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tlm the travel & leisure magazine tlm the travel & leisure magazine winter 2012 £3.50 win a luxury spa stay in Spain, a South West foodie break, Champagne balloon flights & more www.tlm-magazine.co.uk www.tlm-magazine.co.uk GO WEST GO WEST Living the high life in Western Canada Living the high life in Western Canada FIESTA TIME Top carnivals and festivals DESERT ROSE Blossoming Gulf state Oman CHAPTER AND VERSE Going by the book in Dublin ANIMAL MAGIC The lure of farm stays LOVE IS ALL AROUND Valentine’s cities FIESTA TIME Top carnivals and festivals DESERT ROSE Blossoming Gulf state Oman CHAPTER AND VERSE Going by the book in Dublin ANIMAL MAGIC The lure of farm stays LOVE IS ALL AROUND Valentine’s cities PLUS Luxury Indian Ocean South Devon Renting vs taking your own car PLUS Luxury Indian Ocean South Devon Renting vs taking your own car Biggest issue ever

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Page 1: tlm - the travel & leisure magazine winter 2012

tlm

the travel & leisure m

agazine

tlmthe travel & leisure magazine

winter 2012 £3.50

wina luxury spa stay inSpain, a South Westfoodie break,Champagne balloonflights & more

www.tlm-magazine.co.ukwww.tlm-magazine.co.uk

GO WESTGO WESTLiving the high life in Western CanadaLiving the high life in Western Canada

FIESTA TIMETop carnivals and festivals

DESERT ROSEBlossoming Gulf state Oman

CHAPTER AND VERSEGoing by the book in Dublin

ANIMAL MAGICThe lure of farm stays

LOVE IS ALL AROUNDValentine’s cities

FIESTA TIMETop carnivals and festivals

DESERT ROSEBlossoming Gulf state Oman

CHAPTER AND VERSEGoing by the book in Dublin

ANIMAL MAGICThe lure of farm stays

LOVE IS ALL AROUNDValentine’s cities

PLUSLuxury Indian OceanSouth DevonRenting vs taking your own car

PLUSLuxury Indian OceanSouth DevonRenting vs taking your own car

Biggest

issue ever

Page 2: tlm - the travel & leisure magazine winter 2012

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4 in the frame picture perfect WIN – two Polaroid instant cameras worth £310 in our new photo competition

6 getting to knowWestern Canada15 escape to Dublin 20 uk uncovered Britain’s World Heritage Sites28 hit the road taking your car away versus renting34 resort report seven days in Turkey’s Antayla39 competitions

WIN – a £800 Champagne balloon flight for four and a £350 South West foodie break40 seasonal focus valentine’s cities47 on your doorstep South Devon53 competitions

WIN – a £2,000 luxury five-night wine spa break in rural Spain55 travel fare Valencia’s iconic dish, paella56 a touch of class luxury Indian Ocean60 10 of the best carnivals and fiestas around the world67 in your flightbag what to take on the flight

WIN – a QuickSmart Backpack Stroller worth £12068 in your suitcase what to pack for your holiday

WIN – a £150 James Lakeland summer dress, three pairs of Butterfly Twists boots worth£45 a pair, and a pair of Bootights worth up to £27

70 off the beaten track Oman77 travel update travel news80 pack your clubs play where the stars play + golf news

WIN – a Garmin Approach S1 golf GPS watch worth £17986 let’s try farm stays92 travel tech gizmos and gadgets to take away

WIN – a pair of Digital Silence in-ear headphones worth £7094 checking out focus on budget hotels, self catering, news + reviews102 london life London’s movie trail + London news

WIN – one of two pairs of Brit Movie Tours tickets, worth £50 per pair106 out & about what’s on outside London110 coming next what’s in store in the next issue

subscribe to tlm – and get an Insight Step by Step guide FREE

tlmc o n t e n t s

EDITORIAL: Editor Peter Ellegard Editorial assistant Julie Thompson Writers Peter Ellegard, Julie Thompson, Dave Richardson, John Law, JaneAnderson, Mike Swindell and Carlton Reid Design Nick Blaxill Production June Barnard PublisherTerry Stafford Advertising sales Elaine SmithDigital Publisher Peter Lewsey Published quarterly byTLM Media Limited, Langdale House, 11 Marshalsea Road, London SE1 1EN

Tel: 020 3176 2570 Fax: 020 3176 2572 Email: [email protected] Printed by BGP © TLM Media LimitedFront cover photo: Sightseeing at Peyto Lake, Banff, Alberta, Canada © Banff Lake Louise Tourism/Paul Zizka

Awinter chill might be inthe air but we areaiming to inject more

than a little warmth with ourbumper 116-page winter issue,our biggest one to date.We have much to brighten

those winter nights and, thinkingahead to hot, summer days, ournew Resort Report featurefocuses on the gateway to theTurkish Riviera, Antalya. We alsohelp you decide whether takingyour own car abroad or flyingand renting is best in anothernew feature, Hit the Road.For anyone with love on their

mind, in the first of ourseasonal-focused features, welook at places to take yourloved one for a romanticValentine’s Day break or specialtreat, while we also look athoneymoon favourite, the IndianOcean, in our Touch of Classfeature.This issue takes you to

extremes, from the deserts ofOman to the forested RockyMountains of Western Canada,while closer to home we look atthe UK’s World Heritage Sites,take a trip to South Devon andfollow in the footsteps of thestars in our capital city.We have nearly £4,000 worth

of prizes to win, too, including aluxury, five-night Spanish winespa break and a Champagneballoon flight for four.So pull that duvet up a bit

further, snuggle down and getready for a good read...

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

from theeditor

the travel and leisure magazine

Peter Ellegard

Over-water luxury at the AnantaraKihavah Villas. See page 56

Anantara Hotels & Resorts

Page 4: tlm - the travel & leisure magazine winter 2012

Digital photography might meaninstant images but it doesn'tnecessarily mean instant printedphotographs. Two new camerasfrom Polaroid provide thesolution, and you could win onein our brand new photocompetition.The theme

this time is water and whatform it takes is down to you. Itcould be a scenic waterfall, or apristine lake, cleverly-capturedrain droplets or ocean-crashingwaves, and even clouds. Send usup to two water-themed shotsand you could win one of two

instant digital Polaroidcameras; one for

adults and onefor under-16s.

the prizes

Adult prize (16 and over):Polaroid Z340 camera: RRP£229.99The Polaroid Z340 combines theconvenience of a digital camerawith instant printing and this 14megapixel camera features a 4xdigital zoom, 3x4 full colourimages printed in under a minuteas well as onboard editing andviewing options.

Junior prize (under-16s):Polaroid 300 camera: RRP£79.99This retro camera is perfect forthose looking for an instant photochoice in a fun way and is availablein red, blue or black. With fourscene settings and automatic flash,you can capture the perfect shotin any light and print it instantly.

how to enter

For details of how to enter thecompetition, go to www.tlm-magazine.co.uk andclick on Competitions. Entries willconsist of a portfolio of a maximumof two photographs. You must be aUK resident. Only one entry isallowed per person and professionalphotographers are excluded.Closing date is midnight on March4, 2012 whereupon the final 12 willbe selected for a vote on the tlmwebsite. See the tlm website formore terms and conditions.

For more information on therange of Polaroid cameras go towww.polaroid.co.uk

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

in the frame competition

Gowiththeflow

Instant karma

Acascade through aleafy forest inAmerica’s Pacific

Northwest. In the depthsof winter, it is an imageto lift the spirit in antici-pation of spring.

Water can have awonderfully calmingeffect, in all its forms.Which is why we havechosen it as the theme forour next photo competi-tion. See below.

Take to the water and WIN one of twoinstant Polaroid cameras in our newphotography competition

Waterfall and stream inOregon’s Columbia Gorge

The Polaroid Z340

Polaroid’s retro 300

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tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

getting to know Western Canada

Iremember seeing the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympicson TV at home and laughing, like everyone elsewatching around the world, at the antics of Britain’sclown prince of ski-jumping, Eddie the Eagle, as hehurtled down the ramp, only to plunge like a stoneinstead of soaring like his namesake.

Fast forward some 20 years and I am standing on thevery spot where hapless Eddie launched himself intohistory at the top of the 90-metre ski-jump tower at

Encompassing everything fromrugged Pacific coastline and verdantrainforests to vast lakes and glacier-cloaked mountains, the outdoorsdoesn’t come any greater than inBritish Columbia and Alberta. PeterEllegard explores WesternCanada’s natural wonders and takesin some adventure on the way

The great ou td oor s

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getting to know Western Canada

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

Calgary’s Olympic Park, looking down that same slope.And I am anything but laughing now.

A sit-in harness is being put on a safety helmet-cladcolleague a few steps down from me and hooked to agrab handle slung on wheels from a suspended cable thatruns from the top of the tower and all the way down thelength of the ramp to another tower 550 metres away and100 metres below us. On the other side of the track, afellow Brit is undergoing the same procedure…and Iwould be following suit moments later.

We are about to take on Skyline at the Park(http://skylineziplines.ca/calgary) – North America’sfastest zipline, which emulates the speeds and sensationsof the 90-metre ski jumpers. So fast do you travel, reach-ing speeds of between 120kph and 140kph, that theharness incorporates a parachute, which is deployed asyou leap to help slow your descent.

For me, climbing the tower was ordeal enough. I amnot merely scared of heights, not even petrified; I have amorbid dread of them, probably not helped by a well-meaning PR friend in New Zealand who thought shecould help me overcome it by tricking me into doing abungy jump off a bridge when I thought I was onlygetting a behind-the-scenes tour.

adventureYet here I am, about to throw myself into nothingnessagain, and I can feel the panic levels rising. All toosoon, the moment arrives and I am hurtling down to ayell of “Geronimo!”, the force of the wind trying to pullthe skin off my face and the fear replaced by pureadrenalin. With a thump, my miniature cablecar hits thebuffers, sending arms and legs flailing. As I dismount,

Forest in Queen CharlotteIslands National Park

Ready to fly:Calgary's Skyline

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Tourism British Columbia

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getting to know Western Canada

ready to be hooked up to the final, gentler section, Ilook back up to where I had been…and my stomachchurns.

In a land where adventure of every kind beckons, thezipline is just a taste of what’s in store.

Calgary is the biggest city in Alberta and is one of themain gateways to explore the province and neighbouringBritish Columbia, which together are known as WesternCanada. A favourite way of combining both is to drive,go on a coach tour or take a sightseeing train betweenCalgary and Vancouver, on British Columbia’s Pacificcoast.

It traverses the Rockies, several other mountainranges, even a desert, while also passing by forests,lakes, orchards and wineries as well as charming townsand all-season mountain resorts.

I have done the journey several times myself, and it isone I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. If you lovenature, adventure, excitement or tranquillity, there reallyisn’t anywhere that beats these two natural and spectacu-lar neighbours. They truly sum up the Great Outdoors.

Calgary is just 90 minutes from the Rockies. You cansee its peaks in the distance on clear days. Before leavingthe city, step back in time at historic Fort Calgary andCalgary’s fascinating Heritage Park(www.heritagepark.ca).

Then perhaps head south for a couple of days, to visitthe wonderfully-named Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump(www.head-smashed-in.com), a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site over which buffalo were driven by nativeAmericans to their deaths below, and beautiful Waterton

animal encountersBritish Columbia and Alberta have awealth of wildlife you can see. Here aresome of the opportunities to see wildcreatures up close: Go grizzly bear viewing at Knight

Inlet Lodge(www.knightinletlodge.com),50miles north of Campbell River, inBritish Columbia. Peak season isautumn, when the salmon return tothe rivers.

Bears are commonly seenthroughout Banff National Parkwhile elk often graze by theroadside, creating the unusualphenomenon of elk and bear jams.

The communities of Tofino andUcluelet on Vancouver Island holdan annual Pacific Rim Whale Festival(www.pacificrimwhalefestival.com)each March to celebrate themigrating grey whales.

Venture below the waters of PugetSound between Vancouver Islandand the mainland and you mightcatch a glimpse of the fearsomewolf eel or the giant octopus.

Up to 4,000 bald eagles congregateeach year around Brackendale, nearSquamish, in British Columbia. Theybegin arriving in November and stayuntil mid-February.

Whale-watching cruises head outfrom Victoria to see the residentkiller whales off Vancouver Island’ssouthern coast. Prime viewing is latespring to early autumn.

Mountain vistas from Lake Agnes Teahouse, Alberta

Bears can often be seen

Banf

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Winter 2011/12 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk 9 00

From Calgary, Alberta, with its famous Stampede, and the awesome Rocky Mountains to the delights ofVancouver, Western Canada excites, inspires and surprises. Offering dozens of fly-drive itineraries, escorted

tours and Rocky Mountaineer rail trips, Frontier Canada are the experts in tailor-made holidays.

FrontierCanadathe finest tailor-made Canadian holidays

Western Canada Rocks

Whether you are looking for a bear viewing trip, a motor-home holiday or back-country adventures call Frontier Canada on 020 8776 8709 or visit www.frontier-canada.co.uk

009TLMwinter 16/1/12 13:18 Page 1

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Lakes National Park, where you can cruise on a historicsteamer into US state Montana and get a commemora-tive but unofficial stamp in your passport when youmake a brief landing to stretch your legs.

tumbling glaciersVisit Alberta’s Badlands to see Dinosaur Provincial Parkand visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology(www.tyrrellmuseum.com), of the world’s largestdisplays of complete dinosaur skeletons.

Banff National Park is Canada’s oldest, most visitedand most famous national park and came about thanks tothe chance discovery of hot springs in a mountain caveby three Canadian Pacific Railway construction workersin Alberta’s Rocky Mountains in 1883. Together withneighbouring Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay national parksand three British Columbia provincial parks, it forms theCanadian Rocky Mountains Parks, a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site since 1984.

It is a landscape of towering mountains reflected inexquisite blue lakes, of tumbling glaciers and icefieldsand of lush, forested valleys and pretty alpine meadows.

The park attracts over five million visitors annually,thanks to easy road and rail access. The railway’s arrivallinked it with the rest of Canada and inspired two Rock-ies icons – the turreted Fairmont Banff Springs hotel,built in 1888 to resemble a Scottish baronial castle, andthe Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Both enjoy picture-postcard settings, the chateau’s romantic views acrossLake Louise to Victoria Glacier perhaps just shading it.There is boating on the lake plus hiking in the surround-ing mountains and nearby Moraine Lake.

In winter, the area is a haven for skiers, notably LakeLouise and Sunshine Village. When the snow melts,Sunshine Meadows’ high alpine trails become a hikers’paradise.

For more highs, savour the sweeping vista of Banffand the Bow Valley from the Sulphur Mountain Gondolaor ride the Lake Louise Sightseeing Gondola and join aguided nature walk. I took part in a bear-spotting rambleled by a ranger on my last visit.

You can ride horses in the mountains and canoe onthe Bow River, far from the madding tourist crowds yetjust minutes from town. A gentle paddle to VermillionLakes reveals a glorious view of Mount Rundle. Driveback at sunset for stunning reflections of pink-tingedmountain tops. But mind the mozzies; they attack insquadrons, underlined by the 50-plus bites on my back.

heritage townsBeyond Lake Louise, you can take a cruise on Jasper’sturquoise Maligne Lake. En route, ride a specialSnocoach bus on a three-mile excursion up theAthabasca Glacier in Jasper’s Columbia Icefield.

In Edmonton, the sprawling West Edmonton Mall(www.wem.ca) not only offers over 800 stores, but alsohas a water park, the world’s second-largest indooramusement park complete with seven thrill rides, and asea lion habitat along with an adjacent themed hotel.

British Columbia brims with superlatives: riversdeep, mountains high, cascading waterfalls, ancient

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

rodeo gagaFor 10 days every July, Calgary lets itshair down and goes rodeo gaga whenthe Calgary Stampede takes overCanada’s Cowtown. A nationalinstitution visited last year by royalnewlyweds Wills and Kate and annuallyby over a million people, the so-called“Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth”celebrates its centenary this year. It could also be called the bravest

show on earth. Cowboys climb ontothe backs of three-quarters of a ton ofangry bull or wild-eyed broncs (theydon’t call them broncos) in tiny pens,then hang on for dear life as the gate isopened and the thrashing beasts launchthemselves into the air in a series offrenzied bucksThe fast and furious chuckwagon

races recall when cowboys had tobreak camp quickly and race rivals toget the best location at the next site.For sheer speed, nothing beats the

steer wrestling and roping events. Blink

and you’ve missed the action, as it is allover in just three or four seconds. The Calgary Stampede is a giant

party which takes over the city. Manymalls and communities put on freebreakfasts. The 193-acre Stampede Parkalso features a funfair, shops and foodstalls, a nightly Grandstand show andplenty of live entertainment. Downtown Calgary has parades,

dances, entertainment, old-fashionedgunfights and even a hat stomp contestas well as wagon rides through citystreets. There are cowboys and cowgirls

strutting their stuff everywhere inCalgary. The most eye-catching outfitsare worn by “Buckle Bunnies”, youngladies who sport massive belt buckles,micro-skirts and little else. TheStampede Queen and StampedePrincesses have their own distinctivesilver buckles.The 2012 Calgary Stampede runsfrom July 6-15.www.cs.calgarystampede.com

Bull riding atCalgary Stampede

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getting to know Western Canada

Canoeing on the BowRiver, near Banff

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moss-draped rainforests and Canada’s only desert amongthem.

The Kootenay Rockies region is rich in attractionsand activities. There are heritage towns such as Bavar-ian-flavoured Kimberley, ghost towns and restored 1890spioneer town Fort Steele (www.fortsteele.ca). You canexplore the region’s four national parks – Glacier, Koote-nay, Mt Revelstoke and Yoho – or get a close encounterof the furred kind at the world’s largest grizzly bear habi-tat at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Other activities toindulge in include hiking, mountain biking and white-water kayaking.

Half-way between Vancouver and the Rockies, theThompson Okanagan region makes a good place to stopoff for a few days to relax. The region’s landscapeencompasses an amazing variety and contrasts, witheverything from lakes and gentle, rolling hills to loftymountains and from lush orchards and vineyards to ariddesert; this is where the Sonora Desert reaches right upinto Canada. It also takes in alpine resort Sun Peaks.

Whistler is a year-round mountain playground domi-nated by its twin peaks, with plenty to do by day,including four top golf courses, and lots of restaurants,bars and stylish shops in the resort. It hosted the down-hill ski races and bobsleigh events in the 2010 WinterOlympics.

I was lucky enough to fly in to Whistler’s lake on avintage Beaver floatplane as a birthday treat some yearsback, having taken off from Vancouver Harbour.Although mid-May, snowboarders were enjoying somelate spring snow on the mountain top when we took the

cable car up to the peak, but it was a lovely day back inthe village and my companions and I sat in shirtsleevesas they helped me celebrate the occasion.

Once the snow has gone, you can enjoy hiking onmountain trails, rent a mountain bike or ride the Peak 2Peak Gondola which links the summits of Whistler andBlackcomb mountains.

totem polesThrill-seekers can hurl themselves down Whistler’sZiptrek (www.ziptrek.com/whistler-canada) zipwireor go bungee jumping over a white-water river. Bearsare often seen around Whistler, while other wildlifeincludes bald eagles. Brackendale is famed as the baldeagle capital of the world and nearly 4,000 werecounted there on one occasion. The downside is theyonly visit in winter.

The road between Whistler and Vancouver is knownas the Sea to Sky Highway. There are several photo stopsalong the highway. They include Shannon Falls, BC’sthird-highest waterfall and scenic rest areas overlookingHowe Sound. At Horseshoe Bay, you can take a ferryover to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. From there, it is90 minutes to Victoria, with Duncan (for its 80 totempoles) and Chemainus (murals and statues) worth stop-ping off for on the way.

British Columbia’s elegant capital is a delight, itsbustling Inner Harbour overlooked by the stately provin-cial Parliament Buildings. Take a horse-drawn carriagetour of the city then savour the early-evening atmosphereon foot. The mild climate is the reason behind the exotic

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

getting to know Western Canada

“There reallyisn’tanywherethat beatsthese twonatural andspectacularneighbours”

Horse-drawn carriagepassing Victoria’sParliament Building

Totem pole in StanleyPark, Vancouver

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floral displays of 55-acre Butchart Gardens, a popularattraction. The city itself blossoms with plants and flow-ers, and it is the only place in Canada where palm treesgrow.

You can also take a boat trip from Victoria to seekiller whales, otherwise known as orcas. There is a resi-dent pod of about 80 which lives in its waters.

Vancouver Island’s rugged Pacific coast is a long trekfrom Victoria but is worth it for its natural splendour.The road from Nanaimo to Tofino is one of the mostspectacular in the world and goes through towering, old-growth forests and through the stunning Pacific RimNational Park.

Lively downtownVancouver enjoys a stunning peninsula setting flankedby mountains and sea. It pulsates with a lively down-town full of shops, restaurants and bars, a largeChinatown and the funky Gastown and Granville Islanddistricts.

Stanley Park is one of the most popular places forlocals and visitors. A 1,000-acre forested park, it isVancouver’s green lungs with wooded trails and aperimeter path offering joggers, walkers and cyclists asweeping vista of downtown from across the water. Afavourite stopping off point is the display of totem polesat Brockton Point while other attractions include theVancouver Aquarium (www.vanaqua.org), which hasbeluga whales, sharks, sea lions and otters among its60,000 marine creatures.

Stanley Park’s totem poles are new, but you can seemany excellent surviving examples of north-west coastFirst Nations totem poles at the Museum of Anthropol-ogy (www.moa.ubc.ca)

Across Lions Gate Bridge on the North Shore areGrouse Mountain and the Capilano Suspension Bridge,both popular summer excursions.

In summer, Vancouverites head to the coast to picnic,sunbathe or play. A favourite spot is English Bay Beach,where the annual Celebration of Light fireworks compe-tition lights up the skies at the end of July.

From Sunset Beach, another popular summer hangout,you can take a water bus resembling an overgrown bath-

tub toy across to Granville Island to browse the publicmarket and boutique shops and take a guided tour ofGranville Island Brewing, Canada’s oldest microbrewery.

Vancouver is actually my favourite city in the worldand one I never tire of visiting, with its laid-back, outdoorslifestyle and a natural wonderland right on its doorstep.Like Calgary, it, too has hosted the world’s top winterathletes for an Olympiad. Unlike Calgary, I haven’t foundsomewhere high there to throw myself off.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

getting to know Western Canada

western canada facts

when to goWestern Canada has a similar summerclimate to that of the UK although partsof interior British Columbia enjoy hotsummer days. The west coast is proneto some rain, but May-September willsuit most for touring the country by car,coach or train. Ski the Rockies resorts orWhistler in BC from November throughuntil early May.

getting thereAir Canada (www.aircanada.com) flies daily from London Heathrowto Vancouver and Calgary year round and daily to Edmonton from April.Connecting flights to smaller interior airports are served by Air CanadaJazz. British Airways (www.ba.com) has daily flights to Calgary andVancouver while Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) will fly toVancouver four times a week from May-October. Canadian Affair(www.canadianaffair.com) has regular charter flights to Vancouver,Edmonton and Calgary from May to October.

getting aroundCanada’s roads make for easy driving and fly-drive holidays are the mostpopular offered by the tour operators below. You can also rentmotorhomes or take an escorted coach tour. Brewster Tours(www.brewster.ca) operates coach sightseeing tours through theRockies while the Rocky Mountaineer(www.rockymountaineer.com) scenic daylight rail journey hasvarious routes through the Rockies to Vancouver and Whistler.

tour operatorsOperators offering Canada include Bridge & Wickers(www.bridgeandwickers.co.uk), 1st Class Holidays(www.1stclassholidays.com), Canada4U (www.canada4u.co.uk),Frontier Canada (www.frontier-canada.co.uk), Prestige Holidays(www.prestigeholidays.co.uk), Audley Travel

(www.audleytravel.com), Tailor Made Travel (www.tailor-made.co.uk) and Thomas Cook

Holidays (www.thomascook.com).

tourist informationTourism British Columbia:http://uk.britishcolumbia.travelTravel Alberta:

http://remembertobreathe.comCanadian Tourism Commission:

http://uk.canada.travel

Vancouver’s Granville Island

Brewster Ice Explorer

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Winter 2011/12 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk 130

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In Dublin you have to expect the unexpected, andthat’s exactly what happened when I went on theDublin Literary Pub Crawl. Professional actorswere taking us from pub to pub where Ireland’s lit-erary greats spent a lot of their time, pausing out-side each one to give a reading from Yeats, Bernard

Shaw, Beckett, Behan or Joyce. One was dressed as a

tramp, but as time went by I realised he wasn’t an actorbut a genuine man of the streets. He knew his stuff, too– and went away full of the black stuff and with coinsjingling in his pocket.

Being able to combine a love of literature with a loveof traditional pubs is one of many reasons drawing meback to Dublin, as here famous writers were and are part

Winter 2011/2012 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk 15

DiscoveringDublin on a pubcrawl puncturedby readings fromits literary greatsis one of thedelights thatmakes the citysuch a uniqueplace to visit. But,as DaveRichardsonexplains, youshouldn’t just goby the book

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A novel experiencen The Literary Pub Crawl leadersoutside the Duke Pub, Duke Street

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of everyday life rather than an elite living in ivorytowers. You can even visit the real tower in the openingof James Joyce’s Ulysses – without doubt the mostlauded but least read novel of all time.

Dublin is a place which you feel, as much as see –and many people’s fondest memories are of a particularmoment when the atmosphere seeps through, rather thanof a particular sight. You could certainly spend a weeksightseeing here, yet it doesn’t have one stand-out attrac-tion to compete with Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower or theEmpire State Building.

walkingIt’s a great city for walking, with most of theatmosphere and major sights within a one-mile radius ofO’Connell Bridge. Look north towards the General PostOffice, which still has bullet holes from Ireland’s libera-tion struggle, and the Parnell Monument (bothO’Connell and Parnell were heroes of the independencemovement). To the south are the genteel Georgiandistricts around St Stephen’s Green and Merrion Square,and Grafton Street, the main shopping hub.

To the west are the quays where riverside trade onceflourished on the “Whiffy Liffey”. The river doesn’tsmell bad any longer, but some of the streets of theTemple Bar district certainly do, as this is where youngpeople flock for a night out. To the east is Docklands,where some of the many modern buildings that went upduring Ireland’s financial boom now lie empty in theteeth of the economic crisis.

Don’t let the crisis put you off. Visitors are welcomedall the more, and prices in pubs, restaurants and shopsare more competitive than a few years ago. But as theIrish Republic is part of the Eurozone, British visitorswill find the pound doesn’t go as far as they might wish.The choice of dining is now very eclectic, but look forset menus to save money.

So what do visitors most enjoy in Dublin? Accordingto the Dublin Pass, a pint and a prayer. The most popularattractions are the Guinness Storehouse, Old JamesonDistillery, Christ Church Cathedral and St Patrick’sCathedral, with 43% of pass users visiting both a brew-ery and a cathedral.

The Guinness Storehouse (www.guinness-store-house.com) is where you can learn about and sampleIreland’s most famous export. Whiskey is no longermade at the Old Jameson Distillery(www.tours.jamesonwhiskey.com), but you cansample it before a “Shindig Evening” with a tour, tast-ing, four-course meal and traditional music and dancing.

fun elementSt Patrick’s (www.stpatrickscathedral.ie) honoursIreland’s national saint, with Christ Church(www.cccdub.ie) reminding us that Ireland has Protes-tant as well as Roman Catholic traditions. Dublin’s mainattractions might be historical and cultural (with a rangeof national museums including archaeology, naturalhistory and art), but the fun element is never far away.

If you’re travelling with children, then there are lots offamily-friendly things to do, including Viking-themed

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escape to dublin

on the write trackFirst step in discovering Dublin’s richliterary tradition is to visit the WritersMuseum (www.writersmuseum.com)where Swift, Sheridan, Shaw, Wilde,Yeats, Beckett and Joyce line upalongside more recent authors such asChristy Brown. Then take a DART train to

Sandycove for the James Joyce Museum,in a Martello Tower built to withstandNapoleon. End the day with the DublinLiterary Pub Crawl(www.dublinpubcrawl.com), which

departs from the Duke pub off GraftonStreet (nightly year-round, Thursdays toSundays from December to March). If you’re feeling up to it the next day,

head for the George Bernard ShawBirthplace (www.visitdublin.com)and the James Joyce Centre in the city(www.jamesjoyce.ie). Time a visit toinclude June 16 and you can re-enactUlysses on the annual Bloomsdaycelebrations.There are lots more wordy ideas on

Dublin Tourism’s website.

Trinity College

Visitors dress upfor a reading at theJoyce Museum

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Dublinia (www.dublinia.ie) and Dublin Zoo(www.dublinzoo.ie), situated in Phoenix Park, the city’shistoric piece of greenery. I can never visit the park with-out thinking of the raucous Dubliners song, ZoologicalGardens, telling of the antics of a honeymoon couple.

Dublin has a fine musical heritage, and you can findtraditional music all over the city. The Traditional IrishMusical Pub Crawl (www.gogartys.ie) could be a goodway to start, but to find your own way round see thewebsite www.dublinsessions.ie that lists all types of

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

escape to dublin

10 things to doin dublin Take the hop-on, hop-off bus around

Dublin to get your bearings(www.loveireland.com).

See the ancient Book of Kells inTrinity College(www.bookofkells.ie).

Brush up on the saint at St Patrick’sCathedral(www.stpatrickscathedral.ie).

Take the DART to Howth for aseafood lunch by the sea.

Walk off your lunch in Phoenix Park(www.phoenixpark.ie).

Hear about the Vikings at Dublinia(www.dublinia.ie).

Visit the Guinness Storehouse(www.guinness-storehouse.com).

Enjoy afternoon tea at historicBewleys Coffee Shop(www.bewleys.com).

See a show at Abbey Theatre(www.abbeytheatre.ie).

Take a day trip by train to Cork,Galway or Kilkenny.

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contemporary music. Dublin has produced some greatnames in rock and pop too, and the Rock’n’Stroll walk-ing trail highlights places where U2, Bob Geldof, SineadO’Connor and The Corrs made their names.

Dublin’s love of a party extends to many specialevents, but remember to book travel and accommodationwell in advance, especially when rugby internationals areplayed at the Aviva Stadium (the old Lansdowne Road).

The Jameson International Film Festival is fromFebruary 16-26 this year, and St Patrick’s Festival fromMarch 16-19. A gay festival takes to the streets fromJune 16-26, and the Tall Ships are in town on August 23.

beyond dublinThere’s more than enough to keep you within the citylimits, but Dublin is also close to some lovely coastlineand countryside. The DART suburban rail networkreaches seaside towns including Howth and Bray, andthe Wicklow Mountains make an easy day trip by road.

I’ll finish where I started, with a few more wordsabout Dublin’s pubs. The Irish pub has been exportedworldwide complete with off-the-shelf artefacts, but inDublin you will enjoy the real thing.

I won’t be giving away any secrets by namingMcDaid’s, Mulligan’s and the Palace Bar as among myfavourites, so if the barman asks, do say I sent you…

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

escape to dublin

dublin facts

when to goAny time is good, but spring and autumn arenot as crowded as in summer.

getting thereYou can fly to Dublin from mostairports in Britain with scheduledroutes. The main carriers are Ryanair(www.ryanair.com) and Aer Lingus(www.aerlingus.com), with Aer Arann(www.aerarann.com) operating someregional services. Ferry services to Dublin Port areoperated by Stena Line (www.stenaline.co.uk) and Irish Ferries(www.irishferries.com) from Holyhead, and by P&O Ferries(www.poferries.com) from Liverpool. Stena Line also operates theHSS fast ferry from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire, seven miles from thecity centre.

tour operatorsDublin is a mainly tailor-made destination these days, with a vast choiceof airlines and hotels. Thomas Cook (www.thomascook.com) has alead-in price for three nights in March from £129 per person twin-shareat the Croke Park Hotel, including Aer Lingus flights from Gatwick. Up-market Kirker Holidays (www.kirkerholidays.com) quotes from £628for three nights at the deluxe Merrion Hotel, including private cartransfers.

getting aroundIn addition to bus routes, Dublin has the DART coastal rail system andLUAS tramway, which has two lines. The three-day Freedom Ticketcovers regular and airport bus routes, and the hop-on, hop-offsightseeing service (26 euros).

dublin passCovering over 30 attractions and 20special offers, it costs 35 euros for oneday, 55 euros for two days, 65 eurosfor three days and 95 euros for sixdays (www.dublinpass.ie).

tourist informationDublin Tourism: www.visitdublin.com

Posing with a statueof Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott

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Ever since he became a travel journalist more than 30 yearsago, Dave Richardson has called Dublin and its pubs asecond home.

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Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral has contributed much to Irish life throughout its long history (it wasfounded in 1191). Jonathan Swift was Dean of Saint Patrick’s from 1713-1745, during which time heexpressed his “savage indignation” at the appalling social conditions in Ireland, and wrote hismasterpiece Gulliver’s travels. He also was Dean when Handel’s Messiah received its firstperformance in 1742 sung by the combined choirs of Saint Patrick’s and Christ Church cathedrals.A permanent exhibition interprets and compliments this unique 13th century gothic building, whichserves both as a fascinating place to visit and a dynamic place of worship.Check www.stpatrickscathedral.ie for more information

Opening Times for VisitorsDaily 9.00-17.00, Sunday 9.00-10.30, 12.30-14.30

(16.30-18.00 March-October)Admission Rates: €5.50 Adult, €4.50 Concession €15

family (two adults, two children)OPEN DAILY FOR VISITING

For information call (0)1 453 9472 officeor (0)1 475 4817 • Fax: (0)1 454 6374Email: [email protected]

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Whether it’s the might of William theConqueror’s Tower of London andEdward I’s “Iron Ring” castles, theindustrial legacy of tin and coal mines,ironworks and mills, or naturalwonders such as the Giant’sCauseway and Jurassic Coast, Britainhas a wealth of world-class heritage.John Law examines our UNESCOWorld Heritage Sites

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uk uncovered britain’s world heritage sites

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Edinburgh is overlookedby its majestic castle

Gates of the NationalMaritime Museum, Greenwich

See the Crown Jewelsat the Tower of London

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uk uncovered britain’s world heritage sites

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They range from ancient castles and cathedralsto powerhouses of the industrial revolution –and landscapes to take your breath away.Britain’s UNESCO World Heritage Sitesstretch from the remote islands of the OuterHebrides to the mining communities of

Cornwall and West Devon. Chosen under a 1972 con-vention for the protection and conservation of naturaland cultural heritage, each has been chosen for its “out-standing universal value”.

The UK’s first seven sites were listed in 1986 and wecurrently have 25 locations guaranteed to lift the spiritsor give a fascinating insight into our history.

london and the south east

If you’re seeking the Crown Jewels of Britain’s historicattractions – literally – head for the Tower of London(www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon). Having beenbuilt by William the Conqueror to protect London andassert his power, this iconic castle has remained part ofroyal history for nearly 1,000 years.

The Tower is one of the country’s most-visited touristattractions, attracting 2.4 million people last year. ThisEaster sees the new re-presentation of the Crown Jewelsopening in time for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Maritime Greenwich (www.greenwichwhs.org.uk)has lots of historical interest, including Wren’s OldRoyal Naval College and Inigo Jones’s elegant Queen’sHouse and Royal Observatory.

The Victorian clipper Cutty Sark re-opens after afive-year restoration and Greenwich celebrates its newroyal borough status with festivals and events in June tocommemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. At theNational Maritime Museum, historian David Starkeycurates a major new exhibition tracing royal links withthe Thames.

In the summer, 20 tall ships will make scenic trips along

the river in the Sail Royal Greenwich event. TheOlympics figure prominently, with GreenwichPark hosting equestrian competitions and theO2 Arena staging basketball and gymnastics.

Enjoy some flower power at RoyalBotanic Gardens Kew (www.kew.org),where stressed-out escapees fromcentral London can find an oasis ofcalm only a few miles west. There are300 acres of gardens, shady ancient treesand a jungle in the Palm House. Get atreetop view of nature while swaying alongthe canopy-level walkway.

Westminster Abbey (www.westminster-abbey.org)has staged every coronation since William theConqueror. Lesser mortals can view the graves andmemorials of numerous Great Britons – from Chaucer toDickens – and the spectacular fan-vaulted Lady Chapelis regarded as the last great masterpiece of Englishmedieval architecture.

Another awe-inspiring church can be found in Kent.Canterbury Cathedral (www.canterbury-cathedral.org)has been a place of pilgrimage since the 12th centuryand today’s visitors can see the spot where ThomasBecket was brutally murdered, the ancient crypt, vividstained glass and the tomb of Henry IV.

central england and the midlands

The birthplace of Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace(www.blenheimpalace.com) is a perfectly preserved18th-century stately home set in a 2,100-acre parkdesigned by Capability Brown. This striking example ofEnglish baroque extravagance near Oxford offers glori-ous gardens and artistic treasures to discover.

Smoke and fire first roared from its blast furnaces300 years ago, turning Ironbridge Gorge (www.ironbridge.org.uk) into the country’s first major

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Awe-inspiring: Canterbury Cathedral

Palm House at Kew Gardens

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iron-making centre and heralding the start of the Indus-trial Revolution.

Museums reflect the lives of people who workedthere from the early 1700s through to Victorian times.You can learn about early iron production, explore theTar Tunnel – a source of natural bitumen – and factoriesproducing Coalport china and decorative ceramic tiles.At Blists Hill, a Victorian town, you can meet costumedcharacters in the stores and workshops, see pills preparedin the pharmacy, hear gruesome tales at the dentist’schair, and enjoy a pint in the pub.

A £13 million redevelopment scheme completedlast year has given Blists Hill a new visitor centre, anew Victorian street, an Artisans’ Corner and ClayMine Railway. An interactive design and technol-ogy centre called Enginuity has also opened andspecial London 2012 celebrations will include adigital art exhibition and Olympic Torch Relay.

Derbyshire’s Derwent Valley Mills (www.derwentvalleymills.org) is home to a series of 18th

and 19th century cotton mills and the area is now an indus-trial landscape of high historical and technological interest.

the south west

With its Roman Baths, medieval Abbey and grandGeorgian architecture, the City of Bath(www.visitbath.co.uk) has plenty to fascinate thosewith an interest in the past.

The Romans discovered a natural hot spring here andbuilt a magnificent Temple and bathing establishment.Today’s visitors can tour remains that are remarkablycomplete and take tea afterwards in the genteelsurroundings of the 18th century Pump Room.

Bath’s beautiful Georgian heritage is evidentelsewhere in its sweeping crescents and elegant build-ings. Gems include the Royal Crescent, Theatre Royal,and The Assembly Rooms.

Nobody’s certain how they got there, but the stones atStonehenge (www.english-heritage.org.uk) have beenaround for 50,000 years and form the world’s mostfamous megalithic monument. The jury is still out onwhether Wiltshire’s great edifices were a place of ritualsacrifice, sun worship – or a massive calendar.

The best way to enjoy the dramatic 95 miles of theDorset and East Devon coastline(www.jurassiccoast.com) is on foot. Better known asthe Jurassic Coast, it provides trekkers with spectacularscenery and a geological “walk through time” spanningthe Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The first-ever location to be inscribed as a “natural” WorldHeritage Site, the coastline reveals 185 million years ofthe Earth’s history.

Pick up your hard hats and torches and scrambledown the dark and cramped shafts where Victorianminers once toiled. Set on dramatic cliffs 10 miles fromSt Ives, Geevor Tin Mine is one of 10 heritage sitesforming the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Land-scape (www.cornish-mining.org.uk).

At Geevor you can visit the mine and its museum andlearn about mineral panning. Elsewhere, visitors can

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uk uncovered britain’s world heritage sites

did you know? New building development nearby could endanger the World Heritage listings of

the Tower of London, Westminster Palace and Liverpool’s port area, reveals theDepartment of Culture, Media and Sport.

Italy and Spain have the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with 47 and 43respectively. With 25 locations, the UK is slightly ahead of the RussianFederation (24) and the USA (21).

In the 1940s, there were plans to demolish Shropshire’s famous Iron Bridge andsell it for scrap. These were revisited in the late-60s and early-70s when a newriver crossing was considered. Fortunately the bridge was saved and is nowunder the protection of English Heritage.

Something to consider next time the South Africans beat England at rugby: itwas Cornish miners who introduced them to the sport!

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Stonehengehas stood for50,000 years

Dorset’sDurdle Door

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discover other mines, foundries, towns, ports andharbours set in glorious surroundings. Major recentinvestment has improved the attractions and a new audiotrail, with commentaries by ex-miners and historians, isavailable for smartphones.

wales

It was hard graft in the coal mines and ironworks ofSouth Wales. Blaenavon Industrial Landscape(www.cadw.wales.gov.uk) offers a range of free attrac-tions, headed by Big Pit: National Coal Museum whereyou descend 300ft underground to witness the sights,sounds and smells of life from Victorian times until themine’s closure in 1980. Blaenavon Ironworks featuresthe world’s best-preserved early blast furnaces.

Find out about the region’s history at Blaenavon’s WorldHeritage Centre before taking a tour of the town, with itscottages for colliery and ironworkers, and grand VictorianWorkmen’s Hall. The town celebrates the culturalOlympiad in June with music, dance, drama and a carnival.

If you’re seeking well-preserved fortresses on a grandscale, head for Gwynedd. The four Castles of KingEdward I (www.cadw.wales.gov.uk) are fine examplesof medieval military architecture, built as an “Iron Ring”to pacify the Welsh.

All four are staging cultural Olympiad events thissummer. Caernarfon and Harlech are hosting exhibi-tions and performances, and Beaumaris a MedievalFantasy of music, dance and food. Harlech is openinga new visitor centre.

It’s an exhilarating experience to take a canal boat orsimply stroll over the top of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct(www.pontcysyllte-aqueduct.co.uk) in North Wales.Britain’s newest World Heritage Site – it was signed up in2009 – is the country’s longest and highest aqueduct, tower-ing 126ft above the River Dee. The 200-year-old engineeringmarvel is considered Thomas Telford’s masterpiece.

northern england

Lose yourself in the atmospheric dark passageways andwinding staircases of Britain’s largest monastic ruins atYorkshire’s Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal

(www.fountainsabbey.org.uk). Founded in 1132, theabbey thrived until Henry VIII’s Dissolution of theMonasteries and it now stands uninhabited save for acolony of bats. Visitors to this enchanting spot can alsoexplore the 18th century water gardens and Jacobeanmansion Fountains Hall.

The “model village” of Saltaire (www.saltairevillage.info) in West Yorkshire is acomplete and well-preserved industrial centre. Built bySir Titus Salt in 1876, the village is an important part ofthe country’s industrial heritage.

UNESCO recognises Liverpool, Maritime MercantileCity (www.liverpoolworldheritage.com) as asupreme example of a British port at the time of thiscountry’s greatest global influence. The area’s bigattractions include the towering Liver Building,Albert Dock, the Mersey ferry, World MuseumLiverpool, Walker Art Gallery and MaritimeMuseum.

Durham Castle and Cathedral (www.durhamworldheritagesite.com) date backto Norman times. Considered the largest and finestexample of Norman architecture in England, Durham’s

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uk uncovered britain’s world heritage sites

“It’s anexhilaratingexperienceto take acanal boator simplystroll overthe top ofPontcysyllteAqueduct”

world heritage site wannabesTen new UK sites are hoping to achieve World Heritage listing. The Twin Monasteryof Wearmouth-Jarrow (www.wearmouth-jarrow.org.uk) and Darwin’sLandscape Laboratory (www.darwinatdowne.co.uk) are already beingconsidered by UNESCO and join eight others on the so-called Tentative List.

The Anglo-Saxon monastery is based around St Peter’s Church in Wearmouthand St Paul’s in Jarrow, home to the scholar, the Venerable Bede, and a leadingcentre of learning in the Middle Ages. The site also features Bede’s World, wherevisitors can tour the Anglo-Saxon farm and discover how the monks lived.

Darwin’s Landscape Laboratory comprises the house, gardens and countryside inKent where Darwin lived and worked for 40 years and where he completed hiswork on The Origin of Species.

The eight other locations are Chatham Dockyard and its Defences, Kent;Cresswell Crags, Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire; England’s Lake District, Cumbria;Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire; Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof, Shetland;Slate Industry of North Wales; The Flow Country, Scotland; and the Forth Bridge(Rail), Scotland.

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Three Graces viewedfrom the Mersey Ferry

Vaunted cellarageat Fountains Abbey

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cathedral has recently received £3.5 million of Heritagelottery funding to reveal more of its important collec-tions and hidden architectural wonders.

Frontiers of the Roman Empire: Hadrian’s Wall(www.hadrians-wall.org) is the country’s largest andmost complex World Heritage Site. Running 150 milesacross north and west Cumbria and the North East, itwas built by the Emperor Hadrian in AD122.

Big investment in visitor improvements over the pastfour years resulted in more than one million people tour-ing the wall’s forts, sites and museums in 2011. Themost-visited Homesteads Roman Fort re-opens in Marchafter refurbishment, while the Queen’s Jubilee will becelebrated by 60 blazing beacons along the wall. Alsorunning the entire length will be an art installation aspart of the cultural Olympiad.

scotland and northern ireland

The striking contrasts of Edinburgh Old and NewTowns (www.edinburgh.org) make it a fascinatingcity to visit. The famous Castle overlooks the medievalcobbled streets and dark alleyways of the Old Town,while the New Town has elegant Georgian crescents,squares and terraces.

New Lanark (www.newlanark.org), near the spec-tacular Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve, rose to fame inthe early 1800s when mill manager Robert Owen trans-formed life there by abolishing child labour and corporalpunishment, and providing decent homes, schooling,free health care and affordable food. Today, you can seethe old textile machinery and discover how millworkerslived. There’s a village store and youngsters can dress upin period costume in the 1820s classroom.

Those planning a real escape from the rat race shouldconsider St Kilda (www.kilda.org.uk), a group ofislands that form the remotest part of the British Isles inthe Outer Hebrides. Its exceptional cliffs and sea stacksform the most important seabird breeding station innorth-west Europe.

Also out on a limb is the Heart of Neolithic Orkney(www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/neolithic-orkney), aremote and beautiful island group with prehistoricmonuments pre-dating the Egyptian pyramids. The5,000-year-old burial mound of Maes Howe is one of themost impressive in Western Europe.

The intriguing Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast(www.beta.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway)has been shrouded in myth and legend for centuries.Made up of some 40,000 massive black basalt columnssticking out of the sea, the Causeway lies at the foot ofthe cliffs along Northern Ireland’s rugged Antrim coast.

A striking new visitor centre opening this summerwill allow families to learn about the region’s heritageand participate in conservation work.

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uk uncovered britain’s world heritage sites

world heritage site facts

official bodiesUNESCO: http://whc.unesco.org/Department for Culture, Media andSport: www.culture.gov.ukVisitBritain: www.visitbritain.comThe National Trust:www.nationaltrust.org.ukEnglish Heritage: www.english-heritage.org.ukCadw: www.cadw.wales.gov.ukNational Trust for Scotland: www.nts.org.uk

accommodationIf the thought of staying overnight at a castle – or even an arsenic mine– appeals, Landmark Trust (www.landmarktrust.org.uk) has aninteresting range of historic rental properties handy for World HeritageSites.More conventional accommodation can be booked through agenciessuch as Expedia (www.expedia.co.uk) and Superbreak(www.superbreak.com), which have a choice of hotels at many of thelocations.Alternatively, you can get a new perspective on your slice of historyfrom a canal boat. Waterways Holidays(www.waterwaysholidays.com) offers waterborne access to thecities of Edinburgh and Bath and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal.

save moneyVisitors can reduce the cost of enjoying historic or scenic splendour byjoining the National Trust or English Heritage, which are responsible for

several of the sites. A year’s membership for2012 respectively costs from £37.88 (joint£62.63, family £66.38) and £46 (joint£80, up to six children under 19 free). The Scottish capital provides theEdinburgh Pass, offering free entry to30 attractions, special offers and freeAirlink airport transfers from £29 (child£18) for one day.Travel journalist John Law recalls being gob-smacked by the

Tower of London as a schoolboy and seeing his ownchildren’s delight on “history trips” years later. He enjoysliving in Georgian Bath.

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Hadrian’s Wall is Britain’slargest World Heritage Site

Durham

Harlech Castle Background image: Giant’s Causeway

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Amotoring holiday in Europe has long beenpart of the English psyche, conjuring upvisions of classic roadsters hugging thesweeping curves of the Cote d’Azur ortouring through verdant Alpine valleys. Forthose venturing across the Channel, or

indeed to Ireland or Scandinavia, there has traditionallyonly been one way to go: pack your car to the brim andtake it on a ferry, driving to your destination and stop-ping off for an overnight break on long journeys.

The advent of low-cost airlines and cheap flights toEurope’s cities and beach resorts means that it can nowbe just as cheap, if not cheaper, to fly direct to your final

destination and rent a car while you are there. Counter-ing that is the hassle factor of flying and security checksas well as the limited amount of luggage allowed onaircraft, particularly those of budget carriers.

Each has its advantages and its downsides, and thefinal choice will depend on a number of factors.

Here is how they weigh up against each other:

driving your own car

Whether you are heading off to a French campsite orgite, a log cabin in Scandinavia, B&Bs in Ireland, aparador hotel in Spain or a holiday park in Holland,

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

hit the road taking your car away vs renting

D riven b y you

W ith th e p ound ral l ying against th e euro, a m otoring h ol id ay on th e C ontinent or in I rel and is atem p ting p rosp ect f or m any th is year. T h e b ig q uestion is: d o you f l y and rent, or take your owncar on a f erry? Peter Ellegard l ooks at th e m erits of b oth

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taking your own car gives you lots of flexibility.One of the biggest advantages is that you can take as

much luggage as you like, as there are no restrictions onferries. Filled up the boot? No problem; just rent or buya roofbox to give you more space. You can also put acycle rack on the back of your car so that the wholefamily can explore the countryside by bike once at theholiday destination.

Then there’s the convenience of setting off fromyour home with everything packed in the car and noneed to unpack it until you reach the other end. Youcan stop at a supermarket, winery or shopping malland grab bargains to bring back, without the inconven-

ience of not being allowed liquids as on aircraft. Once on the ferry, you have the freedom to roam the

ship and get fresh air instead of being shoehorned intocramped airline seats.

The ferry journey itself is also part of the holiday, espe-cially on longer routes such as to Denmark, Normandy,Brittany and Northern Spain. Ferries today are a far cryfrom the old days of poor onboard facilities and transportcafé-style food. Now they are havens of comfort, with en-suite cabins, cinemas, night clubs, spas, gyms, bars andshows on longer routes. Most ferries offer a choice ofdining, comfortable seating including reclining seats onsome services, shopping and play areas.

Some boast club lounges to rival those of airports, yetwith check-in times from just 30 minutes and no lengthysecurity queues. Unlike cheap flights where changes cancost more than the original ticket, check-in and travelpolicies are flexible.

Frequent services on short-sea routes give extra peaceof mind, knowing that there is another sailing soon afterif you miss your intended one. Those in a hurry can bookpriority loading to ensure they are first on and first off.High-speed catamaran ferries cut crossing times onsome routes.

If you can’t bear to be parted from your four-leggedfriends, many ferry operators welcome Fido or Rover ifyou have got them pet passports under the Government’sPet Travel Scheme.

Flying is not always the cheapest travel option, either.Booking ferry travel early means you can get good-valuefares, with travel from as little as £1 per mile betweenthe UK and France for a family of four with a car.National Ferry Fortnight each year brings specialadvance-booking promotions and last-minute offers.

Several ferry companies, among them BrittanyFerries and Irish Ferries, offer ferry-inclusive holidays,with a range of accommodation close to or within easydriving range of ferry ports.

And if the thought of crossing the English Channelby sea makes you go green at the gills, youcan always opt for the Eurotunnel option, withjourneys taking just 35 minutes through theChannel Tunnel on its car-carrying trains.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

hit the road taking your car away vs renting

Britt

any

Ferr

ies

Britt

any

Ferr

ies

Ship ahoy – packedand ready to sail away

Watch outfor offersduringNational FerryFortnight

Driving in France

Discover Ferries

“The ferryjourney isalso part ofthe holiday”

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Even with the extra time it now takes at airports, withearlier check-ins and longer security procedures, flying toyour destination is generally quicker – much more so ifyou are going further afield and not just puddle-jumping.

If you are heading somewhere that would be a longdrive from a coastal port, you will arrive far morerefreshed than if you had to sit behind the wheel forseveral hours, and you won’t have the constant cries of“Are we there yet?” from fractious children.

Car rental facilities are generally either on-airport orvery close by, so you need only stroll over to the deskand your car is usually just a short walk away and readyto be driven off.

Hotels sometimes have rental locations and there arealways rental facilities in cities, so you don’t have tojump straight in a car when you arrive at the airport ifyou don’t want to. You can also rent for just a few daysinstead of the whole stay, ensuring you are not wastingmoney with the car sitting idly in a parking lot while youare lazing on a beach.

Pre-booking cuts down on the time to process yourbooking, guarantees you the vehicle of your choice andgenerally gets you better rates than prices charged in-resort. You can also pre-book satnavs and child or babyseats with your car.

Holiday Autos sales support manager Stephanie Hillsnotes: “By pre-booking your car rental you know exactlywhat the fully inclusive price is and can be sure you

This table comparing the cost of ferry travel to northern Spain withthat of flying and renting may look like the flights option is a clearwinner. But according to Brittany Ferries, which carried out the study,it does not tell the whole story.

The comparison is for a family of two adults and two childrentravelling for a week’s holiday in late July and includes one night’saccommodation onboard in each direction on the ferry company’s

Santander and Bilbao routes.A Brittany Ferries spokesman said: “Although this price comparison

shows us as being slightly more expensive, it is based on only one bagof less than 20kg per person [on the flights], which is not much for afamily. Yet you can pack as much as you want in your own car andsave money by taking cool bags of food, etc. Travelling by ferry is, ofcourse, much more relaxing as well!”

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

hit the road taking your car away vs renting

fare’s fair?

fuel’s goldThe UK has the seventh-highest petrol prices in Europe and the second-highestdiesel prices, according to the AA’s Fuel Price Report for December 2011.

In Europe, Spain is the bargain popular holiday destination for drivers, althoughtiny Luxembourg is Europe’s cheapest for diesel, at the equivalent of 100.47 penceper litre, and Bulgaria is cheapest for unleaded petrol, at 100.04 pence per litre.Norway is the most expensive, at a whopping 152.15 pence per litre for unleadedpetrol.

Here are fuel prices for selected countries across Europe, with average UKprices:

Fuel prices in Europe

Country Currency Local currency per litre Sterling equivalentUnleaded Diesel Unleaded Diesel

Austria Euro 1.35 1.37 113.09 114.85Belgium Euro 1.59 1.48 133.15 123.79Denmark Danish Krone 12.16 11.59 136.77 130.36France Euro 1.51 1.44 125.88 120.62Germany Euro 1.47 1.40 123.12 117.11Netherlands Euro 1.68 1.42 140.34 118.78Ireland Euro 1.48 1.47 123.62 122.79Luxembourg Euro 1.30 1.20 108.50 100.47Spain Euro 1.29 1.31 107.83 109.50Sweden Swedish Krona 14.03 14.34 130.47 133.35

Source: AA Prices in selected countries as at December 19, 2011

UK fuel pricesUnleaded 95 Octane (pence) Diesel (pence)

litres (gallons) litres (gallons)UK AVERAGE 132.5 602.4 141.1 641.45

Source: AA Prices are an average across the UK as at mid-December 2011

Price comparison – ferry travel vs flights to Spain

Ryanair Brittany FerriesRoute Flight price Car hire price Airport parking Total price Route Ferry price Difference in priceLondon-Santander £623.92 £142.31 £80.00 £846.23 Portsmouth-Santander £958.00 £111.77

easyjetLondon-Bilbao £539.92 £161.11 £80.00 £781.03 Portsmouth-Bilbao £958.00 £176.97

Source: Brittany Ferries Travel based on family of four, travelling July 2012 (ferry includes standard car)

Europcar

Pre-book asatnav withyour hire car

fly and rent

Page 31: tlm - the travel & leisure magazine winter 2012

ValueHolidays

from

£140*

inc. ferry

The GreatBritish EscapeIsle of Wight getaways for less

redfunnel.co.uk/escape0844 844 2690

For a great value 2012 holiday, head to the Isle of Wight with Red Funnel.With beautiful award winning beaches and loads of attractions and activities for

031TLMwinter 16/1/12 14:08 Page 1

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won’t have to pay any extras for compulsory insurance,taxes etc. You are assured of the car you want, plus youhave the full back-up service of a 24-hour helpline.”

For families with small cars, opting for a hire carmeans they can rent a larger vehicle just for the timethey need it, knowing the vehicle is fully-maintained andcovered by 24-hour road assistance. It also allows themto enjoy their holiday in more comfort than if they hadtaken their own, smaller car and without the wear andtear such a long journey would have put on it.

Conversely, if you are only using the hire car to drivelocally and don’t need the extra comfort, you can cutdown on cost by renting a much smaller vehicle thanyour own car. Renting allows you to be an eco-championon holiday, too, with hybrid and electric cars nowfeatured by several companies. Rental companyNational has a fleet of 250 compact, all-electric CitroenC-Zero cars in Paris and all main French cities, withrates from 35 euros per day.

Many people also use a holiday to treat themselves,renting a convertible or luxury model that they wouldnever drive at home. While in winter, you can rent a 4x4to cope with the snow and ice in ski resorts.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

hit the road taking your car away vs renting

driving in europe facts

MOTORING CLIPSBox clever

For any longdistance drivingholiday, be it tothe slopes of theSwiss Alps or tothe beaches ofSouthern France,fuel costs and

finding space for the whole family’s luggage will beamong your concerns.Thule offers the very best solution with its latest

range, the Thule Dynamic. Its sleek aerodynamicdesign actually complements the vehicle it is mountedupon, which in turn minimises unwanted drag andwind noise, leading to greater fuel efficiency.

Fitting is simple, thanks to Thule’s new PowerClick System, which offers a helpful indicator toensure the correct fitting tightness. For ease of use,the box will open on either side, and it features anon-slip base mat to help prevent your luggage frommoving within the box. The Thule Dynamic is available in two sizes; the

800 offers 420 litres capacity whereas the larger 900offers 520 litres. Prices start from £649.99 fromwww.halfords.comFor more information on the Thule range, go to

www.thule.com.

Breath test kit law Dover ferry operatorDFDS Seaways ishighlighting the needfor drivers to begincarrying disposablebreathalysers whenthey drive in Francefrom this spring. Themeasures, allowingdrivers to test whether they are over the legal limit,are part of a programme to cut the number of roaddeaths in France, and those caught without abreathalyser in their car will face a 17 euro fine.The ferry company – which formerly operated in the

route as Norfolkline – will be offering breathalysers inits onboard shops. Prices are yet to confirmed.DFDS operates up to 12 return sailings a day to

Dunkirk. www.dfdsseaways.co.uk

Former cross-Channel ferry operator SeaFrance hasgone into liquidation on the orders of the CommercialCourt in Paris. An automatic refund process has beenset up for all current bookings. Customers with anyqueries should call 0845 458 0666.

useful websitesThe AA has a Driving Abroad section on its website(www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas)with information including general tips, drivingrequirements and compulsory equipment by country.Driving Abroad (www.drivingabroad.co.uk) also listshandy information for driving in different countries.The Passenger Shipping Association’s DiscoverFerries website (www.discoverferries.com)details ferry routes, member companies and has lots ofother information, including details of National Ferry Fortnight, from March 17-30.Car rental company National has information on driving in 50 countrieson its Drive Safe website (www.nationaldrivesafe.com).

car ferry companiesBrittany Ferries: www.brittanyferries.comCondor Ferries: www.condorferries.comDFDS Seaways: www.dfds.co.ukIrish Ferries: www.irishferries.comLD Lines: www.ldlines.comP&O Ferries: www.poferries.comStena Line: www.stenaline.co.uk

car rental companiesAlamo: www.alamo.co.ukAvis: www.avis.co.ukBudget: www.budget.co.ukEuropcar: www.europcar.co.ukHertz: www.hertz.co.ukHoliday Autos: www.holidayautos.co.ukNational: www.nationalcar.co.ukSixt: www.sixt.co.uk

Alam

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Cond

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Airport pick-up

Ferry fast

Renting inFrance

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resort report antalya, turkey

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

of the south

S ev en d ays i n T urki s h R i v i era g atew ay A ntalya. Peter Ellegard i s yo ur g ui d e

Turkey’s fastest-growing city, Antalya lies onits southern coast in the heart of what isknown as the Turkish Riviera, or TurquoiseCoast. Cupped between the TaurusMountains, snow-capped in winter, and theclear waters of the Mediterranean, this

beguiling part of Turkey has been attracting visitors formillennia and is said to have been given to Cleopatraas a dowry by Mark Antony, when the Romans ruledthe region.

While the early visitors – who also included Greeksand, later, Ottomans – were not drawn by aesthetics, inmore recent years it has attracted the holidaying masseswith its captivating mix of ancient history, culture, andexotic cuisine as well as for its glorious scenery andbeaches.

With so much to explore, the city of Antalya is verymuch a destination for those who don’t just want to fly

and flop, although for those who prefer to do that ithas beaches with hotels alongside. Konyaalti, a

pebble beach, is the closest at just 3km west ofthe city centre, while sandy Lara Beach,12km to the east, is hemmed in by a pineforest.

Many of the hotels thereare all-inclusive, with

meals and drinks partof the package –something tobear in mind if

you fancy samplingsome of the greatlocal cuisine inAntalya’s restau-rants or want tokick back in someof its bars.

This is how youcan make the most of aweek’s stay:

day 1

daytimeAfter a long and tiring journey, you will want to relaxand wind down. Once unpacked, you can laze by thehotel pool or on the beach, followed by a gentle stroll totake in the wonderful sea views.

eveningTake a taxi to the Mermerli Restaurant (www.mermerlirestaurant.com), at the top of stepsleading up from the harbour wall in Kaleici, Antalya’shistoric centre. It has one of the best vantage points for asundowner high up on the cliffs looking out to the moun-tains across the bay and down to its private beach. Havemezze with your beer or cocktail as you watch the touristboats cruise back to the harbour, but leave room for dinner.

Stroll round the harbour and go for dinner at the KaleBar Restaurant (tel: +90 242 248 6591), in a pedestri-

Club Armarestaurant

Shop inKaleici

Konyaalti BeachPictures: Peter Ellegard

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resort report antalya, turkey

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

anised side street above the harbour. Part of the TutavTurk Evi hotel, its rooftop patio restaurant has superbviews over the harbour and the old Selcuk Quarter, butbook in advance to guarantee a table. Choose your fishmain course and giant prawns for starters from the icedfish counter, and they take them away to cook them.

day 2

daytimeExplore old Kaleici today, perhaps after an iced coffee inone of the cafes perched above the marina by the mainCumhuriyet Square to get your bearings. This fascinatingcitadel frames the harbour with some of the fortifiedwalls that still partially enclose it. Within the historiccentre, you can explore the maze of narrow streets linedby traditional houses, minarets, mosques and shops sell-ing everything from spiced tea powders to belly-dancingoutfits, bangles, bags, handicrafts and, of course, carpets.

Highlights include the Clock Tower, fluted 13thcentury Yivli Minaret and adjacent multi-domedmosque, and the well-preserved Hadrian’s Gate, datingback to 130AD.

For lunch, have a bite and a beer on the terrace of theHotel Odile (www.hotelodile.com), with a grandstandview of the adjacent Hirdilik Tower, then walk along theclifftop path through leafy Karaalioglu Park with a glassof freshly-pressed pomegranate juice before returningthrough Kaleici’s narrow streets, stopping by AtaturkMuseum, dedicated to Turkey’s founder.

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resort report antalya, turkey

“Explore themaze ofnarrowstreets linedby traditionalhouses,minarets,mosques andshops”

eveningAfter freshening up at your hotel, and perhaps a quickdip, head back to Kaleici for sunset cocktails and dinnerat Club Arma (tel: +90 252 417 2808), one ofAntalya’s top restaurants. Dine on its patio with wonder-ful vistas of the harbour and minaret-crowned old city.

day 3

daytimeYour feet will probably be complaining about all thewalking yesterday, so give them a treat today. The indo-lent can just laze by the pool or beach. But the moreinquisitive can return to Kaleici’s harbour to take acruise on one of the numerous gulets moored there.Trips last anything from one to six hours and take in therocky coastline, caves and waterfalls tumbling into thesea.

On your return, pamper yourself even more with aTurkish bath. The historic Sefa Hamam(www.sefahamam.com) is in the Barbaros Quarter ofKaleici and offers a traditional sauna and massage inbaths that records show were restored in 1450. If youwant a traditional hammam treatment in five-star splen-dour, that is an option in the palatial Rixos Royal Spa

(www.rixosroyalspa.com) at the Rixos Downtownhotel (www.rixos.com) in Konyaalti, along with luxuryThai, Bali and Indian massages and other treatments.

The wonderful Antalya Museum(www.antalyamuzesi.gov.tr/en) is just around thecorner. If you don’t want to immerse yourself in its fasci-nating displays now, save it for another day.

eveningStay in Konyaalti to chill out in one of the beach-sidebars of Konyaalti Beach Park, followed by dinner at 7Mehmet restaurant (tel: +90 242 238 5200), just abovethe beach next to the retro-chic Hillside Su Hotel(www.hillsidesu.com).

day 4

daytimeTake a magical history tour today, visiting some amaz-ing remnants of Antalya’s past. North-west of the city inthe Gulluk Mountains National Park, the ruins of theancient city of Termessos lie in a beautiful naturalsetting. East of Antalya, thePamphylian city ofPerge is amongTurkey’s best-preservedarchaeologicalsites and was abase for Alexan-der the Great,although most ofthe ruins areRoman.

But the area’s star turnfor history buffs is the magnificent Roman amphitheatreat Aspendos, 50km east of Antalya. Part of a site alsoincluding aqueducts and temples, it is one of the mostimposing structures from ancient history still survivingtoday and is used for open-air concerts, seating morethan 15,000 spectators.

Venture further afield, if you want, to visit Antonyand Cleopatra’s hangout, Alanya, and the classical city ofSide, with its well-preserved Roman theatre and Templeof Apollo, then it’s back to the hotel and some pool time.

eveningA traditional Turkish meal beckons this evening, andwhat could be more traditional than kebabs? Feast onthe best in Antalya at Ali Haydar (tel: +90 0242 2476430), a little restaurant tucked away near the city’sstadium. They don’t speak English, but just point towhat you want on the menu.

day 5

daytimeAntalya’s founder, King Attalos of Pergamum, named itafter himself and regarded the region as heaven onearth. Take a leaf out of his book and explore some ofthe magnificent natural beauty of the area.

Antalya’s harbourand fortified walls

did you know? Visitors to Antalya have included Alexander the Great, Cleopatra and Hadrian. Karain Cave, 30km from Antalya, is the site of Turkey’s oldest settlement and is

one of 500 caves in the area. Antalya is one of the most important nesting grounds for the loggerhead, or

Caretta Caretta, turtle. In March and April, you can ski in the morning at Saklikent, 50km from Antalya,

and swim in the sea in the afternoon. Bellerophon slew mythological fire-breathing monster Chimaera while mounted

on his winged horse, Pegasus, at Yarnatas, 80km from Antalya.

Perge ruinsTh

e Tu

rkish

Cul

ture

& To

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Offi

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day 5

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To the south-west of Antalya, en route to ancientOlympos, Cerali Beach is a protected area where logger-head turtles haul up on the beach to lay eggs. Go inSeptember and you may see the hatchlings emerge andscramble to the safety of the sea.

Around 10km north of the city, the Upper DudenWaterfall plunges 20 metres into a pool amidst forestedsplendour, and you can walk behind the cascade. TheLower Duden Waterfall, 8km from Antalya, tumbles overthe cliff into the sea just by the road to Lara Beach, andthere are viewpoints on the cliff and above the falls.

eveningEnjoy first-class seafood with amazing sea views atAntalya Balikevi restaurant (Tel: +90 242 323 1823)on the road to Lara.

day 6

daytimeGolfers will be chomping at the bit to get out on thefairways of purpose-built tourist resort Belek, around 40minutes to the east of Antalya. There are now 279 holesof golf at 11 clubs in Belek and you can easily fit in around with some après-golf refreshments and meal on aday trip.

Among the courses to try are the Nick Faldo-designed Cornelia Deluxe(www.corneliagolfresort.com), which has 27 holes,and the Colin Montgomerie-designed MontgomerieMaxx Royal Golf Club(www.montgomeriemaxxroyal.com). Both are excel-lent tests of golf in beautiful settings amid pine trees andlakes. You can rent golf clubs at both. Rental clubs arealso available through Turkish Golf Advisor (www.turk-ishgolfadvisor.net), although they generally rent clubsby the week. You can arrange transport through MatrixTravel (www.tourantalya.net).

Non-golfers can spend the day soaking up the sun.

eveningStay in Belek and grab a steak at Moods restaurant andbar (tel: +90 242 715 3525) before returning toAntalya, while those who never made it past the beachor hotel pool can try the Jolly Joker pub (tel: +90 242316 7515) in Antalya.

day 7

daytimeToday is your final day, so after packing you cansqueeze in some last-minute time on the beach to top upthat tan. But why not arrange your airport transferearlier and stop off at the band new TerraCity shoppingmall (http://terracity.com.tr/en) en route in Lara? Itis not far from the airport and has 150 shops by brandsincluding Burberry, Massimo Dutti and GAP, so youcan grab some designer bargains before you board yourplane back home.

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resort report antalya, turkey

antalya facts

getting thereDirect, non-stop flights are operated by severalcharter airlines as well as easyJet(www.easyjet.com) and Pegasus(www.flypgs.com). Turkish Airlines(www.thy.com) operates flights toIstanbul with connections on to Antalya.

getting aroundUse taxis in Antalya, but ensure they have ameter. For longer journeys, you can take taxis(rates to different destinations are often posted on boards by taxiranks) or cheap dolmus minibuses. Airport transfers and day trips canbe arranged through Matrix Travel (www.tourantalya.net). Antalya

also has trams and a new Antray light rail line.

eat and drinkA mezze in a reasonable restaurant costsaround £2 and a beer about £2.80.Dinner can range from kebabs at £5 ina no-frills eatery to around £15 for asteak or fish in a classy restaurant. Wine

is pricey in restaurants, typically costing£25 or more a bottle.

tour operatorsHolidays are offered by companies including Thomas Cook(www.thomascook.com), Thomson (www.thomson.co.uk),Anatolian Sky (www.anatoliansky.co.uk), Sovereign(www.sovereign.com), Classic Collection (www.classic-collection.co.uk) and Mosaic Holidays (www.mosaicholidays.co.uk).

hotelsAntalya hotels include the Rixos Downtown(www.rixos.com), Hillside Su(www.hillsidesu.com), Puding Suite(www.pudingsuite.com), Hotel Odile(www.hotelodile.com) and Hotel AlpPasa (www.alppasa.com).

tourist informationTurkish Culture and Tourism Office:www.gototurkey.com

Lower Duden Waterfall

Mind the turtles

Aspendosamphitheatre

Sundownerat Mermerlirestaurant

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The Exeter Festival of South West Food& Drink is a weekend of culinarydelights, celebrating all that is deli-

cious about the South West. Co-founded by two-star Michelin chef,

Michael Caines MBE, and now in its ninthyear, the festival is being held in ExeterCastle’s landscaped grounds from April 13-15and offers something for everyone – fromdedicated foodies to families: At the Festival Cookery Theatre, rub shoul-ders with top chefs including Michael Cainesand familiar Masterchef faces. Enjoy regional food and drink in the foodpavilions. The Food is Fun teepees will feature chefs,artisan food producers, workshops and hands-on family activities. Pick up tips in expert masterclasses, enjoyfine dining at gourmet pop-up restaurants,have fun in the children’s area and get adviceon herb, vegetable and fruit gardening andBBQ cooking tips in the mini show garden. Enjoy live music, delicious regional foodand real ales at the Festival After Dark events.

We’ve teamed up with the festival and theJurys Inn Exeter to offer one lucky reader andpartner the chance to win the ultimate foodieescape, with weekend festival passes and twonights at the hotel, including a meal in therestaurant on one night.

One of Exeter’s finest hotels, the Jurys InnExeter offers great-value, comfortable accom-modation in 170 stylish, air-conditioned roomswith large beds, high-speed internet and flat-screen Freeview TVs. The city-centre locationis a short walk from Princesshay, Exeter’snewest shopping quarter.

how to enter For your chance to WIN this fantastic SouthWest foodie escape, simply answer the follow-ing question:

Question: Who co-founded the Exeter Festi-val of South West Food & Drink?

To enter, go to www.tlm-magazine.co.ukand click on Competitions. Closing date isFebruary 28, 2012. Terms & conditions apply;see website for details.

Visit www.exeterfoodanddrinkfestival.co.ukfor latest information on the festival, andwww.jurysinn.com for information on theJurys Inn Exeter.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

WIN a £350 South West foodie escape

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A balloon ride is a unique way toexplore beautiful Britain, fromhigh above the landscape. Now tlm has teamed up withVirgin Balloon Flights to offeryou the chance to win thisexperience of a lifetime, with aChampagne balloon ride for fourpeople. The flights cost £199 perperson, so it is a prize with atotal value of £796.The adventure includes: A three to four-hour experi-

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For a limited time, VirginBalloon Flights are offeringnational 7 Day Anytime Plusflight vouchers (RRP £199per person) for just £139pp– a saving of 30%. Every customer who takesup this offer will also receivea F R E E luxury gift hamperwhile stocks last.Be quick, this fantastic offerends on February 26, 2012.Simply call 0844 8448070 orvisit the Virgin Balloon Flightswebsite, atwww.virginballoonflights.co.ukand quote TLM. Terms and conditions apply.

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seasonal focus valentine’s cities

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

St Valentine’s Day first became associatedwith romantic love in the Middle Ageswhen the tradition of courtly love flour-ished and writer Geoffrey Chaucer, authorof The Canterbury Tales, championedaffairs of the heart.

Today February 14 may be somewhat commercialisedwith teddy bears clutching hearts and inflated prices fora dozen red roses, but it still offers the chance to showyour loved one just how much they mean to you. Andwhat better way to do that than whisk them away for aromantic city break?

cities close to home Paris may be an obvious choice when it comes toromance, but it still melts hearts, and you can begin theseduction even before you leave the UK. Treatyourselves to a Victorian-style cocktail in The Booking

Office bar at the stunning St Pancras Renaissance Hotelbefore boarding Eurostar to the heart of the French capi-tal. As long as you book well in advance, you can dine atthe Eiffel Tower and take a Seine River Cruise. Alterna-tively take a more avant-garde approach and stroll theLeft Bank, stopping in romantic bars; hunt around themany vintage markets and enjoy a classic movie at anold-style cinema like Le Champo in the Latin Quarter.

A little bit more left field is the Dutch city of Amster-dam, where lovers can explore the Van Gogh Museum orStedelikj Modern Art Museum, or browse the boutiquesand curiosity shops around Nine Streets (a grid withinthe canal network). By night, book a dinner cruise by therisqué Supperclub with live DJs and dancing till late.

The Italian city of Venice has a history of famouslovers and romantics from Lord Byron, who used toswim down the Grand Canal, to Casanova, who wasimprisoned in the Doge’s Palace. For maximum impact,

C ities o f

W ith th e m o st r o m antic d ay in th e calend arap p r o ach ing , w h er e in th e w o r ld can y o u w h isky o u r lo ved o ne o f f to f o r a co sy city b r eak th at w illm ak e y o u r h ear ts b eat f aster ? I n th e f ir st o f o u rnew seaso nal f eatu r e ser ies, Jane Anderson g ivesa g u id ed to u r o f so m e o f th e w o r ld ’s sex iestd estinatio ns

passion

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tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

arrive by natty water taxi across the lagoon from theairport and up the impossibly-narrow canals to yourwaterside hotel. There’s uber-romantic dining at Cips,the floating alfresco restaurant at Hotel Cipriani, artgalleries galore, glass-making on Murano island andcolourful houses and lace-making on Burano, not forget-ting the famous gondola rides under the Rialto Bridge.

If you’ve seen the Woody Allen movie, Vicky CristinaBarcelona, or ever been to the magnificent Catalan city ofBarcelona, you’ll know this is an exciting city for lovers.Explore the Gothic Quarter, the Museu Picasso andGaudi’s architecture, go designer shopping and dinelate at 7 Portes, one of the oldest in the city.

love in a cold climateThere’s something undeniably seductive about anicy destination. The chance to wrap up warm andexplore frozen cities, drink hot toddies and snug-

seasonal focus valentine’s cities

Candlelit dinner overlooking theCzech Republic’s Chateau Mcely

Church ofOur Saviouron SpilledBlood, StPetersburg

Romance in Prague

Czech Tourism

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gle up together under reindeer skins at an ice hotel,carved out and constructed from blocks of ice.

This winter has been one of the best to view theNorthern Lights and Iceland is one of the key places tohead for this romantic spectacle. Couples can spend anight or two exploring the capital, Reykjavik, seeing theImagine Peace Tower cast its geothermally-poweredbeam of light into the night sky and taking a dip in theBlue Lagoon before heading to Akureyri, the Capital ofthe North and Lake Myvatn, a geological wonderrenowned for its natural beauty.

Finland is also far enough north to catch the Aurora

Borealis spectacle and you might just catch a glimpsefrom its cool capital, Helsinki, where you can spend yourdays exploring the Kiasmna Museum of ContemporaryArt and bargain hunting around the vintage shops and artboutiques of the Design District. Don’t miss a romanticdinner at Olo, a low-key but achingly-stylish restaurantserving Finnish favourites such as reindeer.

Russia’s St Petersburg is blanketed in snow in Febru-ary, making it the perfect city to take a horse-drawncarriage past splendid palaces, majestic cathedrals andfrozen canals. Couples must also catch a performance ofthe Nutcracker at the Mariinsky Theatre and go skatingtogether on one of the many outdoor ice rinks.

Montreal is the largest city in the Canadian provinceof Quebec and has a vibrant food and arts scene whichlends itself to romantic weekends. Snow lovers shouldhead to Montreal Snow Village, the first of its kind inNorth America, located in the grounds of St DrapeauPark on St Helene’s Island. It’s made entirely of ice andsnow and includes an ice hotel, polar snow igloos, acrystalline wedding chapel (just in case you decide to tiethe knot), an ice restaurant, Le Kube Ice Bar and aheated outdoor Spa under the Stars.

far-flung romanceNew York is one of the most glamorous cities in theworld, guaranteed to sweep your loved one off their feet.Despite its cutting-edge culture, the Big Apple does old-style romance to a tee with horse and carriage ridesaround Central Park, iconic sights such as the EmpireState Building and ice-skating at the Rockefeller Centrerink. If you want something more hip, head to the

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

“There’ssomethingundeniablyseductiveabout an icydestination”

Lovers can explore Amsterdam’s canals Helsinki Cathedral in winter

The Imagine Peace Tower in Icelandcasts a beam into the night sky

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boutiques, bars and clubs of the Meatpacking Districtfor a super cool Valentine’s night out.

For a transatlantic trip in warmer climes, Miami'sanother high-octane choice for couples, for the art decocharm and chic clubs and bars of South Beach.

Cape Town is another certainty for Valentine’ssunshine, top cuisine and wines. If you’re feeling adven-turous you can take the cable car up Table Mountain, siteof many a wedding proposal, or hire a car and head offinto the Cape Winelands for a romantic toast.

And if you’re prepared to travel half way round theworld for your love, the Hawaiian city of Honolulu isone of the most romantic on the planet. Located on themain island of Oahu, this is the vibrant epicentre ofHawaii, from the underground bars of the Chinatownarts district to the Hawaii Theatre. It’s also a fabulousjumping off point for a romantic trip round the islands.

exotic citiesThe Turkish capital of Istanbul is widely known as themeeting point of East and West, but increasingly it’swhere the ancient meets the brand new. The city isseeing an explosion of cutting-edge hotels, bars,boutiques and galleries, all vying for space with itsspectacular Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, traditionalhammams and Grand Bazaar. Or you can escape thecrowds and enjoy the perfect picnic when you take aferry up the Bosphorus to Anadolu Kavagi. The villageis surrounded by wooded hills and there are great viewsfrom the Byzantine ruins of Yoros castle.

The Moroccan city of Marrakech is another exoticcity of romance and intrigue. Its central square, the

Djemaa el Fnaa, is a thousand-year-old carnival withstorytellers and soothsayers, acrobats and mint tea-sell-ers. Its labyrinthine souks offer a blast of exoticism, butthe great thing about this city is its many calm andtotally-enchanting hideaways, from the Jardin Majorelle,formerly owned by Yves St Laurent to the many stun-ning riads (small hotels). Couples can also take a caleche(horse and carriage) out to the palmeraie (palm groves)surrounding the city or head out to the Atlas Mountainsfor a night under the stars.

For something further afield, Cuba’s capital Havana

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A caleche in Marrakech

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offers hopeless romantics the chance to travel back intime, with classic American Buiks and Chevvies on theroad, perfectly-preserved colonial architecture and CheGuevara billboards. There are happening nightclubs andthat famous Havana rum to keep things lively.

Or how about a trip to the Argentinean capital,Buenos Aires, renowned for its hot tango classes and thebest steak restaurants in the world?

living the high life There are certain cities which shout out decadence.Edinburgh may still be in the grip of a Scottish winter inFebruary but there are plenty of ways to live the highlife – literally. For anyone who’s read David Nicholl’snovel, One Day, climbing Arthur’s Seat could be thestart of a big romance with its majestic views of Edin-burgh Castle, and the Old and New Towns.

There are plenty of top-notch places to wine and dine.Top of the list for many is the extraordinary Witchery bythe Castle which also has fabulously gothic rooms or itssister hotel and restaurant, Prestonfield, with its privatedining room, the Salon Privee, which has a 100%success rate for marriage proposals.

If you’re determined to follow the jetset, ahoneymoon jaunt to Monte Carlo could be just theticket. In this tiny principality of Monaco, you can arriveby helicopter, hang out in the casinos, dine at Michelin-starred restaurants and generally have a blast.

Prague is a European city that captures the imagina-tion of couples who revel in the splendour of history.Spend a day in the historic part of Prague and take aromantic cruise on the river Vltava, then enjoy a candle-lit dinner overlooking Prague’s glorious skyline,guaranteed to put you in the mood for love.

Or you can find your very own fairytale castle, suchas the 17th-century Chateau Mcely an hour to the north-east of the capital, with a rejuvenating spa, chic salons,gourmet restaurant and Alchymist Club bar. Spa roman-tics can indulge themselves in a special Valentine’s Daywellness package with chocolate and honey massages,prepared for guests of the Krivan Hotel in the WesternBohemia spa town of Marianske Lazne. A number ofrelaxation and wellness stays for couples are also offeredin hotels in the town of Luhacovice, in East Moravia.

Of course, for a true taste of the high life, Las Vegas is

impossible to beat for overt decadence. Stretched limos,day-time pool parties with top DJs and private cabanas,incredible cuisine, outrageous suites and some of the bestshows in the world, from Absinthe to Cirque de Soleil’sLa Reve, just spell out high-rolling romance.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

seasonal focus valentine’s cities

valentine’s getaways facts

valentine’s packagesParis: Fall in love all over again at Le Bristol Hotel, one of the firsthotels in Paris to be named a palace. An overnight stay with Americanbreakfast, a treatment for two at the Spa by La Prairie, a glass ofChampagne and a Boucheron gift costs from €930 for two in a superiorroom. www.lebristolparis.com

Venice: Seasons (www.seasons.co.uk,01244 202002) offers two nights in agarden view room with balcony andbreakfast at Hotel Cipriani, with flightsand transfers, from £1,072 per person.

Montreal Snow Village: Bon Voyage(www.bon-voyage.co.uk, 0800 316 3012) offers four-night Valentine’sbreaks to Montreal, including a night at theSnow Village in a polar igloo and three nights at the historic FairmontQueen Elizabeth Hotel, from £895 per person with flights.

New York:Celebrate Valentine’s Day inNew York at the Philippe Stark-designed

Hudson Hotel. The hotel has a neo-modern design and is home to theHudson Bar, one of New York’s hottestnightspots. Depart on February 11 withLetsgo2 (www.letsgo2.com,

020 3582 4492) for five nights, room-only,from £689 per person with flights.

Kasbah Tamadot: Head to the ultra-romantic Kasbah Tamadot in theAtlas Mountains just outside Marrakech, part of Richard Branson’s VirginLimited Edition group (www.virginlimitededition.com, 0800 716 919). A Valentine’s package costs 2,330 euros per couple forfour nights, with daily breakfast and dinner, bottle of Champagne,traditional Hammam spa treatment each and private transfers fromMarrakech.

Las Vegas: Stay three nights, room-only, at the Palms Casino Resortwith Virgin Holidays (www.virginholidays.co.uk, 0844 557 3865) from£865 per person with car hire and flights.

top websites for romancewww.mrandmrssmith.comwww.i-escape.comwww.101honeymoons.co.uk

The Las Vegas strip

The GrandCanal, Venice

The NewYork skyline

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Travel writer Jane Anderson counts romantic journeys as one of her specialist subjectshaving been travel editor at You & Your Wedding magazine and currently editor ofwww.101honeymoons.co.uk. She also contributes to Unique Honeymoons magazine.

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Ishould have known it was a mistake, as a football-loving twenty-something, to take my sport-hatingmum away in June in a World Cup year. And notjust any World Cup year; it was 1986, whenEngland had been knocked out by the “hand ofGod” goal and Argentina had made it to the final.

We checked in to a delightful bed and breakfast in Totnesand I was trying to reach a compromise; enjoy a good dinnerin one of the riverside restaurants in the heart of the town,and then feign tiredness to be able to watch the second halfof the final on the portable TV in our room.

I have to say it worked. I did make up for it for therest of our stay, too. We enjoyed exploring the ancientmarket town – reputed to have more listed buildings perhead of the population than anywhere else in Britain.We took a boat trip on the River Dart and indulged in ashared passion – shopping – buying some Dartingtoncrystal from the Shops at Dartington (www.dartington.org/shops), part of the nearby CiderPress Centre.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

The moor the merrier

From its English Riviera resorts and historic ports to thewild beauty of Dartmoor, South Devon has something to captivate everyone – Uncle Tom Cobley and all. Julie Thompson managed to keep her family on-sideafter a footballing diversion on one of many visits

on your doorstep south devon

Kite flyingon Hay Tor,Dartmoor

Britainonview/Martin Brent

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Exeter Festival of South West Food& Drink(www.exeterfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk):April 13-15, 2012. The South West’sultimate foodie event includesmasterclasses by top celebrity chefsin a celebration of the region’s bestfood and drink.

Brixham Pirate festival(www.brixhampiratefestival.co.uk):May 5-6, 2012. Now in its third year,events include live music, games, re-enactments and a Pirate Party Night.

Geopark Festival(www.englishrivierageopark.org.uk):June 2-10, 2012. Celebrate thegeological splendours of the region,including events at the SeashoreCentre, Kents Cavern and TorquayMuseum.

Dawlish Air Show(www.dawlishairshow.co.uk): June8, 2012. Dawlish’s dramatic coastlineis the perfect setting for amagnificent air display that includesthe Red Arrows and Royal Navyhelicopter demonstrations.

Kingsbridge Fair Week(www.kingsbridgefairweek.co.uk):July 21-28, 2012. This week-longfamily entertainment event for allages dates back to 1461, when aroyal charter was given to allow thetown to have an annual fair.

Shaldon Water Carnival (www.shaldon-village.co.uk/water_carnival.html):August 4, 2012. For over 50 years, the

village of Shaldon has held its paradeof fancy dress floats and multi-coloured boats on the Teignestuary.

Torbay Steam Fair(www.torbaysteamfair.com):August 3-5, 2012. See working steamengines, and vintage and classic cars.

South Devon crab festival: July 30-August 5, 2012. This week-long eventtakes place throughout South Devonin the first week of August, withevents include crabbingcompetitions, crab cookingdemonstrations and special crabmenus at a range of localrestaurants.

The Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta(www.dartmouthregatta.co.uk):August 30-September 1, 2012. Firstheld on the River Dart in 1822,becoming the Port of DartmouthRoyal Regatta in 1856 and is nowthe second largest regatta afterCowes Week.

The Agatha Christie Festival(www.torbay.gov.uk): September9-16, 2012. A celebration of the lifeand works of the most publishednovelist of all time, who was born inTorquay in the late 19th century.

You can WIN a two-night stay inExeter plus weekend festival passes to the Exeter Festival of South WestFood & Drink; see our competition on page 39.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

on your doorstep south devon

10 south devon events

Agatha Christie’s fictionaldetective, Hercule Poirot, in her

home town of Torquay

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Totnes sits in the heart of South Devon between Dart-moor National Park and the coastal towns of Brixham,Paignton and Torquay, known better as the EnglishRiviera resorts. Torquay typifies the traditional Britishseaside resort, although its sandy beaches, fine dining,water sports and the spectacular natural cave are a worldaway from the town’s Fawlty Towers portrayal.

Neighbouring Brixham is one of the busiest fishingports in the UK; over 100 fishing boats land and selltheir catch at the local fish market on the quayside.Brixham is also home to a full-size replica of Sir Fran-cis Drake’s iconic flagship, the Golden Hind(www.goldenhind.co.uk), on which you can experi-ence life as a sailor in

Exeter Festival of South West Food & Drink

Dartmouth Castle

Localdelicacies

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days gone by. With the colourful houses lining thewaterfront, it is one of the prettiest harbours on theSouth Devon coast.

rockpoolingMake sure you take the 30-minute walk to BerryHead National Nature Reserve, one of the gateways tothe English Riviera Global Geopark(www.englishrivierageopark.org.uk), an interna-tionally-acclaimed heritage site with recently-restoredNapoleonic War fortifications.

Combined with Paignton’s long, sandy beaches,bustling pier and its zoo, one of Britain’s best, as well asthe Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Company(www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk) offering trips fromthe town, the English Riviera is an ideal, family-friendlyholiday destination.

Brixham lies within the Area of Outstanding NaturalBeauty which also takes in Dartmouth to the east,Salcombe to the south and Wembury on the eastern edgeof the region. Wembury’s safe and popular beach,administered by the National Trust, which also runs thenearby Old Mill (www.nationaltrust.org.uk), isperfect for rockpooling and its shallow waters are idyllicfor children.

One of the first holidays with my eldest son, now18, was staying in farm accommodation at Wemburywith good friends and their two young daughters. Wecould walk to the beach each day, fishing nets in tow,and happily let the children loose to find us an arrayof sea urchins and crabs. It was one of the joys of ourstay – unlike the cows’ early morning wake-up calls

each day. Salcombe, located in the most southerly part

of Devon, is home to picturesque villages and stunningbeaches and its waterside location makes this vibranttown worth a stop on any South Devon itinerary.

Dartmouth is one of the prettiest towns in South Devonand has a strong maritime heritage – it was the embarka-tion point for the first Crusaders’ sailing ships in 1147,bound for the Holy Land, and it has a long associationwith the Royal Navy – making it a perfect spot if you’re awater sports enthusiast. And to quench your thirst after along hard day on the water, take a stroll through thedelightful cobbled streets to find that perfect pint.

In May 2010, a fire tragically destroyed some ofDartmouth’s oldest buildings; however the people of thetown rallied round and these historic buildings are nowthankfully being restored to their former glory.

unspoiltThe city of Plymouth satisfies even the most ardenttownie while still capturing the spirit of South Devon.From its vibrant shopping centre to the historic Barbi-can, this maritime city’s old port area, with itscobbled streets, Elizabethan warehouses, cafes andrestaurants, is a great place to idle away a day or two.

Dartmoor National Park’s 368 square miles ofunspoilt beauty are the perfect antithesis to thebeaches and busy coastal towns. With the largestconcentration of Bronze Age remains in the UK,Dartmoor is ideal for lovers of ancient history. Butthere is more to this enthralling park than ancientbarrows and spectacular scenery.

Plenty of outdoor activities are on offer to satisfyeven the most hardcore adventure fanatic. There arecountless areas for walkers and cyclists to discover butwith rivers, dramatic tors and rolling countryside,

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climbing and canoeing are especially popular; you couldalso take part in the annual Ten Tors race if you were soinclined.

More leisurely pastimes include watching the grazingponies on the village green of picturesque Widecombe-in-the-Moor, most famous for its fair and Uncle TomCobley and all (the character from the traditional folksong, Widecombe Fair, who may or may not befictional), or just taking in the breathtaking landscape ofrolling valleys, bogs and wetlands of the moors.

Whether it’s glorious beaches, fascinating maritimehistory, dramatic landscapes, or a combination of them allyou are looking for, South Devon fits the bill. Just makesure you check your dates for important sporting eventsbefore you travel, or you could score an own goal.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

on your doorstep south devon

south devon facts

south devon beachesThere are miles of award-winning beaches in theregion. Some of the best include: Blackpool Sands (www.blackpoolsands.co.uk):

This Blue Flag beach – highlighted in tlm’s recent10 of the best – has a distinct Mediterranean feeland is one of the most popular family beaches.

Bigbury on Sea (www.lovingthebeach.co.uk): Inan Area of Outstanding Beauty, Bigbury’s mostfamous landmark is Burgh Island, overlooking thebeach itself. The island is accessible at low tide by acauseway linking it to the beach, or you can take aride on the unique “sea tractor” when the tide is in.

Wembury Beach (www.nationaltrust.org.uk):Wembury’s clear and shallow waters have won anaward from the Marine Conservation Society andits rockpools make this a family favourite.

Dawlish Warren (www.dawlishwarren.com):Voted by The Times as one of the “top 10 places bythe sea” and nine-time Blue Flag award winner, this1.5-mile stretch of beach is also one of the mostimportant areas for wildfowl and wading birds inthe country.

Teignmouth (www.teignbridge.gov.uk): Thislong, sandy, traditional family beach, which isoverlooked by an impressive Victorian pier, wonthe Quality Coast Award in 2011.

“DartmoorNationalPark…is theperfectantithesis tothe beachesand busycoastaltowns.”

getting thereFirst Great Western (www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk) providesservices from London to Plymouth, Exeter and Totnes, among others. Bycar, the M5 links up with other major motorwayswith the A379 coast road leading to Dawlish,while the A380 is signposted to Teignmouth,Newton Abbot and Torquay and the A38leads to Totnes and destinations south ofTorbay.

getting aroundIf you are relying on public transport,Stagecoach Devon(www.stagecoachbus.com) and FirstDevon and Cornwall(www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/devon_cornwall) operate servicesthroughout the region and offer a range of rover tickets for multiplejourneys. First Great Western (www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk) alsooffer a number of rover tickets.

accommodationA wide range of places to stay, including camp sites, pubs and hotels areavailable throughout South Devon but, for longer stays, self-cateringcottages and houses are ideal. Blue Chip Holidays(www.bluechipholidays.co.uk) has a wide range of cottages andhouses, including a former working mill, throughout the region whileCoast and Country Cottages (www.coastandcountry.co.uk) hasover 425 luxury self-catering holiday properties exclusively in Salcombe,Dartmouth and the surrounding coast and countryside. Traine Farm inWembury (www.cottageguide.co.uk/traine-cottages) has a number

of cottages available for rent.

more informationVisit South Devon:www.visitsouthdevon.co.ukSouth Devon Area of OutstandingNatural Beauty:

www.southdevonaonb.org.ukThe English Riviera:

www.englishriviera.co.uk

Boats on theriver, Salcombe

Exmouth

Preston Sands,Paignton

The Scorhill StoneCircle, Dartmoor

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Opened in September,2010, the five-starValbusenda Hotel Resort& Spa is located in thebeautiful Duero River

valley in the Toro DO wine region, in theheart of Castile and Leon in north-westernSpanish province Zamora.

The hotel, a finalist in the 2011 EuropeanHospitality Awards’ Hotel Spa of the Year cate-gory, has its own vineyards and winery as wellas the region’s first luxury spa.

Valbusenda Spa is an innovative wine spatrailblazer offering a variety of wine spa treat-ments, such as wrapping with pomace(crushed grape pulp), wine bathing and bodycleansing using grapes, and improving bloodcirculation by massaging with wine oils.

Besides its wine-based treat-ments, the spa pampers guestswith a selection of other treat-ments and massages. Guestscan also enjoy the culinaryexpertise of chef SantiagoVincente in the hotel’s elegantNube restaurant, which combinesinventive modern cuisine withMediterranean cooking and typical Iberian andZamoran specialities.

Valbusenda features 35 spacious rooms andsuites and also offers a wellness area, fitnessroom with personal pilates and yoga lessons,wine cellar, paddle and tennis courts, outdoorswimming pool, and the Valbusenda Lounge

and Elements night club. The resort’sphilosophy is timelessness; there areno timetables in the restaurant, spa or

even for check-out, in keeping with itsmotto: “Porque lujo es – tomarse

tiempo” (Because luxury is – to take time).Beyond the resort, guests can explore the

charming and historic town of Toro, thedelightful surrounding region and nearby citiesSalamanca, Zamora and Valladolid.

We have teamed up with the ValbusendaHotel Resort & Spa to offer the chance to wina fabulous five-night stay for two in a

Premium double room with breakfast. Theprize is valid until the end of March, 2012 andincludes a welcome drink, one three-coursedinner for two, return flights (to the value of100 euros per person – or an additional four-course lunch or dinner for two as analternative), transfers to and from MadridAirport (or free valet parking and a bottle ofChampagne with snacks on arrival if thewinner chooses to rent a car at the airport),free internet and a tour of the resort’s ownwinery. It is a prize worth over 2,500 euros.

how to enterFor a chance to win this fantastic five-nightspa break for two people, simply answer thefollowing question:

Question: Where is the five-star ValbusendaHotel Resort & Spa situated?

a) In the south of Spainb) In east of Spainc) In the north-west of Spain

To enter, go to www.tlm-magazine.co.ukand click on Competitions. Closing date isFebruary 28, 2011. Terms & conditions apply;see website for details.

For more information on the ValbusendaHotel Resort & Spa, go towww.valbusenda.com.

* Equivalent value in sterling as at January 2012

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

WIN a luxury five-night winespa break for two in rural Spain– worth over £2,000*

competition spanish wine spa break

Exteriorview of the

hotel at night

The historictown of Toro

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vineyards

Local dishes with a new twist

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Paella is one of Spain’s most iconicfoods. This rice-based dish isinextricably linked to south-east-ern port city Valencia. It is a mealfamily groups enjoy in restaurants,at home and cooked in the open on

picnics. Traditionally men cook the paella overan open fire, similar to barbecues in the UK,and giant paella dishes often form the centre-piece of fiestas.

originsFounded by the Romans, Valencia was underMuslim rule from 714 until 1238. It was theMoors who introduced rice from NorthAfrica, cultivating the flat coastal plain.Today, almost one-third of all rice producedin Spain comes from around Valencia.

Paella was originally a peasants’ dish,made by farmers and labourers with what-ever ingredients they had to hand and eatenstraight from the pan. The name actuallyrefers to the pan – la paella – rather than thefood itself.

the dishMost people would probably associate paellawith seafood. Yet the traditional Paella Valen-ciana has no seafood in it at all. A type ofstew cooked with dry rice and includinggreen beans and garrofon (butter beans), ituses chicken, rabbit and snails as ingredi-ents.

Today, there are many types of paella. Alunchtime dish, it should take up to 35minutes to cook and will usually be for aminimum of two people.

the cityValencia is full of history and beautiful architecture, augmented by the majestic new Cityof Arts and Sciences. Enjoy 7km of Blue Flagbeaches and the nightlife in Barrio del

Carmen. Buy local produce in the CentralMarket and trace the area’s rice history in theRice Museum, set in an old rice mill(www.museoarrozvalencia.com).

where to eat paella in Valencia

Valencia has more than 8,000 bars, cafes andrestaurants. For some of the best paella in andaround the city, try one of these restaurants: La Pepica (www.lapepica.com): Founded

in 1898, this restaurant by the beach hasplayed host to such luminaries as ErnestHemingway, Orson Wells, AntonioBanderas and King Juan Carlos.

Restaurante Navarro (www.restaurantenavarro.com): Thirdgeneration family-run restaurant, it servestraditional Valencian dishes as well as inno-vative ones.

La Matandeta (www.lamatandeta.es): Ashort distance south of Valencia in El Saler,this rustic eatery near Albufera lagoonoffers a selection of paella dishes.

where to eat paella in London

You can find paella in many London restau-rants, including these: Andalucia Tapas Restaurant in Haymarket

(www.andaluciatapas.co.uk): Two typesof paella served, including a Valencia onebut with seafood as well as chicken.

La Siesta Bar De Tapas in Ealing(www.lasiestabardetapas.com): Severaltypes of paella on offer including Mixta,with chicken, prawns, mussels and squid.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

RiceandshineIn the first of our series onfamous dishes and their origin,we focus on Spanish favouritepaella and the city of Valencia

travel f are paella & valencia, spain

valencia facts

For a Paella Valenciana recipe, go to www.tlm-magazine.co.uk and click on Travel Fare

Vale

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getting there: Direct flights areoperated by several low-cost airlines.

tourist card: The Valencia TouristCard offers free public transportwithin the city, including to theairport, and discounts for attractionsand restaurants. Buy online atwww.valenciatouristcard.com.

restaurant week: Begun in 2009,this annual event held eachNovember involves over 60restaurants, with lunch costing just20 euros and dinner 30 euros.www.vlcrestaurantweek.com

information: Valencia Tourismwww.turisvalencia.es

There are many types of paella

Valencia

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tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

a touch of class luxury indian ocean

When Prince William and his brideheaded off on a belated honeymoonafter the worldwide phenomenon thatwas their wedding, they managedwhat no-one thought they could – theygave the press the slip.

Speculation on the honeymoon destination choice ranwild in the days after it became clear that Wills and Katehad disappeared, and while the Seychelles eventuallyemerged as the winner there has never been offi-cial confirmation that the exclusive NorthIsland resort received the royal seal ofapproval.

Still, it has been widely reported thatthe 600-acre single resort island boast-ing just 11 villas was where the happycouple spent their 10-day honeymoon.But the fact that it is still all a bit of amystery and that the voracious paparazzifailed to get a single snap highlights thereason why many of the rich and famouschoose the Indian Ocean to get away from it all.

While a report by US Weekly that the royal estaterented out all 11 villas at a cost of $720,000 to ensure thecouple’s privacy seems a bit far-fetched, the concept ofsole use in Indian Ocean resorts is not unheard of.

the maldivesFootballer Cristiano Ronaldo whisked his Russian girl-friend Irana Shayk off to the Maldives to see in the 2011

New Year, taking over The Rania Experience,which has a sole-use policy for a mini-

mum of two people and up to 12 guestsin a single group.

This private island holiday destina-tion boasts a three-bedroom suite and threeseparate beach villas, each with their own

walled garden, tropical outdoor showers and staff ofaround 25. And as a little sweetener to the price, startingat $66,500 per week, guests get the use of the island’sprivate yacht.

Another sole-use island hideaway is Banyan Tree Madi-varu on North Ari Atoll, offering just six tented villasdotted around the island, costing from £6,550 per person inlow season, May-October, including flights from the UK.

The opulence of Maldives resorts is hard to beat in theIndian Ocean, as the government has taken a prag-

matic view of tourism, opening new atolls fordevelopment complete with the latest

concepts of luxury. A proposed ban onspas threw the whole future of its tourismindustry into doubt, but the threat hasbeen lifted for the moment.

Over-water bungalows and villas,made famous in French Polynesia, are

now widely available in thesuch as at CocoPalm Resort on Dhuni Kolhu, while new

resort facilities go under water and into the trees.Anantara Kihavha Villas is among properties

to have harnessed the underwater scenery, with the WineCellar allowing guests to dine with sealife swimmingaround and above them. Another is at Conrad MaldivesRangali Island, where the Ithaa underwater restaurant isone of three dining choices to be made. Others are theAtoll Market featuring eight show kitchens and TheSunset Grill set atop a coral reef.

Aerial architecture can be found at Dusit Thani onMudhdhoo Island, in Baa Atoll, where the newly-openedDevarana Spa features six treatment pods built into thetrees. While not actually a Tarzan experience, theShangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa on Addu Atollboasts eight tree house villas that are perched on stilts tooffer stupendous panoramic views, and ViceroyMaldives on Shaviyani Atoll offers guests a Moroccan-

Islands of

I f you w ant t o g et aw ay f rom ev eryt h ing and b ep am p ered in t h e lap of luxury, now h ere does it w it hq uit e as m uch p anach e – or s eclus ion – as t h e I ndianO cean. Mike Swindell rep or t s

“Theopulence ofMaldivesresorts ishard to beat”

Relaxing inthe Seychelles

luxuryBeachcomber Tours

Coco Palm Resorts

Beachcomber Tours

CocoPalmResort intheMaldives

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style dining experience at its Treehouse Lodge.For the best of both worlds, especially-pampered

guests at the Taj Exotica Resort & Spa on South MaleAtoll can loll in the Rehendi Presidential Suite’s glassbathroom that is said to offer “infinite views” or take adip in a freshwater pool suspended over the lagoon.

The appeal of the Maldives, notwithstanding someoutrageous examples of tourism luxury, lies in the senseof peace to be found in the remote, scattered atollresorts. That, and some of the best snorkelling anddiving in the world.

A holiday in the Maldives allows guests to unwind,especially if you choose to ignore TV, DVDs and other 21stcentury distractions - after all, there's not a lot else to do ona remote desert island but enjoy the sun, sand and sea.

mauritiusMauritius is more old-school holiday, offering luxuryresorts around a big island but plenty to see and do forthose who want to get out and about.

The service that guests receive in big resorts such asthe One&Only Le Saint Geran and Le Touessrok is old-school as well, with masses of staff on hand to makesure that everything is absolutely right in what amountsto private tropical estates with beaches.

Rooms and public areas at the top resorts are alwaysbig and airy, with the plantation-style architecture of TheResidence Mauritius typical of a colonial style.

But there are smaller examples of luxury Mauritius aswell – the Angsana Balaclava offers 49 suites and onevilla, while Shanti Maurice has 61 villas and suites andThe Oberoi boasts 48 pavilions and 23 villas.

sri lankaIt can be old-world chic in Sri Lanka as well – an islandthat, like Mauritius, offers stylish beach resorts andplenty of interest elsewhere.

a touch of class luxury indian ocean

The OverWater Spa at ConradMaldives Rangali Island

Shangri-La’sVillingili resort,Maldives

Le Touessrok,Mauritius

A romantic dinner on the beachat Raffles Praslin, Seychelles

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While not a beach resort, Amangalla in the UNESCOWorld Heritage-listed Galle Fort offers grown-up luxuryin a 17th century building that boasts period furnishings,teak floors, free-standing bathtubs and four-poster beds.

The Fortress at Koggala, Galle, is another that echoeshistory, with fortified walls and colonial-style lobby butmodern rooms with glorious sea views.

Serene Pavilions at Wadduwa, on the other hand, isdecidedly modern, with an all-suites design offering fourgarden and eight ocean-walled pavilions spread aroundthe landscaped grounds.

the seychellesFor the best of both worlds – resorts accompanied bybig island interest and small island retreats – then youhave to head for the Seychelles.

The main island of Mahe boasts the dramatic FourSeasons Resort with 62 villas set on forested slopes thatswoop down to the isolated Petite Anse Beach, BanyanTree Seychelles, featuring 60 Victorian-style villas, andthe recently-opened Constance Ephelia Resort, incorpo-rating 267 suites and villas within almost 300 acres ofbush-clad grounds.

Praslin Island has its own luxury options in the formof the recently-opened and very stylish Raffles PraslinSeychelles, offering 86 villas, and the ConstanceLemuria Resort that sets 96 suites and nine villas amidstpalm trees and along two pristine beaches.

For island getaways, Sainte Anne Resort & Spa is ashort boat ride from the main island and is sprinkledwith 87 villas, while others such as Desroches Island,Denis Private Island and Fregate take fewer guests andare served by light plane from Mahe.

Then there’s North Island, which likes to bring in itsguests by helicopter. On arrival, they’ll spread out in oneof 10 450-square-metre villas or go really upmarket withthe 750-square-metre Villa North Island, all with butlerservice and a chef who cooks just what you want to eat.And you don't have to be a prince to enjoy it.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

a touch of class luxury indian ocean

luxury indian ocean facts

Freelance travel writer Mike Swindell has travelled theworld charting the development of tourism, with a particularinterest in the Indian Ocean and Africa.

Serene Pavilions, Sri Lanka

packagesDestinology offers seven nights at DusitThani Maldives from £2,049 per person,B&B, including Emirates economy flightsand seaplane transfers.www.destinology.co.uk

Scott Dunn offers seven nights atOne&Only Le Saint Geran, Mauritius, B&B,from £3,430 per person, including BritishAirways economy flights and transfers.www.scottdunn.com

ITC Classics offers seven nights at North Island, Seychelles, from£15,120 per person in a Presidential Villa including economy flights fromthe UK and helicopter transfers. www.itcclassics.co.uk

Carrier offers seven nights at The Fortress Koggala, Sri Lanka, from£1,280 B&B, including economy flights from the UK and transfers.www.carrier.co.uk

butler service can be found at:Niyama, Maldives: niyama.peraquum.com Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Maldives: www.tajhotels.com/maldivesBanyan Tree Madivaru, Maldives:www.banyantree.com/en/maldives_madivaru The Residence, Mauritius: www.theresidence.com/mauritiusHeritage Le Telfair Golf & Spa Resort, Mauritius:www.heritageletelfair.mu

Constance Belle Mare Plage Resort & Villas,Mauritius:www.bellemareplagehotel.comTrou Aux Biches, Mauritius:www.trouauxbiches-hotel.com,www.beachcombertours.co.ukMaia Luxury Resort & Spa, Seychelles:www.maia.com.sc North Island, Seychelles:

www.north-island.com

A villa at BanyanTree, Maldives

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1. Rio Carnival, BrazilThe event: The biggest and most famousfiesta of them all, Carnival takes overRio with its parades, balls and eventsmarking the arrival of Lent. www.rio-carnival.net

When: February 17-21, 2012;February 8-12, 2013

What happens: Kicking off on theFriday night before Fat Tuesday(Shrove Tuesday), Rio turns into onebig street party when the mother of allcarnivals comes to town with feather-clad, sequinned and body-painteddancers from the city’s samba schoolscompeting with each other as they swirl tothe infectious rhythms of the samba drums.The Sambadrome stadium is the focal point,with the most spectacular parades featuringcolourful floats on the Sunday and Mondaynights. There are colourful carnival balls, andimpromptu street parties take place throughout the cityincluding on its beaches, with Ipanema the pick of them.Do it: Four-night Rio Carnival packages with TucanTravel start from £480 as a bolt-on to a longer tour andinclude a Sunday ticket to the Sambadrome. Stand-alonepackage prices start from £530 per person, excludingflights. Tell Tale Travel includes the carnival as part of atwo-week Brazil tour that also features wildlife-spotting

and some sun and beach, from £3,300, includingdirect UK flights. A package from Dehouche

costs £3,310 staying at celebs’ favourite,Hotel Fasano, excluding flights.www.tucantravel.com, www.telltale-travel.co.uk, www.dehouche.com

2. New Orleans MardiGras, USA

The event: New Orleans’ Mardi Grasis the daddy of America’s carnivals andaround one million people take to thestreets over the final two weeks of

Carnival to experience its world-famousparades and parties. www.mardigras-

neworleans.comWhen: Parades start on February 4 this year,

with the culmination on Fat Tuesday, February21.

What happens: Dubbed the “Greatest Free Show onEarth”, the 2012 Crescent City Carnival season features57 parades in the greater metro area, more than 1,000floats and 100,000 participants. Join the crowds in Down-town to grab multi-coloured beads and doubloons tossedby riders on the carnival krewes’ decorated floats as theypass by, then down Mardi Gras mojitos in the bars. Do it: Trek America is incorporating Mardi Gras into its21-day Southerner tour for the first time this year.

Dust off your party clothes and get ready to join in the fun as we track down some of the mostcolourful and spectacular carnivals, festivals and fiestas around the world

of th e b es t:carnivals andfestivals

10

10 of the best carnivals and festivals

Spectacular float atRio's Sambadrome

Embratur

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Fiesta forever

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10 of the best carnivals and festivals

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

Departing on February 15, it also takes in WashingtonDC, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Death Valley and anovernight cowboy camp, and costs from £1,779 withflights. Leger Holidays combines Mardi Gras with visitsto Nashville, Memphis and Elvis Presley’s Gracelandmansion and birthplace at Tupelo on an 11-day tour,from £1,249 with flights. www.leger.co.uk, www.trekamerica.co.uk

3. Albuquerque International BalloonFiesta, USAThe event: The world’s most spectacular gathering ofhot air balloons, with hundreds of all shapes and colourstaking to the skies of New Mexico. www.balloonfiesta.comWhen: October 6-14, 2012What happens: The annual, nine-day spectacle is theworld’s largest hot air balloon festival. From just 13balloons launching from a shopping mall car park in1972, it has grown into a multiple-launch event with a78-acre launch field as the centrepoint of the 365-acrecustom-designed Balloon Fiesta Park which includes ahost of other activities and entertainment. Up to 750 hotair balloons can fill the skies at the same time duringthe mass ascensions, while other events include“special-shape rodeos” featuring unusual designs, early-morning and evening “balloon glows” with burnersbeing fired to light up dozens of tethered balloons,and flying competitions.Do it: Cosmos includes two nights in Albu-querque for a mass ascension at the fiestaas part of its 15-day Native Southwest &the Rocky Mountains AlbuquerqueBalloon Fiesta tour. Also taking inArizona, Colorado and Utah, includingMonument Valley and the Grand Canyon,it costs from £1,879 with flights. www.cosmostoursandcruises.co.uk

B raz il’ s o th er carnivalsWhere and when: Salvador, Olinda and Recifecarnivals; same dates as Rio.What happens: Bahia’s one-time capital, Salvador, hasa strong African heritage and hosts South America’swildest carnival celebrations, the Afro-samba rhythmsat the heart of the carnival. Recife and neighbouringPortuguese colonial town Olinda throw Brazil’s mosttraditional carnival celebration, with parades, freneticfrevo dancing and African-Brazilian balls and parties.Do it: A Salvador Carnival package from Dehouche includes astay at a former convent, the Convento do Carmo, and a five-day VIP pass, spending all five carnival days on the Olodum Afro-samba drumming band’s float, for £3,347 excluding flights. Velosohas the Convento do Carmo on seven-night stays, from £2,053with flights. Tell Tale Travel includes Recife and Olinda; a two-week trip costs from £2,999 with flights. Flights to Salvador deBahia from Amsterdam and Paris are available from Air Europa. www.dehouche.com, www.telltaletravel.co.uk,www.veloso.com, www.aireuropa.com

Carnival at Olinda

Giant figures adornMardi Gras floats

Mass ascensionover Albuquerque

Balloonscome in all shapes

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4. Ottawa Winterlude/QuebecWinter Carnival, CanadaThe events: Fun annual celebrations of winter inneighbouring provinces Ontario and Quebec with lots todo for the whole family. www.carnaval.qc.ca/en,http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/celebrate/winterludeWhen: Winterlude takes place this year from February3-20; Quebec Carnival is from January 27-February 12.What happens: Quebec City’s annual winter carnival isthe largest of its kind in the world and has been going forover 50 years. It features parades, night events and activ-ities from family fun to extreme, including snow rafting,snow-tube slides, skating, dogsled racing through OldQuebec and a canoe race on the frozen St LaurenceRiver. Winterlude features skating, sledding and walkingalong the frozen Rideau Canal, snow and ice sculptures,a gigantic snow playground and shows.Do it: Cosmos has a six-night Quebec Winter Carnivaltour, from £1,375, with departures up to February 8,including flights and a stay in Montreal, then a VIA Railtrip to Quebec City for four nights with a Winter Experi-ence Passport giving access to carnival events andactivities. Bridge & Wickers offers three-night stays inOttawa for Winterlude from £1,043, including flights. www.cosmostoursandcruises.co.uk, www.bridgeandwickers.co.uk

5.Trinidad Carnival, CaribbeanThe event: The Caribbean’s best carnival, it is a riot ofcolour, steelpan and soca music – and partying. www.gotrinidadandtobago.com/trinidad/carnivalWhen: February 20 & 21, 2012What happens: Many cultural events take place acrossthe island leading up to the highlight – two days of streetparades before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, withthings kicking off at 4am on the Monday when revellerstake to the streets for the pre-dawn J’Ouvert party. Carni-val Monday brings out elaborately-costumed “PrettyMas” bands, dancing to soca music blasting out fromspeaker-filled trucks before the main event on CarnivalTuesday, when masqueraders take to the streets en masseand vie for the title of Masquerade Band of the Year.Do it: Flights with British Airways, Virgin Atlantic andMonarch and Trinidad hotels can be booked throughNewmont Travel for the island’s carnival.www.newmont.co.uk

6. Holi festival, IndiaThe event: A Hindu holiday known as the Festival ofColour, it is one of the most exuberant festivals in theworld and is celebrated all over India.When: March 8, 2012What happens: Revellers welcome the arrival of springand disregard social norms and taboos with parades,music, dancing, and mayhem – spraying friends andfamily with brightly-coloured powders and water. Do it: World Expeditions’ seven-day compact Delhi toKathmandu trip will make sure you are in Jaipur, thecapital of the desert lands of Rajasthan, for Holi. Depart-ing on March 7, it costs from £590 not including flights.You can also take in the festival on a tour through

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

10 of the best carnivals and festivals

Dancing on ice in Ottawa

Quebec Carnival’s Bonhomme

Fire-breather at Trinidad Carnival

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Rajasthan aboard India’s luxury Palace on Wheels train,starting and ending in New Delhi. It is featured byseveral UK tour operators.www.worldexpeditions.co.uk,www.palaceonwheels-train.com

7. Sydney Mardi Gras, AustraliaThe event: Originally begun as a protest event, thisirreverent and fun celebration by the gay, lesbian, bisex-ual and transgender communities has now come todefine the diversity and tolerance of Sydney.www.mardigras.org.auWhen: March 3, 2012What happens: Sydney’s biggest party of the yearinvolves tens of thousands of participants watched byhundreds of thousands of spectators. Proceedings arekicked off by the Dykes on Bikes, with more than 100groups taking part on gaily-decorated floats or walking,among them Lifesavers with Pride, Rainbow Babies andOz Fag Hags. A Mardi Gras Party including theatricalshows and four dance venues follows the parade, contin-uing the carnival atmosphere into the night. Do it: Flight Centre offers flights to Sydney and hotels,with airfares and four nights in the city starting from£1,099. www.flightcentre.co.uk

8. Cante de las Minas, Murcia, SpainThe event: The village of La Union, in Murcia, is thesetting for the world’s most important annual flamencofestival, which translates as the Song of the Mines Festi-val. www.fundacioncantedelasminas.org (Spanishonly)When: August 6-15, 2012What happens: Song, dance and guitar playing are thethree disciplines in an event packed with authenticflamenco. La Union’s Public Market is the site for thismajor festival, which represents the flamenco history ofthe mining tradition in this area and includes prestigiouscompetitions. Gala performances feature top stars andduring the festival, parallel activities include exhibitions,wine tastings, flamenco soirées, and courses in guitarplaying, dance and percussion. Admission to all the festi-val’s parallel activities is free.Do it: Murcia-based travel company Olympia Mar has atwo-night stay in a four-star hotel in La Manga del MarMenor for 385 euros, including transfers to and from LaUnion and entry on two nights to festival events. Airporttransfers to Murcia and Alicante airports are optionalextras, as is an excursion to historic Cartagena.

www.olympiamar.com

9. Day of the Dead, MexicoThe event: Despite the name, this is nosombre remembrance of the departed but ajoyous event celebrated throughout Mexico.www.dayofthedead.com

When: November 2, 2012What happens: From brightly-adorned graves

and papier-mache skulls to bakery windows full ofskeleton-shaped bread, children’s sugar skull sweets

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

10 of the best carnivals and festivals

Flamenco's finest struttheir stuff in Murica

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and competitions for the best-decorated altar, Mexico’smost colourful festival is held on All Souls’ Day and ismarked in many different ways across the country.Do it: A 10-day tour of Oaxaca, discovering its celebra-tions of the festival and then exploring ancientarchaeological sites, natural landscapes, a cloud forestand local markets, costs £2,325 with Travel theUnknown, leaving on October 29.www.traveltheunknown.com

10. Edinburgh International Festival& Edinburgh Festival FringeThe events: Scotland’s capital takes centre stage eachsummer with world-class music, opera, dance andtheatre at the Edinburgh International Festival, and theeclectic offerings of the Fringe, now the world’s largestarts festival. www.eif.co.uk, www.edfringe.comWhen: 2012 dates – International Festival August 9-September 2; Fringe August 3-27What happens: The Edinburgh International Festivalbrings together some of the world’s elite performers overa three-week period for concerts and performancesincluding, for 2012, two modern Shakespeare adaptions.Starting and ending a week earlier, the Fringe attractsthousands of performers from big names to little-knownartists and includes theatre, comedy, dance, musicals,music, exhibitions and events.Do it: Connoisseurs Scotland features four luxury prop-erties offering accommodation during the EdinburghInternational Festival. They include former home of TheScotsman newspaper, The Scotsman Hotel, with rooms

from £370 and baroque Prestonfield, originallybuilt in 1687 as the home of Edinburgh’s LordProvost, where rooms start at £295. www.luxuryscotland.co.uk

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

10 of the best carnivals and festivals

Do you know ofbetter carnivals orfiestas?Tell us on tlm’sFacebook page:http://bit.ly/tlm_facebook– and see oursuggestions for 10 ofthe rest.

Fringe performer on Princes Street

Fringe masked lady

Face-painting, Mexican-style

Travel the Unknown

Edinburgh Inspiring Capital: www.edinburgh-inspiringcapital.com

Gillies and Zaiser PR

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The Cuties and Palsluggage range havetwo new designs

for 2012, ensuring yourlittle one will have thebest-looking luggage atthe airport.Polkathe

ladybird is in stores nowand will be joined byChico the chick in

February.

These new designs willline up alongside theexisting P-Rex thedinosaur, Cheri the panda,Cazbi the bumblebee,Pookie the pig and Pekothe penguin.

They cost £25 for abackpack, £50 for a suit-case or £69.99 if boughttogether as a set and areavailable from JohnLewis and House ofFraser, or online atwww.cutiesandpals.co.uk.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

in your flightbag

Tired eyesFrench travelbrand Hayasei isbringing its FastFix groomingrange to the UKfor 2012. Thecompany’s unique,simple products areideal to pop in yourbag for an instantpick-me-up on arrivalat your destination.

The Fast Skin FixAnti-Fatigue EyePatches containChampagne yeast,ginseng, green tea,white mulberry andliquorice and provide an instantboost to tired, puffy eyes while the FastSkin Fix Energy Coach Pro Taurine provides animmediate skin stimulant.

The Pro Taurine moisturiser capsules containgrapefruit extract, potassium, chlorine and vitaminC in single dose shots to massage onto the facefor instant absorption. The individual packagingmeans you don’t have to worry about bottles,making them ideal for travel.

The eye patches are available individually or inpacks of 10, while the moisturiser capsules comein packs of six or 24. Prices start from £4.90; goto www.hayasei.com for more details.

Travel buddyFor a quick and easyway to removemake-up or brushyour teeth whiletravelling, AmiroseCosmetics havedeveloped a range ofliquid-filled cottonbuds which areperfect to pop inyour handbag. Therange includes packsof 24 eye make-upremover andcorrector buds and 12 express dental stainremover buds as well as 24 blemish blitz buds. Allpacks cost £3.99 and are available online fromwww.amirose.com.

Stroll on

Cute carry-ons

Travelling with a baby is nevereasy, with the pushchair oftenproving to be one of the

biggest hassles for parents. A newrange of products from QuickSmartaims to make it easier to take thisessential item on-board.

The Backpack Strollerweighs less than ninepounds and folds down infour easy steps into abackpack. Better yet, it isaccepted by airlines as acarry-on and easily fitsinto the overheadlocker.

Suitable for use bybabies from six monthsup to a child weighing 45pounds, the Backpack Strolleralso comes with a handle for tallparents, an extra high backrest tokeep your little one comfy andhas a retractable hood toprovide shade.

Other products in therange include the Easy FoldStroller, which folds easilyinto an over the shouldertravel bag, and theQuickSmart Easy Fold

Highchair. Prices start from £119 and theyare available from

www.amazon.co.uk. For more information go to

www.quicksmartgo.com For your chance to WIN a

QuickSmart Backpack Strollerworth £119.99 go to www.tlm-magazine.co.ukand click on Competitions.Terms and conditions apply.Closing dateFebruary 19,2012.

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in your suitcase

Tight spaceThere is nothing worse than having to removeyour shoes when going through airport securityand having holey tights or socks; so embarrassedwas the inventor of Bootights that she designedthe first tights specifically for boots. Bootights are a premium tight with a sockattached so your legs look great and your feet staywarm, making them perfect for winter holidays. Available in semi-opaque in black, brown orheather-grey, there is an ankle (black only) or mid-calf sock option (the Core range) as well asfashion styles such as flannel pinstripe, fishnet andseamed with a mid-calf sock (Metro Chic) and aluxury 70-denier style (Luxe) with ankle sock inblack or charcoal. Prices start from £22.99 a pair and are availableonline from www.bootights.co.uk. And tlmreaders can get a £5 discount when ordering anytwo pairs by entering the code “surprise” oncheckout. For your chance to WIN a pair of Bootights, worthup to £26.99, go to www.tlm-magazine.co.uk andclick on Competitions. Terms and conditions apply.Closing date February 19, 2012.

It’s never too early to think about sum-mer, but if you are lucky enough to beheading for warmer climes now, you

will need some summer attire. Clothing specialist James Lakeland

has just launched its spring summer 2012range and the trademark bold colouringand unique prints of the dresses makethem ideal holiday wear for both day andnight.

As well as the feminine, floaty dresses,the range includes easy-to-wear tunics,trousers and skirts in natural cotton andlinen. There are six stand-alone stores,including Westfield in London, and youcan also buy online from www.jameslakeland.net. For your chance to WIN a summerdress of your choice from the JamesLakeland range, up to a value of £150, goto www.tlm-magazine.co.uk and clickon Competitions. Terms and conditionsapply. Closing date February 19, 2012.

Winter travelinevitablymeans more

luggage space is needed,particularly when itcomes to footwear.

A cleverly designedrange of boots fromButterfly Twists is idealfor popping in your suit-case; the boots simplytwist and fold up and havetheir own carry bag foreasy storage.

They are available in

two styles; the longerChelsea range is ideal fordresses, skirts and jeans,while the shorter, ruchedAngel range is perfectwith trousers or leggings.The Chelsea boots comein black, crimson, greyand sand as well as leop-ard print and cost £44.99while the Angel range arealso available in brownand cost £39.99.

They are availablefrom selected retailers

including Fenwick atBrent Cross. Go towww.butterflytwists.comfor more details on stock-ists or to buy online. For your chance toWIN one of three pairs ofcrimson Butterfly Twistsboots, worth up to £44.99a pair, go to www.tlm-magazine.co.ukand click on Competitions.Terms and conditionsapply. Closing date February 19, 2012.

Twist and tote

Summerin the city

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“This is not good, come back in twoweeks, then you will be able to cutthe wood again and get the best sap.”Mohammed, our guide, is an experton a certain milky-white tree sap.We’re in Wadi Dawkah, a valley about

15 miles from Salalah in the Dhofar region in the farsouth of Oman. The wild desert trees we’re being showndon’t look much. Straggly, in fact. But these areBoswellia sacra trees and they produce a resin which,when dried and then burnt, emits a pungent, heady odour.

This crystallised gum – which weknow as frankincense – has been prizedthroughout history. It was one of thethree gifts brought by the Magi for the

baby Jesus when they travelledfrom the East. Today, the Sultanof Oman keeps the best stuff forhimself and his ultra-luxeAmouage perfume house. Visitors to Salalah, Dhofar’s

main town, can haggle in HaffaSouk for the next-best grades.Frankincense resin droplets aredried in caves to form small,hard, multi-coloured lumps. Thefrankincense shops of Salalah –of which there are a prodigiousnumber – will sell you direct-from-the-farmer frankincense

Gulf state Oman has emerged from the shadows of itsneighbours to become one of the region’s rising tourismstars. Carlton Reid goes in search of its legendaryfrankincense in the deserts and souks of Dhofar and alsoexplores capital Muscat with its fish and gold souks, whilePeter Ellegard reflects on Oman’s other attractions

Gold,frankincenseand more

off the beaten track oman

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A frankincense seller inAl Husn Souq, Salalah

Bedouin children

Peter Ellegard

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off the beaten track oman

rocklets as well as painted burners and charcoal brick-ettes.

Oman’s Dhofar region produces the world’s best andcostliest frankincense because of warm winters andsummers dotted with rain showers, an unusual micro-climate for a region that contains part of the EmptyQuarter, an expanse of desert made famous by postWorld War Two British adventurer Wilfred Thesiger (orMubarak bin London as he was called) in his bookArabian Sands, a must-read for any visitor to Oman.

Our small convoy of 4x4 vehicles – led byMohammed – leaves the Boswellia sacra groves andheads into the sands for some dune bashing. In Arabicthis is called tloua al ramel, or “climbing the sands”.

lost cityOur drivers show us some of their tamer moves beforeheading off to the Lost City of Ubar. Clearly, this is nolonger lost. Known as “Atlantis of the Sands” byLawrence of Arabia, this caravan staging post wasdiscovered by under-sand satellite scanning by NASA.It was unearthed by explorer Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, who led the on-ground searchteam in 1992. In truth, there’s not a lotto see but the walled town was once astrategic transport hub on the famousincense road.

More scenic by far is KhorRori, a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site. Legend hasit one of the Queen ofSheba’s palaces waslocated here. Khor Rori– to the ancients itwasSumhu-ram – dates

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

oman tips Buying frankincense: A half-kilo bag of mid-

grade, mixed frankincense can be picked up forabout £2-£3. Prices in the souks of Salalah andMuttrah are little different, so haggle.

Must visit: Built in 1995, the five-towered SultanQaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat is cut from300,000 tonnes of Indian sandstone. Its domedprayer hall has room for 6,500 devotees beneaththe world’s second largest chandelier, kneeling onthe world’s second largest, hand-knotted one-piece carpet; it took 600 Iranian weavers fouryears to make.

Eating out: The Chedi, Muscat, a large, beachsideboutique hotel with an infinity swimming pool todie for, has a restaurant acclaimed as one ofOman’s best. The Mumtaz Mahal Indian restaurantin the Qurum National Park serves made-at-your-table “snake coffee”, where brandy is drizzled overorange peel and set alight.

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Desert mountain scenery

One of Oman’s500 forts

An Omani frankincense burner

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

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at least to 300BC and flourished until the fourth centuryAD. The walled town is impressive, and scenic; it’s sitedon a bluff overlooking an Arabian Sea inlet.

The Arabian Sea is a big draw for visitors. Oman hassome stunning beach resorts. Some of them are even

livelier in the early hours of the morning. But the partiesare of the eco variety – small groups of people beingshown the night-time egg-laying ritual of green seaturtles at the Ras al Jinz nature reserve. Guides know thebest spots. Turtles can also be found lumbering up thebeaches of the Daymaniyat Islands Nature Preserve,offshore from Oman’s capital, Muscat, as well as otherareas nearby and around the city of Sur.

chicMuscat has been much developed since the currentsultan came to power; he deposed his father in 1970.However, unlike neighbouring Dubai and Abu Dhabi,Muscat is low-rise, tasteful and really quite chic.

Muscat’s harbour at Muttrah has a 3km-longcorniche, or promenade. It’s dotted with statues andcanopies and seats. Try to rise early for a cornicheamble. At 5.30am, the mountains are black behind thecity and the cloudless sky starts its purple-to-red-to-yellow welcome to the day. Sprinklers along the cornicheadd mist, and mystique. At 6am, head along to MuttrahSouk, for the sights, sounds and smells of the fishmarket. There is also a gold souk there.

Sip your first Arabian coffee of the day as Muscatcomes to life. And come to life it does. The city – the

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off the beaten track oman

forts, fjords anddesert hospitality

Oman’s strategic position on the ArabianPeninsula has brought with it not only wealthfrom trade through the centuries but alsoconflict, borne out by the 500 centuries-oldforts, castles and watchtowers littering thecountry.

The impressive Nizwa Fort, in the inlandtown that was once the capital, is Oman’smost visited monument. Nizwa is a greenoasis in the desert thanks to its aflajirrigation canals.

Rise early on Fridays to watch localsbarter for goats at the livestock market inNizwa’s souq. On my visit, some woretraditional, decorative curved khanjahdaggers strapped to a belt while several evenbrandished rifles and ammunition belts, andbeaming smiles.

Omanis are disarmingly friendly andwelcoming, none more so than the Bedouin.When I came across a camp while on a 4x4excursion into the vast Wahiba Sands desert,they lived up to their reputation forhospitality, inviting us to join them for lunch,cross-legged on a rug. I followed my hosts’lead when a bowl containing a rice and meatdish, qabel, was passed round, sticking myfingers into the stodgy goo then rolling it intoa sticky ball and dipping it in a bowl of oil

before eating it. Refusing would have offended.At ancient shipbuilding town Sur, just two

hours from Muscat via a new highway,wooden dhows are still made by hand andhuge turtles haul up the beach to nest.

Cut off from the rest of Oman by a 45-mile strip of the United Arab Emirates, thenorthernmost Musandam peninsula is knownas the Norway of Arabia because of itsrugged mountains and deep fjords.

When I visited just before Oman’s tourismboom, it had one 15-room hotel in the maintown of Khasab and you could only fly there.

Now you can also take the world’s fastestferries and there is more accommodation.

Guarding the Strait of Hormuz – gatewayto the Arabian Gulf – gives Musandam a verydifferent feel to the rest of Oman. Tinyfishing communities dot the steep-sidedcoast, while inland, villages cling to the sidesof stark, barren mountains. Sightseeing options include taking a dhowfjords cruise, watching dolphins andsnorkelling or diving on isolated reefs, as wellas taking 4x4 trips into the mountains.

Peter Ellegard

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A 4x4 excursion

View towards Muscat's corniche

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Winter 2011/12 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk 730

Omantravel is fullyATOL bonded forcomplete peace of

mind

Explore the heritage, culture and diverse landscapes ofthis welcoming and fascinating country – or just take

time to relax in one of our comfortable hotels. From theexcitement of driving into the stunning Empty Quarter tovisiting camel races in theWahibas, from observing thenesting turtles in Ras al Jinz to simply chilling out in one

of Muscat's fabulous hotels. We have no standardholidays. We plan your holiday to take in what you wantto do – at a price you can afford! We are the only travelcompany in the UK with Oman as its sole destination – so

to find out howwe can help you plan your perfectholiday in Oman please call us on

020 8748 6630or email [email protected] visitwww.omantravel.uk.com

Omantravel Ltd62 Church Road London SW13 0DQ

Discover the ‘real’ Oman with our friendly and experienced Omani partners

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off the beaten track oman

2012 Capital of Arab Tourism – stages a number of spectacular festivals during theyear, including music festivals. The sultan is a classical music buff. In 1985 he wishedinto being the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra, with Omani nationals employed asplayers at the Royal Opera House in Muscat. There are also yachting festivals – theExtreme Sailing Series is the world's toughest – and heritage expos.

The Tour of Oman is an annual stage race which attracts the world’s bestprofessional cyclists. Most festivals take place in the cooler spring months. Oman’sNational Day is on November 18 and is famous for its camel races.

oman facts

active omandivingWith newly-sunk wrecks, coral-lined fjords, 900species of fish and rays, turtles and dolphins, Omanoffers world-class diving, but without the crowds. TheMuscat Diving & Adventure Centre offers day andevening dive tours. A two-night package for twopeople costs £300. www.omandiving.com

camel racingCamel races on the Sharqiyah Sands, in Oman’sinterior, no longer use young boys as jockeys, butrobots, radio-controlled from 4x4s which race alongwith the camels. Races take place from October toApril, overseen by the wonderfully-titled DirectorateGeneral of Camel Affairs. Find race schedules onwww.rca.gov.om.

golfMuscat Hills (www.muscathills.com), Oman’s first18-hole green golf course, opened in 2009. The firstnine holes of the Greg Norman-designed Almouj golfcourse (www.almoujgolf.com) at The Wavedevelopment near Muscat opened in December.

cavingMajlis al Jinn – or meeting place of the spirits – is anOmani cave complex, 100km from Muscat, entered byabseiling. The Muscat Diving and Adventure Centre offersa two-day trip for £250. www.holiday-in-oman.com

cyclingOman is criss-crossed by stony tracks. It’s possible toride to the top of Jebel Shams, Oman’s highestmountain. Renting a full-suspension mountain bikefrom Oman Bicycle (www.omanbicycle.com) inMuscat costs £40 per week. The Muscat Diving andAdventure Centre has guided mountain bike daytours for £90.

climbingOman has some classic via ferrata: high mountainroutes equipped with fixed cables, ladders, andnarrow bridges. Snake Gorge – named for its shape –in Wadi Bani Awf, 100km from Muscat, has a cablecrossing 100 metres above the canyon floor. One-dayvia ferrata trips with the Muscat Diving andAdventure Centre cost £90.

when to goThe best time to visit Oman is fromOctober to April, with average daytimetemperatures of 25ºC-35ºC. BetweenApril and September, it is baking hotand humid on the coast and bone dryinland. From mid-June to mid-September,the Khareef monsoon hits the south.

getting thereNational airline Oman Air (www.omanair.com) flies non-stop toMuscat from London. Other services include British Airways(www.ba.com) and Etihad (www.etihadairways.com) via Abu Dhabi,Emirates (www.emirates.com/uk) via Dubai and Gulf Air(www.gulfair.com) via Bahrain. Visitor visas can be bought on arrival.

getting aroundTaxis are widely available in Muscat and other cities. From Muscat, it’s aone-hour flight with Oman Air to Salalah. Flights and fast ferries linkMuscat with Khasab in northern peninsula enclave Musandam. Self-driveis available. Take 4x4 excursions into the desert.

accommodationOman now has a host of top-class hotels. They include the Al BustanPalace (www.albustanpalace.com), Sifawy Boutique Hotel(www.sifawyhotel.com), The Chedi (www.ghmhotels.com),Crowne Plaza Muscat (www.cpmuscat.com) and Shangri-La’s Barr AlJissah Resort & Spa (www.shangri-la.com) in Muscat, and the SalalahMarriott Resort (www.marriott.com) in the Dhofar region. You canalso stay in Bedouin-style tents in the Desert Nights Camp(www.desertnightscamp.com) in the Wahiba Sands desert.

holidaysTour operators featuring Oman include Shaw Travel(www.shawtravel.co.uk), Omantravel (www.oman-travel.co.uk),

Audley Travel (www.audleytravel.com), ElegantResorts (www.elegantresorts.co.uk),Peregrine Adventures(www.peregrineadventures.com),Kuoni (www.kuoni.co.uk) and TropicalSky (www.tropicalsky.co.uk).

tourist informationOman Ministry of Tourism:

www.omantourism.gov.om

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Turtle and diver

Lunch

Makingrosewater

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When travelling abroad, the local food, drink and climate can all have an effect on the balance of bacteria in your digestive system.

Bimuno® TRAVELAID is a unique and convenient new formulation that has been specially developed for business and holiday travellers, to be taken in preparation for and during your time abroad.

Published scientific studies* have shown that some prebiotic Galacto-oligosaccharides, such as provided by Bimuno TRAVELAID, can help encourage and sustain a healthy level of your ‘good’ gut bacteria, helping to keep your tummy happy on its travels.

Next time you’re going away try Bimuno TRAVELAID soft chewy pastilles to experience the benefits for yourself.

*S tudies on file. Bimuno TRAVELAID is the result of nine years of intensive scientific research with the University of Reading. Bimuno is a food supplement. Food supplements are intended to supplement your diet and should notbe regarded as a substitute for a varied diet and a healthy lifestyle. Bimuno® is a registered trademark which is the property of Clasado Inc for a Prebiotic Transgalactooligosaccharide.

Now available from and Bimuno.com

Support your Tummywhile abroad!

TESTED IN PUBLISHEDSCIENTIFIC STUDIES

NEW

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travel update news

Even without the Olympics,2012 is set to be anotherbumper sporting year and

there are many packages availableto some top events. More than 1.4million supporters will travel toPoland and Ukraine for Euro 2012(June 8-July 1) and ThomsonSport (www.thomsonsport.com)has packages including day tripsstarting from £664 per person.

Thomson Sport also haspackages for the major GrandPrix events this summer, whileSport Abroad(www.sportabroad.co.uk) hasfour-night packages for the Indy

500 (May 27-28) from £447 perperson including a Tower Terracestand ticket.

Rugby fans can head to LasVegas for the HSBC World Sevens

(February 10-12), with hotel andmatch ticket packages availablefrom Gullivers Sport Travel(www.gulliverstravel.co.uk)from £415 per person.

After a late summer come-back in 2011, it seemsthat 2012 will see resur-

gence for Europe’s top holidayspots. Post Office Travel Moneyresearch indicates that holidayaffordability will be a key factorthis year and while Sri Lankacame out tops for value in theirannual Holiday Money Report,Spain came a close second.

Add in the combination ofinexpensive travel to Spain, resortprices at 40% less than five yearsago, plus the rising value of ster-ling – up 6.4% against the euro inthe last three months – and Spainwill seem very attractive to those

on a tight budget.Conversely, Turkey – previ-

ously regarded as one of Europe’s

cheapest destinations – was 17thin the Worldwide Holiday CostsBarometer, making it 60% more

expensive than Spain. In fact, two-thirds of destinations featured inthe barometer show rising resortcosts; the fact that sterling isstronger against 29 of its majorcurrencies than a year ago willmake this a little easier to bear.

Further afield, Mexico andThailand, fifth and eighth respec-tively in the barometer table, showstrong signs of growth. The Mexi-can peso was the Post Office’ssecond-fastest growing currencyof 2011, while the Thai bahtshowed a 6% growth in sales in2011 and 35% over five years.

Tenth in the table was Vietnam;with new direct flights there for2012, the country is one of the toptips for 2012 from Post OfficeTravel Money, along withArgentina, Qatar, Chile and CostaRica.www.postoffice.co.uk/travel

Costa less

Screen starsIf you have seen the likes of the GreatBarrier Reef and Sicily from the comfort ofyour sofa this winter, now is your chance totravel there for real.

BBC2’s Great Barrier Reef featured bothLizard Island and Heron Island and TailorMade Travel (www.tailor-made.co.uk) haspackages to both these spectacular reefhideaways, starting from just £516 per person.

Andrew Graham-Dixon and chef GiorgioLocatelli, presenters of BBC2’s SicilyUnpacked, journeyed into the heart of Sicily

exploring its lifestyle, food and festivals.Citalia (www.citalia.com) has seven-nightpackages in May from £729 per person.

And if your child is a budding Brian Coxfollowing the latest series of Stargazer Live onthe BBC, head to the Rebali Riad complex inMarrakesh with Fleewinter(www.fleewinter.com), which offers a starmap challenge to its visitors with roofterrace sunbeds available for perfectstargazing. Packages start from just £456 perperson of two sharing during half-term.

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The F1 GrandPrix at Valencia

Diving theGreat Barrier Reef

New rooms with a viewThe AAA Five-Diamond Bellagiohotel in Las Vegas has justcompleted a $70 millionrefurbishment of the 2,568 roomsin its main tower, with three newdesigns. The new rooms include alakeview option, overlooking thefamous Fountains of Bellagio,which perform an aquatic balletchoreographed to music andlights. www.bellagio.com

New Bellagio room

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travel update news

Celebritysquares upto winCelebrity Cruises has taken theBest Cruise Line spot in thefourth annual Cruise PassengerRatings Survey fromwww.cruise.co.uk, which getsvisitors to the website to rateoperators and their ships for,among others, best ship, bestfood and best service. Cunard’sQueen Victoria was named bestship for the second year in a rowwhile P&O’s Ventura was bestfor families. The website alsoprovides real-time reviews on allthe cruise lines.

Swan uppingthe anteSpecialist cruise company SwanHellenic, which has been offeringcruises for over 50 years, hasspaces available on its springMediterranean cruises on thenewly-upgraded mv Minerva.Swan Hellenic’s tradition of

cultural cruising began in 1954,when four classical historyexperts joined the 128 passengersto cruise Venice, Pireaeus and theAegean Island and the multi-million pound investment in theMinerva will ensure many moreyears of discovery cruising. Pricesstart from £1,495 per person:www.swanhellenic.com.

Let it snow, let it snow

Snow wiseWith record snowfalls already in the Alps, skiersare being told to beware avalanches this winter.

With this in mind, Holiday Extras.com is urgingtravellers to make sure they have the correct travelinsurance for their ski trip. Their policies cover upto 90% of the purchase price for lost, stolen oraccidental damage to equipment and up to £100 forhire equipment, while skiing, snowboarding,tobogganing, piste closure, ski passes and naturaldisaster such as avalanche are covered with medicalexpenses up to £5,000,000. Children up to age 17

enjoy travel insurance coverage free with an insuredadult.

For more information and prices, go towww.holidayextras.com/holiday-insurance.

Online European ski specialistdirectski.com has an interestinglist of do’s and don’ts to pack foryour ski holiday. Warm clothing,sun block and extra socks are

obvious requirements butMarmite, Colman’s mustard andduct tape? They are all on theiryes pile, while all-in-one ski suits,tea bags and hair straighteners

are, apparently, best left at home.For information on taking

your mustard to France, Austria,Italy, Andorra or Slovenia visitwww.directski.com.

Canada, France and Austria, and, belatedly, some USski resorts have seen some phenomenal snowfallsthis winter already with more forecast to fall,making this a record winter for many resorts.

The Austrian Tirol resorts of Kitzbühel, StAnton and Alpbach have amazing conditions,while Ischgl was even briefly cut off during earlyJanuary snowstorms. In France, the Three Valleys

resorts of Courchevel, Meribel and Val Thorensare setting the pace and Whistler in Canada hashad more than 17 feet of snow in the first fewmonths of the season – almost double that ofthe US resorts. A mid-January foot-dump hashelped boost Colorado’s top resorts.

For the latest worldwide conditions, go towww.skiclub.co.uk.

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Skiers enjoying Whistler’sbumper snowfall

Celebrity Solstice

Check your skiinsurance cover

mv Minerva

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Itried to shut out the huge spectator stand loom-ing behind the green from my mind as I lined upmy putt. I knew how it would break; the ball wasin almost the identical place as Ian Poulter’s justtwo days earlier in his play-off match with

Robert Karlsson for the 2010 Dubai WorldChampionship title.

Replaying the par-5 18th hole of Dubai’s EarthCourse for the second time after they had finished allsquare, Poulter was left with a 30-foot birdie attemptputt. It came up agonisingly short – but he had acciden-tally dropped his ball onto his marker in any case,flipping it over and incurring a one-shot penalty. Karls-son rolled in his birdie and snatched the glory.

The crowds had gone as I stood on the 18th, but withthe stand, press centre, hospitality marquees and giantscoreboard all still in place, I could imagine just how itmust have been for Poulter, putting for the 900,000 euro-plus (£750,000) first prize. I stroked the ball, watched ittake the double break…and in it went! Eat your heartout, Poults, I thought and raised my arms to acknowl-edge the cheers from the non-existent spectators.

Sadly, that was the only memorable moment of myround, but the day itself was amazing. I was taking partin a special “Ultimate Golf Experience” staged by theEuropean Tour, which allowed weekend golfers like meto play Greg Norman’s superb Earth course in competi-tion straight after the season-ending event, with the pinsin the final day position, greens and fairwaysconditioned as they were for the pros and even playingfrom the same tees as the stars – all 7,675 yards!

The day also included using the same lockers as thepro players, complete with personalised name badge(now adorning my office door) and a caddie bib with

pack your clubs play where the stars play

Enjoy watching your golfing heroes play some of theworld’s top courses? Many of the venues that host keytournaments can also be played by weekend golfers, asPeter Ellegard discovered

Star-struckpars

The Dubai WorldChampionship final

The 18th hole atRoyal Lytham

Peter Ellegard

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pack your clubs play where the stars play

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our names, with prizes given out by former Ryder Cupplayer David Howell.

And although it cost over £500 for the day, there wereplenty of people willing to pay that for the chance toemulate the stars. Thankfully I had been invited to take part.

dreamFollowing your golfing heroes in a top tournament,whether on TV or on the course itself, and then play-ing the same course is a dream for most amateurs. Andit is a dream which is far more achievable than youmight think.

Many of the courses that host key events on the Euro-pean, PGA and Asian tour circuits are open for thepublic to play. You might need to break open the piggybank to play some of them, but others are surprisinglyaffordable, given their lofty status.

I have been fortunate to have played on many famouscourses over the years, albeit badly for the most part. Nomatter how you play, though, treading in the spike marksof the game’s greats leaves you feeling exhilarated.

For me, nothing beats the spine-tinglingthrill of walking onto the first tee or stridingacross the Swilken Bridge of the Old Course atSt Andrews, the home of golf, or sending anapproach shot to the 18th green of the AilsaCourse at Turnberry, where a hard bounce afterthe perfect approach robbed Tom Watson of afairytale victory in the 2009 Open.

Some of golf’s most famous holes which haveproduced drama aplenty over the years are openfor amateurs to play. I have contrasting memoriesof playing two notorious 17th holes at coursesopen to the public.

At Spain’s beautiful Valderrama, scene of Europe’svictory in the 1997 Ryder Cup under captain SeveBallesteros, I managed to avoid the lurking lake with mythird shot and my birdie putt agonisingly lipped out ofthe hole. Whereas on the infamous par-3 17th of theStadium Course at Florida’s TPC Sawgrass – home tothe so-called “Fifth Major”, the annual Players Champi-onship – I gave up trying to land a wedge onto the islandgreen after sending three balls into the water.

iconicI didn’t fare much better when I played another of golf’siconic holes, the stunning par-4 8th at California’sPebble Beach Links. Having watched Graeme McDow-ell win the US Open at Pebble Beach on TV in 2010

star course packagesOne night’s bed and breakfast accommodation with one round at Gleneagles costsfrom £172.50 per person with Golfbreaks.com (www.golfbreaks.com).

A seven-night stay on a room-only basis at Pebble Beach Resorts in Californiawith rounds at four courses including Pebble Beach Golf Links costs from £2,950

per person with Bond Street Golf (www.bondstreetgolf.com).The price includes a large rental car but excludes flights.

Enjoy an overnight stay at Celtic Manor Resort (www.celtic-manor.com) with breakfast and 18 holes of golf on Ryder Cup hostcourse the Twenty Ten as well as sister course The Montgomerie,from £119 per person until February 15 and from £182 in March.

Six nights’ accommodation with breakfast at the Mission HillsHaikou resort costs from £1,499 per person with VGolfholidays.com

(www.vgolfholidays.com) and includes unlimited golf on its 10 courses onweekdays, with a £10 supplement per course at weekends. Flights are extra.

“Treading inthe spikemarks of thegame’sgreats leavesyou feelingexhilarated”

Amateur playing inthe Ultimate Golf

Challenge at Dubai

Island greenon the 17th

TPC

Pete

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and avidly followed Tiger Woods’s record 15-strokevictory in the 2000 US Open, I finally realised mydream of playing it on a visit last year.

The setting, right on the coast of the spectacularMonterey Peninsula, is to die for. The signature 8th holehugs precipitous cliffs before demanding a heroic shot tothe green across a yawning chasm with the churningblue Pacific deep below. Having already leaked my driveover a cliff, I hit a majestic third shot with my rescueclub and raced after it – only to discover the fairwaydoglegged more than I thought as I watched my ballplummet into the ocean.

Playing Pebble Beach is no drop in the ocean at $495a round, excluding caddie or rental clubs. You can alsoonly play if you stay at one of the Pebble Beach Resorthotels, where rooms start at almost $700 per night. Butfor devotees who can afford it, the cost doesn’t evencome into the equation. For bragging rights with theirgolfing buddies back home, it is priceless.

Another of my favourite courses I have played isKiawah Island’s Ocean Course, in South Carolina. Hostcourse of the notorious “War by the Shore” Ryder Cup of1991, it is a stunning swampland layout next to the Atlanticwhich will stage the US PGA Championship in August.

Closer to home, Celtic Manor in Wales brings backspecial memories for me. I have played the Twenty TenCourse on four different visits, and was lucky enough tobe a spectator on “Magic Monday” during the 2010Ryder Cup with a grandstand view over the 18th fairwayand green. Playing it twice last year with that fresh inmy memory added excitement as I recalled how the prosplayed each hole.

Conversely, I braved “Soggy Saturday” at Royal StGeorge’s during last year’s Open and marvelled at howthe stars were able to play with such finesse in sidewaysrain, when I was beaten into submission in perfect, calmconditions the day I had played it.

We may play the same courses, but it’s a very differ-ent game.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

pack your clubs play where the stars play

where to play facts

Here are some of the world’s toptournament venues the public can play:

UK and IrelandAll nine Open Championship venuesare open to the public. The rotacomprises: the Old Course, St Andrew’s(www.standrews.org.uk), Royal StGeorge’s (www.royalstgeorges.com),2012 host Royal Lytham & St Annes(www.royallytham.org), Turnberry (www.turnberryresort.co.uk),Royal Birkdale (www.royalbirkdale.com), Muirfield(www.muirfield.org.uk), Royal Liverpool, Hoylake (www.royal-liverpool-golf.com), Carnoustie(www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk) and Royal Troon(www.royaltroon.co.uk).Recent Ryder Cup hosts include 2010 venue Celtic Manor(www.celtic-manor.com), 2006 host The K Club (www.kclub.ie)and multiple host The Belfry (www.thebelfry.co.uk), while Gleneagles(www.gleneagles.com) will stage the 2014 event.Wentworth (www.wentworthclub.com) hosts the European Tour’sannual flagship tournament, the BMW PGA Championship.

EuropeYou can play 1987 Ryder Cup venue Valderrama(www.valderrama.com) and France’s Le Golf National (www.golf-national.com), host in 2018.Finca Cortesin (www.fincacortesin.com) on the Costa del Sol stagesthe annual Volvo World Match Play Championship.

USANot all US Open venues welcome the public, but notable past hosts thatdo include Pebble Beach (www.pebblebeach.com) and Pinehurst(www.pinehurst.com), as well as Torrey Pines(www.torreypinesgolfcourse.com) and Bethpage State Park(www.nysparks.com/golf-courses), which are public courses, along with2015 host Chambers Bay (www.chambersbaygolf.com) near Seattle.Among US PGA Championship hosts open to all are 2012 venueKiawah Island (www.kiawahresort.com) and 2010 host WhistlingStraits (www.destinationkohler.com/golf).Most Ryder Cup venues in the US are private, but publicly-accessiblehosts include Florida’s PGA National (www.pgaresort.com), KiawahIsland and West Viginia resort The Greenbrier (www.greenbrier.com).Other courses you can play include Players Championship host TPCSawgrass (www.tpc.com/tpc-sawgrass), WGC-Accenture Match PlayChampionship venue Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain(www.ritzcarlton.com/dovemountain) in Arizona and the WGC-CadillacChampionship host Doral Resort (www.doralresort.com) in Florida.

Middle East/Africa/AsiaThe European Tour finale Dubai World Championship is played atJumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth Course(www.jumeirahgolfestates.com).South Africa’s Sun City (www.suncity.co.za) hosts the annualNedbank Golf Challenge.China’s 10-course Mission Hills Haikou resort(www.missionhillschina.com) is the host of biannual teamtournament, the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.

Peter Ellegard aftersinking his putt on the18th at the Earth Course

9th hole on the TwentyTen Course at Celtic Manor

Celti

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Winter 2011/12 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk 830

Whether you are new to golf or already an experienced clubplayer, the luxurious Chateau des Vigiers set in beautiful Bergerac countryside, is just theplace for you to enjoy some great golf, fabulous food and outstanding wine. If you're not agolfer, then perhaps our spa complex, swimming pool and scenery will entice you instead.

For prices and more information about our extensiverange of golf & spa packages, give us a call on 08451 222650or visit our website: www.chateaudesvigierstravel.co.uk

Chateau des Vigiers

U5444

Chateau des Vigiers Travel is a trading division of

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golf news

GOLF CLIPS

Cash in your savings if youwant to join what could bethe world’s most expensivegolf tour. The eight-night TigerTour, from March 12-20, takesin New Zealand’s top-rankedsister golf clubs CapeKidnappers and Kauri Cliffswith luxury accommodationat The Farm at CapeKidnappers and The Lodge atKauri Cliffs, plus helicoptertrips, ocean sailing, horseriding, art and winery tours,and costs NZ$33,350 (about£17,000) per couple,excluding international flights.www.kauricliffs.com/tigertour

Golfers will find it easier totake their own clubs to playon Egypt’s 20 courses afterEgyptair increased baggageallowances on flights. Allpassengers can now take twochecked-in luggage items, withthe economy allowance 23kgper bag. www.egyptair.com

A new golf ball massage,rolling and kneading theminto muscles, has helpedSpanish golf resort La MangaClub win Best Luxury ResortSpa in Spain in the WorldLuxury Spa Awards. The five-star resort is a candidate forthe 2015 Solheim Cup. www.lamangaclub.com

Want to get noticed onthe golf course? Enlistthe services of pink-

clad Eye Candy Caddies and yourplaying partners will be greenwith envy.

Despite the name and thecompany’s slogan – golf madegorgeous – the caddies are morethan just eye candy. They allundergo professional training andseveral are golfers themselves.

Lady golfers need not feel leftout, either. Eye Candy Caddiesalso now has a team of male

caddies, who wear blue ratherthan pink.

Formed six years ago, manag-ing director Rebecca Keen says it“has enabled us to bring a littlefun and glamour to golf coursesacross the UK and overseas.”There are currently 30 caddies,with more being trained fromMarch.

The caddies are available UK-wide for corporate, charity andsociety golf days. They can alsobe booked for a round by golfers,caddying exclusively for them or

for their four-ball for £230. Theymeet and greet before tee-off,caddying for the round pushing apink Stewart Golf trolley or driv-ing a buggy, and then join thegroup for an hour at the “19thhole”. Ad-hoc bookings for Spainand the Algarve can be madeahead of a planned summerlaunch.

Vouchers are available forbirthdays, stag golf parties orother special occasions.

For more information, go towww.eyecandycaddies.com.

If you want to know how farthe pin is but don’t want to luga hand-held GPS around,

Garmin has just the gadget tokeep at arm’s length.

The Approach S1 doubles as adigital wristwatch, working outwhere you are on the course usingits inbuilt GPS and displayingyardages to the front, middle andback of greens.

Waterproof and lightweight, itcomes pre-loaded with over 7,100UK and European golf courses,including Ireland, Spain, Portugaland France. No subscription isneeded.

The Approach S1’s recharge-able lithium-ion battery lasts up toeight hours in GPS mode and upto three weeks in watch mode.

As a watch, it features analarm and automatic time andtime zone detection. In golf mode,it displays a list of nearby coursesand once one is selected, itprovides the three distance optionson every hole, automatically tran-sitioning from one hole to the nextand displaying each hole numberand par. It also acts as a GPS-enabled odometer, allowinggolfers to track the total distancethey cover on each round or whenout for a walk.

Originally available in black,the S1 now also comes in whiteand has an RRP of £179.

For more details, and to seeGarmin’s other golf GPS prod-ucts, go towww.garmin.co.uk/approach.

Timelymarker

Pretty in pink

Pete

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La Manga Club

Jaz Makadi golf course

Kauri Cliffs

In the pink – and blue

You can WIN your ownGarmin Approach S1 golf GPSwatch. Just go to www.tlm-magazine.co.ukand click on Competitions.Terms and conditions apply.Closing date February 19, 2011.

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let’s try farm stay holidays

The good lifeWith staycations increasingly popular, farm stay holidays offer an away-from-it-all escape with a surprising diversity and the chance to muck inwith farmyard life if they want to. Peter Ellegard looks at what awaitsvisitors who decide to holiday down on a farm

If the mention of a farm stay holiday makes youimagine draughty old farmhouses with few crea-ture comforts and unappetising, stodgy food,think again. These days, you are likely to find ahome away from home in accommodation rang-ing from period cottages to converted barns,

coach-houses, stables, shepherds’ huts, and evenpigsties, sometimes complete with swimming pool,tennis court, spa or hot tub – and always with afriendly welcome.

Spend a weekend break or longer holiday in a cosy,five-star rural retreat with a four-poster bed to snuggleinto at night, bunk down in a hostel or get in touch withnature camping out in a yurt, tent or wigwam. Each ofthem alongside working farms, with all the sights,

activities, sounds and, of course, smells to make youfeel you are in the heart of the countryside and awayfrom the stresses of the frenetic modern world.

You can choose between self-catering or bed andbreakfast, and where there is food on offer you willfind some of the best home cooking, much of it with aregional slant and using traditional recipes handeddown over generations. Tuck into everything fromfarm-smoked bacon and kippers to home-madesausages, home-baked bread, farmhouse cheeses andfreshly-gathered eggs.

There is not only a wide variety of farm accommo-dation available but also a huge quantity, as a quickGoogle search will underline. But if you find all thechoice a bit bewildering, help is at hand.

Feeding a lamb atTregondale Farm

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A national farmer-owned consortium with over1,200 members offering farm accommodation stretch-ing from the Highlands of Scotland to the tip ofCornwall, Farm Stay UK (www.farmstay.co.uk) cele-brates its 30th anniversary next year, having originallystarted as the Farm Holiday Bureau. It is the largestnetwork of farm-based accommodation in the UK. Allof its members meet rigorous standards and have beeninspected and quality-assessed under national touristboards’ grading schemes and those operated by the AA.

awardsOver 80% of members have been given four or fivestars and many are award-winners. Blackmore Farm(www.blackmorefarm.co.uk), a 15th century, GradeI-listed manor house nestled in the foothills of Somer-set’s Quantock Hills, was named AA GuestAccommodation of the Year in England for 2011-2012in the annual awards which honour the country’s bestB&B establishments.

In its citation, the AA heralded its olde-worldgrandeur, adding: “Guests get the opportunity to stepback in time when they stay at Blackmore Farm as itretains many period features including oak beams,stone archways and medieval garderobes. The Dyerfamily offer guests a friendly welcome, beautifulsurroundings and wonderful home-cooked meals.”

Other Farm Stay UK members have notched upawards, among them the four-star Low Urpeth Farm(www.lowurpeth.co.uk) in County Durham. It hascollected six awards for its food, accommodation andservice in the last three years, including winningBronze in the Bed & Breakfast category of the NorthEast England Tourism Awards for 2011.

Feeding Chickensat Overwood Farm

Daily animalfeeding at Clydey

All pictures: Farm Stay UK

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Latest research from VisitEngland shows that coun-tryside holidays achieve far higher satisfaction levelsfrom holidaymakers than both city and seaside holidays.It also highlights the fact that more people are turningto holidaying at home – for so-called staycations –rather than overseas, with the 20 million holiday tripsrecorded during the first six months of 2011 represent-

ing a 3.3% increase on the first half of 2010.Such is the growing appeal of a farm holiday that

Farm Stay UK saw visits to its website increase by 20%in 2011. Besides Farm Stay UK, there are hundreds ofother accommodation providers around the countrywhere you can stay.

So what is the appeal of holidaying on a farm, andwhat can you expect?

When you stay on a farm, you get an intimate andfirst-hand view of the farmers’ world and life in ruralBritain. You can look out of your window over fields ofwheat and barley or pastures filled with sheep and cattle,gaze at orchards of ripening fruit, visit the milkingparlour or see newborn lambs, and watch combineharvesters at work reaping the summer’s bounty or trac-tors scouring out furrows with their ploughs to plant nextyear’s crop.

feed animalsActivities and the chance to get close to farm animalsare big attractions, particularly for youngsters. Manyfarms allow guests to actively participate in daily farmtasks, such as helping to feed lambs and other animals,gather eggs and groom horses. Some have nature walksand trails on the farm itself or you can use the farm as abase from which to explore the local area on foot, bybike or on horseback.

For horse owners, more than 170 Farm Stay UKmembers now offer stabling for them to take their ownhorses. Many farms also allow guests to bring their dogs– provided they are kept under control when near farm-yard animals.

Some also organise special activities for holidaymak-ers. Clydey Cottages Pembrokeshire(www.clydeycottages.co.uk), another award winnerhonoured as Best in Wales 2010 and Best inPembrokeshire 2011 with 15 cottages set in 68 acres,organises an Easter Egg hunt for youngsters while, on adaily basis, children can join the Clydey Young FarmersClub and help feed the resident pigs, sheep, lambs, pygmygoats and donkeys before letting off steam in the adven-ture playground, which is set in 20 acres of grounds.

You can also do other things on farms. Farm andCountry Cottages (www.holidaycottages.co.uk)features soft and hard cheese-making courses at HagleyBridge Farm (www.hagleybridgefarm.co.uk) nearTaunton, in Somerset, for £60 (one day) and £120 (twodays). Courses run monthly from the first one-day softcheese course, on April 5. Accommodation is in aconverted barn sleeping four at Lovelynch Farm, fivemiles away, with prices from £310 per week.

Your accommodation may be anything from rustic orperiod to newly-built and will often include a host ofamenities, such as a fully-equipped kitchen, flat-screenTVs, Wi-Fi, comfy sofas and armchairs, en-suite bath-rooms, log fires with outdoor children’s play areas and

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

let’s try farm stay holidays

spring activitiesFor holidaymakers who want areal experience of life on a farm,spring offers a fantasticopportunity to get stuck in andlend a hand.

It’s a wonderful time forchildren, as many farms offeringaccommodation will have lambsbeing born then. They can notonly watch and learn aboutlambing first-hand, they are alsooften welcome to help out.

Mary Pearson from LovesomeHill Farm in North Yorkshire says:“Our Masham and Mule Sheep aredue to lamb from March until Apriland we are expecting over 150hundred lambs this year. It’s a busytime for us so guests are invited to

bring wellies and get involved withthe lambing and for the help theygive us on the farm we make surethey’re rewarded with lots ofhome-made meals.”

Nannerth Fawr Farm(www.nannerth.co.uk) is a200-acre family Powys farmoffering visitors organic farmholidays that has Welsh mountainewes, Tor Wen sheep andnumerous other farmyardanimals and poultry. Activities tobe seen during the year includelambing, shearing, gatheringsheep from the hills surroundingthe farm, hedging and hay orsilage making. Children cansometimes help with feeding thepoultry, bottle feeding a lamb orbringing sheep in.

“Manyfarms allowguests toactivelyparticipatein dailyfarm tasks”

Makefriends withponies

Self Catering atHarrop Fold Farm

Easter atNannerth Farm

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sometimes your own private garden.You can also choose to stay somewhere small and

intimate, perfect for just the two of you, or at the otherextreme go for somewhere that can take the wholefamily and in-laws or a group of friends.

easy reachAmong VisitEngland’s top farm stays – some of themformer farms rather than working facilities – is ComptonPool Farm (www.comptonpool.co.uk), in Marldon,Devon, which won the accolade of best self-cateringbusiness in Devon for 2011 in Visit Devon’s tourismawards. This 12th century farm has been converted into10 luxury holiday cottages sleeping between two and 11,with activities including tennis courts, an indoor pool,games barn, fishing lake and a fenced-off area wherechildren can meet the resident goats and pigs.

Another top pick has star appeal. Yew Tree Farm(www.yewtree-farm.com) is a working Lake Districtsheep farm set among hills near Coniston that was onceowned by Beatrix Potter and featured as Hill Top in themovie Miss Potter, starring Renee Zellweger. Its threeguest bedrooms feature oak-panelled walls and perioddécor, while breakfast is served in a room furnished byBeatrix Potter herself.

VisitEngland also suggests Common Barn Farm(www.cottages-with-a-view.co.uk), a traditional work-ing sheep farm in the Peak District National Park nearMacclesfield with five B&B en-suite bedrooms and twoself-catering holiday cottages in converted stone barns. Ithas its own tea shop and sells fresh lamb from the farm.

While a farm stay is a great away-from-it all escape,that doesn’t mean it has to be remote or take hours tofind down winding country lanes. Many farms arewithin easy reach of motorways and cities.

Overwood Farm (www.overwood.net) offers apeaceful farm cottage B&B surrounded by Worcester-shire woodlands and farmland where you can watch batshunting and hear owls hooting at night, yet it is less thanthree miles from Bromsgrove and 15 minutes from boththe M42 and M5 motorways. It has won an EnjoyEng-land award for its breakfasts, which include eggsgathered daily from its own chickens.

One thing is certain – if you opt for the peace andquiet of a holiday down on a farm, you won’t be short ofthings to do.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

let’s try farm stay holidays

farm holiday facts

food for thoughtAutumn stays on farms bring tasty delights for visitors, with the chance to goforaging for mushrooms, nuts and berries.Autumn activities on offer at Farm Stay UK member farms include: A Mushroom School at Kirkwood Farm in Scotland; guests can get tips on

where to forage and tuition from a professional guide. Take a bottle of gin to Damerons Farm in Suffolk, gather up sloes and head back

to the farm kitchen, where you can create sloe gin. Pick blackberries and hazel nuts at Cyfie Farm in Wales, then taste them while

lazing in the hot tub in the farms’ converted pig sty. Stay at Upperfields Farm in Herefordshire, where local foodie Raoul Van Den

Brouke offers groups a guided food forage.

farm stay ukFarm Stay UK publishes a variety of guides,maps and leaflets coveringaccommodation offered by its 1,200-plusmembers. Its main Farm Stay UKbrochure details all its UKaccommodation and can be orderedonline from www.farmstayuk.co.uk. Thewebsite allows visitors to search its databaseof properties by accommodation type or region,and has regional microsites.

farm holidays informationResponsible Travel:www.responsibletravel.com/accommodation/farmstaysVisitEngland: www.enjoyengland.com/Where-to-stay/Rural-escapes/Farm-stay.htm

other farm accommodationwebsitesNational and regional farm stay websitesinclude:www.holidaycottages.co.uk/farmswww.stayonafarm.comwww.holidaycottages.co.uk

www.cheshirefarmstay.co.ukwww.farmstays.co.uk

www.pembrokeshirefarmstay.co.ukwww.stayonamanxfarm.comwww.devonfarms.co.ukwww.farmholidays-southwest.co.ukwww.farmhouseaccommodation.co.ukwww.farmstayanglia.co.ukwww.wiltshirefarmstay.co.ukwww.irishfarmholidays.comwww.peakdistrictfarmhols.co.ukwww.cornishfarmholidays.co.ukwww.wightfarmholidays.co.ukwww.farmstaysomerset.comwww.cotswoldsfarmstay.co.ukwww.farm-stay-kent.co.ukwww.lakesfarmholidays.co.ukwww.nfag.co.uk

WoodFarmTrampoline

Feeding The ClydeySheep And Lambs

Barns withspring flowers

Guest kitchen

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travel tech

Solar saviourAnother clever idea fromEtón for when youneed power on themove with youriPhone, theMobius rechargeablebattery case providesextra talk time from its own power or the sun.

Designed for the iPhone 4 and 4s and Apple-approved, it features a solar panel that needs onlyone hour in the sun to provide an extra 25 minutesof talk time, 20 minutes of internet use, 35 minutes ofvideo playback or over two hours of audio playback.

Mobius features a quick charge time, the high-efficiency monocrystal solar panel recharging the1800mAh lithium ion battery pack on the back of thecase. It also has optional charging via computer usinga micro-USB cable.

Once the battery has been charged, a standby switchcan turn off direct power transfer to the iPhone,allowing the case to charge and store energy in its ownbattery – only using the power when it is needed.

Weighing just 3.4 ounces, the case has both abattery charge and solar charge indicator and snapsonto the back of the iPhone.

Mobius retails for £69.99 and is available fromwww.nevadaradio.co.uk.

The sound of silenceWant to shut the world out while listening

to your favourite music on your travels?With Digital Silence in-ear headphones

you can be at peace whatever is going onaround you.

The intrusive sounds of trains, announce-ments, street noise and aircraft engines willmelt away when you put on a pair of the newDS-321D headphones, as they contain newDigital myZone noise cancellation technologyfrom Wolfson Microelectronics.

Music lovers will enjoy the sound qualityproducers intended with its HD-qualityspeakers, and on-cord voice microphone witha call management button will allow users toconcentrate on their phone calls withoutinterruptions from the hustle and bustle of

the world outside.The rechargeable battery lasts for 14 hours

and it still works as a normal headset when thebattery is flat.

The DS-321D stereo headphones are avail-able for around £69.99 from CarphoneWarehouse, Play.com and Richer Sounds, whilethe Digital Silence range also includes theentry-level DS-101As, priced at around £35.

For more information, go towww.digital-silence.comYou can WIN your very own pair of DS-321D noise-cancelling headphones fromDigital Silence. Just go to www.tlm-magazine.co.uk and click onCompetitions. Terms and conditions apply.Closing date February 19, 2012

Planning a camping ormotoring trip thisyear? Etón’s

Axis is a new all-in-one emergencysurvival gadget thatcould help get youout of trouble if youbreak down, get lost orget stuck in poorweather.

Besides sporting aflashing alert beaconand an emergencymobile telephone dumpcharger for smartphonesand USB devices, it alsoincludes an AM/FM radio,alarm clock and LEDtorch, all powered via itsinternal battery or hand-powered crank handle.

One minute of manualwinding the handle givesyour phone another 30seconds for a voice call, or15 minutes of radio orflashlight. Alternatively,

the Axis can alsobe powered with AAAbatteries or with an ACadapter.

The device is weather-proof and features atelescopic antenna forenhanced range and recep-

tion as well as a 3.5mmheadphone jack.

With an RRP of£69.99, it is available fromonline stores includingwww.nevadaradio.co.uk.

More information onwww.etoncorp.com.

Crank it up

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tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

travel tech

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

The new 2012Berlitz cruiseapp takes thehassle out ofchoosing yourperfect cruise.Among features isan enhanced filterso users cannarrow down their preference of ship, searchingthrough more than 275 cruise vessels to find onethat suits them best. Available for iPhone, iPad andiPod Touch, it costs £6.99.www.berlitzpublishing.com

French ski area Paradiski haslaunched a free app together withLes Arcs and La Plagne to givevisitors up-to-the-minuteinformation on the 425km skiregion this season. It provides slopemap, skier geo-spatial positioning,ski-lift opening hours, seven-dayweather forecasts, webcams andpersonal performance

measurements. The App is free andavailable on Android and iTunes.www.paradiski.com

A new, freeiPhone app givesgreater freedom topeople with specificaccess requirementsplanning a trip tothe capital. Linked tothe Greater LondonAuthority’s (GLA) InclusiveLondon.com website, itprovides a range of information to people withaccess needs, including those with disabilities, olderpeople and parents with young children and buggies. www.inclusivelondon.com

A new Android app fromtravel search engineMomondo.com now allowsAndroid users to search forcheap flights. Momondo’siPhone version, launched inMay 2011, is already a top 25free travel app. Users can search and compareprices and availability of flights,hotels and car hire from over800 travel sites.www.momondo.com

APPS CORNER

Charge aroundthe worldIf the poor battery life of your

favourite portable electronic devicesleaves you feeling a little flat, gadget

accessories specialist Proporta has comeup with a device that will positively tur-bocharge your life.

The latest addition to its award-winning USB TurboCharger range is acompact, high-powered rechargeablebattery that charges from any USB portand allows you to juice up even the mostpower-hungry gadgets again and again,no matter where you are.

You can even power up two devices atthe same time; the Proporta TurboCharger7000’s capacity is an impressive7000mAh, and it comes with two USBoutput ports. What’s more, it will charge upall the leading mobile devices, from the

iPod and iPhone to Blackberry, HTC, SonyEricsson and Nokia phones. It will alsocharge up your iPad, and even works withdigital cameras. An LED display shows thelevel of charge, and the TurboChargercomes with two retractable cables and arange of interchangeable connector heads.

Best of all, this stylish product is solightweight (at about 175g) that you’llbarely notice you’re carrying it.

The perfect accessory for anyone onthe move, it means you need never runout of power again, no matter where inthe world you are – and the increasedcapacity means that you can chargedevices again and again without thebattery running low.

The Proporta TurboCharger 7000 costs£54.95, from www.proporta.com.

Lose yourself in your music when youtravel with the first active noise-cancelling headphones from Klipsch.

The on-ear Mode M40 headphonesfeature leather ear cups and provide activenoise cancelling (ANC) for up to 45hours on a single battery. They can alsobe used without battery as normal stereoheadphones.

The stylish copper and blackheadphones have an Apple-based micro-phone and three-button remote system fortaking calls and controlling music oniPods, iPhones or iPads.

Costing £299.99, the Klipsch ModeM40 headphones are available fromwww.klipsch.co.uk as well aswww.amazon.co.uk and other retailers.

Quiet Mode

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checking out hotel accommodation

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

The UK is undergoing an unprecedented boomin budget hotels, with London at the forefront.By the time the Olympics begin this summer,the number of rooms in the capital will havegrown by 12% in the past two years, taking thetotal number to over 123,000. Much of that is

accommodation at the lower end of the spectrum and sev-eral new names have joined the familiar budget brands ofTravelodge and Premier Inn in recent months.

Throughout the UK, the budget sector has beengrowing in leaps and bounds. A study last March byMelvin Gold Consulting found that, since 2008, thebudget hotel market had grown by more than one-thirddespite – or perhaps because of – the economic down-turn. Yet while branded budget accommodation nowrepresents 16% of all hotels rooms, that still puts the UKbehind the USA (at 33%) and France (25%).

Leading the charge of the budget brigade is Travelodge(www.travelodge.co.uk), which already operates over490 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain. It is openinganother 41 in the UK during 2012, 12 of them in London.They include its 500th hotel, which opens at Stratford inFebruary, while others will include Greenwich and atLondon’s ExCeL Centre, both before July.

Travelodge has earmarked another 146 UK locations,adding them to its “target requirements list”.

new conceptA new name on the scene for London is Tune Hotels(www.tunehotels.com), a sister company to Malaysianbudget airline AirAsia and the former Lotus Racing F1team now renamed Caterham. Tune Hotels’ slogan is

“five-star hotels at one-star prices” and since open-ing in August 2010 its first London property,

the 79-room Tune Westminster, has achievedaverage occupancy of 97%.

The group’s latest hotel opened atLiverpool Street just after Christmas andmore Tune Hotels properties are due toopen in London this year, with a 137-room one in Paddington and anotherwith 217 rooms in Kings Cross, both set

to open before the Olympics. Others aredue to open in Liverpool and Edinburgh

by 2013. Some 15 London hotels areplanned by 2017.Another newcomer underlining that budget

need not mean basic is Z Hotels (www.thezhotels.com),which says it has created a new concept that reflects theneeds of today’s travellers. Its flagship property, Z HotelsSoho in the heart of London’s Soho, opened in Novem-ber and is claimed to be the first hotel designed with the“Urbanite Stay” in mind: short-stay accommodationoffering the highest quality at affordable prices in primecity-centre locations.

A designer conversion of 12 Georgian townhousesoffering room rates starting from just £85, all 85 roomsfeature the latest 40-inch LED high-definition TVs withall Sky Sports and Sky Movies channels at no extra cost,power showers, bespoke hand-crafted beds, i-dockingstations, and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. Guests andnon-residents can use the Z Café, which serves freshly-made food focusing on salads, signature Z platters and“afternoon treats” and is open late into the night. More ZHotels properties are planned.

For no-frills value, the easyHotel chain (www.easyhotel.com) set up by easyJet founder SteliosHaji-Ioannou, has five properties in London with ratesfrom just £27 per night and a sixth opening soon at TheBarbican. It also has hotels in Luton, Glasgow and Edin-burgh as well as others in Europe and Dubai.

cutting-edge designSleeperz Hotels (www.sleeperz.com) bringscutting-edge architectural design and stylish interiors

B u dg et bonanza

focus: b u dg et and af f or dab le hotels

Z H

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Sleeperz Cardiff

Bar at Z Hotels Soho

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checking out hotel accommodation

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

to its properties, while still offering budget rates. Thegroup’s second hotel opened in Newcastle city-centrethis month, having launched with its first hotel inCardiff in 2008.

The compact, vibrant guest rooms at the 98-room,glass-fronted Newcastle hotel feature wet rooms withunderfloor heating and steam-proof mirrors. Rates startfrom £60 including free Wi-Fi access and localtelephone calls. Sleeperz plans to expand with major UKcities such as London, Liverpool and Manchester aspotential sites for development.

Meanwhile, French hotel chain Accor(www.accorhotels.com) has plans to boost its UKpresence to 300 hotels by 2015. Its UK and Irelandportfolio currently comprises 158 hotels, ofwhich its budget hotels take in 56 in the ibisbrand, 17 Etap hotels and two under the allseasons name. They are being rebrandedto ibis, ibis budget and ibis stylesrespectively during 2012.

Stays from just £18 per room pernight are being offered at Accor’s Etaphotels (www.etaphotel.com) in awinter promotion, for stays until Febru-ary 29, while guests booking into an ibis(www.ibishotel.com) hotel will enjoy aspecial winter offer of up to 50% off per roomper night, for stays up to February 26.

HOTEL NEWSWith theirbirthday onlycoming round onceevery four years, theMontpellier Chapterhotel in Cheltenhamis providing awelcome consolation this February for guests bornon February 29. It is giving a Jeroboam of Champagne– the equivalent of four bottles – for overnightbookings on February 28 and 29 by guests who canprove they were born on the leap year day. Standardrates start at £140 per room per night, includingbreakfast. www.chapterhotels.com

Apex Hotels is to open itsthird hotel in London, ApexTemple Court, on April 1. Thelandmark building, bought fromthe Honourable Society of theInner Temple, is being convertedto a four-star property with a

contemporary design in a project costing over £60million. It will feature a restaurant, bar and gym andwill offer free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. Rates leadin at £129 per room per night. www.apexhotels.co.uk

A Naughty & Nice packagebeing offered for Valentine’s Day byThe Hotel @ Times Square in NewYork includes one night’saccommodation, a box of chillichocolates and two free tickets tothe Museum of Sex, worth $35. Thepackage is available throughoutFebruary and costs from $189.99 per couple (about£60 per person, per night). The hotel offers freeContinental breakfast, free Wi-Fi, free national phonecalls, a fitness centre and a bar.www.thehotelattimessquare.com

The UK’s first and onlyCrowne Plaza Resortopened its doors late lastyear and features two 18-hole golf courses, twofirst-class restaurants and

a luxury spa, featuring ESPA and Clarins products. Thefour-star Crowne Plaza Resort Colchester – FiveLakes is set within a 320-acre estate 194 beautifully-styled rooms, including some in their own peacefullocation on the edges of the resort, or with golfcourse views. The hotel also has an indoor pool, spabath, steam room and sauna.www.cpcolchester.co.uk

“Budgetneed notmean basic”

Tune

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Tune Liverpool Street

Z HotelsSoho bedroom

TravelodgeTower Bridge

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Situated in the Cotswoldmarket town of Woodstock– home to historic

Blenheim Palace, birth place ofSir Winston Churchill – TheFeathers hotel offers luxurious,individualised accommodation.

Originally five buildings,including a sanatorium and apublic library, it became one hotelin the 1960s and reopened in2010 following an extensive, £1million refurbishment. Thishistory shows itself in the windingstaircases and corridors.

We stayed in an ultra-chic,boutique-style suite packed with

antique furniture, sumptuous uphol-stery and fabrics, partnered with aluxury, designer bathroom andmust-have technology in the shapeof flat screen TVs Wi-Fi connectionand iPod docking station.

A warm welcome from thereception staff set the standardsfor the high level of unobtrusivebut helpful and informative atten-tion throughout our stay.

We took pre-dinner drinks inthe gin bar, the UK’s first suchdedicated bar. My choice was adifficult one, with such a variety,but I was helped by a menu thatprovided details on the specific

qualities of each brand, and bestcombinations.

Dinner in the award-winningrestaurant met all ourexpectations. Using local,seasonal products, cooked toperfection, the two AA rosettesare clearly deserved. The threecourses were complemented byamuse bouche, and we roundedoff our evening with coffee andhome-made petit fours.

Sleep came easily followingthis, helped by the comfortableking-size bed. Breakfast nextmorning was individuallyprepared, partnered by a buffetselection of fruits, cereals andfresh juices. All too soon our stayat The Feathers was over, and weleft feeling refreshed and relaxed.

Peter Lewsey

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

checking out hotel review + reader offer

factboxThe FeathersMarket Street, Woodstock,Oxfordshire OX20 1SX Tel: 01993 812 291 www.feathers.co.ukDouble room from £169B&B

best for Romantic breaks Great food Gin aficionados

could do better Hard to fault

Gin palace

Now all tlm readers can enjoy a luxury stayat The Feathers, Oxfordshire’s newest four-star hotel, and save one-third off the normalrate with our special offer.You will pay just £158* per room per night

for comfortable accommodation in anupgraded Cotswold Room, full Englishbreakfast and a three-course dinner in theaward-winning restaurant with menusfeaturing the best of modern English cuisine,created from locally-sourced ingredients.

The Feathers has 21 delightful bedrooms,all completely redesigned in a majorrefurbishment with bold fabrics and eye-catching colours. For more details or to book, please call

01993 812291, quoting TLM or email:[email protected] further hotel information, please visit:www.feathers.co.uk.

*Offer (based on two adults sharing adouble/twin Cotswold Room) valid Sunday toFriday inclusive until May 31, 2012, excludingValentine’s Weekend and subject to availability ofallocated rooms.

READER OFFER

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Picr

ures

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ther

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Gin bar at The Feathers

Exterior

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Entrance and lobby

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Winter 2011/12 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk 9 7 0

Luxury hotels in Oxford,the Cotswolds andGloucestershire

Lansdowne Place Hotel & Spa

Lansdowne Place Hotel & SpaLansdowne Place, Hove BN3 1HQT: 01273 7365266 F: 01273 729802 E: [email protected] www.lansdowneplace.co.uk

“The best of Brighton & Hove”

• Friendly staff at your disposal 24 hours a day• All facilities

• Stunning bedrooms• Luxury Bar and Restaurant

• Function rooms up to 250 delegates• Spa

“We make your stay the best experience”

� � � �BRIGHTON & HOVE

097TLMwinter 17/1/12 12:38 Page 1

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Self-catering accommodation might beseen by some as an economy option butwith more upmarket rental companies

offering luxury holiday homes, it is now pos-sible to have a home from home that offersfive-star comfort.

For families and couples wanting to have aluxury break, yet with more space than a hotelroom, a top-of-the-range self-catering propertyoffers unrivalled flexibility and privacy.

From a cosy one-bedroom apartment over-looking the sea, to a six-bedroom barnconversion in acres of land, or a formerconcert hall to an eco-pod, there are luxury

self-catering options to suit everyone. Mostoffer exceptional comfort levels with stylishfurnishings, modern appliances and, quiteoften, broadband internet and cable television.

Heralded on Caroline Quentin’s currentITV series Cornwall, Unique Homestays(www.uniquehomestays.com) offers luxuryprivate holiday homes throughout the UK,predominantly in Cornwall but with selectedproperties in Kent, Gloucestershire and Wales.Coast and Country Cottages (www.coastandcountry.co.uk) has a collec-tion of five-star luxury properties throughoutSouth Devon, while Blue Chip Holidays

(www.bluechipholidays.co.uk) offers every-thing from traditional cottages to luxury townhouses throughout the South West.

Norfolk Hideaways (www.norfolkhideaways.co.uk) offers arange of prestige properties, all awarded fouror five stars in their Visit Britain QualityAssessment while Luxury Beach House Rental(www.luxurybeachhouserental.com)features three beach houses on the WestSussex coast and a Cotswold townhouse, aswell as a stunning beach house in Punta DelEste in Uruguay.

Luxury Cotswold Rentals(www.luxurycotswoldrentals.co.uk) has asmall collection of stylish Cotswold holidayhouses which are baby and child-friendly and,in most cases, pet-friendly.

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

checking out luxury self-catering + review

Our journey from London toReedmere cottage, situated onthe banks of the River Bure, inthe Norfolk village of Horning,took two hours. On arrival, latein the evening, we were pleasedto find a welcome pack; muchappreciated as local shops wereclosed.The property is modern and

spacious, and situated within anexclusive marina developmentoffering private mooring andexclusive fishing. We were veryimpressed with the high standardof interior décor and attentionto detail. The bedrooms andbathrooms were finished to thestandard found in four-starhotels, and even included soapand towels.

The large, open-plan living areafeatured a kitchen witheverything we might need duringour stay, including dishwasher,

washer/dryer and high-specelectrical appliances. Unusuallyfor a self-catering property, teaand coffee were also available.The rest of the living area

comprised large, comfortableleather sofas, a stylish diningtable and chairs and a large flat-screen TV with Freeview. Addedextras included a large range ofhome entertainment includingbooks, games and DVDs to keepa family amused on rainy days. French doors opened onto

the first-floor veranda, offering a

view of the marina and river. Themarina has its own leisurefacilities with an indoor heatedswimming pool, spa bath, fitnesssuite and coffee bar, for whichthere is a small charge.Horning village is situated in

the heart of the Norfolk Broads,and is a good location for out-door pursuits, such as fishing,bird watching, sailing and golf. Ashort ride will take you to theNorfolk Coast and its miles ofsandy beaches.

Peter Lewsey

Do it yourself in style

factboxReedmere cottageHorning, Norfolk NR12 8PT3 bedrooms, sleeps 6; from£586 per weekNorfolk Country Cottages Tel: 01603 871872www.norfolkcottages.co.uk

best for Exploring the Broads Relaxing breaks Nature lovers

could do better Little to complain about

Reedmere cottage,Horning, Norfolk

Mod cons

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Ensuite bedroom atRobin’s Lodge, Taunton

Pool atBroad DownsBarn, Salcombe

The OldSurgery,Tetbury

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73TLMautumn 21/9/11 10:06 Page 1

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tlm � the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk Winter 2011/12100

� SEASONAL BREAKS

Overlooking Porth beach and the stunning North Cornish coastline, GlendorgalHotel and Self Catering is set in a secluded coastal position within 17 acres ofprivate headland, yet only a short stroll from Newquay town centre.

♦ Choice of hotel rooms or 2 & 3 bedroom self catering houses ♦ 2 night staysavailable in self catering ♦ Watermark Brasserie and Bar ♦ Health Club with fitnessarena ♦ Swimming Pool ♦ Hot tub ♦ Sauna ♦ Steam Room ♦ Free Parking

Lusty Glaze Road, Porth, Newquay, Cornwall, TR7 3ADCall now on 01637 874937E-mail: info@glendorgal.co.ukwww.glendorgalhotel.co.ukwww.glendorgalselfcatering.co.uk

50%Red

uction on

Hotel & Self

Catering

Bookings

Nov1st-F

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Limited

to first 20

bookings

Quote “S

easonal B

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when bo

oking

Hotel and Self Catering Newquay

The Hotel Collingwood is one of Bournemouth's finest hotels, ideally situated weare only a short walk to the beach, Bournemouth International Centre andcosmopolitan town centre. A family run establishment ensures you of anexceptionally high standardof service at all times. Thehotel has 53 modern ensuite bedrooms, whichhave their own distinctivestyle and are all furnishedand equipped withindividual heating controls,direct dial telephone, digitalfreeview TV, tea / coffeefacilities. Lift access to allfloors, as well as ample freeparking for 70 cars.We provide an exceptional and exciting array of entertainment most eveningsthroughout the year, Each live cabaret is unique, whether you want to dance thenight away or just listen, all tastes of music are catered for.

Hotel Collingwood11 Priory Road, Bournemouth BH2 5DF

Tel: 01202 557575 Email: [email protected]

100TLMwinter 16/1/12 11:12 Page 2

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Winter 2011/12 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk101

SEASONAL BREAKS �

Country livingat its bestRural RetreatsCity BreaksCultureHistoryFestivalsActivities

Have you discoveredHEREFORDSHIRE yet?

Get your free brochure [email protected]

(Quote TLMJan12)www.visitherefordshire.co.uk

THE

HOTEL & RESTAURANT

A small boutique hotel steeped in history dating back to 1620, in the heartof the historic market town of Midhurst, in the middle of the new South

Downs National Park. Located nearby are: Chichester Cathedral, Theatre,Sculpture Park, Art Galleries, RomanWalls, Fishboune, Bosham,Goodwood Motor Circuit, Horse Racing, Petworth House National

Trust & Gardens, TheWitterings beautiful sandy beaches

Valid from 6th January to 30th April 2012* based on two people sharing a standard village room. Payment required at time of booking,21 days cancellation required. * excluding 10-14th February – terms and conditions apply

THE ANGEL HOTELNorth Street, Midhurst, West Sussex GU29 9DN Tel: 01730 812421Email: [email protected] www.theangelmidhurst.co.uk

Winter/Spring short breaks with an exceptional deal of £125 perroom per night for a midweek two or three night stay to includedinner bed & breakfast and also a weekend 2 night break at £150

per room per night including dinner bed & breakfast.

Save

£100

100TLMwinter 18/1/12 10:11 Page 3

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One of the most successful movie seriesof all time, many iconic London land-marks were used during filming.

Kings Cross Station is home to plat-form 9¾ from where the HogwartsExpress departs (it is actually the archedwall between platforms four and five),whereas St Pancras International featuresin Harry Potter and the Chamber of

Secrets when the Weasleys’ magic FordAnglia takes to the skies.

In The Philospher’s Stone, the reptilehouse at London Zoo takes centre stageand filming for the Order of the Phoenixclosed Westminster tube station for a dayin 2006.

The triple-decker Knight Bus in ThePrisoner of Azkaban careers wildly alongGreen Lanes, in Palmers Green, beforesqueezing between two double-deckerson Lambeth Bridge. The entrance to theLeaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley has twodifferent locations in the films; Leaden-hall Market and Borough Market.

james bond

While Britain’s most famous spy spendslittle time in London other than toreceive his orders from his boss, M, thecity features in several past films and the23rd Bond, Skyfall, due out later thisyear, has filmed a poolside sequence atthe Four Seasons Hotel in Canary Wharf.

Roger Moore took a hair-raising heli-copter flight over the Docklands area inFor Your Eyes Only while in more recentPierce Brosnan films, the Secret Service’s

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

did you know? Films starring Tower Bridge include Tomb

Raider, The Mummy Returns and Thunderbirds. Borough Market has been used in several

movies, among them Lock, Stock and TwoSmoking Barrels, Entrapment and Bridget Jones’sDiary.

Futuristic 2006 film Children of Men was filmedin Woolwich and used 600 extras, 250 filmcrew, 30 sheep, three dogs, two mules and onedonkey!

Ealing Studios, the world’s oldest working filmstudio, has been making movies since 1902. Its most recent, Burke & Hare, was in 2012.

Some of the world’s top film makers chooseto shoot their blockbusters in London. Thecapital’s streets and famous landmarks haveformed the backdrop to many a hit filmincluding the likes of Batman, Harry Potterand Bridget Jones movies, either as them-

selves or cleverly disguised. This is where you can follow in the stars’ footsteps;

you can also find film locations with Film London’sonline movie map: www.filmlondon.org.uk/film_culture/film_tourism/movie_maps/love_from_london

Get starry-eyed visiting London’s movie locations. Julie Thompson is your guide

london life london’s movie trail

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harry potter

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headquarters are identi-fied as being the newMI6 building on theThames at Vaux-hall. The openingsequence of TheWorld Is NotEnough is anextended boatchase from theMI6 building downthe river to theMillennium Dome, alsopartly filmed in MillwallDock, while in 2002 movie DieAnother Day, Bond visits a secret base ina disused underground station and visitshis club, Blades.

The original 1967 version of CasinoRoyale features 10 Downing Street,Whitehall, Trafalgar Square (withNelson’s Column replaced by a flyingsaucer) and the Changing of the Guardoutside Buckingham Palace, while Quantam of Solace uses several Londonlocations including the Reform Club onPall Mall and the Barbican.

the hugh grant connection

Hugh Grant plays the archetypalEnglishman in Four Weddings and aFuneral and Notting Hill, the caddishDaniel Cleaver in the Bridget Jones’sfilms and Will in About a Boy, withmany London locations being used.Clerkenwell features in About a Boyalong with the BFI London ImaxCinema and the penguin pool at LondonZoo.

Four Weddings features several northLondon addresses as well as the RoyalNaval College Chapel in Greenwich and

St Bartholomew theGreat church in

Smithfield (one ofthe most filmedchurches inEngland). NottingHill features loca-tions in NottingHill, most notably

Portobello Roadand 280 Westbourne

Park Road, whereWilliam Thacker’s blue-

doored bedsit was located; itis now actually a black door.

In Bridget Jones’s Diary, historicBorough Market and the Royal Courts ofJustice on the Strand are featured and inthat and the sequel, Edge of Reason,Bridget’s flat is above The Globe pub inBorough Market.

best of the rest

The imposing Battersea Power Stationhas appeared in several films, fromAlfred Hitchcock’s Sabotage back in1936 to The Dark Knight, Children ofMen and The King’s Speech.

London Underground has featured inmany films, including the plot of the1998 film Sliding Doors which hinges onwhich tube train Gwyneth Paltrow’s char-acter takes and several films wherechases take place across undergroundtracks (28 Weeks Later) or the tunnelnetworks are used for atmospheric effect(An American Werewolf in London).

The 1994 drama Closer, starringNatalie Portman and Jude Law, has manykey moments filmed throughout the city,while other hit films from The Da VinciCode to 101 Dalmations and, of course,Sherlock Holmes use locations through-out the city.

london life london’s movie trail

suits youFor families:Go behind thescenes of theHarry Potterfilms at theWarner Bros.Studio Tour,opening March31, to find out somewell-kept secrets.For couples: Have a romantic dinner at Cantina delPonte in Butlers Wharf where Bridget and Danielenjoy a date in Bridget Jones’s Diary.For value: Visit the Italian Fountains in Hyde Park,where Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver fight overBridget Jones in the Edge of Reason and where tennispros Peter Colt and Lizzie Bradbury take a romanticstroll in the 2004 rom-com Wimbledon.For luxury: Eat at Nobu on Park Lane, where JuliaRoberts’s character talks back to a group of mouthymen during dinner with Hugh Grant in Notting Hill.

follow the starsYou can see some of London’s most famous filmlocations on several tours: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The

Making of Harry Potter: London’s newest filmattraction opens at the end of March and you cansee actual sets, props and costumes from the films.Must book in advance.www.wbstudiotour.co.uk

Blue Badge Guides: The Blue Badge TouristGuides’ take on London’s film locations includethe Bridget Jones-themed Big Knickers Walks.www.walkinginlondon.com

Brit Movie Tours: Walking and bus trips areavailable, with specialised tours (Harry Potter,Bridget Jones, Notting Hill) and generic location tripson offer. www.britmovietours.com

Celebrity Planet Tours: Tours featuring HarryPotter, Notting Hill and other film locations, as wellas celebrity homes and music landmarks.www.thecelebrityplanet.com/london

WIN one of two pairs of£25 tickets for BritMovie Tours’ HarryPotter Tour ofLondon Locations bus tour. Just go towww.tlm-magazine.co.uk and click onCompetitions. Terms and conditions apply. Closing date February 19, 2012.

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london news

Love is in the airValentine’s Day in the capital is always special, andthere are a number of activities taking placecommemorating this lovers’ event:

Stars in their eyesSpend An Evening with the Starstakes place at the RoyalObservatory, Greenwich(www.rmg.co.uk), and includes aplanetarium show, some time onthe prime meridian with a glass ofChampagne, plus a chance to lookthrough the Victorian telescope at

the night sky. Each couple also gets a single red rose.Tickets are £28 person and booking is recommended.

Romance on a plateFortnum & Mason(www.fortnumandmason.com),Piccadilly’s classic food emporium, has a host ofromantic goodies to celebrateValentine’s Day. Enjoy the exclusiveValentine in Velvet cocktail in 1707Wine Bar or have a Valentine-inspired afternoon tea inthe Parlour, as well assampling the chocolates,flowers and Champagne giftson sale in-store. For the ultimatetreat, enjoy the special Valentine’s four-course Romance on a Plate dinner at the FountainRestaurant.

Affair to rememberThe luxurious Covent Garden Hotel(www.firmdalehotels.com) in theheart of London’s Seven Dials areahas a special Affair to Rememberpackage. Costing from £454, itincludes a bottle of Champagne andstrawberries on arrival plus a giftfrom Seven Dials’ perfumery, Miller

Harris. End your evening with a romantic dinner inthe hotel’s Brasserie Max.

Cook it yourselfThe Love 2 Dine Valentine’s experience (from £699 percouple) at the InterContinental Park Lane(www.ichotelsgroup.com) includes a private cookeryworkshop with chef Theo Randall, where guests willprepare and cook their own special Valentine’s menu,then enjoy their endeavours in the award-winningTheo Randall at The InterContinental restaurant. Acouples massage and overnight stay is also included.

The iconic Harry Potter films havecaptivated the world for almost 10years and, from March 31, the

doors at the studio where it first beganwill be open for the first time to revealhow the eight films were made.

From detailed sets to the amazingcostumes, props and animatronics,Warner Bros. Studio Tour London willtake visitors behind the scenes to see theactual Great Hall at Hogwarts, exploreDumbledore’s office and step onto the

cobbles of Diagon Alley as well as seeprops such as Harry’s Nimbus 2000broomstick.

The self-guided walking tour will takeabout three hours.

The studios are located north ofWatford, close to the M1 and M25 motor-ways.

Tickets must be purchased in advance;for more information on availability andticket prices, go towww.wbstudiotour.co.uk.

From Shrove Tuesday, February 21,200 fibreglass eggs – uniquely dec-orated by leading jewellers, design-

ers and artists, such as Zandra Rhodes,Nicky Haslam and Fabergé – will beplaced throughout the city for theFabergé Big Egg Hunt. The hunt willcontinue until Easter Sunday, April 8.

A map or downloadable app withclues will be available for a small fee

and the eggs will be available afterwardsfor sale at three special auctions.

Funds raised will go to charitiesAction for Children, which supportsvulnerable and neglected children andyoung people, and Elephant Family, theworld’s leading Asian elephant conser-vation charity.

For more information, go towww.thebigegghunt.co.uk.

It’s a kind of magic

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out & about what’s on and where

February 7, 2012 marks the bicentenary of the birthof Charles Dickens, whose works have transcend-ed the years and are still being enjoyed today; a

TV adaption of Great Expectations was recently shownon the BBC.

To celebrate the occasion, there are a number ofevents taking place, most notably in Kent and in his birthtown of Portsmouth. The Dickens Birthplace Museum,located at the modest house in which he was born, willhave free admission on February 7 with a range of activi-ties and celebrations in the street.

A Tale of One City, a free Dickens’ exhibition runningfrom January 28 to November 4 at the Portsmouth CityMuseum will feature a display of several pagesfrom an original hand-written manuscript of Nico-las Nickleby.

Kent events include a range of celebrations inRochester and Chatham from February 5-11 aswell as the annual Dickens festivals in Rochesterand Broadstairs in June. For more information,go to www.dickens2012.org.

Visitors to the new Bond inMotion exhibition, show-casing 50 of the most icon-

ic James Bond vehicles includingthe Phantom III Rolls Royce fromGoldfinger, at the National MotorMuseum at Beaulieu will be ableto take advantage of a specialJames Bond hotel package at The

Master Builder’s at BucklersHard.

An overnight stay includingdinner from a themed 007 menu,breakfast and two tickets to themuseum costs £199 for two peoplesharing a classic room.

For more details on the hotelpackage, go to www.themasterbuilders.co.uk.

This year also sees the 40thanniversary of Beaulieu; for moreinformation go towww.beaulieu.co.uk.

Chiddingstone Castle, Kent’sunspoilt Tudor castle, willfeature a dazzling display of

daffodils when it opens in earlyspring. The castle has a lake openfor fishing, as well as some uniqueJapanese and Egyptian artefacts andadditional rooms, such the Victoriankitchen, scullery and servants hall,are being opened up for 2012.

Fully open to visitors from Good

Friday, April 6, the castle will be freeto enter on Sunday, March 18 –Mother’s Day – as part of VisitKent’s Big Weekend, for which12,000 free tickets to 85 attractionsin the Garden of England will beavailable. To register go tohttp://bigweekend.mykent.co.uk.

For more information on Chid-dingstone Castle, go towww.chiddingstonecastle.org.uk.

MuddywatersThe annual MaldonMud Race, whichbegan in 1973 when alocal pub regular waschallenged to serve ameal on the riverbankdressed in a tuxedo,is a fun race forcharity in whichparticipants competeto be the first tocomplete a 400-metre dash over thebed of the RiverBlackwater in theEssex coastal town,negotiating 200metres of mud alongthe way. The race can only

take place when thetide is low enough forparticipants to runacross safely, many ofwhom do so in fancydress, raising moneyfor their chosencharity. The event is

watched bythousands ofspectators and takesplace this year onApril 29. For more

information, go towww.maldonmudrace.com.

Dickensof a party

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Dazzling daffodils

Bond Rolls Royce

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out & about what’s on and where

tlm the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

500 for 6 declared

NormanhuntersSeveral English Heritageproperties have exciting eventsfor the whole family during thehalf-term period. Find the miniNorman and Saxon soldiershidden around the grounds ofBattle Abbey in the Norman andSaxon Quest, or hunt for themini knights and squires lost inthe grounds of Dover Castle inthe Medieval Quest. Wrest Parkin Bedfordshire is hosting afamily fun trail to find hiddenclues, solve the puzzle and win adelicious prize. Events are takingplace from February 11-19; formore information go towww.english-heritage.org.uk.

Let off steamThe Kent and East SussexRailway will be hosting somespecial guests on February 11-12and February 18-19 whenThomas the Tank Engine andsome of his friends, including SirTopham Hatt, the Fat Controller,will be at Tenterden Station.Tickets costing from £13.50 peradult and £10.40 per childinclude a one-hour train ride.A special promotion with BodiamCastle from February 14-17allows children to travel with theirparents for just £1 each. Familiescan board the beautifully-restoredvintage steam trains at TenterdenStation and travel the 10.5-mileline to Bodiam Station. BodiamCastle is just a short walk from

the station and the Kids for AQuid tickets will allow discountedentry to the castle, where a freechildren’s activity is also included.Downloadable vouchers arerequired from www.kesr.org.uk,where more information on theevents is also available.

RecordbreakersThe Heritage Motor Centre inWarwickshire is holding a

special Motoring RecordBreakers exhibition, fromFebruary 11 until September 2presenting some of the fastestBritish cars, the slowest andslightly wackier record breakers.Some of the cars on displayinclude the Sunbeam 1000hp,the first car to set a land speedrecord of over 200mph (actually203mph), and the Inspirationsteam car, which holds thesteam car land speed record(139mph) secured in 2009; theprevious record (127mph) wasset in 1906.A Record Breaking fun week,including a themed quiz and trail,will take place from February11-19, plus a special free familycraft day on Thursday, February16. For more information, go towww.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk.

Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire is to celebratethe quincentenary of a remarkable English queen.Katherine Parr was the last of Henry VIII’s six

wives. Born in 1512, she married Henry in 1543 andfollowing his death she married Lord Seymour ofSudeley. She lived and died at the castle, where she isburied in the chapel. Special events during 2012include afternoon teas with Lady Ashcombe, who nowresides at the castle, and family Tudor fun days. Thecastle is open from April 1 to October 28; for moreinformation go to www.sudeleycastle.co.uk.

Mid-term crisisIf you’re stuck for some ideas to keep the kids occupied during February half-term, we havesome ways to avoid the “I’m bored” cries:

Sudeley Castle

The Inspiration steam car

The Sunbeam 1000hp

Little soldiers Full steam ahead

Engl

ish H

erita

ge

KESR

Her

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Mot

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� GREAT DAYS OUT

108TLMwinter 17/1/12 14:11 Page 2

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GREAT DAYS OUT �

Come & join in the funDiscover the history of elementary education housed in two

impressive grade 2 listed school buildings.

Explore the historic classrooms – have a go at writing with anink pen or in a sand tray!

Peek into the home of aVictorian headmaster’s family – whatdid they keep in the parlour?

Lots to see – lots to do – rain or shine!Open to the public in 2012 from 14 February – 27 November

every: Tuesdays 10 – 4, Saturdays 10 – 1, Sundays 2 – 5

Admission charge to museum – free entry to café & gift shop

Queen Street, Hitchin SG4 9TStel: 01462 420144

email [email protected]

- STUNNING VIEWS OF BRIGHTONHOVE AND THE SOUTH COAST

- YOUR OWN GUIDED TOUR FROM £48

FLIGHTS DEPART FROM SHOREHAM AIRPORT– BOOKING ESSENTIAL

108TLMwinter 18/1/12 15:42 Page 3

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coming next + subscriptions

get to know South of FranceFrom vineyards to the Cote d’Azur

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on your doorstepthe New ForestHistoric natural haven

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PLUSlondon life cycling in London10 of the best exotic beacheslet’s try campinghit the road Austrian Alps & South Tyrol

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GO WESTGO WESTLiving the high life

in Western CanadaLiving the high life

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FIESTA TIMETop carnivals and festivals

DESERT ROSEBlossoming Gulf state Oman

CHAPTER AND VERSEGoing by the book in Dublin

ANIMAL MAGICThe lure of farm stays

LOVE IS ALL AROUNDValentine’s cities

FIESTA TIMETop carnivals and festivals

DESERT ROSEBlossoming Gulf state Oman

CHAPTER AND VERSEGoing by the book in Dublin

ANIMAL MAGICThe lure of farm stays

LOVE IS ALL AROUNDValentine’s cities

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CORNWALL

Winter 2011/12 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk111

CLASSIFIED �

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ISLE OF WIGHT

CHANNEL ISLANDS

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Tucked away in Shanklins Old Village, probably the Island’smost attractive corner, is where you will find The Braemar – afamily run licensed hotel ideally located to offer you all thepleasures of the Isle of Wight. Whilst staying with us at TheBraemar, you will enjoy the excitement of a top resort withgolden sandy beaches offering safe bathing; a beautiful chinewhich leads down to the beach, speciality shops, a theatre,fantastic countryside to explore.

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To advertise in tlm – the travel & leisure magazine – please call 0203 176 2570

To advertise in tlm –the travel & leisuremagazine – pleasecall 0203 176 2570

111TLMwinter 18/1/12 13:18 Page 1

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� CLASSIFIED

CHINABALEARIC ISLANDS

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At Menorca Gold, we put a little extra into your holiday, so you get a lotmore out of it. With our personal service and attention to detail, we cantalk to you with confidence to help you find exactly what you want;whether it be a villa for all the family, an apartment by the sea or a ruralretreat for a romantic getaway. Our close partnership with ownersmeans we can provide the best quality with competitive prices.

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To advertise in tlm – the travel & leisuremagazine – please call 0203 176 2570

112TLMwinter 18/1/12 13:23 Page 1

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FLORIDA

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Winter 2011/12 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk 113

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FRANCE

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Choose from our superbselection of privately ownedluxury holiday villas with privatepools, spas and games rooms just minutesfrom Disney and I4.Each one of our homes is managed andmaintained by us to a very high standard.Instantly book any of our homes online, allMajor credit cards accepted.With nearly 20 years experience and a highlevel of customer service consider us foryour property management needs.

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113TLMwinter 18/1/12 13:26 Page 1

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� CLASSIFIED

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To advertise in tlm – thetravel & leisure magazine –please call 0203 176 2570

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equipped (bedding optional).Our package includes unlimitedmileage, full insurance, AA cover.

End-of-seasonmotorhome sales

For brochure contact

UPGRADEYOUR SEAT!The Jetsleeper hooks onto the top of theseat and the strap loops over the armrestor seat belt. Soft n’cosy filling for a GoodFlights Sleep, and then folds down smallto fit in its zip bag.

Soft, cushioned fibrepillow that supportsyour entire body,keeping you upright inthe seat, not slumpedover the aisle.

Adjustable height.Only £20+P&P

www.jetsleeper.com

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