By Rupert Parker
The 800 chateaux of the Loire have survived wars, sieges, bombardments and natural disasters for over 1000 years, yet who would have dreamed that they’d fall victim to a new sort of invader – the cyclist?  Since 1998 the region has been investing in a network of cycle tracks which will soon run to more than 800km of signed trails.  The concept is known as “La Loire a Velo” and is designed for cyclists of all levels.  It’s an extension of a much longer trail which stretches from …

By Stuart Forster
The Golden Chariot is, unashamedly, south India’s answer to the Golden Triangle’s Palace on Wheels; a luxury train which transports tourists in five-star comfort, between sites of cultural and historic interest. Every Monday of the season, the purple train pulls out of Bangalore’s Yeshwanthpur railway station to tour highlights of Karnataka before a last halt in Goa.
If you thought that luxury train travel belonged to the world of Agatha Christie and went out of fashion with the Charleston, think again. The concept of exploring India’s heritage sites from …

By Rupert Parker
Madrid is said to have the greatest number of bars and restaurants per capita of any city in the world. Not for nothing are Madrileños known as “Gatos”, or cats, based on the fact they hardly sleep. Finishing work at 9, they make for the nearest Tapas bar, where they have a drink and a snack, and then move on to the next.  They keep going until around 11pm, when they stop for dinner, then it’s off to a disco, flamenco club, or bar. That’s the story anyway, …

By Kate McWilliams
The snow has melted and Finland emerges once more with a spring in its step. For spring/summer 2010, Finland has a lot to celebrate with a new high speed train soon to be launched between Helsinki and St Petersburg, a range of exciting music festivals throughout the summer months and 65 years of the legendary Moomin novels. What’s more, Helsinki has earned the status of World Design Capital for 2012 and the first ever World Rowing Masters using traditional Finnish churchboats is soon to take place in Sulkava …

By Mike Pedley
Iceland’s economy may have hit the rocks but its pocket-sized capital still knows how to throw a party.
Reykjavik must be one of the world’s smallest capitals : on a global scale it hardly counts as more than a village. But this quirky pint-sized city has a maverick outlook on life – who wouldn’t when there are glaciers and volcanoes practically in the backyard and the Northern Lights shimmer overhead. If its reputation for fierce prices has put you off visiting in the past, now is the time to …

By Mike Pedley
Iceland’s  volcanic eruption is turning out to be a hot ticket for tourism. Perhaps the best thing that has happened to Iceland’s moribund economy in the last couple of years is the recent eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, 125km east of Reykjavik. In the wee small hours of Sunday 21 March, the sleeping mountain blew its top in the first eruption since 1823. When Iceland’s volcanoes erupt, they often melt vast volumes of ice from the glaciers all around with the potential for causing disastrous flooding, so 600 …

By Terry Marsh
The abiding impression of Aude is of never-ending vineyards, for this is the land of Corbières, Minervois, Fitou and the delightful bubbly known as Blanquette de Limoux. In recent times, it has become the focus of attention dwelling on the history of a persecuted religious sect known as the Cathars; indeed, ‘Le Pay Cathare’ and the numerous ‘Routes du Pay Cathare’ are actively, and rightly, promoted by the local tourist offices. Dan Brown instigated a landslide of interest through the Da Vinci Code, but it is arguably Kate …

By Terry Marsh
Beneath an open sky, somewhere in the middle of the Simpson Desert, eighty diners gather at fine-dining tables set before a huge cooking range and a gaggle of talented chefs. Tables are framed by candlelight, walls and ceiling are formed by the shades of approaching night. In one direction, Uluru catches the setting sun; in the other, Kata Tjuta. From a nearby sand dune come the low, rhythmic ululations of a didgeridoo. At the end of the meal, when the candles are doused, the only light comes from …