Mountains by water
Why this is the month to do it
We walk around mountains near sea level all the time, so you might not expect floating at roughly the same height to be as profoundly different an experience as it is. But seeing hills by boat is not much like doing it on land at all. The moment you push off from the shore, the landscape changes. Now you’re really travelling through it, the prow cutting its mirrored reflection into curves. From down here, small hills appear huge and big ones breathtakingly domineering. You’ll find coves and hidden beaches that are undiscoverable any other way, and sneak through nature with low disturbance. Factoring a canoe journey into a major trip has logistical demands but it’ll pay off the moment you float away, or simply hire one for the afternoon. We don’t often vindicate staying at water level, but in this case...