REVIEW: Viking Cruises,Treasures of the Rhine

I’ll be honest. I never thought I’d embark on a cruise. The very concept was enough to raise the blood pressure. Tacky entertainment, screaming children, unimaginative food, and the inability to find five minutes’ peace? For the sake of sanity, I’d rather stay at home. But that was before I was introduced to Viking Cruises,…

Read More

Review: Leukerbad, Switzerland

There are three main reasons for visiting this achingly scenic ski resort in the Swiss Valais region: the thermal springs which the town claims are the biggest in the Alps, an eight-hour Via Ferrata which is the scariest I’ve ever seen, and access to some quite amazing ski touring. Skiing This is a small resort…

Read More

Review: Leukerbad, Switzerland

There are three main reasons for visiting this achingly scenic ski resort in the Swiss Valais region: the thermal springs which the town claims are the biggest in the Alps, an eight-hour Via Ferrata which is the scariest I’ve ever seen, and access to some quite amazing ski touring. Skiing This is a small resort…

Read More

Review: Champery and the Regions Dents du Midi

Champery in the Swiss Valais region is part of the cross-border Portes du Soleil ski area, which means that it has direct access to almost 600km of pistes spread across 307 runs and twelve resorts. A traditional picture box perfect Swiss resort, this venerable little 150-year-old town is quieter and quainter than most of the French resorts…

Read More

Review: We take to the slopes for some skiing in Alta Badia

Alta Badia in the South Tyrol, which features on the World Cup downhill circuit each year, is part of the famous Sella Ronda and also integral to the massive Dolomiti Superski ski area, is one of the key ski resorts in the Italian Dolomites. With its stunning panoramas, laid-back vibe, beautiful little villages, predominantly blue…

Read More

Vilnius: A city of lights

Be honest. Do you know where Vilnius is? It’s a question that the people charged with promoting this beautiful and historic city are asking potential visitors. And it seems that far too often the answer is still no. But why should you know? What is it that makes the capital of Lithuania worthy of your…

Read More

The Three Chimneys Seafood & Game Masterclass

I’m driving through some of the most incredible scenery in Scotland, and I’m torn. I want to reach The Three Chimneys before darkness falls, so I’m racing the gloaming. But the glorious light of golden hour on the Isle of Skye is bathing her landscapes, making them even more irresistible and just begging to be…

Read More

Discover the dark skies of Dumfries in style

THERE’S got to be some advantages to short days and a surfeit of darkness, right? Taking full advantage of Scotland’s long winter nights feels a wee bit like the old adage, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. With this in mind, a trip to Dumfries and Galloway, home to the UK’s only Dark Sky…

Read More

Autumn gold at Perthshire’s Fonab Castle

IT doesn’t take a genius to work out that a place with a nickname like ‘Big Tree Country’ is likely to be a great place to visit in the autumn. So, the opportunity to travel to Perthshire before winter’s icy fingers put paid to the fiery reds, glowing oranges and acidic yellows for another year…

Read More