Expert Travel Advice – Page 4

Lake District Guides and Maps

Friday 13th August marks 70 years of the Lake District National Park as it was founded in 1951.

Home to Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England, the Lake District is steeped in history and a popular holiday destination for anyone who enjoys the great outdoors . It is the perfect place to enjoy scenic walks, visit market towns such as Kendal, Ambleside and Keswick, swim in the famous lakes and tarns, go fell-running and Wainwright hill-bagging, to name just a few things this magnificent National Park and World Heritage Site has to offer.

If you love the Lake District or are planning to visit, here are some of our favourite guides and maps:

A different view of the Lake District

by Lesley Williams, author of Walking the Tour of the Lake District: A nine-day circuit of Cumbria’s fells, valleys and lakes (Cicerone).

The Lake District is justifiably one of Britain’s most popular national parks, offering a treasure trove of attractions for outdoor enthusiasts and more leisure conscious visitors alike. Whatever the weather, the mountain light of this special landscape is reflected in the beautiful lakes and tarns, and while the wild open fells provide a backdrop for some, they remain the main focus for any keen walker.

Following Nellie Bly

GLOBETROTTER NELLIE BLY’S ADVICE FOR THE ADVENTURER

Six top tips

By Rosemary J Brown

Trailblazing journalist Nellie Bly circled the world faster than anyone ever had in 1890. She travelled alone — literally with the clothes on her back and a Gladstone bag – to beat the fictional 80-day record of Phileas Fogg. When she won her race around the world in 72 days, it was called “the most remarkable of all feats of circumnavigation ever performed by a human being”.

Walking in the Isles of Scilly: The Garrison Wall

-by Paddy Dillon

Of all the British Isles, the Isles of Scilly are the most blessed. Basking in sunshine, rising green and pleasant from the blue Atlantic Ocean, fringed by rugged cliffs and sandy beaches, these self-contained little worlds are a joy to explore. They are as close to a tropical paradise as it is possible to be in the British Isles, with more sunshine hours than anyone else enjoys. There are no tall mountains, but the rocks around the coast are as dramatic as you’ll find anywhere. There are no extensive moorlands, but you’ll forget that as you walk round the open heathery headlands. The islands may be small in extent, but the eye is deceived and readily imagines vast panoramas and awesome seascapes. Views to the sea take in jagged rocks that have ripped many a keel and wrecked many a ship. The islands are clothed in colourful flowers, both cultivated and wild, and attract a rich bird life, including native breeding species and seasonal migrants. And always, there is the sea.

The Isles of Scilly form the smallest of Britain’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and their historic shores have been designated as Heritage Coast. The surrounding sea is protected as a Marine Park of great biodiversity. Archaeological remains abound, not only on the islands, but also submerged beneath the sea. The Isles of Scilly are special, revealing their secrets and charms to those who walk the headlands, sail from island to island, and take the time to observe the sights, sounds and scents of the landscape. While the walks in this guidebook could be completed in as little as a week, a fortnight would allow a much more leisurely appreciation of the islands, and leave memories that will last for a lifetime.

5 Wild Beauties of Cornwall

The tip of South West England is a paradise for walking and swimming, with over 300 miles of coastline and hundreds of beaches. And yet the terrain of Cornwall is not just about the coast, but about deserted moors, sweeping estuaries and wooded dells. Matt Newbury and Sophie Pierce, authors of new guidebook, Wild Swimming Walks Cornwall, share some of their favourite swim spots.

Around the World in 80 Plants by Jonathan Drori

In his follow-up to the bestselling Around the World in 80 Trees, Jonathan Drori takes another trip across the globe, bringing to life the science of plants by revealing how their worlds are intricately entwined with our own history, culture and folklore. From the seemingly familiar tomato and dandelion to the eerie mandrake and Spanish ‘moss’ of Louisiana, each of these stories is full of surprises. Some have a troubling past, while others have ignited human creativity or enabled whole civilizations to flourish. With a colourful cast of characters all brought to life by illustrator Lucille Clerc, Around the World in 80 Plants is a botanical journey of beauty and brilliance.

Here Jonathan Drori gives us an insight into a few of the plants that feature in his book:

A Connemara Journey by Hilary Bradt

A Connemara Journey is Hilary Bradt’s classic account of a journey through Ireland on horseback in the 1980s published for the first time in a single volume.

In 1984, Hilary Bradt achieved an ambition from her pony-mad childhood to undertake a long-distance ride. Using her experience of horsepacking in Peru with saddlebags imported from America, she and her pony set forth with no decent maps, and only a vague idea of the route. The book is also a portrait of a vanished rural Ireland before the Celtic Tiger era, built up from descriptions and conversations with local people.

The journey takes Bradt a thousand miles south from county Mayo, around the peninsulas of Kerry and Cork, and inland towards Waterford.

A Connemara Journey

By Hilary Bradt

£12.99

-by Hilary Bradt

From my horsey childhood growing up in the 1950s and addicted to pony books, I had dreamed of having my own pony and going on a long-distance ride. No more riding-school hour doing a circular hack, but days out exploring the countryside with my perfect pony. This finally came to pass in 1984 when I found myself single again and ready to embark on this greatest of all adventures.

First I had to decide where to go.

I know, Iceland! It had all the requirements: lovely scenery, a tough breed of native pony and friendly people who generally spoke English. I’d been there and loved it. I tried out the idea by rather casually mentioning in my Christmas letter that I was going to buy a native pony in Iceland and do a long-distance ride. I received a reply from a horsey friend: “Ireland! What a great idea. A Connemara pony would be strong enough and it’s such a beautiful country. And they love horses.” Oh. My handwriting… well, let’s think about Ireland then. It had never come into my reckoning, perhaps because of a very wet family holiday there where we children had sulkily squelched up Ireland’s highest mountain in mist and rain. But now, suddenly, everything fell into place. Ireland was an ideal choice. Scenic, safe, English-speaking … perfect!

Slow trains coming…

by Tom Chesshyre

Tom Chesshyre took to Spain’s clickety-clack railway lines for a 3,000-mile adventure on 52 rides described in his new travel book and our Book of the Month for April, Slow Trains Around Spain. Here is a taster of his journey:

5 of the best road trips for food lovers in France

Take to the road with Camping Road Trips France and Germany and explore a selection of stunning handpicked trips.

The selected trips are suitable for campervanners, motorcaravanners, long-distance cyclists. basically anyone on a set of wheels, especially those who like to go camping, wild or otherwise (although details of finding alternative accommodation are also included).These self-guided tours will provide the inspiration to set out and explore the less obvious regions of France and Germany. There are routes of all distances, from day/weekend trips of no more than 30 or 40 miles to routes of 1,000 miles and more for those enjoying a longer holiday.

Here the author Caroline Mills recommends the best road trips for food lovers in France:

Hidden Beaches Spain

Do you dream of taking adventurous hikes to wild and unspoiled beaches? Lola Culsán & John Weller spent a year campervanning, walking, swimming and exploring Spain’s secret coast to bring you their new guide book, Hidden Beaches Spain. Join them on the slow road, with diversions along paths less travelled to remote shores, pristine coves and secluded swimming spots. Immerse yourself in Spain.

Lola and John get off the beaten track to share some of their favourite beaches: