The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
MARTIN CLUNES MY LIFE IN TRAVEL
The actor and presenter on dodging poachers in Kenya and getting a little too close to amorous Californian sea lions
RUTTING SEA LIONS look like they’re having a fight. I’ve spent much of the past 12 months filming, exploring America’s islands and got incredibly close to a colony of seals and sea lions on California’s Channel Islands. We had to hide in these odd, sand-coloured boxes on wheels, which were designed to stop them from seeing you. At one point we were literally 2ft away, which was a real treat.
ALASKA BLEW ME AWAY big time. Flying into Kodiak, with its pinetopped hills, snowy peaks and extraordinarily crystal-clear lakes was like something from a film.
I CRIED WHEN MY FRIEND MUGIE THE LION WAS KILLED by hyenas. I was in Kenya filming a documentary about lion rehabilitation where the idea was to teach him to hunt on his own, but he didn’t make it. I’d spent three years getting to know him, so it was heartbreaking when he died. He used to look at me intently – so much so that the guys who were with me had to block his path and gently coax him away.
MY DAUGHTER HAD AN EVEN CLOSER ENCOUNTER WITH BIG CATS in South Africa. We were in the back of an open-top Rover and came across a pride of lions. Emily started crying and immediately all the lions’ ears pricked up. They recognised the sound of a young creature that was potential prey. Safe to say, the driver put his foot down.
I WAS ALMOST HUNTED BY POACHERS while filming in Kenya. A guard had pinpointed a hunted elephant’s corpse on his GPS, which we [the film crew] decided to find. The director and I – following our guard on foot – got entangled in a thorn bush during the search. As our guard vanished into the distance, we heard goat bells – the telltale sound of local AK47toting Somali hunters. I don’t know what would have happened, but we certainly got out of the thorn bush as quickly as we could.
I USED TO LOVE VISITING THEME PARKS but I’m no longer a fan of roller coasters. While filming Islands of America I spent a day on this rickety old wooden roller coaster in Coney Island, New York. Young Martin would have loved it, but I’m well over 6ft now, so I was petrified and kept picturing myself being decapitated by one of the wooden beams inches above my head.
THE PELOPONNESE ISLANDS WERE FANTASTIC last summer. We visited an island called Kilo, which was beautiful. There were no cars, only donkeys, but it was really picturesque and brought me back to holidaying in Greece as a teen. Then, I’d fly to Athens, get on a boat at Piraeus and head out to one of the islands. It didn’t matter which – the welcome was always lovely.
MY FAVOURITE RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD is Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant in Padstow, Cornwall. I love the whole experience: the ferry-ride across from Rock, the dining room and the service. I’ve been countless times and have never had a bad meal there.
I WOULDN’T RECOMMEND MONGOLIAN MUTTON. Once, when I was travelling with a family of nomadic Kazakhs, I was given the honour of ceremonially carving one up. I remember cutting through this soft bit of muscle around the top of the scalp – no eyes were involved, thank goodness – and passing it on to one of the elders. Then we had to wash down the water the ewe had been boiled in with some fermented mare’s milk. I’d rather not have gone through with it but would have caused offence if I’d refused.
FOR HOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR you cannot beat The Peninsula in Beverly Hills. Breakfast is served beside the rooftop pool with hummingbirds
SHOES
Salomon make really good mountaineering boots with grip so strong you can walk up a wall in them. £110; www. salomon.com
SUITCASE
I go everywhere with my trusted suitcase, Bluey. He has an indestructible, hard shell and has accompanied me for years. We’re quite emotionally connected now. £249, samsonite.co.uk buzzing around the pot plants and every bit of room service comes with a rose.
I CAME FACE TO FACE WITH A CAT-SIZE LIZARD in Malaysia. I was staying at the Datai Langkawi and one night I heard this weird barking noise in the restaurant, which turned out to be a lizard. The creature was eventually hooked off the ceiling by one of the waiters. Then, just as I turned off my bedroom lights, I heard another bark just by my bed. I turned the light on and found another lizard the size of a cat.
As our guard vanished, we heard goat bells – the telltale sound of AK47toting Somali hunters
I CAN’T STAND LONG TRANSFERS from the airport on short trips. So much so that on a recent, four-night wedding anniversary trip to Capri, I booked a helicopter to take
Philippa and me from the airport directly to the hotel.
LEARN HOW TO SAY ‘HELLO’, ‘THANK YOU’ AND ‘GOODBYE’ in every language. And smile. I do that wherever I travel and it makes a big difference.
starts on ITV1 on Feb 5 at 9pm