What does a hiking festival in Italy need to do to attract the punters? Serve a five-course lunch along the way, for example – and do not skimp on the wine Not everybody loves hiking in large, organized groups, … … but whatever their drawbacks, these “hiking festivals” clearly have their advantages, too. One such…
The most famous building in Dartmoor National Park is not open for visitors. On our last afternoon in Dartmoor National Park, we made a trip to the highland moors. We could not go hiking anymore, there was no time left for that, but better a cursory view than no view at all, so we took…
A walk to the birthplace of Dartmoor’s most famous son gives you a taste of both town and country The southwest corner of Dartmoor is Drake country: Sir Francis is still the most famous and most glamorous local boy, with a reputation that has lost little of its shine after more than 400 years. Many…
Dartmoor National Park may be famous for its high security prison and the Hound of the Baskervilles, but it also has its gardenlike features And now, as they say, for something completely different. After the South West Coast Path with its perfect blend of the majestic and the bucolic, Dartmoor National Park provides a sharp…
Today, we shall make one last visit to the South West Coast Path, albeit one with a difference. On this stretch of the trail, you will (probably) meet more people than on all of the other stages together and (certainly) see more concrete, too, but what this part of the path may lack in scenic…
Whether you are spending 2 days or 2 weeks in the Southwest of England, there are a few things you should consider before tying up your walking boots for a South West Coast hiking trip: 1. The South West Coast Path appears to be made for long-distance hiking, but … … while a strategy of…
From the sublime to the ridiculously picturesque is but a few steps on Devon’s premier hiking trail Coastal walks come in one of two varieties: there are the idyllic ones, featuring gardenlike landscapes full of picturesque little villages. The Italian and French Riviera is full of such calm and civilized walks. This is nature on…
Encounters with scenic views and low-flying objects on our walk from Thurlestone to South Milton Sands Our trip to South Devon has started with a series of pleasant surprises. Firstly, the trip from London was a lot shorter and more convenient than I had expected, clocking in at roughly three hours. I had always assumed…
Whatever type of walk you may fancy, the South West Coast Path has exactly what you want When we still lived in Britain, we made one big and – in hindsight – regrettable mistake: that was treating the M25 motorway (which, in practical terms, separates London from the rest of Britain) like a frontier to…
… whether you are interested in the history of landscaping or not … parks and public gardens reflect the times in which they were created no less than buildings do, because tastes in landscaping vary as much as architectural ones. In theory, it may be possible to adapt a landscaped garden to a newly emerging…