Walking a 26-mile stretch from Hertfordshire, our writer witnesses how a neglected artery of the city has been transformed into a recreational and cultural hub For centuries the Lea has been a vital artery for London, carrying drinking water and grain into the city and servicing the factories and gunpowder mills that grew up along…
Share details of a visit to a wild area that’s great for wildlife and plants – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break There are more than 500 national parks in Europe covering an astounding variety of terrain, from the wild taiga of northern Finland to the coastal dunes and wetlands of the…
A popular circuit round Scotland’s wild north coast draws thousands of drivers – but there’s so much more to experience by public transport and on foot There’s a party atmosphere round the lighthouse on Chanonry Point near Inverness, the UK’s best place to see dolphins from land. It’s an hour after low tide and there…
When ill health took away my freedom to roam, searching for beach treasure gave me a vital connection to my island home and more distant shores Before I had children, my work as a research scientist meant frequent travel. I specialised in nature conservation and discovered that I was pregnant with my first child on…
If you want to know what makes the Spanish capital tick, head for its back-street bodegas, tiny tapas bars and neighbourhood food markets Freshly fried churros, golden and crisp; a cup of velvety hot chocolate alongside; circles of aubergine striped from the griddle; mushrooms silky with chorizo; a jumble of potatoes smothered in spicy sauce;…
From the John Bunyan trail to Silbury Hill, these short “pilgrimages” offer a chance to soak up myths and legends Start Housesteads Fort Finish Brocolita Roman TempleDistance 4¼ miles (use regular AD122 bus to shorten, if needed)Those who walk the whole 84 miles of Hadrian’s Wall in a week may refer to it as a…
You don’t need to do a multi-day hike to benefit from the healing powers of pilgrimage – this 14-mile route in Cornwall proves just as magical It’s dawn when we step off the train at Lelant, a village tucked into a bay near St Ives. The early morning light is still intensifying as the distinctive, repetitive shrill of…
From a hike under huge Suffolk skies to aspen glades in the Cairngorms, our tipsters lead the way on these spring strolls Two of the great prologues of literature begin on the same seeping bank in the village of Slad. Start the circular Laurie Lee walk from where the infant was dropped from a cart…
The scenery – and delicacies – get better and better for our slow travel expert as she takes a local train through Canton Fribourg to a beautiful medieval village It was a handpainted sign on a wooden barn that piqued my interest in Gruyères. I was travelling from Emmental to Montreux last year, following the…
A book club in a disused petrol station, an electronic music hub in an old bus garage … Yorkshire’s largest city is a hotbed of grassroots creativity ‘Leeds has an independent, thriving arts scene,” says Emma Beverley, the director of programmes at last year’s cultural showcase, Leeds 2023. “A lot of that is grounded in…