport), the train network connects many of Turkey's main sights, including Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Ephesus and Lake Van, although much of the Aegean coast is inaccessible by rail. Slightly slower than bus travel (although infinitely more enjoyable), it's also common for trains to incur delays throughout long journeys, often arriving at a final destination a couple of hours later than expected.However, the country's first high-speed trains, running between Istanbul and Ankara, have cut the journey time from eight hours to five and a half, and work is underway to reduce it to less than four hours by early 2010. This faster service, departing from Haydarpasa, opens up Ankara as a side trip from Istanbul. Rarely making it onto tourist itineraries, Turkey's capital boasts Roman ruins, an Ottoman neighbourhood and an excellent archaeological museum. Perhaps the best reason to use the train is price. Not only is Turkey one of this summer's cheapest short-haul destinations, Turkish National Rail offers 30-day travel passes (tcdd.gov.tr - although it's necessary to purchase passes in Turkey in person) for a snip. An Ekspres Tren Tur Karti (TL150, around £59) gets you unlimited train travel throughout Turkey. By comparison, a standard one-month InterRail pass is almost 10-times that (£550, raileurope.co.uk). For those willing to splurge, a Yatakh Tren Tur Karti (TL500, around £198) buys unlimited first-class train travel all over the country, plus a berth on any sleeping car. Rail pass holders may hop on and off trains wherever and whenever they choose. The scenic itineraries that follow connect some of the country's best sights. Istanbul to AnkaraDeparting from Haydarpasa, the train accelerates as it passes Fenerbahçe football stadium and the tented markets of Istanbul's suburbs. At Bostanci's mint green station, the Sea of Marmara appears. Along the length of its eastern shore, it taunts passengers with fleeting turquoise flashes, before the train veers inland at Izmit. After four hours, passengers cross Eskisehir's central platform and board a Yüksek Hizli Tren (YHT, one of the country's first high-speed trains) to cover the same distance again in just over an hour. TV screens display a digital speedometer, as the train tops out at 250km/hr, then slows down and pulls into Ankara's 1930s Bauhaus station. (NB: A supplement must be paid by rail pass holders wishing to travel on the latter part of this line.) From Ankara you can continue east to Lake Van, south to Adana or west to Izmir.Schedule Four high-speed trains per day, through Eskisehir, 5½ hours total; 4 normal trains per day, 8-9½ hours.Overnight stay Deniz Atlanta Hotel in Ankara (otelatlanta.com; doubles from around £26) boasts panoramic views from its rooftop terrace.Ankara to Lake VanThe mother of all Turkish rail journeys, the Vangölü Ekspresi takes nearly two days to traverse the entire country west to east. Starting in Istanbul, the train picks up passengers in Ankara at about 8.30am, before ambling on to Kayseri. Hop off here to spend a few days in the otherworldly region of Cappadocia, famed for its underground cities and "fairy chimney" rock structures. Or continue eastwards. As evening falls, the train edges closer to the small city of Malatya, renowned for its sweet apricots. Breakfast of cucumber, tomato, cheese and olives is washed down by sweet Turkish tea. Mid-afternoon, or likely a little later (long-distance delays are common), the train pulls into Tatvan on the tip of majestic Lake Van, around 180km west of the Iranian border.Schedule One train twice a week, 30 hours.Overnight stay Stop off in Ayvali, Cappadocia, in one of Gamirasu Hotel's cosy cave rooms (gamirasu.com, doubles from €95). Or stay aboard, eventually crossing Lake Van by ferry to Van itself, where Büyük Asur Otel (+90 432 216 8792, doubles from around £32) offers a pleasant stop.Eskisehir to AdanaTake the train back to Eskisehir from Ankara, and head to Enveriye station to board the train at dawn. The track skirts unpaved villages in rural Turkey, before hitting Konya, home to the tomb of Sufi poet Rumi. The city's population has exploded over the last decade: miles of apartment blocks ring the city centre. Passengers alight in Adana, many heading by bus via orange groves to the city of Antakya (also known as Antioch), where Saint Peter is said to have established one of the first Christian churches. Schedule One train per day, 14 hoursOvernight stay Although there's little to see in Adana, the simple Otel Mercan (otelmercan.com; doubles from around £30) is a friendly place to bed down. Alternatively, press on (via bus) to Antakya, or hop aboard one of the new Adana-Aleppo trains. The route begins in the port town of Mersin, west of Adana, and runs twice a week (separate ticket required, Syrian visa necessary).Ankara to IzmirAs the train leaves Turkey's capital, modern shopping malls quickly give way to red earth plateaux. Near Polatlh, a massive hilltop statue of the republic's founding father, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, looms in the distance. After settling down in one of the sleeping compartments - with tiny refrigerators for storing overnight provisions - head to the dining carriage for meatballs, lentil soup, salad and beer. Or join the locals debating loudly over glasses of anise-flavoured raki. The following morning the train rocks through vineyards to the Aegean coast. Schedule Three trains per day, 12-15 hours.Overnight stay On the edge of Izmir's bazaar, Otel Antik Han's modern rooms are set around a courtyard filled with lemon trees (otelantikhan.com; doubles from around £55 B&B). Or head instead to one of the resorts on the Çesme peninsula (one hour by bus from Izmir). Ümit Ev Otel (umitevotel.com; doubles from around £67), in picturesque Alaçati, serves breakfast from its organic garden.Izmir to Aydin Setting off from Izmir, this line provides smooth access between the country's most famous monument, Ephesus (3km from Selçuk), and Turkey's most stunning wonder, the crystal-white, hot springs of Pamukkale (20km from Denizli). This Aydin-bound train is a locals-only affair, composed of two second-class carriages: seating is a free-for-all, exchanging life stories is obligatory (if you don't speak Turkish, expect to mime a lot). Selçuk's castle appears on the horizon, followed by olive groves and shady tea gardens. Fig trees, for which Aydin is famous, stretch along undulating hills, soon giving way to the city centre. Due to maintenance on the line, visitors currently have to hop on a bus from downtown Aydin to Denizli, then on to Pamukkale.Schedule Four trains per day, 2 hours.Overnight stay Visit Ephesus from nearby Hotel Bella (hotelbella.com; doubles from around £24 B&B) in Selçuk. Or watch the sun set over Pamukkale's luminous white pools from Hotel Kervansaray's (kervansaraypension.com, doubles from around £20) rooftop restaurant.IstanbulRail travelTurkeyBudget travelShort breaksMiddle Eastguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
July 3rd, 2009
Now you're talking ...
Want to speak like a native but don't fancy spending your entire trip in a classroom? These holidays combine lessons with activities and the chance to hang out with localsFrenchSurfing: BiarritzIf only school could have been this relaxed. At a solar-powered surf camp in a 300-year-old farmhouse close to Les Casernes beach, near Biarritz, language lessons take the form of informal two-hour chats over beers in the afternoons. Mornings are spent riding the waves, and five days of surf lessons (for 1½ hours per day) are included. The camp has plenty of places for practising tenses in your free time - in the garden, hydro-pool, hammam, tree hut, canoe or hammock. Suitable for beginners and improvers.⢠A week costs £606pp, including surfboard and wetsuit hire. 08445 020 445, golearnto.com.Outdoor adventure: VerdonPerhaps you're more likely to remember new words if you learn them while scared out of your wits. A French immersion course in Moustiers, in the Parc Naturel Regional du Verdon, includes morning lessons (beginner to advanced available) in a converted hilltop monastery, plus afternoon exploration of the river Verdon by canoe, treks into the Garrigue with a forest guard, games of pétanque in the village square, dances at a bal populaire or viewings of French films, all accompanied by teachers to ensure French is spoken throughout. At the weekend, the adventuring ratchets up a gear with canyoning, rafting, kayaking and abseiling where no doubt you will learn the French for "Help!" and perfect your pronunciation of merde⢠Course €1,670pp for 14 days, accommodation €458 per week, 0121 430 7660, experiencelanguage.co.uk.Wine: BordeauxMany people's language priority is being able to order food and drink. But imagine how impressive you'll sound when you can not only stammer out "Un verre de vin, s'il vous plaît", but are also capable of ordering a fine Bordeaux, commenting on its complexity of flavour and describing the time you visited the very vineyard where it was created. This seven-day French and Bordeaux wine course will set you well on the way to talking about terroir like a native, with four 45-minute sessions of French a day (there's a test on day one to establish your level), three afternoon sessions on Bordeaux wines, including tastings at l'Ecole du Bordeaux, and excursions to Saint-Emilion and Médoc vineyards.⢠Courses start 20 July, 17 August, 14 September, 12 October, £705pp. Homestay accommodation from £170 per week, flight from £115pp return. 0871 230 8512, statravel.co.uk.SpanishWalk the talk: Pyrenees"When we visit my neighbour Hilaria's vegetable garden, if you pick tomatoes, you'll learn how to talk about them," says Georgina Howard, who runs the Pyrenean Experience, a language course in the Baztan valley that teaches Spanish by living Spanish. Language tutors are always on hand to help guests in conversation practise while they ramble through the Pyrenean mountains, meet local farmers, visit bars and hamlets, have lunch with the neighbours or host parties at the seven-bedroom farmhouse, and generally live the Basque life. There are more formal morning lessons on a terrace, and weeks for beginners, intermediate and advanced speakers are run separately.⢠Full board £850pp per week, 0121 711 3428, pyreneanexperience.com.Surfing: TenerifeInsted runs language courses in Austria, Spain and France that are combined with skiing or surfing. Its Tenerife course runs year-round from a central base in Puerto de la Cruz, a thriving town with busy bars and restaurants serving Latin American and African-influenced dishes. Minutes away from the classroom are the beaches, where the breaks have earned the Canaries the title "Hawaii of the Atlantic". Accommodation is with a local family, or in an apartment sharing with other students from the course.⢠Homestay with family from €165pp per week B&B in private room, €200 half board. Apartment from €165pp for private room. Two week minimum, €220 per week for the course. 00 33 450 530 366, insted.com. Tango: Buenos Aires"Bailamos?" is Spanish for "Shall we dance?" - as those returning from this trip will know. In the historic centre of Argentina's capital, near the bohemian San Telmo district, pupils take a daily four-hour classroom lesson of Spanish, and Argentinian and Spanish culture, politics and history in groups of up to seven. Afterwards they don their dancing shoes to learn one of the world's sexiest dances at a nearby milonga, or tango hall.⢠Six nights including homestay with from £467pp, tango classes £4 per hour. Hotel accommodation available. Journey Latin America (020 8747 8315, journeylatinamerica.co.uk).PortugueseCapoeira: BrazilPractise whirling your limbs to the moves of capoeira while learning to twirl your tongue around the Portuguese language on a two-week course combining the two in Salvador. Classes of eight study beginners' Portuguese for 20 hours a week, then concentrate on the acrobatic Brazilian dance/martial art twice a week; both take place in a language centre. A samba lesson and cookery class are also included, and homestay accommodation is available so that you can practise over dinner (the language, not capoeira).⢠Course £285 pp for 14 days, homestay accommodation from £89 per room per week. 08445 020 445, golearnto.com.ItalianFood and cookery: TuscanyFor an indulgent foodie break with a side serving of language lessons, Sanctuary Villas puts up large groups of friends or two families in a luxurious converted farmhouse villa with an outdoor pool, sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi, near the medieval village of San Gimignano. The company can arrange extras including cookery classes with local chef Giuseppina and language lessons, taken in your villa, the garden which overlooks rolling, cypress-lined Chianti hills or wherever you prefer. Villa La Terme consists of two large houses, together sleeping 10 plus two children. ⢠From £5,824 per week (£69 pp per night) accommodation only, language lessons from £41 pp per hour with Sanctuary Villas (01242 547 902, sanctuary-villas.com). Photography and cycling: UmbriaNorthern Umbria is a very untouristy part of Italy, a bonus for language learners as locals are unlikely to revert to English when you chat, and because they have more time to do so. Guests at the Labbazia school in the Upper Tiber Valley will meet plenty of them on trips to local markets and bars in the nearby medieval villages, where they'll put into practise all they learned that day in class (three levels available). There's usually some sort of local pageant, dance or festival to attend, and many other activities are arranged on demand, from photography classes to tai chi, cycling or horse-riding.⢠From €1,050pp per week, full-board at the agriturismo where lessons are held, including 20 x 45min lessons, transfers from Perugia and guided trips. 00 39 075 857 3004, labbaziaschool.com.GreekBeach and culture: SyrosOn this two-week course at the OMILO centre on the Cycladic island of Syros, there are classes at the Pension Echo in Azolimnos (which is also one of the self-catering accommodation options) from 9.30am to 1.30pm each day. Then it's time to hit the beaches right by the centre for swimming and sunbathing, before moving a short distance to the village's lively tavernas. Excursions such as Greek dance lessons, museum visits, guided walks and local concerts are included and everyone goes along to a sociable first night meal. The island's capital, Ermoupolis, an affluent harbour of neo-classical buildings, mansions, marble-paved streets and white houses, is 4km away. ⢠Catch a ferry from Athens. Next dates September, €590 for two weeks. Rooms from €35 per night. 00 30 210 612 2896, omilo.com.GermanWatersports: BavariaLindau is a beautiful town on its own island in the eastern side of Lake Constance, with a historic medieval centre and pretty harbour. It's a great base for learning German - after classes, pupils cool off by sailing and waterskiing on the lake, cycle around it or go on excursions to Meersburg, Salem Castle and Liechtenstein. The Dialoge language school provides 20-25 lessons per week, and has a sports hall for basketball, volleyball and football games. Social evenings with barbecues, wine tastings and the cinema are arranged too. ⢠From €490 per week including accommodation with a host family or the school's apartments, €330 without. 0808 234 8578, studytravel.com.ArabicInteraction: CairoPupils of the Bridge Abroad programme will learn the Egyptian dialect (one of the easiest to pick up) as well as classical Arabic on a week's beginners' course in Cairo. The focus is on learning through interaction with some of the city's 14.5million residents, after daily lessons in a school 15 minutes from the centre. Afternoons are spent among the throng, picking up more vocabulary in the souks, cafes and squares, and at lectures, concerts, cinemas and the famous sites.⢠Three weeks (minimum) including accommodation costs from $878pp, $399 without accommodation, or from $711 per week private tuition, from $855 with accommodation. 0808 120 7613, bridgeabroad.com. JapaneseCooking and karaoke: TokyoNowhere gives a culture shock like Japan, so throwing yourself into the local way of life is as important as learning the lingo if you are to have a hope of ever fitting in. Alongside a beginners' course that also covers Japanese culture in a centrally-located school, pupils can take workshops on calligraphy, tea ceremonies, noodle cooking, judo and karate, and interact with native Japanese speakers on nights out bowling, to quizzes and, of course, singing karaoke. ⢠From $2900 for two weeks including accommodation with a host family, in student dorms or apartments with World Link Education (0046 5580 3720, wle-japan.com). MandarinLive-in learning: BeijingMoving in with your teacher would have been an abhorrent notion when you were a teenager, but now it could be the best way to develop your language skills. Instead of trawling through a textbook twice a day, you can chat to your tutors from breakfast to bedtime while staying in their home on Go Learn To's "home language courses". These suit all levels and give the option of staying with your teachers, couples and families around Beijing as well as informal tuition. Guests get a set of keys and are free to come and go as they please, but are usually invited to join in with their teacher's life, to meet relatives and friends, go shopping and explore the nightlife. ⢠Seven days from £864pp per week full board, 08445 020 445, golearnto.com.RussianCulture: St PetersburgRussia is one place where you're unlikely to pick up much of the language without some serious tuition. A course that includes 20 lessons per week in St Petersburg is a good place to start. After class, it's time to absorb the city's rich culture at its many sites. Bi-weekly group activities include visits to the theatre and ballet and to other places such as the riverside city of Novgorod. Go in the summer and you can join in many vercherinkas - small parties with caviar, vodka and Russian folk songs. Beginners' and advanced courses are available, but everyone is asked to learn the Cyrillic alphabet before arriving.⢠Two weeks from $2,170pp all inclusive, but excluding flights, languagesabroad.com.⢠Don't miss our free phrasebooks every day next week, plus Italian the week afterLanguage coursesCultural tripsAdventure travelArgentinaBeijingBrazilBuenos AiresCairoChinaCycling holidaysEgyptEuropeFood and drinkFranceGermanyGreeceItalyJapanMiddle EastPortugalRussiaSt PetersburgSouth AmericaSpainSurfingTokyoTuscanyUmbriaWalking holidaysWineguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
July 3rd, 2009
Expert's and reader's tips: Natural pools
Expert's tipFeshiebridge, Aviemore, ScotlandCrystal-clear waters tumble down from the Cairngorms between the rocks at Feshiebridge, where a section of the Feshie river opens into a big shallow pool. Depending on the type of swimming you want, you can float in the rapids or sit in fizzy pools that are like natural Jacuzzis, where air that has been forced beneath the surface by a waterfall bubbles up in clear spheres - put your goggles on and underwater they resemble little spinning planets. There's also a big shallow pool edged by a grassy area for picnicking. From afar I thought I could see strata in the rocks beneath the water, but as I drew closer I realised they were dozens of trout, sitting still in straight, steady lines. Occasionally they would jump up to expose their pink bellies before resuming their position.Take the B970 south from Aviemore for around 5 miles to Feshiebridge.⢠Kate Rew, editor of Wild Swim (Guardian Books, £10.99, guardianbooks.co.uk) and founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society (outdoorswimmingsociety.com).Reader's tipThe Mermaid's Pool, StaffordshireGorgeous, glassily calm natural pool with beautiful views of the nearby Roaches crags, the rolling Staffordshire Moorlands and, on a clear day, the Cheshire Plain. Seemingly bottomless, this is the perfect spot for an outdoor dip while travelling through the White Peak or the rugged, much underrated Moorlands (although not suitable for children, as the sides of the pool are sheer and it is not possible to stand up once in the water).If in doubt, wear a wetsuit to counteract cramp, and don't even think about taking the plunge without someone staying put on dry land to keep an eye on you. Once you're out, make your way back over to the other side of the A53 and have a nice cup of tea and, crucially, a scone, at Tisha's Teas, on the Gradbach road.Filthyknitter ScotlandUnited KingdomPeak Districtguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
July 3rd, 2009
Haven for Cretans of habit
Entranced visitors keep coming back to the Greek island's south coast - and especially to one remote taverna with rooms and its own pulling powerMost people who come to Taverna Agia Fotini have stumbled upon it, searching for a path to the sea or exploring the villages that cling to steep slopes covered in olive trees, eucalyptus and a parched lushness of golden grasses. We know it's there, somewhere, but it's still a cool surprise: a shady blue and white porch facing the sea at the front, a low building shrugged up against the cliff behind. By the end of our stay we can see why many who find it keep coming back: the Irish lawyer who has holidayed on Crete since the early 70s, and has been returning to Agia Fotini for most of the last decade, as have a couple from Somerset (they're staying just down the coast, but come for meals and to swim); the Swiss couple who are on a second visit because it's one of the few places on overdeveloped Crete that "feels as it would have 30 years ago".It is very much a family business. Stavros and Vicki Perakis, who own and run it, show me a fading black and white photo, taken 85 years ago, of his family in Sunday best, grouped precariously on the rocks. For years the building was a high-ceilinged carob storehouse; there were no roads, so ships would stop by to take the crop to market. But then the market collapsed, and in the 1950s Stavros's parents started a kafenío - serving fresh fish, a bit of salad, drinks and watermelons (floated in the sea to keep them cool). Just along the south coast, Matala attracted hippies - "campus Guevarists in Fidelista fatigues," as one visitor described them, "sexual Leftists and sanyasins in long-flowing robes ... Prometheus-poseurs of Hip" - who occupied the caves, and artists such as Joni Mitchell, who sang of the village's Mermaid Café. But at Agia Fotini it was the locals who came down from the villages by donkey, to take a summer break from farming and swim in the sea. They still come, from the nearby hamlets of Kerames, Drimiskos, and Agalianos, even though it is now a full taverna, and there are four rooms for tourists, the 6m-high storehouse having been split into an upper and a lower floor.It is unusual for tavernas to have rooms, but at a place this remote it is something of a necessity. It is a good 30-minute drive, on unlit mountain roads, to the nearest sizeable town, the touristy but charming Spili; less far, but still a good distance, to the taverna at Ligres. (Kionia Apartments not far along the beach also provide a place to stay but you'd still have to come to Agia Fotini to eat.) As it is, the sea is literally at our feet - our dinner was occasionally seasoned with salt spray - so you can have a late-morning swim from the small, rocky beach, splash on to the veranda for lunch, then retire upstairs for a nap. And do it all again. And again. Or sit on the balcony reading, or sleep in the cool high rooms ...Vicki and Stavros met in Australia, in Wollongong, 60km south of Sydney, where she, the daughter of Greek immigrants, grew up, and he was working as a sandblaster. She was 18 when they married; he was 22. They had two children, Vaggeli and Evgenia, but Stavros was always homesick and finally persuaded his wife to come to Crete and run the old kafenío. "I promised her we'd come for two years, just to try. And after two years I said just another year, and then another year, and after five years ..." That was 14 years ago.Apart from a few speedily corrected slip-ups (Vicki has a rueful story about the time Stavros decided that fluorescent strip-lighting would be a great idea), they have modernised the place sympathetically. The bedrooms are simple, wood and white-washed stone; the French windows and balcony look out over rush matting (picked in the vicinity) to the water. Last year, when a wildfire cut them off from the mainland and threatened to overwhelm them, they - and a Hungarian guest, staying with her daughter - fought it with buckets of Libyan Sea. Vicki looks traumatised even at the mention of it.Stavros does almost all the cooking. My favourite were spinach pies, triangles of pastry filled with fresh spinach, wild greens, dill and wild fennel, but we also had good fish - silver bream and a red snapper we were invited to inspect before it was grilled. Stavros often does the fishing himself, but this was brought by fishermen from Timbaki, who drop their catch off at the beach. They grow their own onions, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers - the Greek salads could not be fresher - and the olive oil is from their own trees. Breakfast is basic - toast and coffee (orange juice, freshly squeezed, is extra), but they have a nice habit of giving you free dessert: fresh cherries, Greek yoghurt with stewed cherries, or slices of cold watermelon, and always a glass of raki.If you're feeling energetic (or dutiful), there are sights to see, such as Festos - Minoan ruins outdone in size and importance only by Knossos, and attended by a mere fraction of the visitors the latter attracts. You can have whole theatres, servants' quarters (where I found the small stone implements rather moving), and queens' chambers to yourself. Ayia Triadha, the Minoan summer palace just down the road, had only one other visitor. The artworks found there have been moved to the Heraklion Archeological Museum, but in the quiet at the top of the hill (now surrounded by fields, but then by sea) you're free to imagine cool corridors, bustling tradesmen and the fire that destroyed it in 1450BC.There is a choice of more expansive and dramatic beaches - Triopetra, Ligres, Palm Beach - but my favourite day trip was to the Amari valley, and a whole other world of white-washed villages, cock-crows, birdsong, terracotta roofs, profusions of roses, honeysuckle, geranium and bougainvillea, orange groves, and hillsides of yellow broom that provided a respite from what can be an exhaustingly arid, eroded landscape. At Thronos an elderly lady let us in to the frescoed medieval chapel (built on the site of a Byzantine church), made us coffee to drink on a balcony facing Mount Ida and tried to sell us some crocheting. You can feel the clocks slowing down - and not just because the roads are so narrow that you have to be careful not to drive into people's bedrooms, and so erratically signed that you have to keep backtracking to find your way. I never thought that much about Joni Mitchell's line "The wind is in from Africa/ Last night I couldn't sleep", but now I know what she meant. The week before we arrived was calm, but for most of our four days Meltemi winds from the south lashed the water and spray was whipped out to sea. Ligres beach was largely deserted - perhaps because to sit on it was to subject yourself to a vigorous exfoliation, tiny stones flung at bare skin. One night the wind was so strong it ripped the thatch and howled through the rooms; the waves crashed all night.But the clientele took it all in their stride, and on our last evening Vicki and Stavros invited everyone to dinner - along with Stavros's brother and sister-in-law, his cousin Eleni and her husband, who had spent the afternoon picking snails from the fields for a saligaria as well as baking ghalaktoboureko, a rich cream and pastry creation, for dessert. There was a rabbit stifado, with lots of onion, tomato and cinnamon, lamb with artichoke, Greek salad, tzatziki, white wine from a farmers' co-operative and conversation in French, Greek, English.By the next morning the wind had died down, the water pocketed in the rocks, and sunbathing was the order of the day.Way to goGetting thereEasyJet (easyjet.com) flies to Heraklion from Gatwick from £64 rtn inc tax. A week's car hire in Crete, picking up from the airport, with Hertz (hertz.com) starts from £134.16 for a Hyundai i10 or similar.Where to stayRooms at Taverna Agia Fotini (0030 693 711 8958, agiafotini.net) cost from €35 per night B&B.CreteCultural tripsGreeceBeach holidaysShort breaksguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
July 3rd, 2009
Viking biking
Forget the longships - Denmark is ideal for cyclists. It's flat, easygoing and, as Kevin Rushby and his family discover, there are hundreds of islands to explore.Audio slideshow: Kevin and family freewheel around DenmarkDenmark. Think about the word. What does it conjure up? What visions are stirred? When the idea of doing a cycling tour of Denmark's southern islands arose, I lay back, eyes closed and conjured up ... well, not much. A storyteller, a sticky pastry, Europe's tiniest colonial empire consisting of a few atolls and a bucketful of India, the sort of empire that would fit easily into Legoland - the only place I could name apart from Copenhagen.I didn't know anyone who had been on holiday to Denmark. I didn't even know it had southern islands to cycle on, and this appalling ignorance drove me to the atlas. What I saw was encouraging: more than 400 islands in total, about a fifth of them clearly inhabited. And dotted across this archipelago worthy of the South Seas were villages with names such as Radby and Harby, a reminder of the Viking heritage shared, I decided, by my own ancestors.Maddy (six) liked the idea of being a descendant of Vikings. "Do they kill people with ginormous axes?""Not any more."Her face fell. "Do they wear horns?""I don't think so."Further disappointment. "Will the ferry be like a Viking ship?" To avoid needless cruelty, I said: "Yes."It was only later that I realised her question had presumed that we would travel by ferry, not plane. My partner Sophie glowed with green pride. This was to be a totally green trip, as green as it gets. In the event, Maddy's false expectations were deflected by the discovery that the longship had a playroom and a children's pirate club. After an overnight voyage we arrive in the unattractive port of Esbjerg, and three hours later we are across Jutland, through Middelfart (Rod Stewart is to play here next week, a Danish lady says) and down to Svendborg in the south of the island of Fyn (which is pronounced Foon).Svendborg is a very pretty town of cobbled lanes, laid-back beaches, cafes and music - the latter evident when we walk up to our B&B and find the owner, Anders Ringgaard, playing jazz standards with his trio. Maddy latches on to his seven-year-old daughter, Maya, who can't speak a word of English. The pair walk slowly and silently around the garden, holding hands and gazing at each other. For Maddy, I realise, Denmark is exotic. The country's green credentials are better than Britain's. A fifth of electricity is wind-generated, and almost everyone owns and uses a bicycle, including more than a third of commuters in Copenhagen. Our own bicycles were delivered without hitch to the B&B, Maddy and me on an adult-child tandem. Once we had left Svendborg and crossed by bridge to the island of Tåsinge, we began to pass through exceptionally pretty villages - thatched bungalows decked with flowers and painted doors - but no shops, no attractions, no bars or restaurants, not even any people. Occasionally we saw vast and rather sinister brick bungalows with blacked-out windows. These are the pork factories where pigs are born, live their lives, and die. The "green credentials" windmill next door seemed a little irrelevant somehow.We pressed on, hoping for better, and we soon found it. Stopping at an attractive thatched cottage to ask directions, we heard about local farmer Peter Bay: "He's just built the largest straw-bale building in Europe."We went to find him. Peter proved to be an organic farmer who liked doing things big. He was harvesting millions of radishes when we arrived, but left the tractor to show us around the vast cold storage hanger he has built out of straw. "People have no idea what most farming entails," he said. "Take the wheat - they spray the ground with chemicals to make it grow faster, then spray the wheat with chemicals to make it stop. Short stalks mean less wind damage."Sickened by such practices, he made his family farm organic 26 years ago: "People said I was crazy. My own family included."In Britain, I reckon, we are used to greens being rather small in ambition. In Denmark, it's not like that. Even when Peter made us coffee, he did it big - an enormous cafetière half-filled with freshly ground beans. Maddy had never tried coffee before, but now took one small cup. Within minutes she was gabbling like a maniac: "Half a pound of nuts or I'll twist your guts!" "What my bike needs is chocolate!"Leaving Peter's farm, I felt as if the wind was behind us. The tandem positively whistled along, powered by Maddy and caffeine. She was pedalling like Chris Hoy chasing a gold medal - head down, knees pumping. Fortunately the system of bridges linking many small islands meant we could keep going, powering across the bridge to Siø without a break, then clean across to the big island of Langeland. Maddy was singing now, repetitive verses in some made-up language. We zipped through Rudkøbing and skidded to a halt at the Styrnø ferry an hour ahead of schedule. Maddy leapt from the bike and started skipping around the carpark while we waited for the boat.Our destination was one of the many small islands strung around the southern shores of Fyn that still rely on ferries. Styrnø island is a place almost remote by Danish standards, a low flat landscape, full of light and blessed with glorious sunshine as there are no hills to hold clouds, nothing taller than a few beech groves and apple orchards. Coming off the ferry, we made our way to the Smakke Centre, a sailing school, museum and guesthouse run by Flemming Walsted.On arrival, both Maddy and Sophie abruptly ran out of steam and fell asleep. I went off with Flemming for a sail in one of his smakke - a traditional craft that was once the only means of transport between the islands. With their nut-brown tarpaulin sails and wooden hulls, the boats are sturdy workhorses, and as the wind rose, pulling spray from the waves, I could see why such a ponderously steady boat was good for the area.While we sailed, Flemming told me about the island. Styrnø's population of 215 is still far short of the 1920 peak of 800, but it is increasing, the sense of community and identity proving an attraction. "We have a communal dinner every month," Flemming said. "There is a great feeling of camaraderie."Touring the 2km-long island by bicycle next day, we got a little insight into the laid-back, friendly attitude. At an isolated house, John Sorenson invited us in for coffee and some of the jam he was making. "I used to sail the world doing charters on an old schooner," he told us, "then one day I landed here. I noticed nobody locked their houses, cars or bicycles, so I decided to stay."Leaving Styrnø, rather sadly, we cycled back across Siø and Tåsinge, then took the southern coast of Fyn, passing orchards, woods and fields speckled with poppies and cornflowers. At Ulbølle, we stayed with Lisbeth Lauridsen at her wonderfully eccentric guesthouse, Madam Blå. Dinner was served in a room stuffed with madcap treasures, fluffy things and colourful knick-knacks. The bedroom has a record player and an eclectic collection of LPs.The days, and the bikes, rolled by. We got into a groove. The wind seemed less and less annoying, the saddles softer. We visited the 100-year-old smokehouse of Faaborg and washed down smoked salmon with Russian champagne. In the old town I had my hair cut by an Iraqi barber from Basra. Then we left the coast and moved inland, passing through forests and hills that are optimistically known as the Fyn Alps. At Korinth, on our last night, we stayed with Betty Jacoby and Henrik Toft at their B&B, Johan Ludvigs. It was cool, uncluttered and very civilised. Henrik is chairman of a society that promotes local cuisine and our dinner was a feast of Fyn specialities: oat-smoked cheeses with blackcurrant jam on rye breads, organic vegetables, sausages, fruits - an astonishing array of products from one small island.Maddy had dressed up and really did well. She tried new things; she tried to like new things; she smiled and chatted. But finally, at the speciality fishball, she could take no more and spat it out on the floor. Sophie wiped it up quickly before Henrik noticed. Afterwards, in the cool of the evening, we sat in their garden watching deer creep down to the water at a nearby lake. Then we spread out the map and looked, rather longingly, at all the islands we didn't have time to visit. Much to her own surprise, Sophie had enjoyed her first cycling holiday, though she said she would bring her own saddle next time. Maddy was happy too. "But next time," she said, "I want to see Vikings with horns on their heads."Way to goGetting there DFDS ferries (dfdsseaways.com; c2c-guide.co.uk/dfds.html, 0871 522 9966) sail from Harwich to Esbjerg 3-4 times per week from £162 for two people in a sea-view cabin, one way (£10 extra for two bicycles). National Express (nationalexpress.com) trains run from London Liverpool Street to Harwich, from £26.90 return. Where to stay Ãhavets Smakkecenter on Styrnø (0045 5098 1306, smakkecenter.dk), dormitory from 95 DKr pp. Madam BlÃ¥ B&B (+62 24 20 47, madam-blaa.com/www/forside.htm), doubles 600 DKr B&B. Faldsled Hostel Birkelygaard (faldsled.dk, +45 2990 2240), â¬48 per room. Johan Ludvigs Kafé (B&B, +45 6260 1322, johanludvigs.dk) doubles 600 DKr B&B. Further information visitdenmark.com/uk, visitfyn.com. £1 = 8.39 Danish kroner.Cycling holidaysDenmarkGreen travelFamily holidaysShort breaksEthical holidaysEuropeguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
July 3rd, 2009
A new journey of exploration for Michael Palin
They all sound somewhat dramatic, the mishaps suffered in the course of the seven long voyages around the world embarked upon by Michael Palin, Monty Python comic turned TV traveller, but one sounds puzzling in the extreme. Camel poisoning?
July 3rd, 2009
Something To Declare: Value-added Stockholm; Rotterdam ...
July 3rd, 2009
My Life In Travel: Jeff Banks, fashion designer
July 3rd, 2009
Travel Agenda: Ryanair's new summer routes; BugWorld ...
July 3rd, 2009
Step up to find the high spots
No symbol embodies the charisma of America's most populous city quite like the giant copper dame perched on Liberty Island.
July 3rd, 2009
The Statue of Liberty re-opens
The Statue of Liberty will re-open to visitors tomorrow, albeit amid heavy security, for the first time since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, in sign of America's growing confidence.
July 3rd, 2009
DK Eyewitness Travel PhotoBritain Competition
Striking photography from the DK Eyewitness PhotoBritain Competition.
July 3rd, 2009
Samoa provokes fury by switching sides of the road
The pace of life on the Pacific island of Samoa may be slow but mention the topic of transport and you are likely to get a quick and fiery response.
July 3rd, 2009
Sri Lanka travel advisory revised
The Government today relaxed restrictions on travel to Britons wanting to visit Sri Lanka.
July 3rd, 2009
Coming up: what's on in the world of travel
New events from July 6 including a French landscapes exhibition Brighton Carnival and the Cherry Festival in Kent.
July 3rd, 2009
Hotel ?ndra Seattle: Hotel review
Teresa Machan checks in to Hotel ?ndra a stylish establishment with a Scandinavian twist.
July 3rd, 2009
Ask Gill: Dealing with flight time changes
Gill Charlton looks at what to do when departures are postponed; gives tips on Greek island ferries; and explains how best to take money to China.
July 3rd, 2009
Great British coastal walks
Exhilarating routes taking in some of the most spectacular scenery along Britain's coastline.
July 3rd, 2009
Travel feedback of the week: June 28July 4
Readers offer their feedback on this week's edition of Telegraph Travel.
July 3rd, 2009
Bulgaria accused of exterminating wild dogs
Authorities act to protect tourists but are accused of indiscriminate killing of wild dogs. Linus Moran reports.
July 3rd, 2009
Stagecoach Festival USA: King of the road
Ahead of Independence Day Jon Blair looks back on a quintessentially American holiday a campervan trip to a country music festival.
July 3rd, 2009
The Guardian's guide to UK hotels
Browse two years' worth of expert reviews by Sally Shalam on our handy map
July 3rd, 2009
Return of the £10 Pom
Almost four decades after the last £10 Pom set sail, STA Travel is releasing a limited number of flights to Australia for a tennerAlmost four decades after the last £10 Pom set sail for Australia, STA Travel is releasing a limited number of flights to Oz for a tenner to a new generation of British migrants on working holidays.The promotion, in association with Tourism Australia and Qantas, offers one-way tickets to five Australian cities - Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide - to anyone with a valid Working Holiday Visa (WHV). But unlike the original scheme, which subsidised the travel of around one million British migrants between 1945 and 1972, there are only 150 tickets available on a first-come-first-serve basis at selected branches of STA. According to the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenships, there has been a 21% increase in the number of WHVs granted over the past year to 34,673. The visas are available to British citizens aged 18-30. The tickets go on sale at 8am on 5 August in Belfast, London (Victoria), Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Southampton and include all taxes and charges. Return flights are bookable through STA at a special promotional rate through Qantas.AustraliaBudget travelCheap flightsGap year travelguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
July 2nd, 2009
The blogger's guide to Leeds
I am often frustrated about the amount of attention other British cities receive. I am born and bred in Leeds I can see that it has grown into a fantastic tourist destination.
July 2nd, 2009
Smugshots special: a new perspective
VIEW THE MONTHLY SMUGSHOTS GALLERIES
July 1st, 2009
British Airways may go to arbitration
A deadlocked row over job cuts and pay at British Airways could be resolved through arbitration in a move to head off the threat of industrial action, it was revealed today.
July 1st, 2009
Summer in the city
The entries for our June photo competition capture life in some of the world's busiest cities. See our pick of the best and the winning shot
July 1st, 2009
The Twitter Report: family travel
Follow Jennifer Howze, editor of Timesonline's Alpha Mummy, on Twitter
June 30th, 2009
BA cost-cutting talks hit crisis point
Crucial talks aimed at reaching agreement on cutting costs at British Airways, including thousands of job losses, appeared to be heading for a breakdown today, with time running out on reaching a deal.
June 30th, 2009
Crisis point in BA cost cutting talks
Crucial talks aimed at reaching agreement on cost cutting at British Airways, including thousands of job losses, appeared to be heading for a breakdown today, with time running out on reaching a deal.
June 30th, 2009
Morairaway.com travel scandal: police probe British ...
A Spanish police investigation into a website which shut down after taking hundreds of bookings for phantom holiday villas is centring on a British-run company.
June 29th, 2009
The best last minute spas for brides
There are elements of a wedding that can be done weeks in advance - the table plan, the place names, the speeches (if you're super-organised) - but there's one thing that can't be done until the eleventh hour - the final preen.
June 29th, 2009
Terminal 5 hit by baggage glitch
Heathrow's Terminal Five was hit by a luggage glitch yesterday which left passengers unable to check in.
June 28th, 2009
Rome's extraordinary summer festival
A summer evening in Rome is one of those moments when the world gets it together perfectly â the place, the light, the sultry air cooling slightly after the afternoonâs heat, the wafting aromas of pine and jasmine and chopped basil, the long, tanned limbs, the drone of cicadas and scooters, the sound of fountains, the promise of something beautiful round every corner.
June 28th, 2009
Stay the night: Delle Arti Design Hotel, Cremona
Music-lovers from across the world head for Cremona, northern Italy, to see the greatest collection of violins and other stringed instruments made by the city's phenomenal luthiers â Andrea Amati, Antonio Stradivari and Bartolomeo Guarneri.
June 27th, 2009
