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An area on the northern coast of Spain which is like a step back in time. Fishing villages, walking through hills, beautiful valleys, prehistoric sites, romantic churches and Santiago walking routes. Rural and coastal. Activities, horseriding, canoeing trekking cycling etc. Many country houses and apartments to enjoy both countryside and coast.
A small fishing village close to Gijon, Aviles and Oviedo. A variety of seafood restaurants next to a small fishing port. Village has a long tradition of fishing and maintains its traditions very much alive. Bagpipe festivals, celtic concerts and seafood all at very reasonable prices.
Fly in on a low cost easyJet or Air Berlin daily to OVD airport, 30 minutes away by car.
Spectacular clifftop walk with dips into beachy coves and links to local buses. Very scenic but also windy, with several swimming spots along the way, but you need to bring your own picnic. There is a museum at Porthcurno, too.
Porthcurno to Penzance is a long enough walk that you might want to arrange overnight accomodation along the way, for example at Lamorna.
The Land's End commercial complex is out of place but can be easily ignored, though it is a pity the National Trust have not bought it.
Spectacular clifftop walk with dips into beachy coves and links to local buses. Very scenic but also windy, with several swimming spots along the way, but you need to bring your own picnic. There is a museum at Porthcurno, too.
Porthcurno to Penzance is a long enough walk that you might want to arrange overnight accomodation along the way, for example at Lamorna.
The Land's End commercial complex is out of place but can be easily ignored, though it is a pity the National Trust have not bought it.
mobile and transport info on porthcurno.mobi
All of a sudden there has been a craze in the market to travel to Croatia’s coastline. It is absolutely no wonder, considering Croatia boasts some of the most stunning coasts in Europe. I came across this beauty a couple of years ago and loved it so much I went again this year.
What I loved most about the islands (especially the first time) is the serenity and lack of built up resort style beachfronts that can be found everywhere else in the world. No matter how spectacular a place is, if its panorama is filled with man-made constructions and obstructions that I could also find on the Gold Coast, Ibiza, Cancun etc., then it has lost the unique splendour and appeal that I love about Hvar, Mljet or The Elaphite Islands.
With the Croatian islands still being relatively untouched like this, my travel tip is to see this place yourself. Don’t pay a tour guide or company to show you around! You don’t need to! With fresh fruit markets and ample accommodation in the townships (no matter how small) you save yourself a fortune, compared to paying for your stock standard tour group, which hardly compares to exploring these islands using your own aptitude. The islands are small enough to see on your own and the transport between islands is common, cheap and only a short distance!
You can get a ferry in the morning and be at the next place well before lunch. Hire a moped or bicycle and see more of the islands then any tour could show you. On many occasions I found myself on a beach that was not only magical but I was the only person there. Travel this seaside paradise with no time limits, stay on the islands you love and move on from the locations that you don’t. Explore these islands, use only a small amount of effort and less money than you would spend on the weekend in London - and you can find so much more than you bargained for!
It only takes about an hour to drive from Cagliari to another not very well known but beautiful spot of Sardinia: the peninsula of Sinis, located in the Oristano Gulf on the west coast.
I have visited one of the most fascinating archaeological and panoramic sites of Sardinia, Tharros. This was a Punic, Phoenician and then Roman city located on the very tip of the Gulf of Oristano.
Nowadays, it is basically an open air museum surrounded by the sea... spectacular! You can walk around the ancient ruins and then up to the top of the promontory to the Tower of San Giovanni that dominates this site. I recall enjoying the views of the endless sea and the peace of this place from there. Even if you are not a heritage fan, you will love this.
The ticket to the site is cheap, about four euros, and also includes entrance to the museum of Cabras (not far from Tharros), where many of the objects that were discovered in Tharros are displayed.
If you want to mix culture and sunbathing, drive north to the beautiful and famous beach of 'Is Aruttas', this is a must if you are visiting in spring or summer. It is also worth taking a panoramic drive along the coast going north to enjoy the blue views. There are many other things to see and do around here so you might want to book a hotel or a farmhouse and spend some days in this area.
Michael Palin's recent TV series might have whetted the appetite but as someone who has been to Gdansk four times already this year I can tell you Michael only touched the surface.
Gdansk is part of a three-city conurbation including Sopot and Gdynia. All three cities have their own identities and all have something to offer.
I flew with WizzAir from Liverpool to Gdansk airport.
Gdansk's Old Town is like a smaller version of Krakow's but with a maritime flavour. It's also the best place to buy amber in Poland.
Twenty minutes drive away is the seaside resort of Sopot. Very fashionable in the 1920s, the town still has a rather sophisticated image (nothing like Blackpool, no amusement arcades here!). Sopot is famous for it's enormous wooden pier which really is just used by holiday makers to enjoy a daily promenade on. Watch out for the seagulls though!
A few minutes drive away is the third coastal resort of Gdynia. Only created in the 20th century, this town has a more modern feel about it and is located sandwiched between the Baltic Ocean and a National Park. I visited Orlowo beach with its own famous pier (they seem to be big on piers over there).
The highlight of my trip was a drive to the Hel Peninsula, 45mins drive away. It's a 35km finger of land that curls into the Baltic Ocean. At its narrowest base it's just one road wide (although they still fit a railway track alongside it). Further down the peninsula widens out to reveal fishing villages and exclusive holiday resorts with the Northern side boasting long, white, sandy beaches - almost Floridian in style.
We booked our hotels through www.ilovepoland.co.uk
The ideal place for fossil enthusiasts. On the beaches and foreshore of Swanage but also in other coasts of Dorset you will find thousands of them.
The sunken Scylla is the UK’s first artificial reef created in 2004 and a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to enjoy a dive there.
I dived with BSAC (the British Sub Aqua Club) after being recommended by a friend who told me that I could join BSAC no matter where or who I had originally trained with. After a few weekends in my local swimming pool refreshing my skills I finally was able two join my local BSAC branch who just happened to be planning their trip down to Plymouth a few weeks later.
The dive was great and it was such an enjoyable experience to spend a day with a group of active, adventurous people all around my own age and all on hand to support me with my dive.
Once in the sea the sunken Scylla was breathtaking. Although originally an artificial reef there is now an abundance of colourful, lively marine life at this site and I could have been entertained for hours. There was perfect visibility and I was able to spot sea urchins, reefs, corals, crabs and much much more. I’m not sure of all the correct names but it was definitely a bright and interesting show that was easily on par with the few dives I have done abroad in the past.
If you want more information on BSAC and diving in the UK it’s definitely worth visiting their website www.bsac.com I’ve been doing a bit of research and they literally have branches all over the country with the joining fee being from as little as £10 I think. A club well worth joining – especially if you want to try something new this Summer without having to even leave the country.
Not far along the coast road from Lynton you’ll find a signpost for Hunters Inn, which as well as being a pub-restaurant and place of accommodation, is also a beauty spot near the bottom of the alarmingly steep and deep Heddon Valley.
The walks in this area are spectacular, whether you follow the river path down to the sea or climb the cliff paths which cut narrow tracks along steep, heather-covered inclines.
This is a truly beautiful place to spend some time, just make sure that your car brakes are in good working order before you make the journey.
Take the coast road from Lynton towards Ilfracombe. Watch for the signposted road for Hunters Inn.
www.thehuntersinn.net/
Pembrokeshire is the new Cornwall! before all the tourists arrived and clogged the roads. Walk the Pembrokeshire coastal path, it has breathtaking scenery, golden sandy beaches in coves where you might not have to share your beach! Pebble beaches perfect for skimming practice and the locals are so friendly, they always have time to stop for a chat and find out about you - whilst keeping you up to date with the latest news in agriculture!!
It is the most fantastic coastal drive in the world I reckon (even better than west coast US).
From Melbourne drive west along the coast.
Wonderful, wild and interesting. Walney has eleven miles of beautiful unspoilt coastline. You can spend a day mooching around in the sand dunes to the north or visit the bird sanctuary at the south end. Spectacular views of Cumbrian fells and dramatic sunsets.
Off Barrow in Furness. From M6 take A590 towards the Isle of Man. Walney is just before there.
The southwest coast of Galicia has hundreds of beaches. From long and sandy beaches to smaller scale. What they have in common is the amazing landscape of the rías (inlets).
Going by car you can see how the rías go along the coast until they open to the infinite sea, there are also some small islands where many green forests grow.
At the end of the Ría de Vigo we can see Cíes Islands and at the end of the Ría de Pontevedra we can see Ons Island. They have beaches dressed with white sand and clear waters, placed behind green forest hills. That is a mixture of forest and sandy beaches.
The south of the Dominican Republic is a far cry from the tourist plagued northern and eastern shores and the money of the big hotel chains. The road from Barahona down the coast runs parallel to the beach uninterrupted for more than 200km arching up and down the lush dramatic landscape that crests the sky blue Caribbean ocean. Small villages of colourful houses that spread the various valleys lead to empty beaches frequented only by fishermen and which on weekends come alive with Dominicans of all ages dancing to the hip swaying sounds of merrengue and cooking fresh fish on open fires. The most popular of these being the stunning San Rafael with its fresh water natural swimming pools. It is these soul wrenchingly picturesque shores with their small coconut bark thatch huts that make this part of the island the most attractive.
Want a quick snapshot of Turkey...don't want to travel all the way out to Ankara or Pamukkale (a LONG way from Istanbul)? Then grab a short lift on a jet (40 mins by Atlas jet) from Istanbul to Izmir on the Aegean coast. A fascinating city in its own right, Izmir is a good spot to start a trip back to Istanbul visiting Ephesus (a must), Pergamon and the place of the wooden horse, Troy. A stay at Canakkale is a good stepping stone to visiting Gallipoli (Gelibolu) and Anzac Cove - again a must for us Aussies. Using a Turkish speaking (or local) guide and driver is also recommended.
Izmir
South east Turkey
www.allaboutturkey.com/izmir.htm
We sailed along the Lycian coast out of Gocek. It was a truly magical trip - beautiful sea for sailing and swimming, marvellous food, and amazing ancient cities to explore. What could be finer?
We thought Peter Sommer Travels were just super - www.petersommer.com
Queensland's east coast has everything - arrive in Cairns, buy yourself a camper and travel from rainforest to the bush. See the wildlife and enjoy the nightlife of the coastal cities. Travellers are welcome, work is available and at the end you can flog the camper in Sydney or even Perth. See Australia as it is meant to be seen - by road.
Visit the Gumtree website for info on all this in every city.
Cinque terre is strip of coast that links six cliff hugging villages. They are joined together by a railway so you can village hop easily. Very charming and very scenic.
Ligouri, www.cinqueterreonline.com
Trieste is tucked away in the north east of Italy, close to the Slovenian border. It combines the charm of a mid-European city with a sea/beach location.
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