By Rupert Parker
They used to say that all roads led to Rome, but in medieval times, people started going the opposite way.  All Christians, across Europe, were urged by the Pope to make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in the far North West of Spain to atone for their sins.
The route was known as the Way of St James and, a thousand years later, you can still follow in their footsteps, even if you’re not remotely religious.
St James, the Shipwrecked Disciple
Legend has it that a boat carrying the body …

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 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
Nicknamed the ‘Pink City’ because of the preponderance of red-brick buildings, Toulouse, the fourth largest conglomeration in France, is a mildly frenetic, hugely entertaining and vibrant place. Any thoughts of a sycophantic city paying homage to Paris or Lyon are soon dispelled; Toulouse, capital of France’s largest region (Midi-Pyrénées) very much has its own identity, a glorious tangle of narrow streets and squares, buildings great and small, intimate nooks and crannies.
Within site of the Pyrenees, Toulouse is not surprisingly subject to influences from Spain, culturally, gastronomically and architecturally, …

By Vera De Ruiter
To ski or not to ski? Go once and you’re hooked for life, that’s what they say…I was not one of those kids that went skiing with parents every winter and I never made up for the lost time as a teenager. So when I did eventually get on the piste for a week at the grand old age of 30 I felt, and proved to be, totally useless. I managed to go through all the scenarios, from falling off the lift to rolling down the slope, …