Getting the flavour of…
Springtime in the Canaries
Only four hours by plane from the UK, Lanzarote is the perfect place for an easy “sunny springtime escape”, says Katie Bowman in The Sunday Times. While some parts of the Canary Islands have been spoiled by overdevelopment, Lanzarote’s coastal resort towns are “a far cry from Benidorm”, with their low-slung, whitewashed buildings. They are the result of a planning policy suggested in the 1960s by the architect César Manrique, whose own wondrous modernist creations, such as the Jameos del Agua (a concert hall in a volcanic cave complex) are well worth visiting. There are plenty of good beaches (the coves of the Playas de Papagayo are the most “spectacular”) and there is lots to do beyond them too, including “laid-back” wine tastings at local bodegas (Stratvs is particularly “stylish”), and visits to pretty villages such as Teguise, Yaiza and El Golfo, with its delightful seafront fish restaurants.
A gorge walk in the wilds of Crete
Known as the Gorge of the Dead because of its ancient Minoan graves, the Zakros gorge is one of the most “untamed” corners of Crete, and a great place to walk in the cooler months, says Heidi Fuller-Love in The Guardian. It lies at the island’s eastern tip, and the path through it forms part of the trans-European E4 hiking route. From the tiny seaside resort of Kato Zakros, it is a seven-mile hike to the head of the gorge, from which you might continue across the beautiful plateau of Mavros Kambos to the remote village of Vóri. If that is enough walking, there is a bus back. The gorge’s cliffs are “skyscraper high”. There’s nothing to disturb the peace except the “fierce whistle” of golden eagles, and the views down to the sea and the “once-magnificent” Minoan Palace of Zakros are superb.
Birdspotting on Sheppey
Recent lockdowns have fuelled interest in birdwatching – and a stay on the Elmley Nature Reserve in Kent is a great introduction to the activity’s pleasures, says Phoebe Smith in Condé Nast Traveller. Returned to natural methods of management by its owners 40 years ago, this family-run farm lies on the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary, and its 3,300 acres are a haven for wading and migratory birds, as well as birds of prey such as peregrine falcons, hobbies, merlins and four of the UK’s five species of owl. Guests stay in cosy and secluded shepherd’s huts, each of which has its own outdoor tub and firepit. Birdwatching tours with expert guide Abbie Burrows can be booked for different times of day, including dusk and dawn, when the reserve’s wildlife is at its most active. Huts cost from £130 per night; (elmleynaturereserve.co.uk).