Getting the flavour of…

A stately tour of the Broads

Navigating the tree-lined inland waterways of the Norfolk Broads in a traditional wherry is an introduction to the pleasures of a simpler, “slower” age, says Richard Woods in The Sunday Times. Few of these old sailing barges survive, but the charity Wherry Yacht Charter (WYC) in Wroxham owns five magnificent, recently restored examples, all built for leisure between 1905 and 1927. One, Hathor – originally owned by the Colman family, of mustard fame – is decorated with “intricate” marquetry depicting Egyptian symbols; two others, Ardea and White Moth, have pianos in their saloons. Norfolk’s “big-sky landscape” adds to the appeal, and although the views are sometimes marred by an excessive number of “ageing white plastic motorboats”, with more than 120 miles of the Broads to explore, you can get away from the crowds. Scheduled day sailings are £50pp, and private charters for up to 12 start at £400 a day (wherryyachtcharter.org).

The Riviera chez Le Corbusier

For admirers of modernist architecture, a visit to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the Côte d’Azur is a rare treat, says Jon Bryant in The Guardian. This is one of the Riviera’s wilder and more bohemian stretches: its past residents include W.B. Yeats, Jacques Brel and Romain Gary. The architects Eileen Gray and Le Corbusier were also huge fans, and both designed buildings here that have recently been restored and opened to the public. Built in the late 1920s, Gray’s Villa E-1027 is like a cruise liner, “sharp-edged in concrete and glass”, and is filled with reproductions of her chrome, glass and leather furniture. And at the opposite end of pebbly Plage du Buse is Le Cabanon, a simple holiday cabin with a yellow parquet floor that embodies “the essence of Le Corbusier’s design philosophy”. Visits must be booked in advance (capmoderne. monuments-nationaux.fr).

Walking in wild Portugal

Portugal’s only national park, Peneda-Gerês, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Located in the far northwest of the country, it is a glorious landscape of low granite mountains, lonely hamlets and oak forests where wolves and wild horses roam, says Sarah Baxter in The Daily Telegraph. You can explore it on a week-long Inntravel walking holiday, with daily luggage transfers making the going easy. The route follows old shepherds’ paths and pilgrims’ trails from the village of Soajo, via the “bustling” spa town of Gerês, to the Pousada Mosteiro de Amares, a 12th century monastery beautifully converted into a hotel. Along the way are some grand churches, including the baroque Santuário da Nossa Senhora da Peneda, but little else to disturb the peace beyond the “gurgle” of rivers and the lowing of “twisty-horned” cachena cows. See inntravel.co.uk for further information.