Getting the flavour of…
New England’s quieter cape Think of the Massachusetts coast, and chances are the “dreamy panoramas” of Cape Cod spring to mind. But there’s an equally beautiful stretch of coast just an hour’s drive from Boston – and it receives far fewer visitors, says James Dean in The Times. Featured in the movie Manchester by the Sea, Cape Ann is home to America’s oldest seaport, Gloucester, founded by English settlers in 1642. A charming huddle of colourful wooden houses around a “handsome” harbour, it is surrounded by similar settlements (such as Rocky Neck, an old artists’ colony), as well as wild dunes, marshland and “stunning” white sand beaches. There are also plenty of places to sample the Cape’s excellent seafood: try Latitude 43 (for tender sashimi) and Woodman’s, which has been serving fried clams since 1916. The Beauport Hotel (+1 978 282 0008, www.beauporthotel.com) has rooms from about £145.
A bird lovers’ paradise in Sweden Two hours’ drive north of Stockholm, the Sätra Brunn spa hotel is a “warm and welcoming” base from which to explore the wildflower-strewn marshes and forests of this part of central Sweden, says Brian Jackman in The Daily Telegraph. It’s a bird lovers’ paradise, and on a guided trip every day brings a new treat, from nesting eagle owls to “preposterous”, turkey-sized cock capercaillies preening and strutting to attract mates. But nothing can match the sight of a great grey owl (one of the world’s biggest owls, with a 5ft wingspan) floating out from the “fathomless gloom” of the pine forests at dusk, and alighting in a meadow, before drifting off again “as soundlessly as it had come”. Naturetrek (01962-733051, www.naturetrek.co.uk) has a guided four-day trip from £1,495pp, incl. flights.
Climbing in beautiful China With karst crags like upturned teacups towering over a patchwork of rice paddies, the landscape around Yangshuo is perhaps the loveliest in China. No wonder, then, that this little town, 50 miles from Guilin city, has become the adrenaline capital of Asia, says Cathy Adams in The Independent. Expert climbers come to scale immense rocks such as the Egg, and Moon Hill (like a mossy green arch, also great for abseiling); but there are routes for beginners, too. Kayaking down the Li River is a gentler pleasure. Downtown Yangshuo tends to be rammed with backpackers thronging around street-food stalls and speakers banging out trance music, but elsewhere you’ll find peaceful luxury hotels such as the Banyan Tree and the new Alila, due to open soon. Black Rock Climbing (+86 773 881 9656, www.blackrockclimbing.net) has half-day rock-climbing sessions from £34.