Starting in the Pentland Hills, The Water of Leith Walkway takes you through leafy Juniper Green along the old Colinton railway and Dell then through Edinburgh to the Firth of Forth. The full walk is 13 miles but for a half-day easy stroll you can start halfway at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre and get a view of the importance of this river to Edinburgh. Once boasting 70 mills producing paper, flour, snuff and textiles, it flows from the rural Pentland Hills through Edinburgh to Leith’s busy port.
Follow the meandering river downstream to the preserved Dean Village deep in a gorge spanned by Thomas Telford’s dramatic Dean Bridge. Here you can stop off at the Gallery of Modern Art. At Canonmills leave the trail for a visit to the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens.
The walkway passes through considerable woodland and the river flourishes with wildlife; brown trout, grayling, eels and otters have been seen. There are kingfishers, herons, wagtails and dippers. You may also see roe deer and otters.
End up with a visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia docked at Leith’s Ocean Terminal and immerse yourself in the bustling splendour of this great whaling and shipping port.

www.waterofleith.org.uk/
24 Lanark Road, Edinburgh EH14 1TQ
+44(0)131 455 7367
Google map: bit.ly/qb4oGh

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In Bayeux, as we started our walking holiday we were taken quite by surprise by this memorial to journalists of all nations killed in combat zones since 1946. Along each side of a pathway through a wooded park are engraved memorials, one for each year since it was opened. To date there are an astonishing 2000 names recorded. Opposite the huge British Cemetery it was a quiet reminder to us of the true cost of knowing about conflicts and that there have been and are ongoing wars.
We did the Mulberry March with Belle France and stayed at the Hotel Lion d'Or.

www.bellefrance.co.uk/holidays/68/mulberry-march/
www.liondor-bayeux.fr/

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From east to west the Crinan is best. Here you can walk from Loch Fyne to the Sound of Jura along the nine-mile channel through which ocean-going yachts, kayaks, cruisers and even an original Clyde puffer take the short cut through the Kintyre peninsula to the Western Isles. Stop midway at the three-star Cairnbaan Hotel for lunch and watch the canal traffic negotiating the locks. Then complete your walk and stay or dine in the Crinan Hotel, the internationally known seafood restaurant and meeting point for sailors from all parts. End the day with the sun setting in the west over Jura. The walk is flat and easy going and there is lots to see in this quiet and beautiful part of Scotland.

See scottishcanals.co.uk and walkhighlands.co.uk for more information. www.cairnbaan.com, www.crinanhotel.com

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From East to West the Crinan is best. You can walk from Loch Fyne to the Sound of Jura alongside a nine-mile channel through which ocean-going yachts, kayaks, cruisers and even an original Clyde puffer take the short cut through the Kintyre Peninsula to the Western Isles. Stop midway at the three-star Cairnbaan Hotel for lunch and watch the canal traffic negotiating the locks. Then complete your walk and stay or dine in the Crinan Hotel, with known for its seafood restaurant and as a meeting point for sailors. End the day with the sun setting in the west over Jura. The walk is flat and easy going and there is lots to see in this quiet and beautiful part of Scotland.

scottishcanals.co.uk, walkhighlands.co.uk.
cairnbaan.com, 01546 603668,
crinanhotel.com, 0154683 0261

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If you know traditional Spain and industrial Bilbao in the Basque Country, the MiroHotel will come as complete surprise. Although, sitting across the road from Frank Gerhy's Guggenheim Art Museum maybe it shouldn't because it fits right in. Designed by fashion designer Antonio Miro this boutique hotel is a haven of art and relaxation. Although it is new it has traditional Spanish values and is friendly and relaxed. The view is pretty fantastic too. From our window we had a view of the Guggenheim and the hills beyond.

www.mirohotelbilbao.com
Alameda Mazarredo,77, 48009 Bilbao
+34 94 6611880
info@mirohotelbilbao.com

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