Getting the flavour of…
A lofty perch in Portugal
Set on a ridge 500 feet above the Guadiana River, with “magnificent” views of the surrounding plain, Monsaraz was named as one of Portugal’s seven prettiest villages in a recent nationwide poll. Two hours’ drive east of Lisbon, it is “day-trip territory”, says Amanda Linfoot in The Times – but if you can stay longer, it’s well worth it. Stop en route in Évora, the handsome capital of the Alentejo region, and spend a night at the simple guest house of Dom Nuno in Monsaraz itself. There’s plenty to see here: a 13th century castle, the forbidding 16th century House of the Inquisition, a museum of frescoes; and, for longer stays, there are two beautiful rural retreats beside the vast Alqueva Reserve nearby – the “luxurious” São Lourenço do Barrocal, and the stylish new Montimerso Skyscape Country House.
A seaside stroll in Brittany
A natural harbour speckled with more than 30 islands on Brittany’s south coast, the Gulf of Morbihan is best known for its spectacular neolithic monuments and rock carvings. Explore it on a self-guided, five-day walking tour with KE Adventure, says Ben Lerwill in The Guardian, basing yourself at the family-run Parc Fétan hotel in the “likeable” seaside village of Larmor-Baden. Lush vegetation, bright flowers and the occasional passing hoopoe lend the gulf an “exotic” flavour, and the walks are gentle (“less K2 and crampons, more coffee and croissants”), taking you along coastal paths on the mainland and on some of the larger islands. The climax is a visit to Gavrinis, where there is a 6,000-year-old burial chamber, engraved with wavy lines and “psychedelic swirls”, that is one of Europe’s great treasuries of megalithic art. The trip costs from £510pp, excluding train travel (keadventure.com).
Bikepacking in Kent
Like backpacking, but on two wheels, bikepacking is cycling’s latest trend, and has set off an industry “arms race” to produce better bikes, bags and camping kit. Try it on Kent’s Cantii Way, says Simon Usborne in the Financial Times – a 150-mile loop around the east of the county recently mapped by the charity Cycling UK, and named after an Iron Age tribe. Easy to access by train from London via Ashford, it has some ugly stretches (near motorways, ferry ports and so on), but mostly follows bridleways and quiet roads through villages and along beaches, with highlights including Whitstable, Rye and the “forbidding” headland of Dungeness. For a guided or group tour and help with equipment, you could try the tour operator Pannier. See cyclinguk.org and pannier.cc for further information.