Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2021 i National Geographic Traveller (UK)

UK The UK’s best vintage vans and trailer hotels In the market for a quirky staycation? Look no further FOOD The best croissant in Paris The journey to awarding one bakery — Pâtisserie Colbert — a prestigious French culinary prize INTERVIEW In conversation with Tristan Gooley The ‘Natural Navigator’ reveals how to read the weather ACTIVE Five of the best cycling day trips from London Gear up for two-wheeled adventures beyond the city limits BOOKS Putting fiction on the map From New York to Colombia, the travel destinations that inspired this summer’s hottest novels FAMILY Ultimate ‘glampsites’ in England and Wales Rustic-chic roundhouses and glamorous safari tents await SEARCH FOR NATGEOTRAVELUK FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM TWITTER…

When we meet in the Ásmundarsalur art gallery and coffee shop in central Reykjavík, Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir has only recently returned from a cabin retreat in the Icelandic wilderness, where she spent time writing songs, playing music and walking her dog. While this has helped give a sense of creative and personal renewal, the pandemic has meant the band hasn’t played a gig for well over a year. “I really miss it now,” explains Nanna, touching a spot in the centre of her chest. “I really feel it. I think the next time we play, I’m going to cry and be emotional.” This year marks the 10th anniversary of the release of her band’s hugely successful debut album, My Head Is an Animal. Its lyrics teem with nods to Iceland’s…

Book a boat tour It would be inconceivable to describe humpback whales as boring, but as anyone who has regularly watched them — possibly right here in Húsavík — will tell you, their behaviour is predictable. The town is set on northern Iceland’s Skjálfandi Bay, whose relatively shallow waters mean the creatures tend not to stay submerged for more than 10 minutes at a time, sometimes breaching as they frolic or communicate with other whales. Between May and September each year, it takes considerable misfortune to not catch sight of these behemoths while out in the bay. This abundance would be extraordinary on its own, but humpbacks are just one of a score of cetacean species to frequent these waters. Lucky visitors might also spot dolphins, orcas, sperm whales and…

Getting there & around Kenya Airways flies to Entebbe International Airport via Nairobi and Emirates via Dubai, both daily. kenya-airways.com emirates.com Other operators include Egypt Air via Cairo, Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa, Qatar Airways via Doha, Turkish Airlines via Istanbul and KLM via Amsterdam. egyptair.com. ethiopianairlines.com qatarairways.com turkishairlines.com klm.co.uk Average flight time: 11h. Few internal flights operate in Uganda, so travel is mainly by road. Link runs buses between major towns. link.co.ug When to go Uganda’s dry seasons run from December to February and June to September with average temperatures of 26C. January can be extremely hot, reaching 40C in the north. More info Uganda Conservation Foundation. ugandacf.org Uganda Carnivore Program. uganda-carnivores.org Conservation Through Public Health. ctph.org Nkuringo Walking Safaris. nkuringowalkingsafaris.com Uganda Tourism. visituganda.com Where to stay Budongo Eco…

Getting there & around Chepstow railway station has direct services from South Wales and the Midlands, connecting to London, the West Country and onwards. Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth are both close to the A40. In the valley itself, bus 34 runs between Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth (also stopping near Symonds Yat), while bus 69 runs between Monmouth, Tintern and Chepstow. When to go With warmer temperatures, spring through to early autumn is the best time to enjoy the area’s natural attractions. Places mentioned Ed Drewitt Dawn Chorus Walks. eddrewitt.co.uk Chepstow Museum. monlife.co.uk/heritage/chepstow-museum Wye Adventures. wyeadventures.com Offa’s Dyke Path National Trail. nationaltrail.co.uk/offas-dyke-path Tintern Abbey. cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/tintern-abbey Where to stay The King’s Head, Ross-on-Wye. Doubles from £85, B&B. kingshead.co.uk Tintern Abbey Cottage, Tintern. Three-night stays from £440. monmouthshirecottages.co.uk Where to eat The Whitebrook, near Tintern.…

Over the years, plenty of plaintiffs have toasted victories on the steps of the Louisiana Supreme Court, but few like this. “Congratulations, you made it!” says Elizabeth Pearce, our tour guide, as we stand in a slightly sloshed semicircle near the entrance. “If you look across the street, you’ll see the exact spot where apothecary Antoine Peychaud first mixed his famous bitters, and the sazerac cocktail began. Now grab the green container in your bag, and let’s all drink a sazerac in his honour.” This is our third delicious, cooling cocktail on a sweltering summer afternoon in New Orleans, as we wind towards the denouement of The Cocktail Tour, which zigzags through the city’s hectic French Quarter. Over the past couple of hours, we’ve explored the historic, labyrinthine lanes at…

GINOSA PUGLIA Perched on a rocky ledge above the instep of Italy’s boot, the historic hill town of Ginosa is a pebble-throw away from the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Matera city and Ginosa Marina on the Ionian Sea. The deep ravine that envelopes the town is honeycombed with ancient cave dwellings and rock churches, while the Greek influence can be seen in the maze of narrow alleyways and whitewashed buildings. Topped offby a clock-tower, Piazza Orologio is Ginosa’s beating heart — but delve into the town’s back alleys to discover a laboratory of award-winning tailors, which are reviving the town’s craftsmanship and providing jobs for the whole community. MONTEDINOVE LE MARCHE Nestled between the Sibillini Mountains and minutes from the Adriatic Sea, Montedinove is encircled by sixth-century walls and…

1 NORTH: GALAKHUDAT TO KHINALIG DISTANCE/DURATION: 5 miles/3 hours Revel in the bewitching scenery and cooler temperatures of northern Azerbaijan on this trek from Galakhudat to Khinalig, one of the country’s highest inhabited villages. Covering five miles of marked paths cast in the shadow of Bazarduzu, Azerbaijan’s tallest peak, this route can be completed in three hours and is suitable for any skill level. Set out from the village of Galakhudat, served by taxis from the centre of Guba. From there, it’s a steady climb to the pass before you reach the wide, flat road that forms the main part of the trail. You’ll be treated to a glut of Azerbaijan’s most magnificent topography along the way, from Gizilgaya’s milky cliffs to terraced farmlands and the seemingly never-ending Gudyalchay valley,…

7 FEBRUARY 1952 The Queen lands at Heathrow following the death of George VI — her first steps on UK soil as monarch 22 FEBRUARY 1964 The Beatles return to the UK from the US as global superstars and are greeted by more than 10,000 fans 1 APRIL 1986 Terminal 4 is opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales and becomes the home of British Airways 7 FEBRUARY 1996 Concorde’s fastest-ever New York-London flights takes two hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds 2003 Love Actually’s scenes of travellers being met by loved ones at Heathrow are filmed on hidden cameras 13 JULY 2016 British ESA astronaut Tim Peake arrives at Heathrow from Houston, following his trip to the ISS…

FREE TICKETS! Subscribe for just £30 and you’ll not only receive 14 magazines, but also free entry to the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in London with over 500 years of fascinating history. But be quick — there are just 50 free tickets available. SUBSCRIBE TODAY FOR J UST £ 30 AND YOU’LL R ECEIVE: • 10 ISSUES OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER • FOUR ISSUES OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER FOOD • FREE ENTRY FOR ONE PERSON TO THE ICONIC PAINTED H ALL* VISIT NATGEOTRAVELLER.IMBMSUBSCRIPTIONS.COM/ORNC OR CALL 0 1293 3 12166 QUOTING ‘ORNC’ T&Cs: Closing date for orders is 30 September 2021. The price shown is a UK Direct Debit offer. Your subscription will begin with the next available issue. All…

@glebertravel Angel of the North, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear @sheawinterphoto Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, South Korea @_stevenmurphy_ Buchan Ness Lighthouse, Scotland @stef_mason Binalong Bay, Tasmania, Australia @michaelcharlessheridan Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, Mongolia @the_prabster Sapa, Lào Cai, Vietnam @nori.jemil.travel Lioness, Serengeti, Tanzania @karthz Sunset over San Francisco, California @erindesantiago Icelandic horses, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland @NATGEOTRAVELUK Follow us on Instagram for inspiring travel photography every day…

This is the year 2021 writing to you. YOU DON’T KNOW IT YET, BUT THE WHOLE WORLD IS ABOUT TO CHANGE. I won’t sugar-coat it, because the months ahead are going to be tough. They might be the toughest you’ve ever faced. Soon enough, the entire world will grind to a halt. Trips will be cancelled and reunions put on hold. There will be times when you don’t see your family for months. Many will feel the unbearable pain of loss. The world won’t stop spinning, though it’ll be desperately out of reach. But over the long months to come, you will keep it together and you’ll keep going strong. Your world will shrink. But then – with great, green shoots - it’ll begin to open again. I can’t tell…

The word ‘Creole’ makes lots of people think of New Orleans. But Creole represents the convergence of many different peoples and cultures; it’s a word associated with those who were born in a former colony, as opposed to those who migrated there as adults. The islands where I grew up — Guadeloupe and Martinique — have seen many cultural influences over the centuries. The Amerindians cleared land on which to grow cassava and maize, and lived near rivers and on the coast, so fish and seafood were staples. Native plants included chillies, pineapple, pomme cannelle (sugar-apple), guavas and coconuts. Cassava, sweet potato, pumpkin and various peas and beans also grew wild. The Spanish introduced onions, garlic, oranges and more. Other Europeans came later, bringing culinary trademarks such as the use…

The legend of Robin Hood looms large over Nottingham, a city that has re-embraced its storied past in recent years. The 450-acre Sherwood Forest, which opened a new visitor centre in 2018, hosts the annual Robin Hood Festival, returning this year with a slimmed-down programme. The big news for 2021, however, is the reopening of Nottingham Castle a­ er a £30m restoration. A new playground, cafe and galleries have brought the site up to date, offering an immersive way to explore the legend of the infamous outlaw. visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk The castle The brawls between Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham are well known, but the city’s forbidding fortress has seen its own fair share of clashes, from royal rebellions to devastating fires. It was burnt to the ground by rioters…

NAE BAY BLACK PIÑATEX VEGAN SANDALS This durable, leather-effect pair of vegan sliders is made in part from pineapple leaf fibre, providing a much-needed income boost for Portuguese farmers. £78. nae-vegan.com PLAN TOYS SAND PLAY SET Little ones will love this wooden bucket and spade set, ethically and sustainably made in Thailand from the recycled sawdust of rubber trees. £29.95. naturalbabyshower.co.uk HASTSHILP MARLOW WOVEN BAG (LARGE) Sturdy and spacious, each bag is a unique piece woven by hand from natural water reed (kauna) grass by artisans in northern India earning a fair and stable income. £50. hastshilp.co.uk…

Until the 1990s, you were the CEO of outdoor clothing brand Patagonia. What led you to move to Chile and devote your life to conservation? My husband Doug [the late Douglas Tompkins, who cofounded the North Face and Esprit clothing companies before becoming a full-time conservationist] and I’d begun to see what was happening to the natural world. It was his idea to find opportunities where we could buy large tracts of land, aggregate them and turn them back over to the country in the form of national parks. It was obvious to us that it’s not enough just to conserve the land — it’s important to get people onto the land, to begin to love these places, so they can look after them long after we’re gone. What were…

Offering the chance to get outdoors, live off-grid and take less-frequented back roads, travel by campervan allows the journey to be as important as the destination. But with high costs and long waiting lists for new campervans and bespoke conversions, more people are choosing to convert regular vans into mobile holiday homes themselves. The National Caravan Council reports threefold increase in sales since 2000, while demand for commercial vehicles is up 57% year on year, according to Auto Trader, whose 2020 survey found that more than half of all new van buyers wanted a van for personal use, travelling and converting into campervans. An Instagram search using #VanLife reveals around 10 million posts, most of which give a sense that campervan trips today equate to something akin to mobile glamping…

It’s just turned midday and, with the sun winning its battle against a lingering sea mist, day-trippers start to stream from Margate station, past the Dreamland amusement park and towards the beach. I sidestep the crowds and bag a table at Dory’s — a sophisticated spot with sea views and a just-updated chalkboard of seafood dishes. While weighing up the wine list, I watch as staff hurry past delivering plates of Whitstable oysters to neighbouring tables. It’s not the obvious image of a county known as ‘the Garden of England’. For anyone who’s passed Kent’s orchards, vineyards and farmland to reach Margate, the county’s rural reputation is obvious, but the Isle of Thanet has an identity all its own. Once separated from the mainland by a now silted-up channel, this…

Always the bridesmaid, but never the bride — travellers in search of a city break have often overlooked Brisbane in favour of Melbourne or Sydney, while those making the visit have often stayed only as long as it took to escape to the beaches of the Sunshine Coast. But that’s history. With its sights set on hosting the 2032 Olympics, Brisbane is all about the future, with a wave of new hotels, restaurants, bars and cultural venues transforming Australia’s third-largest city into a destination that rivals its southern siblings. There’s the Galley of Modern Art, the eye-popping street art on Fish Lane and the nightlife of Howard Smith Wharves, plus Fortitude Valley’s heady mix of rock, queer, glam and pub culture. As for the hotels, the choice has never been…

Mývatn Nature Baths Lying 50 miles east of Akureyri, in the north of the country, the Mývatn area is best known for its eponymous lake, created by a volcanic eruption more than 2,000 years ago. The swimming facilities here make the most of the natural setting: expect slick Scandinavian design, open pools and a gigantic sky — when you can see it through the steam. myvatnnaturebaths.is Sky Lagoon The new Sky Lagoon bathing spot may have plenty of competition around Reykjavík, but few places offer a more polished experience. Completed in the spring of 2021, it offers a seven-stage cleansing treatment, as well as incredible views from its elevated position at the end of a peninsula. Order a chilled blonde beer at the swim-up bar tucked into a cave. skylagoon.com…

GETTING THERE Iceland Air flies to Reykjavík from Glasgow, Manchester, Gatwick and Heathrow, while EasyJet has flights from Edinburgh, Manchester, Gatwick and Luton, and Play flies from Standsted. icelandair.com easyjet.com flyplay.com GETTING AROUND While an extensive bus network covers large parts of the country, the best way to see Iceland is on a self-drive tour. Reykjavík’s Keflavik Airport is home to a large fleet of rental cars. straeto.is WHEN TO GO Iceland lies just outside of the Arctic Circle, but still enjoys midnight sun and long summer days averaging 12C. Winter months average a chilly 1C, and sports snowmobiling and skiing are popular. From late August until mid-April, it’s possible to see the Aurora Borealis. HOW TO DO IT DISCOVER THE WORLD offers a three-night, self-drive, tailor-made Reykjanes Peninsula and…

KEFALONIA The largest of the Ionian islands, Kefalonia is home to beautiful Myrtos and Petani Beaches. Guiding crews across azure seas towards the island is 5,341ft Mount Ainos, the Ionian Peninsula’s tallest peak — protected within a national park studded with rare black pines. The Port of Sami became globally famous when it appeared in the 2001 film Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, but it can’t compete with the Venetian architecture and cosmopolitan vibe of Fiskardo, the pick of harbours on the island’s east coast. On Kefalonia’s western side, pray that the prevailing winds grant you access to the crescent-shaped cove that shelters the village of Assos, arguably the island’s most photogenic location. Also on this side of the island is the lively capital, Argostoli — some of its historic buildings were…

WHEN DID NEW ORLEANS’ COCKTAIL RESURGENCE BEGIN? I’d say around 2005 or 2006, after Hurricane Katrina, when the Tales of the Cocktail festival really took off. The best bartenders from all over the country would travel here for that — and then they started staying. When I first came to New Orleans, I was floored by the amazing amount of options in terms of drinks here. HOW ENTWINED ARE COCKTAILS WITH LOCAL CULTURE? Very. We’ve had more drinks invented here than in any other city in the country. This place has an old soul, and many of these cocktails have old souls too. It all ties together beautifully with the architecture, the jazz and the unique sense of romance and nostalgia here. Everything sits together perfectly: the backdrop, the soundtrack…

Getting there & around You can reach Dresden by train from London St Pancras, changing in Brussels and Frankfurt. There are no nonstop flights from the UK; instead, fly to Berlin and travel onwards by train (a two-hour journey). Berlin is typically served from various UK airports by British Airways, Lufthansa, Ryanair and EasyJet. ba.com lufthansa.com ryanair.com easyjet.com Average flight time: 2h. The easiest way to get around the city is by bike or tram. Many hotels offer bicycles, or you can rent one from Roll on Dresden. The Dresden City Card covers tram and bus travel, as well as offering discounted entry into some museums. rollondresden.de dresden.de When to go The ideal time to visit Dresden is in winter, when bars sell steaming glasses of mulled wine, the smell…

For the first-time visitor, Azerbaijan abounds in surprising discoveries — and few are as unexpected as the booming wine industry, with its selection of grapes, fascinating history and undulating seas of emerald-green vineyards backed by white-topped peaks. Wine has been produced in this part of the world for millennia. The earliest evidence of grape winemaking comes in the form of pottery jars containing residual wine compounds, dating back to around 6000 BC. They were discovered in the villages of Gadachrili Gora and Shulaveris Gora, then part of the Shulaveri-Shomu culture, which occupied territory in the South Caucasus. Fragments of the oldest-known wine press and fermentation vats, dating back to 4000 BC, were detected in the valley of the Arpa River, which waters Azerbaijan’s Sharur region. In 1860, German colonists in…

Q // I’d like to visit a European winery to coincide with the harvest this autumn. Are there any tours you’d recommend? Cross the Channel and you’ll encounter some of the world’s best-known vineyards, but it pays to go beyond the classic French wine regions of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne. Corsica, for instance, has been making wine for millennia, and the vineyards are spectacular. Wine Paths can organise tours to meet the winemakers and taste their output; the most spectacular tour, by far, includes a flight over vineyards set on high slopes (the island has more than 20 peaks over 6,500ft). winepaths.com Another lesser-known option is Switzerland, which is the best place to try Swiss wine, not least because the Swiss drink most of it — very little gets exported.…

How has the pandemic affected air fares? The balance of supply and demand, on which air fares are modelled, has disintegrated. Demand from passengers swings wildly, depending on government action. When Portugal became the only major, accessible nation on England’s quarantine-free green list, a surge in demand for flights saw fares quadruple. Just 17 days later, moving the country to amber triggered an even steeper rise in fares for return trips in the 100 hours before self-isolation became obligatory upon arrival. Supply, too, is turbulent. Some passengers sign up early to attractively priced flights, but a few weeks before departure, a tranche are likely to be axed. Conversely, if a location suddenly opens up to travellers, airlines will add capacity overnight, flooding the market with empty seats. When should I…

jordanbanksphoto.com @jordanbanksphoto…

Sassy Planet Featuring interviews with local characters, descriptions of little-known hideaways and nuggets of regional culture, this queer guide to 40 cities aims to uncover the less obvious LGBTQ+-friendly destinations. The writers, including The New York Times’ David Dodge and video artist Nick Schiarizzi, draw on the expertise of local DJs, artists, activists, drag performers, DIY historians and long-time residents, such as RuPaul’s Drag Race star Alaska, who shares her Pittsburgh recommendations. (Prestel, £18.99) Take the Slow Road: France Author Martin Dorey hits the road once more, this time in search of inspirational journeys around France via camper van and motorhome. Dorey, the author of multiple camper travel books and presenter of BBC Two’s One Man and his Campervan, takes it slow around our cross-Channel neighbour, finding plenty of scenic…

THE DESTINATION This corner of Scotland offers a wealth of outdoor experiences: just four miles away from The Treehouses at Lanrick — itself only an hour from Glasgow and Edinburgh — is Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, where adventurers can go mountain climbing and wild swimming. Doune Castle, Blair Drummond Safari Park and Deanston Distillery are all a short drive away, while the famous Gleneagles and Loch Lomond golf courses are also within easy reach. THE PRIZE The winner and a guest will spend four nights at one of The Treehouses at Lanrick’s five individually designed properties, with a stay up to the value of £800, on a self-catering basis. Built from local timber, the treehouses feature handcrafted furniture, freestanding bath tubs and barbecues. Prize must be redeemed…

A delicious dip in water that’s sometimes toasty, sometimes cool and sometimes absolutely freezing is a daily pleasure for so many of us. Outdoor swimming is firmly in vogue. Our most popular participation sport has waxed and waned though, but when the great lidos of Britain opened, mostly in the 1920s and 30s, an outdoor dip was what everyone did. This was before all homes had bathrooms and cheap flights abroad were within everyone’s grasp — it was a way to relax and socialise, and offered a taste of the exotic. Somewhere between then and now we lost our love of lidos. Indoor pools, computer games, holidays abroad, council cutbacks — all manner of things conspired to push out our outdoor swimming pools, and so many were lost, like those…

HISTORY ‘Dragon Man’ skull may be new species, shaking up human family tree Hidden down a well for decades, the stunningly complete cranium is stirring debate about the increasing number of fossils that don’t neatly fit in the classic human origin story ENVIRONMENT 26 ways to live lighter on the planet, starting now To mark the launch of National Geographic’s new initiative Planet Possible, we look at sustainability ideas that begin with the most important changemakers of all: us ADVENTURE Searching the icy oceans off Norway for sperm whales Close encounters with the world’s largest toothed predator remain rare. These hardy researchers not only want to find them — they want to dive with them…

LENT FESTIVAL Hosting more than 500,000 visitors each summer, the Lent Festival is one of the biggest multi-genre performance events in Central Europe. For two weeks at the end of June, a number of venues operate in the neighbourhood, including a floating stage on the Drava that hosts jazz concerts, ballet performances, theatre shows, folk music, comedy and much more. Street food stalls, meanwhile, serve regional delicacies from around the country. festival-lent.si THE OLD VINE FESTIVAL This festival in late September serves as a tribute to a local vine that’s said to be the world’s oldest. Celebrations include wine-tasting events led by the region’s vintners. There are also food stands, brass bands and folk dancing. The event concludes with the ceremonial harvesting of the 450-year-old vine, followed by a public…

For a ruthless killer, the Arctic fox is a cute little rascal. The razorbills, puffins and northern fulmars who have their eggs and young stolen may not agree, but it’s hard not to side with the mammal when the birds are so abundant here at Látrabjarg. My only complaint is that the vixen I see out raiding enormous sea cli s at Iceland’s westernmost point doesn’t hang around for a photograph. Instead, she regards me brazenly, with an egg in her mouth, then turns her bushy tail and bounds offinto the long grass. It seems fitting that this kind of intimate wildlife encounter would happen somewhere like Látrabjarg, the most distant end of one of Iceland’s most remote regions. Only around 7% of visitors to the country come up to the…

The dust from Siggi’s car is still settling on the road as a dozen young stallions approach. They look not unlike The Cure in their heyday, all big hair and inscrutability. These boys don’t cry, either — not even when they’re biting each other and stampeding around the field. As they edge towards us, owners Siggi Jensson and partner Alex Hoop watch on with something like parental pride. We’re just outside their couple’s remarkable Tor­ ús Retreat, a luxury hotel that could also be called a ranch. The horses spend their formative years in fields around the site before going into proper training. The couple explain that these Icelandic horses are all three or four years old, but are yet to really start their training. The next 12 months will…

CAN YOU DESCRIBE SOME TRADITIONAL ICELANDIC DISHES? We have something similar to black pudding and haggis, and a smoked horsemeat sausage called bjúga. There are lots of foods connected to Thorri [the fourth month of winter, according to the ancient Icelandic calendar], when we eat Greenland shark, dried fish and all sorts of fermented produce. A lot of our national nostalgia relates to these foods. HAS TRADITIONAL ICELANDIC FOOD ALWAYS BEEN POPULAR? I don’t think so. I got the impression it wasn’t very fashionable when I was training 10 years ago. Back then, there was a big trend for Asian fusion food, and everyone wanted to be doing that. People sometimes think foreign things are more exciting than what we have right here. HOW DID THE PANDEMIC AFFECT THE RESTAURANT?…

Waves swell with the force of five oceans as water charges and tumbles over rocks. Foaming with fury and roaring with rage, jets explode from every crack and crevice, clouding the area in white smoke. Spilling over an escarpment at the northernmost tip of Africa’s Western Rift Valley, Uganda’s Murchison Falls has forever been in a state of turbulence. This mighty bottleneck in the Nile has swallowed bridges, thrown light aircraft off course and narrowly escaped a hydro dam development. A boiling pot of controversy, where disagreements continuously bubble away, today her mood is darker than the depths of hell. Skittish butterflies skirt over the surf and rainbows fail to reconcile their arcs as the cataract consumes everything in its path. Heavy rains have caused water levels to surge but…

IT’S 4.30AM AND THE HEREFORDSHIRE DAWN HAS ARRIVED. Far below me, the River Wye is a silver swathe through high-banked woods. The sky is soft and peach-coloured, the forest a dense, dark jade jungle. Through it all, filling the scene, is a crescendo of squawks, tweets and hoots. “Cup your ears,” says Ed Drewitt, as we face the natural amphitheatre in front of us. “What you’re hearing is the sound of hundreds of birds singing at the same time.” I’ve met birdwatching guide and local resident Ed on Symonds Yat Rock, a 400ft-high outcrop of cliff-flanked limestone looming over the Wye Valley. On my last visit here, the viewing platform had been packed, but at this hour it’s empty — of humans, at least — and under Ed’s commentary, the…

There’s wildlife everywhere, but it’s only if you know where to look that you’re likely to see the sort of animals that makes you gaze open-mouthed. Read on for five spots that will increase your chances of seeing true British wildlife. 1 GANNETS IN THE FIRTH OF FROTH At first sight, the steep, black sides of Bass Rock might seem to be covered in snow; look closer, and you’ll make out the silhouette of countless white birds. More than 150,000 northern gannets pitch camp on this volcanic island during the warmer months — the world’s largest colony of Britain’s largest seabird — although you’ll be able to spot them throughout most of the year. These Arctic birds can dive into the sea from astonishing heights; to learn about them, head…

Getting there & around British Airways is the only airline flying direct between London and New Orleans, with six flights a week during peak season. ba.com Average flight time: 9.5h. It’s easy to cover the French Quarter on foot, but if you’re planning to visit the city’s other neighbourhoods, it’s wise to use an Uber or Lyft account (especially if you’re drinking cocktails). Alternatively, anyone can ride the public streetcar with an exact fare of $1.25 (90p) each way, or you can buy an official Jazzy Pass, which allows unlimited rides for one, three or five days. These can be bought at local convenience stores or via the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority’s app. norta.com/fares-passes When to go February-May is the best time to visit New Orleans — coinciding with…

It wasn’t all that long ago that a visitor’s first glimpse of Sheki would be from the back of a camel. Today, it tends to be from the window of a marshrutka, the nostalgic, Soviet-era minivans that trundle almost as laboriously up and down the time-worn trade route between Baku and Tbilisi. Those who prefer a smoother ride can board the direct train from Baku, reaching this ancient city in around seven hours. Sheki’s location roughly halfway between the Azerbaijani and Georgian capitals is your first clue to the city’s historical significance. For as long as a tributary of the Silk Road ran through the South Caucasus, this was a place for merchants to bunk down at stone caravanserais (roadside inns) to sip tea, barter cargo and swap stories. It.…