There are something like 1,000 islands along the Croatian coast. Lopud is one, part of the Elaphiti chain that lies just a few miles from the city of Dubrovnik. Its main attraction in rocky Croatia is its sandy beaches. During our stay in the beachside suburb of Lapad in 2015 we couldn’t avoid the touts trying to…
Croatia: By the Adriatic at Lapad
Croatia has a memorable coastline. It’s jagged, scarred and never dull. Hundreds of islands of all shapes and sizes, covered in greenery, lie in the sapphire blue of the Adriatic sea, some inhabited, some deserted. From thousands of feet up in our Monarch aircraft in the late summer of 2015, I watched the islands float by….
Croatia: Joining the crowds in the city of Dubrovnik
The fans of cliche tell us that travel broadens the mind. But it’s also a curse. There are times when we, as tourists, threaten to overwhelm and destroy the very destinations we’ve travelled so far to see. Dubrovnik’s old town is but one example. Croatia’s most popular destination, it’s a city under seige from swarms…
Bakewell, tarts and a walk in Dovedale
Bakewell is famous for its sweet and tasty tarts as well as being the gateway to the Peak District National Park. Fresh from our day in the rain at Chatsworth, we booked into our hotel in the village, enjoyed a night of great French food at Piedaniel’s and drank far too many bottles of Prosecco. Fortunately…
Chatsworth: A day out at a Derbyshire country house
It must be tough being a duke. There’s the grand country house to call home, no end of properties to rent out to the peasantry, stunning artworks to hang from the walls, acres of land to farm and gardens to landscape. Chatsworth, the spectacular Derbyshire estate of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, has all…
A day out in Concarneau, Brittany
Sardines are the food of the gods. And Brittany is one of the best places to eat them. In the fishing port and seaside town of Concarneau, I lunched on a plate of them accompanied by a glass of fine Breton cider. Lunch really couldn’t get better than that. It was spring and we were sitting…
Japan: From Kyoto to London
The long journey home is invariably the worst part of any holiday. But this particular one promised to be more arduous than most, in part because we really didn’t want to leave Japan. With a planned morning departure from Narita Airport – situated well to the east of Tokyo – there was no way we’d…
Japan: A day of temples in Kyoto
Kyoto is a city bursting with history, glorious temples and gardens of exquisite beauty. The challenge for visitors is to narrow down this embarrassment of riches, to select the handful of attractions to visit during a short visit. We’d already visited some of Arashiyama’s great draws but with just one day left in the city it was…
Japan: Geishas, a market and a birthday in Kyoto
What a way to spend a birthday. I woke in our Kyoto hotel with dreadful back pain, aching legs and dodgy guts. Poor Graham – his big day and I was going to be no fun at all. I somehow managed to get to breakfast, ate lightly and swallowed ibuprofen. Outside it looked gloomy and rain…
Japan: A visit to James Bond’s castle at Himeji
As a long-time James Bond fan, I couldn’t go all the way to Japan without paying homage to a castle that 007 himself visited back in the 1960s. The film was You Only Live Twice, Bond was Sean Connery and Himeji Castle was a ninja training school he visited with the boss of the Japanese…
Japan: A beautiful garden in Kyoto’s Arashiyama district
It’s not easy to escape the overwhelming crowds in Kyoto. As the historic heart of Japan, it’s top of the list for tourists and residents but would the attractions on the edge of the city, in Arashiyama, be less busy? Not really as it turned out because, let’s face it, it’s a district that boasts…
Japan: Crowds in Kyoto
Our stay in Takayama was over and it was time to head to Kyoto, the historic heart of Japan and the climax of our fortnight-long trip. Takayama had made for an interesting diversion, offered a taste of a smaller Japanese city, but three days was enough. Indeed, people we’d met there were surprised we’d stopped for so…
Japan: A traditional folk village
It was our last day in the Gifu city of Takayama, and we decided to go traditional. Or rather to spend a few hours in a tourist attraction that recreates the past. The Hida Folk Village is some way out of town, hidden by trees and a bit of a trek away from our hotel through the…
Japan: The mountains, an onsen and a dramatic waterfall
Japan is famously a nation of contrasts, as a visit to one of the country’s traditional, steamy onsens illustrates. These are the famous public baths fed by sulphurous hot springs where getting naked is mandatory, something the locals go for with the type of enthusiasm I’d normally associate with outgoing, uninhibited Scandinavians. It’s not the…
Japan: A tour of historic Takayama
At first sight Takayama looks much like any other Japanese town or city, with lots of post-war development that lacks any real charm or character. Perhaps understandably, the priority after the devastation of the Second World War was putting roofs over heads rather than architectural quality. Perhaps too, the Japanese prefer practicality and resilience rather than…