Getting the flavour of…
Sleeping with bears in Canada
There are numerous bear-viewing lodges along the coast of British Columbia, but few wildlife guides operate in the Canadian province’s “tough” interior. Of those that do, none is more experienced than Gary Zorn, a 72-year-old who has been tracking grizzlies since his youth, says Sarah Marshall in The Sunday Telegraph. He recently set up two “smart” safari-style tents on a floating pontoon on the Mitchell River, 50 miles from the nearest human settlement, in the spectacular Cariboo Mountains Provincial Park, where – as well as bears – you can see golden eagles, bald eagles and beavers. On the pontoon, guests glamp quite safely just yards from the grizzlies; and from it, they can walk with Zorn into grizzly territory: he knows all the “quirks” of the local bears and has never had to spray one. Discover the World (discover-the-world.com) has a trip from £2,796pp, excluding flights.
A glory of the French railway
Railway buffs take note: France’s much envied system is under threat, with its branch lines facing a thinning of the kind overseen by Dr Beeching here in the 1960s. Among those that could go is the Ligne des Causses, says John Lichfield in The Daily Telegraph. Running between Neussargues, in the heart of the Massif Central, and Béziers, near the Mediterranean coast, it passes through wildly contrasting landscapes (including the limestone plateaux of the Auvergne and the vineyards of Languedoc) and what feel like “different centuries” too. This is one of the world’s great rail journeys, and as trains run at less than 50 miles per hour, you can relish every single mile – but go soon, while you still can. The line is temporarily shut for maintenance in July and August. Visit sncf.com/en for information.
Overlooked Extremadura
Relatively few British tourists visit the Spanish region of Extremadura – a threehour drive from both Madrid and Lisbon – but it has wild landscapes, fine historic cities and wonderful food, says Carol Lewis in The Times. Mérida is famed for its Roman remains, and Cáceres and Trujillo are both sufficiently good-looking to have featured in
Game of Thrones. Cáceres in particular has a wealth of palaces, many of which are now open as museums. Foodies flock to Atrio, its Michelin-starred restaurant, but for those on tighter budgets, there are tapas bars which treat their food with “Michelin-style seriousness”. To atone for your gluttony, head out for a hike in the “spectacular” Los Barruecos natural park, with its “otherworldly” granite formations and lakes. Then consider driving on to the neighbouring Alentejo region of Portugal, which is more “rustic” and equally beautiful.