Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2020 i National Geographic Traveller (UK)

For daredevil glamping Launching in spring 2021, new company Wildnis combines adventures with transfers across the Highlands in classic Land Rover Defenders. Expect dinners around the campfire with stories from former soldiers about their time on the British Army’s wildlife protection programme in Africa. From £3,000 for a four-night expedition, including activities. wildnis.co.uk For two-wheel treks From the Irish Sea to the North Sea, ride the 170 miles of Hadrian’s Cycleway through the undulating North Pennines. The Roman wall isn’t the only attraction along the way: stop off and rest at places like Carlisle Castle, Birdoswald Roman Fort and Corbridge Roman Town. Five-day group tour from £545 including bike hire and accommodation. explore.co.uk For coasts and castles Starting in Belfast, the first stops on this tour are Winterfell Castle (for…

1 ALT HOTEL CALGARY EAST VILLAGE With snazzy rooms, restaurants and ample views of the Bow River and surrounding parks, this city-centre hotel blends urban chic with Canada’s great outdoors. As the name suggests, it’s in the East Village, the formerly industrial area where street art and trendy eateries pop up amid river views and playgrounds. The hotel’s opening in 2019 was a sign that Calgary was joining the league of other big-hitting Canadian cities. No more dependence on run-of-the-mill chains — this is a town whose hotels have bite. Today, the East Village is one of the trendiest parts of town, and the Alt Hotel — the second Calgary property for Canadian chain Germain Hotels — delivers all you could want from a hip hotel. Vast, photo-friendly windows? Check.…

PHIL This is a cute little place with a fresh Viennese vibe. It combines a book/record store and a cafe, and sometimes plays host to live music and book readings. Arrive hungry and go for the Phil Good Breakfast — a hearty vegetarian spread. phil.business.site METCHA MATCHA One of my favourite restaurants in the city. It’s a Japanese restaurant with a little courtyard inside. When I go, I always order the teishoku: a set meal including a main dish of the day and lots of pickled vegetables and miso soup. metchamatcha.at PARKS AND GARDENS The Burggarten is very Vienna with a butterfly house and tearoom. Otherwise, there’s the Lainzer Tiergarten, which is a huge animal reserve, and the Vienna Woods — a beautiful forest just outside the city. Jian Liew,…

Did you know? The UK’s forests are in trouble. Although they play a vital role in the ecosystem by removing carbon emissions from the air, providing homes for wildlife and protecting us from flooding and heatwaves, our ancient woodlands have been disappearing. Once covering huge swathes of the country, woodland now accounts for just 13% of the UK’s land area, compared to an EU average of 38%. In an effort to prevent climate chaos, Friends of the Earth — a grassroots environmental community campaigning for both people and planet — has made trees a key part of its latest campaign. Friends of the Earth believes one of the best ways to protect our environment, increase biodiversity and prevent a climate emergency is to restore our nation’s forests and increase their…

The Highlands weren’t so named by chance. Their crowning glory, Ben Nevis, is famously the highest mountain in the UK, but it’s no lonely monolith: the tallest 75 peaks in the British Isles are all found in Scotland (their nearest competitor, Wales’ Snowdon, enters the charts at a lowly number 76). This swathe of the country is a steep-sided, cairn-clustered magnet for anyone with fresh air and adventure in mind — and one particular area of the western Highlands draws more attention than most. In Fort William, on the shores of Loch Linnhe, the mountain biking is fabled, the climbing first-rate and the long-distance trails numberless. The town is also bristling with Scottish history — a trait it shares with the scenic valley of Glencoe, which lies less than half…

TELL US ABOUT GOLDEN GATE PARK AND ITS GREENERY Originally, this end of San Francisco was all sand dune. Manure was trucked in from downtown and all these trees were planted. Today, we have these 150-year-old Monterey cypresses and Monterey pines, growing 100ft tall. They’re up to five times the size they’d be in the wild; sheltered together here, they’ve just rocketed. Eucalyptus and Torrey pines are the other main trees in the park. WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT THE BOTANICAL GARDEN? We sit in the perfect foggy sweet spot here — it’s a weird Goldilocks climate, and we can grow anything that doesn’t need heat or cold. Our collections are divided geographically. We have the fourth-most-significant magnolia collection in the world, and a redwood grove that was planted in 1909 —…

The Nakasendō was dotted with 69 ‘post-towns’ — settlements that provided wayfarers with lodging and supplies. The section through Kiso Valley still connects 10 such stations, including Magome at the southern end. Here and elsewhere, villagers decorate their homes with floral displays, and passing pilgrims paste senjafuda (signs containing their name) onto shrines. The journey between Kyoto and Edo would typically take 12 days — a tricky hike for travelling salesmen with cumbersome baggage or porters wearing woven grass sandals who lugged shoguns and other nobility in sedan chairs. The four-mile stretch between the post-towns of Tsumago and Magome is indicative of the varied, undulating terrain the path negotiates. The entire Kiso Valley section can be walked comfortably in three days. At the post-towns, inns range from traditional-style ryokans to…

“There!” says our guide Susan, pointing into the gloom beneath the overhanging trees at the side of the rolling brown water. As I peer into the darkness, a shape begins to resolve itself, and suddenly I find myself in the presence of the most iconic animal of this continent: a jaguar. I’m sitting in a small, open boat on the Tres Irmãos River, deep in the Pantanal region of Brazil. The sun is beating down: it’s nearly 40C and I can feel the sweat sliding through my hair. This is ‘Jaguarland’: a freshwater wetland covering an area as big as the UK and, Susan tells me, the best place in the world to see these elusive animals in the wild. The journey has been a long one: three flights, followed…

Ten thousand years of history, 220 miles, four counties, one cycle route — all hail the King Alfred’s Way, southern England’s new off-road cycling trail. Named after the Anglo-Saxon ruler of the ancient kingdom of Wessex, the trail kicks off in England’s former capital, Winchester, before winding its way through four counties. Riders can expect a score of the region’s best-known historic sites on the way, including: Stonehenge, Avebury, Salisbury Cathedral and Iron Age hill forts at Old Sarum, before finishing up at Winchester Cathedral, where the ninth-century ruler was originally laid to rest. The region’s natural beauty is highlighted just as much its heritage, too, with the route crossing a mix of terrains and ecosystems, such as Salisbury Plain, ancient Surrey heathland and challenging chalk uplands in the South…

My life journey began in Ano Akria, in Crete. The village is tiny; when I was born the population was probably about 35 and if anything it’s now even less. Our food was fresh, often gathered just before being put on the plate. The Cretan climate gave our fruit and vegetables an intensity of flavour that I’ve never known anywhere else. We had olive oil so pure it could be drunk. We were organic without knowing there was an alternative. My father loved to entertain friends (and strangers), wining and dining until the small hours while making music on his bouzouki. In those days, every farming family in Crete would grow olives and grapes, so we had our own supplies, which my father would draw on liberally when we had…

SOMERSET The curved capsules of Cheriton Treehouse twist around a mature oak in this lavish, leafy hideaway. Step inside and you’ll be greeted by a floating bedroom, a huge copper bath and a heated floor, all bathed in plenty of natural light. You’ll almost feel like you’re floating above the trees as you gaze across scenic Blackmore Vale. If you venture out, explore the spectacular gardens at National Trust property Stourhead, or wander around the nearby towns of Frome and Bruton. HOW TO DO IT: Treehouse for two from £172 per night, with space for two additional children at £30 per child per night. Ages eight and over. canopyandstars.co.uk NORTH YORKSHIRE Rufus’s Roost in Husthwaite, half an hour from York, offers views over the Kilburn White Horse, a giant hill…

The Yorkshire Dales have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Much of this is down to my father, the TV journalist Luke Casey, whose award-winning ITV series, The Dales Diary, documented the lives of numerous locals over the years. Fresh air and long walks were Dad’s answer to almost every ill, so when, at the age of 11, I was struck with chronic insomnia, Dad sprang into action and took me on a series of bracing walks — or ‘sleep inducers’ as I liked to call them. We trounced across sparse, heather-covered moors, trying to avoid the ever-present cattle grids. One day Dad drove us to Wensleydale, so we could walk the Circular Route to Aysgarth Falls. It was a perfect spring morning…

FROM MY CITY Coventry through the eyes of Pauline Black Lead singer of The Selecter reflects on the city’s musical past CORONAVIRUS Are your flight vouchers still valid for travel? We look into vouchers, cancelled flights and the small print CONSERVATION The impact of coronavirus on Australia’s coral reefs Talking to eco trailblazers at Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort INTERVIEW My life in food: Kate Bosworth The American actor shares her culinary passions VISIT NOW Six of London’s best small museums The capital has more than 100 quirky, diminutive institutions FOOD Seven distinctive delicacies from around the world Run the gourmet gauntlet, from fermented fish to illegal cheese SEARCH FOR NATGEOTRAVELUK FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM TWITTER PINTEREST…

FEW CITIES HAVE SETTINGS AS SPECTACULARAS SAN FRANCISCO’S: CANDY-COLOURED HOUSES RACKED UP AND DOWN ABSURDLY STEEP HILLS, GOLDEN GATE PARK UNFURLING INTO THE PACIFIC, AND THE TAWNY GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE MELTING INTO THE EMERALD MARIN HEADLANDS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BAY. Just beyond the city limits are ocean-pounded beaches, ancient redwood groves and rugged mountains. Viewed from the water, it’s hard to believe that within that ethereal landscape is a concrete jungle. Perhaps it’s that same diverse landscape that makes San Francisco a city of villages — because this is a place where each area has its own personality, and residents are passionate about retaining the vibe they chose it for. Maybe it’s the rippling hills, with streets neatly cut around them, that have made islands of each…

In the 1940s and 1950s, the Fillmore District was known as the ‘Harlem of the West’ for its jazz clubs. Historically, you see, this is a Black neighbourhood: in 1939, there was a huge influx of African Americans from the South, who came to work in the shipyards and, since the city was segregated, one of the only places we could stay was Fillmore. A lot of Black entrepreneurs opened clubs — places like the Alabama, Club Morocco and the Both/And, where Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey all played. After hours, the spot was Bop City — all the entertainers would come here, including Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong, plus the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. The street stayed open all night, and…

Linda Mihara is a born teacher. “That’s great!” she keeps saying about my poorly folded bits of paper — the flowers that refuse to look like flowers, the birds that look nothing like birds. “The first fold is always the hardest!” Not that she’s a teacher by trade; Linda is a world-class origami artist whose work has been exhibited around the world. She’s collaborated with both Hermès and Pixar, but she’s also a stalwart of San Francisco’s Japantown: her family own Paper Tree, an origami and stationery shop opened by her grandparents. The Miharas were the first to import origami paper into the US; they also published America’s first book on the craft. And in the shop, Linda continues her grandparents’ legacy by hosting classes. “I’ve been doing this since…

1 NORTH FACE 100 GLACIER FLEECE JACKET It’s a North Face classic — a snug shrouding of microfleece, full-zip fastening and elasticated cuffs provide a light, breathable layer of warmth without being cumbersome. Comfortable to wear beneath a waterproof or windbreaker. RRP: £65. thenorthface.co.uk 2 ICEBREAKER MERINO 200 LONG SLEEVE THERMAL TOP You can take this light and thin jersey top anywhere; it’s the ideal base layer. The wool helps to regulate body temperature, while limiting friction and body odour. With gusseted underarms for improved mobility. RRP: £80. icebreaker.com 3 OSPREY SKARAB DAYPACK Stow away the essentials in this large-capacity daypack. The lightweight and versatile design makes it ideal for any time of year — features include a ventilated back panel and foam support, integrated rain cover, external hydration access…

GET IN TOUCH inbox@natgeotraveller.co.uk Have a query about subscriptions? Get in touch at natgeotraveller@subscriptionhelpline.co.uk or call 01293 312166 WIN A G-Shock Mudmaster watch worth £325! The GG-B100-1AER is the latest addition to G-Shock’s Mudmaster range, designed for use in the harshest outdoor conditions. The timepiece has a Carbon Core Guard case, finished with stylish herringbone design and a chrome bezel. It’s smart, too, with a pedometer, compass, and both atmospheric pressure and temperature gauges to assist on the most challenging adventures. g-shock.co.uk ⋆ STAR LETTER A brave new world As one of many who, I suspect, feels increasingly helpless at the state of our world and the destructive behaviour of too many within it, I want to thank Jessica Nabongo for talking about what it means to be fearless (Meet…

An hour west of Bordeaux, the peninsula of Cap Ferret and the nearby Arcachon Bay are renowned for their tradition of oyster farming, with about 315 oyster farms in the area. Lining the picturesque bay are around 80 cabanes (wooden cabins), many of which are restaurants and oyster bars run by the mariculturists themselves. Louis works for his mother Sylvie’s oyster farming business and the two run the Cabane 57 restaurant out of their cabane, directly by the sea. Naturally there’s only one thing on the menu — fresh local oysters — which are accompanied by bread, butter and drinks. Coming to restaurants like this and tucking into the tasty bivalves is a popular pastime for visitors and locals alike, who flock to this popular corner of southwest France. claratuma.com…

It’s infamously tricky to get into Berghain — or, at least, it used to be. Like many venues across the world, Berlin’s leading techno club — a preserve of the patient and persevering — was forced to close in March due to coronavirus restrictions, but the venue has since reopened as an arts space. A former power station, the almost 40,000sq ft club is currently hosting Studio Berlin, an exhibition of 115 Berlin-based artists, including Tacita Dean, Olafur Eliasson and Wolfgang Tillmans — but given how exclusive Berghain was in the past, its hallowed halls are likely to be as much of a headline spectacle as the works adorning them. It’s currently emblazoned with a banner created by artist Rirkrit Tiravanija that reads, ‘Morgen ist die frage’ (‘Tomorrow is the…

From the outside looking in, Vienna seems wrapped up in a bygone age. After all, this is a city famous for its three-month ballroom dancing season, and one where suited men and coiffed women regularly fill the city’s three internationally renowned opera houses. Beyond the Austrian capital’s ritzy reputation, though, is a city celebrating the rising stars of the contemporary live arts scene as much as the classical heavyweights. This is a city that’s as in love with its present as it is the past. Jazz is a big deal in Vienna, a passion sparked by homegrown artists like Hans Koller and Fatty George, who rose to fame in post-war Europe and the US. At PORGY & BESS, a low-lit, crimson velvet-clad club, a stellar lineup of Austrian and international…

In the past two years, a community of more than a million people has amassed around a social media account that celebrates a love of travel, photography, design and, ultimately, the celluloid universe conjured by director, Wes Anderson. The Instagram account, @accidentallywesanderson — set up in 2018 by self-confessed ‘Anderson fanboy’ Wally Koval — captivates its followers with shots of real-life places that seem plucked from the photogenic world of Anderson’s films. And now the director himself has written the foreword to Koval’s new book, Accidentally Wes Anderson. This visual journey through 200 of the account’s best shots is accompanied by the stories behind each Technicolor-tinged location — from Prague’s pink Hotel Opera, a double for Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel, to Roberts Cottages in California, a pastel-perfect parade of houses…

What made you give up your career as a fitness instructor to become an adventurer? I used to run professional track and field and I competed for Turks and Caicos. I travelled around a lot for events, but one competition in San Salvador really blew me away. It was the first time I’d seen people walking around with machine guns. It was kind of scary, but I was intrigued. So, at the end of the event, I stayed out there. I met a cab driver who showed me the country, introducing me to his family, and they really embraced me. The experience made me think, ‘Wow, there’s so much to the world’. Tell us about the most poignant moment of your African odyssey. In Mozambique, they put me on TV,…

On Haight Street, where tens of thousands of hippies famously gathered during the Summer of Love, one building stands out amid the colourful clapboard houses: the grandiose vaulted-windowed structure at number 1653. Today, the former bank is Decades of Fashion, a vast emporium of vintage clothes from the 1880s onwards. Larger-than-life owner Cicely Hansen may have worked with Dolce & Gabbana, Dior and Lanvin, but she’s usually to be found behind the till, surrounded by thousands of items of clothing. Although she lives outside the city these days, she’ll never truly leave the Haight — because, as she puts it, the Haight changed her life. “I came to do a job,” she says of her first visit to the area in 1966. As a teen model from Los Altos, an…

On the corner of 19th and Castro, my guide, Nick Large, points upwards. In the window above us is a display of Barbie and Ken dolls. Only these aren’t your average specimens. One holds a sign saying ‘Keep the Castro Queer’; ‘Dyke Pride’, says another. There are also dolls in fetish gear, ‘Impeach Trump now’ dolls, and dolls with the kind of enormous physical attributes that definitely wouldn’t come out of a Mattel box. When Life magazine named San Francisco the ‘gay capital of the world’ in 1964, it was talking about the Castro. This is where Harvey Milk, California’s first openly gay elected official, waged his election campaigns in the ’70s. For decades, it’s been the LGBTQ+ hub of America’s most gay-friendly city. Nick, I learn as we explore…

BEST ALL-ROUNDER Mums This family-owned, retro restaurant inside Japantown’s Kimpton Buchanan Hotel is famed for its all-you-can-eat shabushabu: translucent-thin ribeye, vegetables (including four types of mushroom) and tofu cooked in a seaweed broth. The Tam family — the first to bring shabushabu to San Francisco — prefer traditional flavours, but they have sauces, spices and various meats if you want to get adventurous. $32 (£27). mumssf.com BEST FOR VARIETY Nabe A nabemono, or nabe, is the collective term for Japanese hot pot dishes. At both Nabe outlets in San Francisco, ‘sets’ start with shabu-shabu and include other one-pot dishes like kurobuta pork belly in kimchi broth, and kamonamban (duck breast, leeks and soba in dashi broth). From $22 (£18). nabesf.com BEST FOR ATMOSPHERE Mokuku Book a table in the Tatami…

The Queen doesn’t need a passport or any ID to travel, as UK passports are all issued in her name. The rest of the Royal Family must have one Japan has the world’s most powerful passport, with its citizens able to visit a total of 191 countries visa-free. Singapore is in second place with 190, and the UK ranks joint seventh The number of countries British passport-holders can currently enter without a prior visa FLYING COLOURS There are four passport colours around the world — black, blue, green and red/burgundy. Blue is the most popular colour, while black passports are favoured by just seven nations 76% OF PEOPLE IN ENGLAND AND WALES HOLD A BRITISH PASSPORT, ACCORDING TO THE 2011 CENSUS. 17% HOLD NO PASSPORT AT ALL When placed under UV light,…

With my finger still hovering over the trigger of my weapon, I wipe the sweat from my brow as the morning humidity presses down upon me. Across the road, I catch sight of a market seller scrambling to take cover. He meets my gaze and I shoot him a tight, furtive nod. In return, he holds up three fingers. Three hostiles? I scan the perimeter. Nothing. I gesture for more information. Now he holds up two fingers. Again, I steal a glance down the road but I see no sign of any threat he could be alluding to. And then, slowly, he shows me the reverse of his hand, leaving just one finger extended. The middle finger. By the time I’ve turned to face my three grinning assailants, it’s already…

@NATGEOTRAVELUK Follow us on Instagram for inspiring travel photography every day @azimronnie Ghior boat market, Bangladesh @nina.waffenschmidt Cheetahs, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania @wanderersrepublic Deadvlei, Namibia @wafflesandlamingtons Durdle Door, Dorset @davidmcclanephotography Jodhpur, India @marcoanfossiphoto Kingfisher, Piedmont, Italy @framethewild Grey seal, Horsey Gap, Norfolk @sonia_mod Cascais, Portugal @dan_scape Road near Sauðárkrókur, Iceland…