Getting the flavour of…
Poland’s Riviera To those accustomed to the Mediterranean, “the very idea of a Polish Riviera” may seem laughable, says Kamil Tchorek in The Guardian. But it can get very hot in the autumn, when the sun, low in the sky, casts a pinkish “amber light” that warms the land. The seaside town of Sopot, on the Baltic coast near Gdansk, is a “refined sort of place”. A spa town with some fine architecture, it has a wooden pier that is the “longest in Europe”, and is pleasantly free of the normal fairground rides and slot machines. And taking a walk on the beach, a golden stretch of sand fringed by dunes and wild roses, the air is so “sweet” and clean, it’s like “trying on a nice new pair of lungs”.
Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies to Gdansk. Hotel Rezydent (www.hotelrezydent.pl) has doubles from £90.
Searching for bears in Macedonia Some 70% of Macedonia is covered by mountains, and this ruggedly beautiful place is so untamed that wolves, lynx and bears still roam in its wildernesses, says Lyn Hughes in Wanderlust magazine. A five-day tour takes in a “trio” of Macedonia’s national parks – Mavrovo, Galicica and Pelister – and enables you to join parkkeepers in their bear conservation work, studying prints and monitoring camera traps. At Pelister, there’s an infrared camera for night-time surveillance. You may not be lucky enough to see a bear, but “the thrill of the search”, across lakes, up mountains and through “wild and pristine” forest, is certain to leave a “lasting impression”. Balojani (www.balojani.com.mk) runs the Bear Conservation Study Expedition, from s645pp.
Etna on horseback The Transiciliana is no “idle” riding trail, says Saskia Burgess in the Financial Times. On this six-day, 150-mile crossing of Sicily, you’re in the saddle for six hours a day; and the trip ends with an ascent of Etna, Europe’s tallest active volcano. Some fitness is required, but the ride is “benignly” gentle, starting off in oregano-scented hills where the only sound is the “agreeable racket” of cowbells. The pace is slow, and the accommodation varied, from rustic forest lodges to a gleaming ex-mafia-owned villa. The route takes you through nature reserves, and along wooded trails; at first Etna seems “unreachably remote”, then, suddenly, you’re there. The further up you climb, “the more forbidding” the terrain becomes. A “black hill resembling a plum pudding upon which nothing grows”, it has an eerie beauty.
Rideworldwide (01837-82544; www.ride worldwide.com) has week-long tours from
s1,640pp, including accommodation, equipment, guides and transfers from Catania.