Where tourists seldom tread, part 8: five more towns with hidden treasures
The Guardian » Travel » Scotland
by Chris Moss
1M ago
Port Talbot, Rochdale, Wick, Croydon and Kettering – we continue our series on places the guidebook writers skip Where tourists seldom tread, parts 1-7 Port Talbot recently returned to the spotlight, when Tata Steel announced electrification and layoffs last month and the BBC broadcast Michael Sheen’s television series The Way this week. Politicians and foreign companies can shut down entire towns with impressive equanimity when the factories they are mothballing and the lives they are destroying are invisible. Port Talbot, however, would seem hard to ignore. As you approach on the M4, which u ..read more
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More than a Highland fling: making wedding rings on a romantic Scottish holiday
The Guardian » Travel » Scotland
by Ailsa Sheldon
1M ago
A beautifully decorated bothy amid ancient pinewoods in the Caledonian Forest is the setting for a relaxing creative break Blanketed by snow, the forest is almost silent, with only the muffled crunch of boots, my frosty exhale and the occasional creak of laden branches. Low sunlight dazzles, glinting off curls of silver birch bark and branches festooned with lichen like forgotten tinsel. Ahead of us on the trail there are footprints of roe deer and red squirrel. This is Abernethy Forest, at 4,000 hectares the largest remaining section of the great Caledonian Forest that once covered much of Sc ..read more
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On the whisky trail: a weekend of wee drams in Moray Speyside, Scotland
The Guardian » Travel » Scotland
by Emma Gibbs
2M ago
The region between the Cairngorms and the Moray Firth is rightly famous for its whisky, but that is just one of its many charms The world outside my sleeper-train compartment was black and white: trees with feather-like branches silhouetted against snowy fields; the grey stretch of the A9 and then the sleek steel of a river; white candy-floss clouds against an ever paler sky. By the time I was in my hire car, driving east from Inverness, colour was slowly returning to the landscape, though the hills beneath the milky sun were still cloaked in snow. I was heading for Moray Speyside, edged by th ..read more
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Ale and hearty: 10 of the best UK country pubs for a winter weekend
The Guardian » Travel » Scotland
by Annabelle Thorpe
2M ago
From the wilds of Exmoor to the blustery beaches of Northumberland, these characterful pubs offer walks on the doorstep, a pint by the fire, dinner and a bed for the night In the summer months, Tarr Steps heaves with families and visitors who come to cross the medieval clapper bridge that spans the River Barle. But in winter the woodland is tranquil, with lovely walks to the picturesque village of Dulverton. The Tarr Farm Inn – set right by the Steps – dates back to the 1600s, with nine comfortable rooms that come with fluffy bathrobes and Egyptian cotton, and homemade biscuits and fresh milk ..read more
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A light in the dark – traditions to brighten winter’s darkness, from Greenland to Antarctica
The Guardian » Travel » Scotland
by Nancy Campbell
3M ago
There’s joy to be found in the darkest winter months, and people living in cold places use a variety of rituals to celebrate the lack of light – and its eventual return These long evenings at the year’s turn, when dusk seems to fall just after lunch, take me back to the extreme polar night I spent on a small, rocky island off the west coast of Greenland a few winters ago. The inhabitants of the Upernavik archipelago have no sight of the sun from late November to January. When I received the email inviting me to work in the artist’s “refuge” at the island museum – described as the most northerl ..read more
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Bonnie Berwick: history and good living on the Scottish coast
The Guardian » Travel » Scotland
by Emma Cook
3M ago
Sandy beaches, glorious vistas and a bustling high street add to the charm of this pretty seaside town just half an hour from Edinburgh The first surprise is that a half-hour trip by train from Edinburgh to North Berwick is really as far as you need to go for a taste of Scotland that is elemental and remote, a place of windswept beaches, stunning coastal walks and panoramic views. The West Coast and the Highlands may be more extreme, but then so is the journey to get there. This, by contrast, is an easier but no less enjoyable adventure. We take a sleeper train from London’s Euston, tip out on ..read more
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‘So good I went five times’: travel writers’ favourite discoveries of 2023
The Guardian » Travel » Scotland
by Guardian Staff
3M ago
We asked 23 Guardian travel writers to share their best experiences of 2023, from elegant spas and an art deco cinema to a new ‘megalith’ and a futuristic hotel There are many places where you expect to see jaw-dropping architecture, but the quiet Brittany countryside isn’t one of them. As we walked toward Hotel l’Essenciel (not a typo, ciel means sky) with its 36 rooms, or “nests” suspended around its central structure, with the flying-saucer shaped restaurant La Table des Pères at its foot, I had to wonder if I’d stepped into a parallel universe or on to another planet ..read more
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Highland refuge: Scotland’s serene, socially-conscious hideaway
The Guardian » Travel » Scotland
by Rhiannon Batten
4M ago
A beautiful new holiday let with an unusual ethos offers solitude, space to reflect, brilliant walks and views to the Isle of Skye As I totter across a little footbridge in the gloaming, the water below takes on a treacly sheen, slithering out to sea in the fading light. Ahead, over marshy tussocks, the outline of a ruined barracks looms out of the mist and some lights flicker on in the little red-roofed cottage beyond it. A bank of rain is chasing me over the bog. It catches me just as I reach the village’s (closed) inn so I turn and sprint back to my holiday cottage, Taigh Whin, as the delug ..read more
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Waterfront wonders: 10 glorious lakeside winter stays around the UK
The Guardian » Travel » Scotland
by Annabelle Thorpe
4M ago
From romantic hideaways to fun-filled activity centres, a few days by the water is the perfect seasonal tonic Spectacular views come as standard at this comfortable home set on the banks of Loch Lochy on the outskirts of Fort William. Opposite the house, the auburn slopes of the Great Glen rise up above the loch, with the Nevis Range – offering breathtaking hiking and skiing – just 15 minutes’ drive away. The house sleeps six, with an open-plan living space and outdoor decked area complete with patio heater, making it possible to cosy up outside and enjoy the views even on the wintriest of day ..read more
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From stargazing to a festival of fire: five activities to light up the UK’s dark winter months
The Guardian » Travel » Scotland
by Nick Acheson, Rhiannon Batten, Mike MacEacheran, Wyl Menmuir and Peter Ross
4M ago
Travel and wildlife writers share their favourite places to revel in the dark of winter “We,” says the Brocher, face lit by fire and dark with soot, “have creosote in our blood.” In their blood, on their hats, on their boots, down their backs – the Brochers, and in particular the Clavie Crew, have creosote everywhere, except in their whisky. They take that with water, a substance they otherwise disdain as being fine for quenching a thirst but a terrible thing to allow near a bonny flame ..read more
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