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"Crash, clang, ding-ding, BANG!"
The incessant din, hurtling up from the road below our mountainside homestay, bounced off the eaves into the bedroom, waking me from a deep sleep. Jamie and I dragged our sluggish bodies downstairs for breakfast.
Darjeeling, like most places in the Himalaya, is a Buddhist community. And like the rest of India there is a parade, festival or celebration nearly every week. Today a colourful banner declared, “2600 years of the enlightenment of Lord Buddha".
We gobbled up our toast and drained cups of sweet masala tea before heading out to join the procession.
Orchestral manoeuvres in the alleys
Maroon and orange-clad monks banged drums and cymbals with devoted concentration, or blew as hard as possible on a variety of horns, without varying the note. One instrument was around ten feet long: the business end held by the 'blower' (to call him a musician would be a stretch too far), while at the other end a second man supported two of these gigantic musical pipes under his arms.
As one band receded with its crowd of followers, the next little group arrived. The percussion sections beat out an impressive rhythm, but I tried in vain to identify a melody among the single-layered notes blasting out from the wind sections. To add to the cacophony a few high-spirited young men set off deafening fire crackers down dark, side alleys.
Not all blessings are disguised
Some of the monks carried ornate and colourful statues of Buddha in palanquins. Arranged across two parallel bars they held Him on their shoulders. Devotees, with serious expressions or a surreptitious smile, lowered their heads and threaded their way underneath the icons between the monks.
Towards the end we broke through the throng and joined the worshippers. It was a happy occasion, and away from the bands people walked in silence or chatted quietly as they slowly followed behind the monks. We walked side by side with tiny, ancient crones in tribal dress; young mothers in tight western clothes, holding babies; groups of schoolgirls; bent grandfathers; brightly coloured, swaddled toddlers; and wiry mountain men.
Some devotees carried rectangular prayer boxes brought from the temples. with which they blessed the crowd by touching the boxes to bowed heads. I was blessed, but to the amusement of my neighbours the sharp wooden corners crashing onto my crown made me yelp. Someone was listening because my prayers to not end up bleeding and bruised were answered.
Sweet smelling smoke
The procession lasted until lunchtime and took us on a thorough tour of the eastern 'Queen of Hills'. At small stations along the route we were offered water and orange juice to keep up our strength.
We passed quietly along steep, narrow passages in the town centre where women in open windows, or standing on balconies, gently fanned plumes of incense through clothes lines strung with washing. Snatches of music drifted towards us.
The fragrant smoke filtered downwards in the chilly mountain air, mingling with the damp, earthy smell of this magical autumnal day.
For more tales have a look at www.lizcleere.com
Darjeeling. Take a jeep from New Jalpaiguri station in West Bengal. Expect to pay around 150 to 200 INR per seat, but the space allocated for a 'seat' is tiny. Buy two seats per person, better still rent the whole bench seat behind the driver (the equivalent of four seats).
You could take Unesco World Heritage 'Toy' Train all the way, but it's a long, slow boot. Better to take an excursion on the train from Darjeeling to Ghoom for a morning.
Trekking to Everest Base Camp is one of the outstanding "must do" adventure trips for all keen walkers and hikers. It's a tough trip, taking about 18 days all in but it's totally rewarding and the views are simply majestic. It takes a few days to adjust to the altitude when you arrive - you can't go straight from Kathmandu - but that gives you plenty of time to soak up the beauty of this amazing country.
www.nepal-uncovered.com/tours/nepal/evbc.php
Google map: bit.ly/gxeZqg
Walking with camels on the edge of the Sahara desert in Morocco. Fantastic experience, beautiful landscape, and very friendly people.
For full details of the trip see helvellyn.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/edge-of-sahara-trek/
The ten-acre Clinton-Baker Pinetum near Hertford is particularly lovely at this time of year. A pinetum is essentially a collection of conifers; but this one is planted within a mixed woodland. As the beech and larches turn golden-brown, field maples and dawn redwoods turn yellow and burnished gold, it’s a symphony of colour in autumn sunlight. Early evening, your shadow leads as you walk past the red-leaved and berried spindle tree, down to the entrance stile, the University of Hertfordshire’s white astronomy domes behind you, gulls following red tractor to the right; and lofty cedars, hemlocks and redwoods enticing you on.
Under the expert guidance of Dr Edward Eastwood, Curator, the Pinetum is gradually being restored to its full Victorian splendour, complete with fern-filled grotto and a tally of over 150 species of conifer. Join in a fungal foray, stroll down paths which Edward insists on keeping raked to “a crinoline width,” and admire the monkey puzzle dell and “stumpery.”
It’s not all about trees: you’ll be unlucky not to see - or at least hear - a jay or green woodpecker; and right now there are red and orange berries on yew, hawthorn and holly. The particularly succulent looking black ones are best avoided - it’s deadly nightshade.
Being in such a hidden spot, it was ten years before I realised this extraordinarily magical place existed, a mere fifteen minutes walk from where I live. Now I go for a restorative dose of therapeutic serenity. I’m gradually learning to identify the trees - though Edward says I’d still be clueless if they all swapped places in the night.
Extend your walk through the hornbeams and oaks of Bayford woods and hunt out the sailor’s grave, a monument erected to a scion of the Clinton-Baker family who lost his life on the Jamaican high seas in 1804, when as commander of HM Sloop Pelican he led a party which perished while saving a foundering Spanish schooner.
The Pinetum has regular work parties sawing, hacking brambles and nettles, and piling up bonfires. There are snowdrop and bluebell walks in spring.
The Pinetum is owned by the University of Hertfordshire. To arrange a visit, become a member or find out about the next work party, contact Dr Eastwood on 01992 517622 or e.a.eastwood@herts.ac.uk. Members only have access to the private site by prior arrangement.
The walk is a total of 36 miles through the amazing Somerset countryside of Quantock Hills, Brendon Hills and Exmoor. You walk through a variety of landscapes such as heathland, moorland, deciduous and coniferous woodland (excellent for witnessing the ever changing colours), farmland, deeply wooded valleys and historic villages with expansive views over to the North Somerset Coast and Wales.
This walk can be completed over three or four consecutive days making it ideal for a short break. The Yarn Market Hotel in Dunster offers a special break in conjunction with the Coleridge Way. They provide excellent service including daily transport to and from the walks, packed lunches, free route map and directions and rucksack hire if needed.
The Yarn Market Hotel
25-33 High Street
Dunster
Somerset
TA24 6SF
01643 821425
www.yarnmarkethotel.co.uk
nearest train station is Taunton
My heart sank the first time I visited Ashridge Estate in the northern Chilterns on the Bucks/Herts border. With so many cars parked, I envisaged hordes of people. But as soon as we set off on a three mile circular walk we lost everyone and had the panoramic views from Ivinghoe Beacon - and a glimpse of several deer sprinting off through the woods - to ourselves. There are 5000 acres so plenty of room for everyone to crunch over fallen golden beech leaves right now. At times we were walking part of the Ridgeway National Trail which looked enticing and could have extended our walk, but my favourite bit is spotting the lion chalk figure which advertises Whipsnade Zoo.
The tea rooms near the Bridgewater Monument are justifiably popular and the visitor centre staff are friendly and eager to share their knowledge of wildlife to look out for. Many dog owners were bonding while their pets bounded, and it was good to see a fair number of wheelchairs and pushchairs on the easy access paths.
Bookings are being taken for fallow deer rutting, and fungal foray events this month.
I know you can only take a 10kg bag plus handbag on the six-seater planes (my stuff wasn't weighed), but be aware that anything you need to buy in Canaima i.e. booze is amazingly expensive. Beers 10Bs a can. I paid 80Bs for two rum & cokes...
Do a bit of research into where you will be staying in Canaima. There are a couple of very swish places with fantastic views, but the rest are more basic. I overheard some European people in a group who were very unhappy with their accommodation taking into account the price they had paid."This is just NOT good enough..."
If you go up to stay at Angel Falls expect things to be basic. There will be food and "some" water. Take any booze but also take some extra water for cleaning your teeth etc. Don't forget the guide companies have to lug the stuff up there.
(Ear plugs are a must... snorers...)
I also recommend taking the tractor & trailer option on the way up; the walk is a bit of a slog. In the canoe our guide allowed us to spend some of the trip sitting on our life-jackets, but other groups were not allowed to, the nearly three hours sitting on a small hard wooden bench is not much fun... Shoes get wet...
I went to Canaima in August 2009. There were lots of mozzies. We didn't have to portage on the river trip up to Angel Falls but the boat was bottoming a lot. I can imagine that in drier times of the year there would be considerable scrambling up through the rocks. I was told that earlier in the year tourists were arriving with no idea that due to the lack of river flow it was impossible to get up to Angel Falls. The locals in Canaima had to put up with a lot of criticism when, in their opinions, the European travel agents should have been informing their clients.
We arrived in the afternoon and trekked up to the viewpoint (me 50 mins, my wife 1.30 hrs) - sunny and clear. The next morning the falls were covered in mist... tough on the group that had stayed the night with the plan to trek up then.
Of the gift shops the one nearest the airport was the most reasonably priced.
All in all we had a great visit. We had a great time.
If you are looking to experience Costa Rica's rainforest, but like to be away from hordes of tourist, this may be your place.
Set just outside Braulio Carrillo National Park getting there is part of the adventure. A very easy bus ride to Horquetas followed by a two hour jumpy tractor ride and another two hour walk through the forest.
Their accommodation goes from extremely basic, in the Casa de Guias, set 200 metres in the middle of the forest, with no electricity to a much more comfortable Lodge.
The walks around, guided by bilingual locals, or volunteers, are through some deep jungle and are everything you would ever should expect in this environment. You will hear a lot of noises, and you may see some birds, and your guide may find some snakes, monkeys, frogs or pacas. However, always remember animals are and should be shy of humans.
This is not Manuel Antonio, a tiny park where animals can't hide, this is proper jungle, but still showers, great food, beer, and some card games after trekking for a day... and if you are brave you can swim in the cold waters of the waterfall.
www.rara-avis.com/
This is my account of the day: adegreeaday.blogspot.com/2009/08/rara-avis-spiders-and-other-thrills.html
Last week we walked to Lago Pilato under Monte Vettore in Le Marche, an ancient glacial lake, where legend has it that Pontius Pilate drowned himself. Nowadays it is home to a unique freshwater shrimp.
The circular walk is 20km and quite a challenge in places, but the spectacular scenery makes it all worth while. We have walked various sections of the gran' Anello (a 120km ring) in the Sibillini Mountains of Marche. There is a great map for the area, the 1:25,000 scale Club Alpino Italiano map of Parco Nazionale Dei Monti Sibillini. You can buy it in any local tabacchi around the national park or buy it in advance via www.sibillini-walks.com/index.html.
There is also a guidebook that explains the nine-day route, but if not, try this link where you can buy it direct from the National Park emporio.parks.it/product_info.php
There are some great rifugi (refuges) that you can stay at: www.parks.it/parco.nazionale.monti.sibillini/Esog.php or eat at. Many of them are newly restored.
On our hiking holiday we ate at 3 rifugi at Monte Amandola, at Ragno near Pintura and Il Tribbio at Lake Fiastra and have to say that the food at all was superb.
If you contact the national park they will also arrange a guide if you need it. Alternatively, Spring CAI and the National Park organise excursions and treks. The CAI walks can be found on the board on the right in sarnano as you enter the centro storico. The national park guided walks are listed on this page and need to be prebooked via the email address. www.sibillini.net/chiedi_sibilla/indexVisiteGuidate.html
If you need more information, free walking itineraries or a lovely place to stay on the edge of the park try www.villasanraffaello.com/free-time/marche-hiking-walking.html
www.villasanraffaello.com/index.php
Sarnano, Macerata, Le Marche, Italy
This a website dedicated to self guided walks exploring the diversity of Lancashire's countryside. Through its use of digital photographs many of the routes described can be followed almost "virtually". For this reason the website will be particularly attractive to novice walkers. A theme of the website is that Lancashire's countryside is too easily overlooked because of its proximity to the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, and yet it provides wonderful walking.
I enjoyed a superb six-day walking holiday from St Ives to the Lizard with Western Discoveries. The customer service was lovely, the B&Bs very friendly and everything had a great personal touch. Russ, who runs the company, even took us out to see some of the region's stone monuments.
If you want to see the beautiful coastline of West Cornwall, I would recommend using Western Discoveries.
ww.westcornwallwalks.co.uk
01736 362763
Travels on Horseback is the only 'trail riding' company in England. It takes good riders out on great horses travelling across the countryside. You and your horse stay in a different hotel every night! It's such amazing fun and really, really good quality.
The riding (in the Quantocks in Somerset), is incredible. They also take people out for shorter rides (a couple of hours, day rides etc), again, just for good riders on good horses. This is what I did in April 09 and here's what I wrote about it as a testimonial for their own site:
It’s hard to believe that a simple two hour train journey out of London would take me to such breathtaking countryside. I’d booked a two hour trek with Kathryn and her stunning horses. I was instantly smitten when I mounted ‘Smooch’ right after grooming him (realising a childhood dream!).
The well-trained and happy horses clearly enjoyed their surroundings almost as much as me. We cantered up hills and through trees, trotted in the forest to the beat of a woodpecker pecking on a tree and strolled under the huge wingspans of buzzards flying overhead. As an Advanced Beginner, I learnt more about riding and horses in those precious two hours than on any riding lesson. Kathryn had responsive Smooch and me naturally entering in and out of canter from and to trot which was so wonderful. This is the best way to learn. I always felt safe too.
As a polluted Londoner, I felt as alive as Kathryn’s horses and smiled all the way home, fully revitalised and back in touch with glorious Mother Nature. I can’t wait to re-visit.
Yorkibar
Nearest station is Taunton. Their website is www.travelsonhorseback.com and the address etc is:
01278 438 794
07900 673 632
47 Farringdon
North Petheron
Somerset
TA6 6PF
A wonderful Berber house located in a remarkable location. Driving from Marrakech (just over an hour), you turn off the highway and begin to ascend a mountain road. Every bend and corner opens up a new vista and for a moment you wonder if it is even possible that there is a refuge in such a magnificently wild environment.
Another corner and there in front of you is the village of Tassa Ouirgane (1300 m) nestled into the mountainside above a wild river that tumbles from the heights above you. Through the village the road climbs again and then you arrive to where, perched on the mountainside, Dar Tassa awaits you.
At the door, Fatima and Hafida greeted us with the traditional dates and milk (and what sweet milk it was!). From the moment we entered the house we felt not like guests, but members of the family.
Walking, cycling, trekking and climbing are among the highlights, but also simply resting amidst the tranquillity and eating... Did we mention food? Fatima cooks up a storm and her skills mean that you don't simply end up with yet another tagine! The local honey is an absolute must!
www.dartassa.com
Tel +212 524484312
Marigha between Asni & Ouirgane
Bruar falls is full of plunge pools which are very refreshing to take a dip in after a long walk on one of the trails surrounding the falls. Bruar falls is near the House of Bruar.
8 miles from Pitlochry,Perthshire.Off the A9. www.walkhighlands.co.uk/perthshire/falls-of-bruar.shtml
A short 2.7 km family walk in beautiful Alto Alentejo countryside along ancient pathways with olive groves and cork oak trees.
Starting at the typical Alentejo village of Barretos, along cobbled roads which merge into ancient pathways only wide enough for donkeys and carts. As you look up you will see the dramatic, imposing town and castle of Marvão on the mountain rage of the "Serra de São Mamede". Continue and you will pass through the little sleepy hamlets of Vale do Milho and Fonte Salgueiro de Cima and finally returning to the village of Barretos.
This is a short walk recommended for families where there is an abundance of flora and fauna, from farm animals, including sheep and pigs to the wonderful Alentejo countryside of wild flowers and trees. Plenty to keep the kids occupied.
Treks and walks are possible for residents and visitors alike. Certainly the coast offers beauty beyond description but the forests and mountains, together with the villages and settlements contained within their folds, provide an experience that, unchanged by tourism, contrasts sharply with the local resorts.
Dar Tassa is a simply wonderful place in the Atlas Mountains near Marrakech.
A lovely place amongst beautiful surroundings, let alone the delicious food and drink!
With highly friendly, knowledgeable and English speaking hosts aiding the organisation of our trek, our trip was definitely one to remember.
We visited on reading about this wonderful place in the RyanAir magazine where Dar Tassa was voted in their Top 10 most Eco-Friendly places to visit that won't harm the planet, or your pocket.
With great value for money we will be returning to Dar Tassa for sure.
If you have already explored the beaches and Moorish antiquities of Andalucia, why not go inland and rural.
In the west of Andalucia in the province of Huelva is the area of the Minas de Rio Tinto - lunar geography, deserted old railway-line walks, dolmens and Roman remains: great walking territory.
We would particularly recommend the walks along the Rio Tinto and Rio Odiel, full of archaeological interest and natural beauty.
Best of all stay in a village such as Zalamea La Real, friendly, pretty and hardly a tourist in sight. For three years we have stayed in a Casa Rural, el Cortijo Zalamea, in fact the fully modernised barns of an old farm with orange groves. It is run by Marta and Mario who speak good English and are very helpful.
Furthermore, National Parks (Las Marismas in the South and Aracena in the North) are within easy driving distance. Buy a locally cured Jamon at El Villar before returning home.
El Cortijo Zalamea
Zalamea La Real 21640
Huelva
e-mail lopesigual@erasmas.net www.cortijozalamea.com
When travelling or trekking in sensitive places use a solar powered battery charger for cameras/ipods/gps to avoid battery waste – some treks in Nepal are littered with old AAs, and there’s no need nowadays. Solio sell a really neat foldaway one for about £50.
I was recently in Chiang Mai for a friend's wedding and we, as a private group, organised a day tour and elephant ride. We decided not to visit the normal elephant camps but a more remote camp that is south of Chiang Mai. It was just the wedding party along for a day of fun. We experienced an elephant ride through the real jungle trails - not the fixed circuit like at other places I have heard of while in Chiang Mai.
Then we arrived at the river where we had a blast poling down the river on pieces of bamboo strapped together. Some of the party ended up in the river while having water fights but the water is warm.
We then did the mandatory tourist thing and visited the hill tribes that were a fair hike to get to and the local people seemed happy to see us - not just the small vendors selling their handicrafts! We wondered around the village and surrounding rice paddies and saw the real tribal life. I am sure they seem hundreds of westerners a week but somehow they where still friendly and seemed to enjoy watching and trying to communicate with us as much as we did them.
I am so glad I did it - to think I thought it was too touristy to do, and almost didn't!
All I know is the area was called "Jomtong" and is about 50km from Chiang mai
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