Getting the flavour of…
Cruising Canada’s Pacific coast
With its countless forested islands, fjords and “shark-tooth” mountains, the coast of British Columbia is spectacular and extraordinarily rich in wildlife. Explore it on a week-long expedition cruise with local experts Maple Leaf Adventures, says Mike MacEacheran in The Sunday Telegraph. With just 12 en-suite cabins, their 138ft-long catamaran MV Cascadia has been strengthened to reach wild coastal inlets inaccessible to other cruise ships, but also offers luxuries including topdeck hot tubs and three-course meals with wine pairings. Marine biologists lead trips in tenders and kayaks during which you’re highly likely to enjoy close encounters with orcas, humpback whales, dolphins, seals and Steller sea lions. There is also a visit to the Klahoose Wilderness Resort, where you can see grizzlies. Cruises start from £3,039pp (mapleleafadventures.com).
The wild side of Madeira
Isolated in the Atlantic 430 miles west of Morocco, the Portuguese island of Madeira is considered a sedate place. But its mountainous landscape is breathtaking, and lately, more adventurous visitors have been coming here too, says Rick Jordan in Condé Nast Traveller, to take advantage of opportunities for coasteering, mountain biking, hiking and surfing. The island’s cloud-wreathed peaks can feel like the Himalayas, but it is so verdant – colonised over centuries by tropical plants brought on passing ships – that its terraced mountainsides bring the likes of Vietnam to mind. It is no coincidence that it also has a flourishing food scene, with new restaurants including Peixaria and The Wanderer, where Selim Latrous creates “intricately beautiful” dishes with foraged ingredients. For outdoor activities, trymadeira-adventure-kingdom.com.
The deep peace of the Creuse
The Creuse is the second-least populated of France’s 96 départements, and the least visited – which is “crackers”, says Anthony Peregrine in The Daily Telegraph, because it is “marvellous”, and the essence of la France profonde. With rolling hills, forests and “expansive” moors, it is great for hiking and cycling, and it also has some delightful little towns. Be sure to visit the tapestry museum in Aubusson (more engaging than you might expect); La Souterraine, where the 12th century church has a Gallo-Roman crypt; and Boussac, which has a medieval château that is open to visitors, and a 19th century one which is now a superb hotel, La Creuzette. Be sure to stop at the Valley of Painters, a stretch of the Creuse river where Monet dashed off 24 canvases in 1889. For accommodation, see lacreuzette.fr, lesmaisonsdupont.com and domainedelajarrige.fr.