Getting the flavour of…

Rewilding in the Apennines

Exodus Travels’ six-day Rewilding the Apennines adventure offers visitors a deep dive into the ecology of central Italy’s great mountains, says Andrew Purvis in The Daily Telegraph. With naturalists as your guides, you might spot wolves, golden eagles and rare Marsican brown bears in the national parks of Majella and Abruzzo, and there are visits to one of the five “coexistence corridors” between them, where efforts are being made to encourage wildlife migration while minimising conflict with humans. Accommodation is at the “characterful” Albergo Villino Quintiliani in Pescasseroli, and the trip ends with an ascent through one of Europe’s oldest beech forests to the “cosy, charming” Terraegna mountain refuge, for a slap-up meal with “superb” local wines at 6,234ft. The trip costs from £2,349pp including flights (exodus.co.uk).

Portugal’s magical castles

Of Portugal’s many great castles and fortified towns, none are more “magical” than those in Beira Alta, an “otherworldly”, little-visited region of “sun-bleached” plains in the country’s far northeast, says Paulo Anunciação in the Guardian. Trancoso is where the young King Dinis married Isabel of Aragon in 1282; today, it is a “sleepy” tangle of picturesque squares and narrow lanes set within mighty 13th century walls.

And Marialva, which was all but abandoned in the 18th and 19th centuries, is “hauntingly beautiful” too. For a “truly off-the-beatentrack” trip, explore the area in a motorcycle sidecar with Gusto Motorbikes and Sidecar Adventures (from s200 a day). And stay at Casa no Castanheiro, a “striking” new cabin with astonishing views of the Marofa mountains, or at Casas do Côro in Marialva or at Casa do Castelo in Sernancelhe.

A remote cottage on Eilean Shona

There are nine cottages on Eilean Shona, the island in the Western Highlands that is owned by Vanessa Branson, sister of Sir Richard. But only one, South Shore, comes with a “not for the faint-hearted” warning on its webpage, says Jeremy Lazell in The Sunday Times. A 45-minute walk or a boat trip away from the island’s main house, this one-bedroom croft has no electricity, Wi-Fi or mobile-phone signal. In fact, it is “pure Victorian cottage”, with gas lamps, magenta tongue-and-groove walls, faded Persian rugs and a stove you’ll need to tend if you want a warm bath. Some might not like the idea of such primitivism, but it is “unbelievably good for the soul”. Bring lots to read, and prepare for plenty of kayaking, walking and swimming in nearby Shoe Bay, with its “blindingly white” beach and fine views of Eigg and Rum. Seven nights cost from £1,200 for two (eileanshona.com).