NEW ZEALAND

Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain

In March 2007 we visited New Zealand for three weeks. We flew to Auckland and spent a few days in the Bay of Islands before travelling south through the volcanic areas of North Island and on into South Island . I suppose we did all the ‘touristy’ things: the Trans Alpine train to Arthur’s Pass, Franz Josef glacier (in the mist and rain), Queenstown, Te Anau, Milford Sound (in the mist and rain!), the penguins near Dunedin , and Christchurch . We really liked Christchurch and it was probably our favourite NZ city.   Apart from the two days above we had good weather and in a way, despite the rain, the Milford Sound we experienced had a different kind of beauty because we saw lots of waterfalls which don’t always flow. Also,  one of our included trips on the river Haast was cancelled because the water levels were too high, we received a refund which we put towards a helicopter flight in the Mt. Cook National Park on a stunningly blue sky day. Go to the Gallery page for more photos. Originally we planned to 'fly-drive' but were persuaded by our travel consultant to take a tour and let someone else do the driving. In retrospect, this was good advice; New Zealand is a big country and we did a lot of miles. 

In North Island we would recommend joining one of the eco-tours organised by Bush and Beach ; we enjoyed their 'Wilderness Experience' tour. In South Island, if staying in Queenstown, we recommend a guided nature walk with NZ Nature walks.  We did a 10 mile guided hike ('tramp' in NZ!) in Mount Aspiring National Park. For a real 'wow' take a scenic helicopter flight around Mt. Cook. We travelled with the Helicopter Line.

Trailfinders in Manchester ( Tel: 061 839 6969 ) arranged our trip. We've used them before and they are 'brilliant'!. Our tour was with Australian Pacific Touring who we would also recommend. Click HERE to go to their website.

COUPEVILLE, WASHINGTON STATE, USA

Coupeville is one of our favourite places. It's located on Whidbey Island which is a short ferry ride or longer drive north of Seattle on the I5. The town was founded in 1852 by Capt. Thomas Coupe, and the captain's home is among those in the town that have been restored. Visiting Coupeville is like stepping back in time (OK! I know that's a cliché, but in this case it's true). Visit the Island County Historical Museum and obtain a map for a self-guided walking tour of the town. Walk down Coupeville Wharf and see the skeleton of Rosie, the grey whale, which is preserved at the end of the pier. Better still, do the walk on a summer evening and experience the wonderful sunsets over the water. (See my Gallery page for photos). Much of the land around Coupeville is part of Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. A visit here is another must as there is a beautiful, often empty, (though occasionally foggy) beach where you can walk for miles looking out to the Olympic Peninsula. Check my other pages for Accommodation and Eating.

LAKE DISTRICT (CUMBRIA), UK

The photograph on the left was taken in the Lake District, one of the most beautiful areas of England. Much of it is part of a National Park. It is a wonderful area for walking and climbing or just taking in the stunning scenery; much of the landscape being result of glacial action during the last Ice Age. To plan a visit, go to the Lakes District's Tourist Board website. Go to Places to stay for two recommendations, and visit my Gallery page for some more photos.

SCOTLAND

Scotland has some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK, and a wide variety of environments; from quiet valleys to rugged mountains, fabulous islands to areas of genuine wilderness. The Scottish National Tourist Board  or Undiscovered Scotland are good places to start planning, and I'm just going to feature some of our favourite areas. 

CAIRNGORMS

The photos below were taken in the Cairngorms. From the left: the Cairngorms in early spring (taken from the walk up to the summit of Cairngorm Mountain); Loch Garten near the RSPB Osprey Centre and Loch an Eilein on the Rothiemurchus Estate near Aviemore. 

Visit the Rothiemurchus Visitor Centre at Inverdruie to collect some ideas for walks on this huge estate. You can walk up Cairngorm Mountain or take the mountain railway. Be aware though, that if you take the train you are restricted to only a small area at the summit, whereas if you take the healthy (but in the wrong weather, dangerous) option of walking, you have much more freedom to explore. 

KISHORN                                                                                  

Remaining on the mainland but travelling west to Wester Ross, Loch Kishorn is a relatively unexplored gem. In the 1970's a construction yard for deep-water oil platforms was established here, and a village for 2000 workers was created. The yard closed in 1987 and the loch has returned to a wonderfully peaceful state as the photo shows. The area is a good base for exploring the Applecross Peninsula, Plockton and the west coast around Shieldaig and Torridon. A day trip to Skye is also possible. There are some photos on the Gallery page which I hope will inspire, and some recommendations for accommodation and eating on my  Places to stay and Places to eat pages.

While in Kishorn, to visit Applecross, there is a fantastic drive over the Bealach na Ba pass. This road, also known as the Pass of the Cattle, is the highest in Scotland. It rises to 626m (2053 ft) above sea level and from the top you can see some amazing views of the islands of Skye and Raasay as well as being able to look back over Loch Kishorn. 

KANDERSTEG (SWITZERLAND)

Kandersteg is a small village in the mountains south of Interlaken and Lake Thun not far from the Italian border. We've visited it twice in winter for winter walking holidays. The snow turns the whole area into a magical place to spend time. Check out some of my photos on the Gallery  page. There are 57 km of cross country trails around the village and many prepared winter-wanderwege (winter walking) trails which take you to some beautiful places. You can take the chairlift up to Oeschinen (1682m) where there are nursery slopes and ski runs for downhill skiers. Up here too there are walking trails; our favourite goes over to a lake called Oeschinsee which is usually frozen in winter and surrounded by snow-capped peaks, the highest of which is the Balmhorn at 3699 metres. Down by the lake there is a cafe where you can sit outside sipping a Gluhwein and eating pastries. If you are lucky you might see people ice fishing through holes in the lake ice. For the more adventurous you can paraglide back down to the village. From the far end of the village of Kandersteg there is a cable car which takes you up to Sunnbuel where there are more ski and walking trails. Kandersteg is a good resort for family holidays, but beware, it's night life is much quieter than many ski resorts! You can drive up to the village in winter, but the best way to travel is using the amazingly efficient Swiss Rail system. Kandersteg is on the main line into Italy (a short day trip opportunity) with connections from Zurich Airport and Bern. We always arrange our holiday through  Inntravel.

ORCAS ISLAND (WASHINGTON STATE, USA)

    The view from the summit of Mt. Constitution.

Orcas Island is one of the San Juan Islands in the Inside Passage between Seattle (Washington State, USA) and Vancouver (Canada). It is reached by ferry from Anacortes and you arrive at Orcas Village. It is the most 'rugged' of the San Juan's with a high point of 2407 feet at the summit of Mt. Constitution. From here there are wonderful views (see  above and Gallery page) of the Cascade Mountains including Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier  and the coast of Canada from the top. You can walk up, but this is America so you can actually drive to within a few feet of the summit. Elsewhere on Orcas, there are walks on Turtleback Mountain and within Moran State Park on the east of the island there are some lovely walks around Mountain Lake with trails leading to Summit Lake and Twin Lakes below Mt. Constitution. One disappointment with Orcas Island is that a lot of the coast, and the access to the coast, is privately owned and fervently protected, but there is a lovely quiet beach at Obstruction Pass State Park. You have to park and walk down to the beach (about 20 minutes), so that guarantees that the beach is never busy. The biggest settlement (the whole island only has a resident population of about 5000) is Eastsound which is beautifully located, has some interesting craft shops and eating places and has an excellent supermarket (the Island Market).

Coming Soon other destinations including: