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A self-catering annexe apartment for two, within easy walking distance of the train. You can take a bike, hire a canoe, or visit the alternative and wacky town of Totnes where Riverford Farm foods originated. Everything is organic and green. Little riverside allows you to go for a wild swim in the river right outside the door! Hire a canoe and go shopping down the river or to the pub. Great cafes and pub grub.
Near the sea and near the moors - fantastic situation for everything. Great carbon-free getaway for two.
www.littleriverside.com
Phone John & Debbie Carnegie on: 01803/866257.
There are so many coves and hidden beaches in Leros that you can swim in private. A nudist beach in in Kryfos on the north side of Alinda bay. In Partheni you can walk further from Blefuti bay, another is at Lakki at the place "Kokina" in the area of Kokali in Gurna and Agios Isidoros. If you want public beaches, try Panteli or Vromolithos beach.
Melenio cafe is a great place in the centre of Oia. It is on a little terrace and has the best views over Santorini. Very different to the rest of the restaurants/cafes in the village, very relaxed with amazing cakes and fresh juices.
Oia hostel is a great, clean and cheap place to stay (and Santorini certainly isn't cheap). It's very un-hostel like in a positive way and in an excellent location.
Ammoudi port is the best place for a swim in Oia; however the climb back up to the village is pure torture. It is a rocky cove with the clearest water I have ever seen, but space is limited so get there early.
Visiting vineyards is a must, especially as most have small restaurants attached.
Also, Atlantis Books is a rare find of a bookshop anywhere in the world. It is in Oia centre and must be visited, international literature, and the shop is a delight.
If you're in Rome make sure you take a day or afternoon trip out to Ostia Antica (30 mins by train). It was the ancient port city of the Roman Empire & when the river silted up it was abandoned and the silt preserved the city beautifully. What's left is a huge ghost-town several miles inland with amphitheatre, apartment blocks, forum, bath houses and villas.
You can enter and walk around most buildings - even go upstairs and walk in gardens - and there are few of the restrictions you'll find in Pompeii. We went on a Sunday afternoon and the place was spookily almost deserted.
In the summer, the amphitheatre often hosts open air performances of folk and opera. A real find. Plus you can round off the day with a swim with the surf girls and boys at Rome's funky beach suburb, Ostia, a train stop away at Lido Centro.
Take the (very shabby)overland from Piramide/ Ostiense towards C. Colombo or Lido Centro. Costs about 3 Euros.
There is a walkway to a building with change rooms, lockers, a restaurant, and a gift shop. The pool is open both summer and winter, and is a delightful experience when it is snowing outside!
The parking lot is located close to the Sulphur Mountain Gondola tramway, which whisks tourists up the mountain to a viewpoint and teahouse on the peak.
www.pc.gc.ca/regional/sourcesthermales-hotsprings/itm2-/visit4_e.asp
Until you've been on a freshwater sea like Lake Michigan you just don't understand. The idea of this unbelievable mass of non-salt-water in the centre of a continent (20% of all the earth's fresh water sits in the Great Lakes system) requires this kind of visual confirmation. And unlike most major cities, Chicago celebrates its waterfront by lining it with parks and beautiful public beaches. Run, walk, play, swim. Free and for the whole family - though that water can be mighty cold most of the year.
It's to the east of the city, wherever you are
This has to be the most picturesque pool to swim in Sydney. Situated on the North shore in Cremorne Point Reserve this 22 metre pool overlooks the Harbour with views across to the CBD and the Bridge. Great for a swim and then following up with a picnic in the park watching the sun go down over the city skyline.
For a beautiful way to spend a day, get yourself to Bondi and then start to walk along the cliffs that line the sea. From the right-hand edge of Bondi beach as you look at the sea, you'll find a path that runs past Tamarama, Bronte, and all the way to Coogee. You can stop along the way for a game of footie, a barbie, a beer or two and, of course, a swim. All the best bits of Sydney and some exercise too.
Bus from Bondi Junction to the beach then start walking!
This company takes you out into the bay to swim with dolphins, dropping you in their path. It's deep and cold but incredible. One tip: make as much noise and commotion as you can to keep them interested.
A beautiful, almost tropical, beach in Sydney. Seems to be missed by most visitors, who stop when they get to Manly, but well worth the short walk.
Go to Manly on the ferry. Walk through to the beach and then turn right and walk along the seafront. You will end up at Shelly beach.
Big (and heated) open air swimming pool, opened in 1929. Entry costs £4.60, but the pleasure of floating on your back and gazing at the sky is absolutely worth it. You can also sunbathe by the pool. Fabulous.
20-minute walk from Highgate tube, or Hornsey rail from King's Cross. Then a steep walk.
The lido is Europe's third biggest pool - 92m x 32m - with newly refurbished kiddie pool, cafe and changing facilities. Open all year if you're a member of the south London swimming club, but only swimmable by mere mortals between May and September. Arrive early on a sunny weekend with a copy of the Guardian to read and you're in a small part of heaven.
Tooting Bec Road, London, SW16 1RU; tel: 020 8871 7198; www.wandsworth.gov.uk/Home/LeisureandTourism/Leisurecentres/TootingBecLido.htm
Sydney's best harbour foreshore walk is a three-hour hike through ancient bushland and harbourside suburbs along the north shore with frequent views of the water and city. It is a bit of a trek via bus to Spit Bridge and quicker to cough up $30 for a taxi. The finish in Manly is perfect: you can treat yourself to a swim, fish and chips or a cold schooner of Toohey's New (or Old - Sydney's classic beers).
The Saronic isles of Aegina and Agistri, a mere 35 and 45 minutes’ away, respectively, by hovercraft. Both, despite their proximity to Athens, tend to be overlooked by tourists but are tranquil, verdant and quintessentially Greek. Aegina, which is home to many in the arts scene, has great walks and tavernas and some of the best pistachio orchards outside Iran. Agistri has some of the best swimming on offer in the Attic region thanks to the strong Saronic currents which keep its waters turquoise clean.
Saronic Dolphins (210 422 4777) and Flying Dolphins (210 419 9200) both offer fast boat services (40mins) to the islands. Boats leave from the dockside at Piraeus, 200 metres south of the Metro station, next to Miaouli. You are strongly advised to book tickets in advance and check boat times for your return journey before you leave as the number of departures varies each day. Saronic Dolphins do not accept credit cards.
Do as the locals do of a Sunday, and play frisbee on the beaches of Clifton Bay and Camps Bay. Better yet, take a picnic hamper and make a day of it.
It’s a bar, a big ship and a swimming pool all thrown in together. Bring your trunks.
Eichenstraße 4, Treptow; nearest S-Bahn: Treptower Park, or U-Bahn: Schlesisches Tor; Tel: 5 332 030
Beautiful clean lake with extensive space around it for sitting and sunbathing. Includes FKK area.
North of the city centre, accessible by car, on on the 172 bus.
There have been several spells in recent times where shark attacks have been prevalent. This doesn't mean don't go to Recife - in fact DO go to Recife. What it means is, make bloody sure you keep up to date on the current situation by asking in your hotel/pousada. The beaches around Olinda, up the coast, don't seem to have been affected but a magazine called Trip ran a feature a few years ago about surfers who had lost limbs. They did it so you don't have to. Oh - the word for 'shark' is TUBARAO, and 'sea' is MAR. "Tem tubarao no mar aqui?"
Boa Viagem, it seems!
A small stunning beach in the Arctic fjords. Purest white sand, surrounded by wildflowers and towering islands. The shallow water is crystal clear and warm enough for swimming in summer despite being in the Arctic. Go in June/July for 24 hour sunbathing.
On the E10 west from Svolvaer at the turn off to Henningsvær - the 'Venice of the Lofotens'
If the weather permits, there's a beautiful, big old swimming pool (unheated I'm afraid) north of Kaiserslautern, it's called Waschmühle and a cabbie will take you there for not much more than 5 Euro, perfect for relaxing pre-and post game days and, due to German tradition and hospitality, beer and fried sausages are sold at reasonable prices.
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