Getting the flavour of…
Driving a steam train in Poland
For “gricers” – as railway enthusiasts are known – driving a steam train is a dream. And it’s one that can be realised on the last scheduled, standard-gauge steam train service in the world, says Martin Fletcher in the FT. The Wolsztyn to Leszno line looked doomed in 1997 until a British fan, Howard Jones, flew out to western Poland to rescue it, with funds raised from fellow gricers back home. Today, he runs “footplate courses”, on which guests ride in the cab on the twice-daily service, helping the local engine drivers by pulling levers, turning handles, shovelling coal and blowing the whistle as the train plies its 30-mile route. It feels like interacting with a living being – a gargantuan, firebreathing “dragon” – and it is extremely “grimy” and complicated, but “thrilling” too. A week, including four round-trips, costs from £1,785 (thewolsztynexperience.org).
The pilgrim’s path across Sicily
Recently revived by locals, with new signs and a special “passport” to be stamped along the way, the 112-mile Magna Via Francigena pilgrimage path runs between Sicily’s north and south coasts, from Palermo to Agrigento. It’s a wonderful way to discover the great island’s hilly western heartlands, says Sarah Barrell in National Geographic Traveller, and its beautiful medieval towns. These include Corleone (“stacked spectacularly across tabletop mountains and plunging canyons”), Racalmuto (with its “shiny boutiques” and “palm shaded piazzas”), Grotte (nearly abandoned, but recently transformed by mural painters into a “vast outdoor gallery”), and Aragona (home to a splendid castle and several Gothic churches and ecclesiastical museums). Go in the spring, when temperatures are mild and wildflowers are in bloom, and leave time to visit the spectacular ancient Greek remains in Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples. UTracks has an eight-day trip from £870pp (utracks.com).
A family riding holiday in Wales
Trail-riding holidays for inexperienced adults and children are hard to find in the UK, for reasons including the risk of injury and the cost to providers of keeping suitable horses. But the tour operator Far and Ride offers a lovely three-night break in Wales that’s geared to all ages and abilities, says Ellen Himelfarb in The Sunday Times. It is based at Springhill Farm in the Ceiriog Valley, near Oswestry, and includes four days of hacks, lessons and rides for groups of up to six, with accommodation in “modest but cosy” cottages with kitchens stocked with fresh eggs and home-baked cake. “Clip-clopping along ancient bridleways” through this “rolling Welsh pastoral scene” is a delight. The break costs from £385pp, b&b (farandride.com).