British Travel Journal | Autumn 2019

BRITISH TRAVEL

JOURNAL

AUTUMN 2019 | ISSUE 03

BritishTravelJournal.com

CITY | COAST | COUNTRY

take a

journey

EDINBURGH TO THE

CALEDONIAN FOREST

taste a

destination

AUTUMN FORAGING

HOLIDAYS

Interview

raymond blanc

CELEBRATES TWO BIG

MILESTONES THIS YEAR

£5.00

WIN

a luxury

short break

for two in

Exeter!

EVENTS ■ IDYLLIC DESTINATIONS ■ MICHELIN STAR RESTAURANTS ■ LUXURY HOTELS ■ NEW EXPERIENCES

WHICH IS THE MOST ICONIC

HOTEL IN THE UK?

#Siblingrivalry

CHEWTON GLEN, HAMPSHIRE

CLIVEDEN HOUSE, BERKSHIRE

THE LYGON ARMS, COTSWOLDS

11 CADOGAN GARDENS, LONDON

ICONICLUXURYHOTELS.COM

THE NEW TR ADITI O N

RESEIGH FOOKS BRAND AND PACKAGING DESIGN CLIENT: NOBLE ISLE STAGE 3 29th June 2011

EDITOR’S LETTER

C O N T R I B U T I O N S

BRITISH TRAVEL

JOURNAL


WELCOME

EDITORS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jessica Way

FEATURES EDITOR Samantha Rutherford

CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Angela Harding

EXPERT CONTRIBUTORS

FOOD & DRINK Chantal Borciani

ARTS & CULTURE Melanie Abrams

HISTORY & HERITAGE Robin Glover

SHOPPING & LIFESTYLE Emma Johnson

DESTINATION SPECIALIST Adrian Mourby

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE Max Wooldridge

OUTDOORS & EVENTS Emma Harrison

FRONT COVER IMAGE

Stag at Alladale Wilderness Reserve's

Glen Mohr, in the Caledonian Forest

Read our article, page 94

PUBLISHED BY

CONTISTA MEDIA

Mitchell House, Brook Avenue, Warsash,

Southampton, SO31 9HP

MAIN SWITCHBOARD 01489 660680

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KEEP IN TOUCH

BritishTravelJournal

WHEN I FIRST STARTED my role

as Editor, knowing I would be

covering entirely British travel

content, and giving up the more

exotic far-flung destinations, (which today seem to

dominate Instagram), I did wonder if there would

be enough to fill each issue from our relatively small

island. But as it turned out, I needn’t have feared!

As I hope this issue once again shows, we are

spoiled for choice living in the British Isles. There are

so many wonderful destinations to visit, whether on

a staycation or visiting from overseas, and I hope our magazine will inspire you to extend

your holiday - or book another!

Highlights this issue include a wonderful 48 hours in Alderney, p72, an epic journey

through the heart of Scotland, from Edinburgh to the Caledonian Forest p83, and finding

utter bliss at the new idyllic riverside luxury estate, Monkey Island, near Bray, p66.

A growing trend for environmental awareness and sustainability within travel runs

through our Autumn issue, from a leather brand using goat skins (that would otherwise

have been discarded) to create beautiful and unique travel accessories, p45, to a

hotel conservation project aiming to restore the ecology of Scotland, p94 - and an

announcement for the UK’s first-ever vegan hotel, p55.

Looking to join in the fun? Well, if there were ever a Wacky Olympics the UK would

top the medals every time, as our selection of weird and wonderful events, p22, reveals.

We go behind-the-scenes at Goodwood ahead of the vintage Revival p32 and feature a

fantastic selection of world-class outdoor art, p48.

We interview top chef, Raymond Blanc as he celebrates two milestones this year – his

70th birthday and the 35th anniversary of his hotel-restaurant, Belmond Le Manoir aux

Quat’Saisons, p36, get thirsty for English Sparkling Wine, p26, and find the best places

in the UK to go foraging, p56.

Together with our regular Travel News, p9, Cultural Agenda, p13 and Luxury Stays

p62, I hope this issue of British Travel Journal continues to enhance your upcoming travel

plans – and that you have a wonderful, and memorable, autumn! u

BTravelJournal

PROUD TO BE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

stage 3 - B&W detailed logo

Jessica x

Contista Media Ltd cannot accept responsibility for

unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs.

While every care is taken prices and details are subject to

change and Contista Media Ltd take no responsibility for

omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish

and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

Jessica Way, Editor-In-Chief

Jessica@britishtraveljournal.com

BritishTravelJournal.com 3

JOIN US BY THE SEA AND LET THE

ATLANTIC AIR FILL YOUR LUNGS

THEN EXHALE A NEWLY REVIVED YOU

RELAX WITH AN AUTUMN SPA BREAK AT SAUNTON

What better way to start the week than an escape to the North Devon

coast with a two-night midweek spa break?

Enjoy a two-night midweek stay inclusive of:

A 60-minute Source treatment (Limited edition autumn seasonal treatments available)

Full continental or English breakfast • Dinner on one evening • Full use of our hotel facilities

Daily fitness classes • 1.5 hours use of our Thermal Suite each day

from £245pp *

01271 890212 | reservations@sauntonsands.com | sauntonsands.co.uk |

*Price based on a Cosy Room, upgrades available

CONTENTS


36

09

32

C O M P E T I T I O N

43 WIN A

LUXURY

BREAK FOR TWO...

Don't miss your chance

to win a luxury two night

stay (for two people) in

Exeter. Prize includes

£150 to spend, dinner

at Carluccio’s, an Exeter

Cookery School course,

a Souvenir picture of

Exeter at Christmas, a

hamper of local produce

and much more!

JOTTINGS

09

TRAVEL NEWS

A look at what’s new, and travel

noteworthy, in the British Isles.

CULTURAL AGENDA

13 Dates for your diary of things you

don’t want to miss out on this autumn.

DEFYING GRAVITY

20 Spotlight on composer, and three

times Oscar winner, Stephen Schwartz.

10 OF THE BEST WACKY

22 BRITISH EVENTS

Mad, silly or just a bit different, if there ever

were a Wacky Olympics, the UK would top the

medals table every time, as this selection of

weird and wonderful events reveals.

FEATURES

26

IN SEARCH OF SPARKLING WINE

English Sparkling Wine is a fizzing

success. We take a look at the brands and

which wineries to visit.

REVIVAL READY: BEHIND THE

32 SCENES AT GOODWOOD

A creative hive of vintage style, racing

memorabilia and an infectious party

atmosphere.

INTERVIEW WITH

36 RAYMOND BLANC

Top chef celebrates two milestones

this year – his 70th birthday and the 35th

anniversary of his hotel-restaurant, Belmond

Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. à


E D I T O R

L O V E S

Briggs & Riley Sympatico Plum Case,

£449 from John Lewis and Harrods

briggs-riley.com

83

LIFESTYLE

45

BEHIND THE BRAND

We meet the founders of leather brand

Billy Tannery who use goat skins that would

otherwise have been discarded to create

beautiful and unique bags and accessories.

OUTDOOR ART

48 A fantastic selection of world-class

art in sculpture parks, beaches and gardens

which makes for a scintillating experience.

55 VICTUALS

Discover what’s new in the scene

of British hospitality, Michelin-star chefs,

restaurants, hotels and spas.

TOP PLACES FOR FORAGING

56 From spectacular coastlines to country

bounds, where to discover Britain’s wild larder.

15 LUXURY STAYS FOR LARGE

62 GROUPS

Stay in a beautiful historic manor house,

private estate lodge, or exquisite mansion,

large enough to cater for the entire family.

ITINERARIES

66

MONKEY ISLAND

Discover riverside delights at Monkey

Island Estate near Bray, an island idyll, less

than an hour from London.

48 HOURS IN ALDERNEY

72 From a Roman fort to uncrowded

beaches, sense the magic in Alderney, a warm,

peaceful and relaxing island escape.

TAKE A JOURNEY

83 Take a journey with us through the

heart of Scotland, starting in the buzzing

capital of Edinburgh, visiting Big Tree Country

before reaching Inverness, The Highlands and

last but by no means least, the Caledonian Forest.

REGULARS

44 SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe to British Travel Journal

today and receive the ultimate in travel size

luxury toiletries - worth £20!

FOR YOUR JOURNEY

98 Latest books, travel gadgets and our

British travel inspired crossword.

56

GIFT TO ALL

SUBSCRIBERS!

See page 44 for more or visit:

britishtraveljournal.com

/subscribe

44

6 BritishTravelJournal.com

DISCOVER MORE AT

On Tresco, 28 miles off the Cornish coast, autumn is all about

blustery walks on deserted beaches, steaming mugs of cocoa by the

log burner, and long days spent in the warmth of the Spa.

Discover time to be this autumn.

TRESCO.CO.UK/

AUTUMN

SPA & WELLBEING | ACCOMMODATION | ABBEY GARDEN | GALLERY | DINING

THE GREAT BRITISH ESCAPE!

STOKE PARK

Stoke Park is a luxury 5 AA Red Star Hotel, Spa and Country Club set within 300

acres of beautiful parkland and offers world-class sporting and leisure facilities.

FACILITIES INCLUDE:

• 49 Bedrooms and Suites

• Award winning Spa

• 27 hole Championship Golf

Course

• David Leadbetter Golf Academy

• 3 Restaurants and Bars, including

Humphry’s (3 AA Rosettes)

• 13 Tennis Courts (indoor, grass

and artificial clay)

• 2 Padel Courts

• Indoor Pool

• State-of-the-art Gym with Fitness,

Hot Yoga and Spinning Studios

hosting up to 50 classes per week

• Tinies Kids Club and Crèche

• Games Room

• Playground

For Hotel Reservations please call 01753 717171 or email reservations@stokepark.com

Stoke Park, Park Road, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire SL2 4PG | www.stokepark.com

TRAVEL NEWS

W H A T ' S N E W

Destinations | Renovations | Launches | Celebrations

ROCK AND ROLL

The first ever Hard Rock Hotel in the UK,

the original birthplace of the franchise,

has opened on the corner of Oxford Street.

hardrockhotels.com/london

DISCOVER THE UK’S NEWEST UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire has been granted the prestigious ‘UNESCO World

Heritage Site’ status, becoming the 32nd member of a prestigious UK list to include

Stonehenge, the city of Bath, Blenheim Palace, Hadrian’s Wall and the Tower of London.

The home of the Lovell Telescope, the world’s third largest steerable radio telescope, Jodrell

Bank is a working scientific observatory and a leading tourist attraction. First used to track

the Soviet Union’s Sputnik satellite – the world’s first artificial satellite – Jodrell now operates

the UK’s national e-MERLIN radio telescope and is the headquarters of the Square Kilometre

Array – a ground-breaking project to build the world’s biggest telescope. jodrellbank.net

SURF THE NEW WAVE

Launching first in Bristol, 'The Wave' pool

offers consistent safe waves using Wavegarden

technology, (with over 1,000 waves per hour!)

where everyone can safely surf and bodyboard.

thewave.com

FOR THE JOURNEY

WE LOVE

FEELING GOOD AGAIN

Following a recent multi-million-pound

investment and transformation into a luxury

resort, St Michaels Falmouth in Cornwall is proud

to unveil a spectacular new destination spa.

stmichaelsresort.com

TRYING SOMETHING NEW

Nine of England's National Parks (there's 15 in total)

are offering unique experience days, from climbing

in the Peak District to learning to sail on the watery

wonderland of the Broads National Park.

nationalparkexperiences.co.uk

Travelling with just

carry-on luggage, with

well thought-out features,

there are no long waits

at check-in, no lines at

baggage claim, and no

careless packing. (£350)

victorinox.com


TRAVEL NEWS

N E W !

IMAGE COURTESY OF ENGLISH HERITAGE © JIM HOLDEN

CASTLE HOWARD OPENS

A NEW SECRET ISLAND

One of Britain's finest stately homes, in

York, North Yorkshire, has opened a

new adventure playground, Skelf Island,

where the Skelves live! skelfisland.co.uk

DURHAM CATHEDRAL'S

CENTRAL TOWER REOPENS

You can now enjoy spectacular views

of the historic city of Durham and the

surrounding countryside by climbing the

tower's 325 steps. durhamcathedral.co.uk

NEW FOOTBRIDGE RESTORES LOST CORNISH CROSSING

For the first time in more than 500 years, the two separated halves of Tintagel Castle

will be reunited thanks to a daring new £5m footbridge unveiled by English Heritage,

allowing visitors to walk in the footsteps of the medieval inhabitants of the Cornish

castle – inextricably linked with the legend of King Arthur – and enjoy spectacular

coastal views not seen since the Middle Ages. Spanning a 190-foot gorge and with a

gasp-inducing gap in the middle, the bridge follows the line of the original route – a

narrow strip of land, long lost to erosion – between the 13th-century gatehouse on the

mainland and the courtyard on the jagged headland or island jutting into the sea. So

significant was this historic crossing that it gave rise to the place’s name, the Cornish Din

Tagell meaning “the Fortress of the Narrow Entrance”. english-heritage.org.uk/tintagel

INSTAGRAM HIGHLIGHT

"Tide coming in around the beguiling

Victorian Fort Houmet Herbé - such a

peaceful spot. Swipe to see the video!..."

instagram.com/britishtraveljournal

#britishtraveljournal

THE GRANTLEY

This new five-star luxury country resort hotel

and spa is set in a grand 17th-century house on

its own island! Situated between the elegant

Yorkshire towns of Ripon and Harrogate.

grantleyhall.co.uk

NESS WALK

On the banks of the beautiful River Ness, originally

a 19th century house, Ness Walk has opened

as new five-star hotel, the epitome of luxurious

Scottish living, shining a spotlight on Inverness.

nesswalk.com

See also

page 72


EXPERIENCE MORE...

...CITY BREAKS

We’ve selected and approved 50 of the best

independently owned luxury hotels and spas

around Britain for you to enjoy.

Call FREEPHONE 0808 250 3121 to request your

free directory or visit prideofbritainhotels.com

THE ART OF GREA T HOSPIT ALITY

Tulip Festival Mid

April to early May

Ancient Castle, Stately Home & Gardens

for more details, call 01903 882173

or visit www.arundelcastle.org

CULTURAL AGENDA

H O T T H I S S E A S O N

Exhibitions | Museums | Galleries | Shows

IMAGES © 2018 FOCUS FEATURES LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Words | Melanie Abrams

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

Downton Abbey

13 SEPTEMBER 2019

It’s been four years since Mr Carson, the butler,

closed Downton Abbey’s heavy door. Now, at last,

the Crawley family and their servants are back – and

expecting a visit from King George V and Queen

Mary in 1927. Among the balls, barbed one-liners

and magnificent parade, there’s a dilemma:

will Lady Mary finally leave the palatial nest?

focusfeatures.com

à


ZIZI STRALLEN AS MARY POPPINS AND CHARLIE STEMP AS BERT © SEAMUS RYAN

SIMON ANNAND: DAVID TENNANT - THE RIVALS

SIMON ANNAND: SHEILA ATIM,

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY

WHAT WE’RE SEEING

Antony Gormley

21 SEPTEMBER-03 DECEMBER 2019

Antony Gormley’s statues have become British

landmarks. Consider the steel Angel of the

North embracing Gateshead or Winchester

Cathedral’s contemplative figure in its crypt.

This autumn, the Royal Academy of Arts has a

sweeping retrospective from the late 1970s to

date. Innovative works include an Iron Baby in the

courtyard and a seawater and clay installation.

royalacademy.org.uk

George IV: Art and Spectacle

15 NOVEMBER 2019-03 MAY 2020

George IV is the centre of attention again as the

Queen’s Gallery celebrates his flamboyant style

through his extensive art collection. Formed whilst

Prince Regent from 1811 and king from 1820 to

1830, George IV acquired 2,917 masterpieces

from paintings to porcelain.

rct.uk/visit/the-queens-gallerybuckingham-palace

Mary Poppins

13 NOVEMBER-29 MARCH 2020

PREVIEWS FROM 23 OCTOBER

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Mary Poppins

lands on stage at the Prince Edward Theatre

this autumn. Zizi Strallen plays the nanny who

changes the Banks family with a spoonful of

sugar and more. Watch out for the Bird Woman

– she is Downtowns' singer, Petula Clark, back

on a West End stage for the first time in 20 years.

marypoppinsonstage.co.uk

Magic

19 OCTOBER 2019–19 APRIL 2020

An ambitious exhibition – exploring magic through

different cultures and over 200 objects. Discover

Guatemala’s devilish, drunken god, Maximón,

who people ask for protection or a husband to the

drum and rattle used locally for healing. For other

spiritual experiences, head to nearby Stonehenge

and Stanton Drew Circles and Cove.

bristolmuseums.org.uk

Simon Annand: The Half

07 SEPTEMBER 2019-01 FEBRUARY 2020

This new photography exhibition by one of the

UK’s leading portrait photographers, Simon

Annand, will showcase the rare and unseen

privacy backstage actors experience in the half

hour period before they hit the stage. The Half

will open at the Lawrence Batley Theatre – a new

multi-arts organisation in Huddersfield. Simon

has photographed the most recognisable faces

of stage, including Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench,

Daniel Craig and Jude Law. In addition, the

exhibition will showcase a brand-new selection of

photographs that have never been seen before,

of celebrities such as Gillian Anderson, Phoebe

Waller-Bridge, Ruth Negga and many more.

thelbt.org

Turner Prize

28 SEPTEMBER 2019-12 JANUARY 2010

What better gallery to host the Turner Prize than

the Turner Contemporary, both named after the


18 STAFFORD TERRACE, HALLWAY © THE ROYAL BOROUGH OF KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA/JUSTIN BARTON

MAGIC: MUD MASKS FROM THE ASARO PEOPLE OF

THE EASTERN HIGHLANDS, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

MAGIC: TAWERET AMULET. A STANDING HIPPOPOTAMUS

WITH A CROCODILE'S HEAD AND TAIL, EGYPT

BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL © 2018 GETTY IMAGES

ANTONY GORMLEY

18th century painter, JMW Turner?

In Margate, where the artist lived, this is the

sixth year the Tate has held the 35 year old prize

outside London. The exhibition of work by the

shortlisted artists – Lawrence Abu Hamdan,

Helen Cammock, Oscar Murillo and Tai Shani

– gives a snapshot of contemporary art today

with the winner announced on 3 December.

turnercontemporary.org; tate.org.uk

Death in Venice

21 NOVEMBER-06 DECEMBER 2019

Benjamin Britten’s last opera has a new

production at the Royal Opera House.

Tenor, Mark Padmore and bass-baritone,

Gerald Finlay star in this chilling opera, first

performed in 1973. Based on Thomas Mann’s

novella of a blocked writer obsessed with

youth, Death in Venice was also a 1971 Luchino

Visconti film, starring Dirk Bogarde.

roh.org.uk/productions/death-invenice-by-david-mcvicar

WHAT WE’RE DISCOVERING

18 Stafford Terrace

2 FOR 1 TICKET OFFER UNTIL 6 OCTOBER

From 1875, 18 Stafford Terrace was the

home of Victorian illustrator Edward Linley

Sambourne and his family and provides a rare

example of what was known as an 'Aesthetic

interior' or 'House Beautiful' style. The

Aesthetic Movement of the late nineteenth

century advocated the use of foreign or 'exotic'

influences in the decoration of the home. This

can be seen by the various Japanese, Middle-

Eastern and Chinese objects throughout the

Sambournes' home, housed alongside the

artist’s collection of drawings and photographs.

rbkc.gov.uk/subsites/museums.aspx

Apsley House

01 SEPTEMBER-03 NOVEMBER 2019

Home to the Dukes of Wellington since 1807.

An exhibition to 3 November reveals an intimate

take on the first duke.

english-heritage.org.uk

London Design Festival

14-22 SEPTEMBER 2019

A fantastic event, now in its 17th year, which brings

together designers from across the globe and

demonstrates the capital’s position as a powerhouse

for the creative industries.

londondesignfestival.com

BFI London Film Festival

02 -13 October 2019

Red carpets are rolling out across the capital as the

BFI London Film Festival unveils upcoming films.

Modern day whodunnit, Knives Out starring Daniel

Craig pinpoints its’ villain on 8 October. Whereas

Robert de Niro and Al Pacino unite on screen for

Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman on 13 October,

charting the American labour union leader, Jimmy

Hoffa’s disappearance. Documentaries and short

films complement the drama. Experiment with

venues like the arts hub, Rich Mix in Shoreditch,

home to comedy, music and more as well as film.

bfi.org.uk/lff


EMANUEL GAT – WORKS

WHAT WE'RE BOOKING

My Beautiful Laundrette

20 SEPTEMBER-09 NOVEMBER

The story of a gay British-Pakistani boy growing

up in 1980s London, turned My Beautiful

Laundrette into that decade’s seminal film.

Now it is having a stage reboot across northern

theatres, starting at Leicester’s Curve with

original music composed by 80s pop duo, the

Pet Shop Boys. Spiky, funny and ambiguous,

the film turned Daniel Day Lewis into a star

alongside the writer, Hanif Kureishi, who is also

penning this play.

curveonline.co.uk

Emanuel Gat – Works

09 NOVEMBER–12 NOVEMBER 2019

Israeli choreographers like Hofesh Shechter are

top dance talents right now. So after an eight

year hiatus, the UK return of Emanuel Gat’s

dance company to Manchester and London is

timely. The feisty six piece bill includes a work

with music also by Gat.

thelowry.com; sadlerswells.com

MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE JONNY FINES

AS JOHNNY & OMAR MALIK AS OMAR

LAURIE KYNASTON AS NICOLAS

AND JOHN LIGHT AS PIERRE

The Son

24 AUGUST-02 NOVEMBER 2019

The Son at the Duke of York’s theatre deals

with a hot topic by a hot writer – as Frenchman

Florian Zeller explores how divorced parents

deal with their son’s emotional unravelling

and its turbulent effects on the family. Like in

real life there are no easy answers and Zeller

presents it as it painfully is.

duke-of-yorks.theatre-tickets.com

IMAGES © JULIA GAT/MARC BRENNER


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CLIVEDEN LITERARY FESTIVAL

FOOD ROCKS

ELDRIDGE CLEAVER AND HIS WIFE JACQUES, PART

OF THE NEW 2019 SPOTLIGHT AT FRIEZE MASTERS

JONAS BROTHERS, JOE, KEVIN AND NICK

WHERE WE’RE PARTYING

Concours of Elegance

06 SEPTEMBER-08 SEPTEMBER 2019

Don a Brioni blazer or Erdem frock for the

vintage car extravaganza, Concours of Elegance

at Hampton Court Palace. As Silver Ghosts,

1920s sports cars and other rare models

chug past, there’s an unsettling throwback

vs modern clash. For pure contemporary

adventure, inspect today’s supercars or try

A. Lange & Söhne’s sleek watches for style.

concoursofelegance.co.uk

Frieze London

03 OCTOBER-06 OCTOBER 2019

The glittering art world descends on Regent’s

Park this October as Frieze fever spreads across

London. Over 160 galleries from 36 countries

will showcase their top notch contemporary

talent. Whilst neighbouring Frieze Masters

offers the classic complement with Old Master

oils, ancient artefacts and more.

frieze.com/fairs/frieze-london

CONCOURS OF ELEGANCE

Cliveden Literary Festival


Notorious as the backdrop to the 1960s

Profumo politico-sex scandal, Cliveden House has

a history of literary and political debate – with

Rudyard Kipling, Winston Churchill among the

house’s guests. Today’s speakers are equally agendasetting

– from Ben Okri to Jacob Rees-Mogg.

clivedenliteraryfestival.org

Food Rocks


For a local culinary experience, head to Lyme

Regis in Dorset for Food Rocks. Curated by

founder and fabled chef, Mark Hix, there are

demos by top chefs, cocktail masterclasses and

stalls with the region’s finest produce – gourmet

steak sourced from local herds, say. Save space

for the evening feasts. Nearby Town Mill is

worth a detour – with local work in galleries and

shops around a cobbled courtyard.

hixrestaurants.co.uk

WHAT WE'RE LISTENING TO

Happiness Begins

29 JANUARY 2020-06 FEBRUARY 2020

This year, we can’t get enough of the reunited

Jonas Brothers, Joe, Kevin and Nick. Whether

Joe’s two weddings to Game of Thrones’

Sophie Turner or their upbeat new album,

Happiness Begins, released over the summer.

Our favourite tracks are Sucker for the edgier

rhythms and dance-y, Only Human. Roll on

2020 – as they perform live nationwide.

jonasbrothers.com

WHAT'S NEW?

Sutton Hoo

NEW NATIONAL TRUST SITE NOW OPEN!

Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge in Suffolk, is one

of the most important archaeological sites in

the world and the 7th-century burial mounds,

excavated from the late 1930s onwards, have

revealed items including the iconic Sutton


SUTTON HOO HELMET AND SHIP SCULPTURE

BOOGIE WALL

Hoo helmet that have helped shape our

understanding of the origins of English history.

This awe-inspiring Anglo-Saxon royal burial site

has been through an incredible transformation,

thanks to a £4 million investment – the biggest

investment the National Trust has ever made!

The experience for visitors to the site is to bring

the story of a spectacular King’s ship burial

and his treasures to life. Visitors are greeted in

the Courtyard with a full-size, 27-metre long

sculpture representing the Anglo-Saxon ship

buried there, whilst the Exhibition Hall and

Tranmer House, the former home of Edith

Pretty, offer dramatic new displays, installations

and immersive experiences. There's also River

View walking trail, a new-look King's River Café

and the brand new Keepers' Café. Later this

autumn, the final part of the project will include

a 17-metre high observation tower, offering

birds-eye views across the Royal Burial Ground

to the wider landscape.

nationaltrust.org.uk/sutton-hoo

Tintagel Bridge

BRIDGING THE GAP!

As featured in our Travel News, p10, Tintagel

Castle, North Cornwall, is one of the most

spectacular historic sites in Britain. But the path

to the castle has long been challenging, with over a

hundred steps winding towards to the cliff-top

ruins. So they've built a new footbridge, recreating

the historic crossing from the mainland, over the

190-metre drop between the two cliffs.

english-heritage.org.uk

Boogie Wall

NEW ALL-FEMALE FOCUSED GALLERY

Beginning with an explosive group show Notre

Dame / Our Lady (4 October – 27 October)

Boogie Wall will launch during Frieze, creating a

platform for innovative contemporary art, where

artists can push the boundaries of their mediums,

experiment new ideas to highlight the constant

change in cultures and society.

boogie-wall.com

WHAT WE'RE READING

English Gardens

01 OCTOBER 2019

Leafing through Rizzoli’s new book on

English Gardens by Kathryn Bradley-Hole is

a colourful way to find an alternative Britain.

Head to Salisbury for Heale House’s Japanese

garden, say, or the Isles of Scilly for Tresco

Abbey’s subtropical setting. The useful visitor’s

information and map explains where to go

when as some of these exotic gardens open on

certain days, by appointment or even for B&B.

rizzoliusa.com


SPECIAL FEATURE

DEFYING GRAVITY

Spotlight on composer Stephen Schwartz

PICTURED LEFT-RIGHT: STEPHEN SCHWARTZ; PRINCE OF EGYPT CAST; WICKED'S ALISTAIR BRAMMER

(FIYERO) AND NIKKI BENTLEY (ELPHABA) IMAGES © DWA LLC/ DARRENBELL/MATT CROCKETT

BY 1976, WHEN HE WAS JUST 28 YEARS OLD, Stephen

Schwartz had three hit musicals playing side by side on

Broadway – Godspell, Pippin and The Magic Show. That’s

a rare achievement, although he had actually made his

Broadway debut ahead of all of them in 1969 when he was only 21,

with a song he contributed to a play called Butterflies Are Free.

He’s come a long way since then, including three Oscar wins for

his film work, but there was a long gap between that early wave

of Broadway successes in the mid-1970's before he had another

Broadway triumph with Wicked nearly 30 years later in 2003.

It was Schwartz’s childhood dream to be a musical theatre

composer and lyricist. But not all dreams come true, and he was going

to be a psychologist if it didn’t work out. One of Schwartz’s big breaks

came with a call from Disney who were looking for a writing partner

for Alan Menken for his scores for animated features. It was an offer

he couldn’t refuse. Together they did Pocahontas (1995, for which he

won two Oscars), followed by The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996),

again written with Menken for Disney, then The Prince of Egypt for

Dreamworks (1998, for which he wrote both music and lyrics and won

a third Oscar for best original song for When You Believe).

A brand-new stage musical of The Prince of Egypt will begin

performances at London’s stunningly refurbished Dominion Theatre

on Wednesday 5 February 2020 for a limited 32-week engagement.

Luke Brady and Liam Tamne will lead the cast as ‘Moses’ and ‘Ramses’

respectively, with Christine Allado as ‘Tzipporah’ and Alexia Khadime

as ‘Miriam’ and with further casting to be announced.

Stephen Schwartz also wrote the music and lyrics for global hit

Wicked which opened on Broadway in 2003, where it has run ever

since. It transferred to the West End’s Apollo Victoria in 2006 and

defied his own expectations with more than 7.5 million people having

now seen it in London. The show’s London executive producer Michael

McCabe pointed out that the sheer volume of people coming through

the doors in such a big theatre means that 18,000 people a week are

having a remarkable time.

The show is famously a production that resonates particularly as a

story of female empowerment. As David Stone, one of the producers,

has famously been quoted as saying, “We all have that green girl

inside of us”. And, for young women, that story has not been told too

often in their terms. There are a lot of aspirational male stories, but not

so many for women. u

Ü FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRINCE OF EGYPT AND WICKED SEE WWW.THEATRE.LONDON


10of the best

WACKY

BRITISH EVENTS

Mad, silly or just a bit

different, if there ever were

a Wacky Olympics, the UK

would top the medals table

every time, as this selection

of weird and wonderful

events reveals

Words | Max Wooldridge


Brompton World Championships

1

O N Y O U R B I K E

With a strict heritage dress code, and

qualifying heats held in cities around the

world, the final takes place around St James Park,

London every summer – around 600 competitors

with prizes for the fastest and best dressed.

brompton.com/events

L A W N M O W E R L E G E N D S

12-Hour Lawnmower Race

2

For a grassroots British Grand Prix a world away from the pomp and silly money of

Formula One, head to the 12-Hour Lawnmower Race at Five Oaks, near Billingshurst,

West Sussex, in early August. This is cutting edge motor sports at its finest, with a Le Mansstyle

grid start at 8pm, followed by 12 hours of racing through the night. The drivers, with no

form of suspension other than a padded seat, take it very seriously. In fact, the first race in

1978 was won by no less than racing legend Stirling Moss. blmra.co.uk

T H E B E S T L I N K S C O U R S E I N S C O T L A N D

World Hickory Golf Championships

3

Brassies, mashies and putters meet classy plus fours at Kingarrock in Scotland, the UK’s

only remaining Hickory Golf Course, formed in 1924. Get back to stylish basics and nearly a

century in time when golf relied on technique rather than technology.

worldhickoryopen.com

E G G S A N D N E T T L E S

Egg Throwing World Championships

4

This eggcellent annual event respects a

centuries-old tradition of egg throwing in

the Lincolnshire village of Swaton. Watch teams

try to launch eggs the furthest without breaking

them, and contestants risk egg on their faces with

Russian Egg Roulette. Each entrant has to smash

an egg against their forehead…. out of six eggs

available, five are hard-boiled but one is raw!

World Nettle Eating Championship

5

This annual competition, held at the Bottle

Inn, a 16th-century pub in the Dorset village of

Marshwood, sees scores of contestants line up to

eat as many two-foot long stalks of nettles as they

can in an hour. A recent champion, aptly called

Thorne, devoured 86 feet of stinging nettles. à


T H E M I N D B O G G L E S

T O S I N K ( T H I N K ) O R S W I M

Diving Chess World Championship

6

The Diving Chess World Championship is a quirky, aquatic twist on the regular game in that

the board is submerged in a swimming pool. And instead of a chess clock, players ponder

their next move for as long as they can hold their breath underwater. msoworld.com

World Bog Snorkelling Championships

9

Every August Bank Holiday Sunday, the small

Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells turns daft

revelry into an art form. Hardy swimmers, many in

wetsuits, masks and fins compete to see who can

swim the quickest through a 133-metre weedinfested

and muddy peat bog on the outskirts of

town. Not surprisingly, there’s never a great rush to

congratulate the winner! visitwales.com

First ever Jenga championship

The newest of our wacky

8 championships launches this

September at Stratford’s sky-high venue,

Roof East. Competitors compete in

three different challenges; building

the tallest Jenga tower; a super speedy

skyscraper – and the ultimate test – ‘fat

glove Jenga’, where contestants will need

to remove bricks from their tower whilst

wearing a pair of ski gloves! With a grand

prize of £500 being awarded to one

lucky team of two. Price is £10 per team.

sfgclub.com

A S A C K F U L L

Woolsack Racing

7

Late May bank holiday

sees contestants carry

wool-filled sacks up and

down the steepest hill in the

Gloucestershire market town

of Tetbury. The fun and frolics

pay homage to a 17th century

tradition when young drovers

tried to impress local maidens.

tetburywoolsack.co.uk

N E W K I D O N T H E B L O C K

T O E M U C H T O W A T C H

World Toe Wrestling Championship

10

Watch an amazing annual feat of strength,

similar to arm wrestling, only with toes,

which sees contestants lie on the floor opposite

each other and lock bare feet with toes and try

to pin the other's foot down. The game was

invented by four drinkers in Ye Olde Royal Oak

Inn in Wetton, Staffordshire in 1974, who were

bemoaning the fact that the UK struggled to

produce any world champions. Logically, if a new

sport was invented that no one else knew about,

the country could boast a champion at last. Having

tried "ear wrestling" and "push of war" (with a

scaffolding pole), Pete Cheetham, Eddie Stansfield,

Pete Dean and Mick Dawson created toe wrestling.

A rule board was produced by the sign writers

at the Yorkshire Evening Post (Mick's girlfriend,

Angie Edward, had a father who was the editor)

and even a small trophy was made and engraved.

royaloakwetton.co.uk


Cruise in England

Why journey to the Rhine when 98% of our guests recommend us?

✔ Cruise through the glorious Cotswolds River Severn Vale

✔ Unpack once & visit new places daily. Cruises from 3 to 7 days

✔ Traditional, familiar English cooking – special diets catered for

✔ Inclusive food, drinks, tours & more – no hidden extras

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✔ Cosy twin cabins - climate control, windows & en-suite

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Video Tour and Testimonials

www.englishholidaycruises.co.uk

ABTA No.Y6581

EXCELLENT FUN FOR AGE 5 AND UP!

ROALD DAHL’S

UNTIL JAN 2020

FAMILY TRAILS, WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS

In Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire.

The heart of Roald Dahl Country.

The Roald Dahl Museum

roalddahl.com/museum

HP16 0AL. 45 min

by train from London

Jack Savoretti | Laura Mvula

Ward Thomas | Jess Gillam

Juan de Marcos’ Afro-Cuban All Stars

and many more

In search of

SPARKLING

WINE

The Royal Family serves it. So does 10 Downing Street. English Sparkling

Wine is a fizzing success. Even Taittinger is getting in on the act

Words | Adrian Mourby

TEN YEARS AGO in London a rumour circulated

that Prince Charles no longer served champagne

at Highgrove but an English sparkling wine called

Nyetimber. The wine was being produced at a

vineyard in the West Sussex South Downs. Planting had begun

in 1986 after geological similarities were discovered between

southern England and the Champagne region of France.

By 2010 the Nyetimber secret was out. The vineyard’s

Classic Cuvée beat Bollinger in a blind tasting and was named

best sparkling wine in the world. Suddenly it was being served

at 10 Downing Street and replaced champagne at the Queen’s

Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.

Since Nyetimber swept the British Isles and Britain’s export

market, other excellent sparkling wines have been discovered.

They cannot be called champagnes because the grapes are

not grown – and the wine is not produced – in the eponymous

French region, but the soil is similar, the method is the same

and the grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier –

are just the same as used in Champagne. Once upon a time the

idea of English “champagne” would have been a joke, but the

right climatic and geographical conditions were always there in

the south of England.

The British just had to prove to themselves that it could

be done. Britain has enjoyed a long, happy connection to the

sparkling wines of Champagne. At the same time that Dom

Pérignon was rigorously trying to eliminate the bubbles from

wines produced at his abbey in Saint-Pierre d’Hautvillers,

Londoners were importing the wines of Champagne specifically

because they enjoyed quaffing the sparkle. In 1662 the Royal

Society discussed a paper that sought to explain secondary

fermentation in the bottle and soon after Sir Kenelm Digby set

his glassworks the task of creating a bottle strong enough to

hold this fashionable new wine. Up until Digby’s intervention

sparkling wine had a worrying tendency to explode during its

secondary fermentation.

However, it wasn’t until 1984 that a commercial vineyard

in England managed to produce traditional method sparkling

wines although it used German grapes. Two years later in

1988 a vineyard was planted at Nyetimber with the three

traditional champagne grapes. The first sparkling wine from

Nyetimber was released in 1997 and immediately won a

medal. Other vineyards followed where Nyetimber led. Some

– like Denbies in Surrey – were existing still wine producers

who branched out into sparkling wines. Many more, like

Gusbourne in Kent, set up business with the intention of

creating sparkling wine.

Today, the majority of wine produced in England is

sparkling. Current production levels suggest 12million bottles

will be produced in 2020 with the three Champagne varieties

accounting for over 70% of all grapes planted.

There are now over 100 wineries in England producing

sparkling wines, including the French Champagne house

Taittinger which planted its first vines in Kent in 2017.

Many have visitor centres and even dining rooms. Those

that do not often welcome tours and arrange tastings. Here are

six to visit – from Kent to Cornwall. à



WE LOVE

NYETIMBER

CLASSIC CUVÉE

Creamy texture with notes of

lemon and brioche. Nyetimber’s

vineyards all face south, ensuring the

ideal conditions for the slow ripening

of the grapes. This orientation results

in optimum levels of acidity and

complexity. Details of each bottle’s

history can be found by entering

the number on the back label

on Nyetimber’s website.

1NYETIMBER

WEST CHITLINGTON,

SUSSEX

This beautiful half-timbered site

in West Sussex has been key to the

transformation of England’s sparkling

wine industry. As a very busy winery

producing over a million bottles a year,

Nyetimber is not normally open to the

public, but there are six open days

during the summer months. Tickets cost

£35 and include tastings. There is also

the opportunity to stay on for a dinner

cooked by top UK chefs with Nyetimberpairings

(£150 pp).

nyetimber.com

Where to stay

Amberley Castle

This 19-room converted

castle lies nine miles south of

Nyetimber.

Ancient Amberley has

had many owners including

the 15th Duke of Norfolk who

restored its medieval portcullis

in Victorian times. Charles II

visited the castle twice after the

Restoration. Family-owned for

centuries, it became a country

house hotel in 1989.

amberleycastle.co.uk

RIDGEVIEW

HASSOCKS, SUSSEX

Family-owned since 1995,

Ridgeview was recently crowned

one of the best vineyards in the

world (No 36 in the Top 50 and

the only UK entry). Its Cellar Door

is open daily for complimentary

tastings and sales. Ridgeview is

very visitor-friendly with private

tours by appointment, exclusive

dinners in collaboration with top

chefs, picnic hampers for sale to

those who want to eat in its wine

garden and an annual Ridgefest in

August.

ridgeview.co.uk

Where to stay

Ockenden Manor

This sixteenth-century manor

house only became a hotel after

World War II. Standing six miles

north of Ridgeview, it offers a finedining

restaurant, elegant drawing

room, croquet lawn and an

outdoor swimming pool fed by the

hotel’s own spring. Ridgeview has

long been the house “champagne”

at Ockenden Manor and the hotel

will arrange visits to the winery for

guests.

hshotels.co.uk/ockenden-manor

2

JENKYN PLACE

NR FARNHAM, SURREY

This family-run Hampshire winery was

founded in 2004 and now has 15,000

vines. Owner Simon Bladon claims

that when he attended a furniture

auction in 2003 he was handed a

glass of English sparkling wine for

the first time and had a Damascene

conversion. Bladon bought no

furniture that day, but came home and

began planning to cultivate vines in

the old hop fields next to his house.

jenkynplace.com

JENKYN PLACE

CLASSIC CUVEE

BRUT 2014

A beautiful golden wine with aromas

of green apple, floral hints and minerality.

Jenkyn Place wines are said to age

well so this is also one for laying

down. The vineyard also produces

a Rosé and Blanc de Blanc. Dermot

Sugrue, Jenkyn’s winemaker, was also

responsible for some of Nyetimber’s

early success, hence the accolades.and

a rather more expensive Rosé de Noirs.

3WE

LOVE

BLOOMSBURY

Ridegeview’s signature blend is

predominantly Chardonnay, with

Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier adding

depth and character. Bloomsbury is light

golden in colour with a fine, persistent

mousse, citrus fruit aromas and even hints

of honey. The company also produces a

Fitzrovia Sparkling Rosé and a rather more

expensive Rosé de Noirs.

WE LOVE

Where to stay

The Merry Harriers

The Merry Harriers is a

picturesque, wonderfully

eccentric pub with rooms,

18 miles south east of Jenkyn

Place. Guests can stay above

the bar or in some luxury

shepherd-hut caravans in the

garden. Best of all, the pub

owns a herd of llamas who are

very friendly and can even be

taken for walks by guests.

merryharriers.com à


GUSBOURNE

APPLEDORE NEAR

ASHFORD, KENT

Appledore is said to be the seconddriest

place in England, which

has helped Gusbourne’s vineyards

prosper. Self-guided tours cost £25

and end in the beautiful modern

wooden tasting room known as

“The Nest”. Hosted tours are also

available for £65pp and feature

rarer wines and lunch in The Nest.

gusbourne.com

4

Where to stay

Chilston Park 17 miles north

of the Gusbourne Estate, Chilston

Park is like spending the weekend at

the country house of a gentleman

acquaintance. It became a hotel in

1983 but still has the feel of a family

home with an eclectic collection

of paintings and a very small

bar tucked under the great oak

staircase.

handpickedhotels.co.uk/

chilstonpark


GUSBOURNE BRUT

RESERVE 2015

This wine clearly benefits from being

grown on clay and sandy loam soils on a

south-facing escarpment. It’s bright gold

in colour with hints of apple, pear and

citrus and an elegant finish. Gusbourne

produces just three wines: Brut Reserve,

Blanc de Blancs and Gusbourne Rosé. So

popular is the wine that people subscribe

in advance to be guaranteed 12 bottles a

year, four of each.

CAMEL VALLEY

BRUT RESERVE

Because of a damper climate than

Sussex, Camel Valley Vineyard blends its

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with 50%

Seyval grapes. Moreover the planting on a

loam soil rather than the traditional chalk

slopes of southern England results in a very

fresh wine, fruitier than most UK sparkling

wines. Camel Valley Brut Reserve has won

many awards and has a citrus character

with a touch of honey on the palate.

WE LOVE

DENBIES

DORKING, SURREY

This eighteenth-century estate was

established as a farm by Thomas

Denby but today contains the largest

vineyard in Britain, a visitor centre and

– surprisingly – the Surrey Performing

Arts Library. Many wines, still and

sparkling, are produced at Denbies

and there is also an on-site brewery.

A range of tours is offered starting at

£11.50 pp.

denbies.co.uk

Where to stay

Denbies Vineyard Hotel

Actually on the Denbies Wine Estate

itself. Our surprise entry, the recently

upgraded farmhouse B&B, following

a £4m transformation, has opened

as the UK's first-ever vineyard hotel.

Stay in one of the 17-bedrooms in

the new Denbies Vineyard Hotel and

enjoy outdoor dining in the orangery

garden restaurant, in the heart of the

wine-making experience.

denbies.co.uk

CUBITT BLANC DE

NOIRS 2013

Denbies produces a wide range of

still white wines as well as eight sparkling

wines, some named Cubitt after the

master builder, Thomas Cubitt who

redesigned the estate in the nineteenth

century. The Cubitt Blanc de Blancs 2013

won silver in Decanter’s 2019 World Wine

Awards. There are notes of apple and

citrus with hints of vanilla and minerality.

5

CAMEL VALLEY

BODMIN, CORNWALL

The Camel Valley Vineyard overlooks sun-drenched

valley slopes west of Bodmin. This Cornish winery

produces 11 wines, seven of them sparkling, and

has recently been granted Royal Warrant status as

a regular supplier to HRH Prince Charles, Duke of

Cornwall. A guided tour for two people costs £19.

camelvalley.com

WE LOVE

Where to stay

Camel Valley Estate There are two

barn conversion cottages on the estate and a

complimentary bottle is supplied for each new arrival.

During fishing season, guests can, by arrangement,

use the vineyard’s own private stretch of the Camel

River. Salmon and sea trout have been caught here by

experienced anglers.

camelvalley.com 6


REVIVAL

Emma Johnson goes

Behind-the-Scenes

and discovers a creative hive of vintage style, racing

memorabilia and an infectious party atmosphere…


READY

BritishTravelJournal.com à33

THERE IS PERHAPS no more nostalgic,

quintessentially British event than the

magnificent spectacle of tradition and colour

that is the Goodwood Revival. Steeped in

history and alive with pomp and ceremony, this classical

car show forms a key part of the British summer season

and is renowned for its eclectic displays of vintage fashion,

old motorcars, racing drama and retro food and drink.

Visitors – who come dressed in their best vintage

and period finery – can expect to enjoy the thrills and

spills of a traditional fairground, to shop on a recreated

old-fashioned high street, complete with vintage hair

salon and hundreds of wonderful vintage shops, to

enjoy the style and creativity of the Revival Fashion

Show, accompanied by music from the time, to watch

vintage war planes take to the sky and to cheer as classic

competition cars race around the historic circuit, their

drivers dressed in traditional racing attire.

Each year the event is themed and organisers work

hard to conjure up special moments from the past to

recreate and recollect. Past Revivals have celebrated

everything from the anniversary of the fish finger, to the

bikini and an exhibit of post-war utilities like kitchen

mixers. And that’s just aside from the incredible races

the team put on each year, on the track, celebrating key

moments in racing history and the legendary cars and

drivers who competed.

TEAM EFFORT

Preparing for an event like this is no mean feat, and

preparations take all year. At Goodwood there is a

dedicated event team who look after everything from the

grounds and the parking to the food and entertainment.

Over 750 full time staff spend the year planning and

building, designing and creating – attention-to-detail

is second to none and many of the team are vintage

experts. As Revival time nears, that number doubles,

made up of stewards and catering staff, as well a

dedicated team of actors in traditional costume, to add

a real sense of authenticity to the day.

“It’s a stand

out event in

every way

– from the

incredible

detail and

precision of

the theatrics

team, to the

authentic

food and

drink at

every eatery

and the

wonderful

celebration

of classical

motorcars. ”

CREATIVE INSPIRATION

The Revival setting is hugely creative, with lots of replicas

of vintage shopfronts, cafés, brands and more, as well

as themed events each year to celebrate a particular era.

Goodwood has a dedicated ‘theatrics’ panel who meet

regularly to come up with the themes and anniversaries

they’re going to bring to life each year, and decide how

they will make each year ever more awe-inspiring and

exciting than the last. In the past, the team have built

Henley Regatta boating club, complete with the river

Thames, a fully functioning farm and recreated the 1966

World Cup win.

Because of the unique nature of the event, a lot of the

sets have to be built and recreated from scratch, but the

team keep as much set dressing to re-use from year to

year as they can. They even have a dedicated painting

team, who spend the months before the revival painting

the set to make it look old, and fitting in with the Revival

period.


IN NUMBERS

3 DAYS

14 RACES

150,000

VISITORS

12,950

CUPS OF TEA

26,000

PINTS OF BEER

10,175

GRANDSTAND SEATS

154

SHIPPING CONTAINERS

containing, amongst

other things, props and

set dress for the site

200

RECYCLING BINS

FOOD & FASHION

Absolutely everyone dresses up – in everything from

late ‘40s to late ’60s style – meaning you’ll see Land

Girls and RAF pilots drinking tea or cheering on a car

right next to Twiggy look-a-likes and Beatles’ mop tops.

Putting together your outfit is a major part of visiting the

Revival and many enthusiasts use the event to shop for

the next year’s show at the Revival Fashion section on the

Revival High Street, where you can buy vintage clothes

as well as shoes, handbags, hats and other accessories.

Food and drink is given just as much attention here

too, with all the eateries decorated in an old-fashioned

style, complete with bunting, tea sets, flags, tablecloths

and doilies. The Spitfire Café gives a great view of

the aerodrome and ‘Freddy March Spirit of Aviation’

Exhibition, while our favourite is the Mess – themed

with long benches and bunting, and right on the start

line so you don’t miss any of the action on the track.

It’s a stand out event in every way – from the incredible

detail and precision of the theatrics team,

to the authentic food and drink at every

eatery and the wonderful celebration of

classical motorcars. Visitors can expect a

real sense of stepping back into the past, of

capturing the colour and magic of a time

gone by, of coming together for a joyful

celebration that feels truly, inescapably,

British. As Radio DJ and major car

enthusiast Chris Evans says: “I love this

more than Christmas. I’m looking forward to

every single race, every single nut, every single

bolt, every single tyre, every single steering

wheel. Best thing ever! I love it here.” u

13 – 15 SEPTEMBER

GOODWOOD.COM/REVIVAL

DON’T MISS…

REVIVAL FASHION

An area dedicated entirely to vintage

style, with the added bonus of personal

shoppers and the daily ‘Best Dressed’

competition, with categories for best

dressed man and woman, best dressed

family and best dressed sixties swinger!

MINIS AND MINI SKIRTS

As part of the Revival’s celebration of 60

years of the Mini, the Revival also brings

the ‘Swinging Sixties’ to life in its inimitable

way. Aside from some of the most daring

miniskirts around, you can also expect the

wonderful sight of several Mini Coopers,

custom-built for each one of The Beatles,

along with Cilla Black’s own Mini, all

parked outside a recreated ‘Abbey Road

Studios’.

CHILDREN’S PEDAL CAR RACE

As keenly fought as any other race, the

line-up includes The Settrington Cup, a

children’s race in Austin J40 pedal cars

down the main straight of the Goodwood

Motor Circuit.

THE REVIVAL HIGH STREET

A recreated sixties high street, with

everything from automotive memorabilia

to vintage clothing, will transport you back

to another era, so you can experience high

street shopping as it used to be.


I N T E R V I E W W I T H

RAYMOND

BLANC

In a special year

Top chef Raymond Blanc celebrates two milestones

this year – his 70th birthday and the 35th anniversary of his

hotel-restaurant, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. The

perfect interviewee tells Max Wooldridge how the UK food

scene has changed and who remains his greatest influence

GOSH, IF ONLY every interview

was as delightful as an hour in the

company of the renowned chef

Raymond Blanc.

I’ve chatted with a number of celebrities

over the years, mostly about where they’ve

travelled to, and what inspires them. Not every

meeting has been an enjoyable experience.

There was one celebrity who couldn’t

remember the country he’d been to on a free

holiday; another couldn’t properly pronounce

the key destinations in the region she was

being paid handsomely to promote.

And too often than not there’s an

overzealous PR close by to steer their client

towards the key points that need to be

hammered home. At times, you’re even left to

decipher monosyllabic grunts and somehow

transform them into a sentence or two.

An interview with Raymond Blanc is a

different encounter entirely. He’s cheerful,

garrulous with a ready smile and makes the

writer’s job very easy indeed. All the reporter

has to do is turn up and remember to switch on

their recording device.

But best of all, perhaps, is the famous chef’s

joie de vivre and passion for food and life. His

attitude soon rubs off and you walk away from

the meeting feeling another two feet tall. For a

long time afterwards you apply his inspiration

to what makes you tick.

I simply need not have bothered with the

long list of carefully thought-out questions

prepared in advance.

Blanc talks continuously and passionately

in a thick, melodic French accent, which is

regularly punctuated with his trademark

“ooh la la”. And as he talks, you tick off the

questions one-by-one until suddenly there’s

none left.

In fact, Blanc answers my first question

before we’ve even sat down.

He says he has certainly seen the food scene

in this country improve drastically since he

arrived in the UK in the early 1970s.

“Back then the British food scene was

very different, totally unrecognisable with

nowadays,” he recalls.

“The UK was simply not a nation of foodlovers.

Sure good food was available but it


“I’m still just a humble

chef and gardener, a

country boy from a

small French village”

was class-led and exclusive. The country was a

culinary wasteland with lots of intensive farming.

“But now it's so different and there's a real

celebration of proper, authentic food.”

The change, he believes, is not due to the rise of

master chefs and successful TV cooking shows but

humble everyday British folk.

“The revolution in food in this country has

largely been down to British consumers themselves.

People are so much more food-aware and curious

nowadays. They want to know what's in their food

and realise the extent to which food connects with

everything, with every part of our lives.”

Blanc turns 70-years-old in November, in

the same year as his famous Oxfordshire hotelrestaurant,

Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons,

celebrates its 35th anniversary. The hotel and its

renowned two Michelin-starred restaurant are now

part of the Belmond luxury hotel group.

He bought the 15th century manor back in the early 1980s when

he had his restaurant Les Quat'Saisons in Summertown, Oxford.

As soon as he saw the property for sale (in Country Life

mag azine) Blanc immediat ely drove to see it in his old Vauxhall car.

When the owner opened the door he told them he wanted to buy

their manor. He launched Le Manoir aux Quat’Sa isons as a hotel in

1984.

Despite his numerous culinary triumphs and accolades,

Raymond Blanc thinks of himself as a simple man at heart.

“I’m still just a humble chef and gardener, a country boy from a

small French village.”

That village is Saône, near Besançon, in the rural Franche-

Comté region that borders Switzerland. à



“The chef at the restaurant I was working at in France did

not like it when I criticised his sauce. He first broke my

jaw with a copper saucepan, and I was then sacked by the

boss!”

Blanc says how his gastronomic career

in the UK started almost by chance when he

arrived from the Jura mountains in the summer

of 1972.

“In a way, looking back, I guess I was exiled

to England,” he recalls with a grin.

“The chef at the restaurant I was working

at in France did not like it when I criticised his

sauce. He first broke my jaw with a copper

saucepan, and I was then sacked by the boss!

“But unlike Napoleon,” Blanc jokes,

“who had the idea of conquering, I arrived in

England with a lot more humility. I was full of

lots of ideas and aspiration.”

Nowadays Blanc feels at home in the UK,

and he certainly seems to like Britain, and the

British people.

“I am very happy in Britain, and on a daily

basis it feels like home for me. And you British

have taught me a lot about life!”

Blanc says the British pragmatic approach

to life has served him well. It has opened his

eyes and improved him greatly as a person as

well as broadening his mind.

“Perhaps the best thing I've learned from

the British is a sense of fairness. And I’ve

learned the ability to laugh at myself. This is

often the greatest hurdle for any Frenchman!

“Oh yes, and I've also learned to queue,

too. In fact, I get really upset now when I see

people jumping the queue!”

Then he reveals the person who has

inspired him the most in his life.

“At the risk of sounding like a Mummy's

Boy, my mother is unquestionably still my

greatest inspiration. She gave me such a

fundamental grounding and taught me that

food is an act of love. You bring your family

together, and you create a feast or banquet.

“She showed me that the dining table is the

centre of the house, not the living room. It's

where you share things, where you joke, you

argue, you get to know each other, and the

dinner table is the most natural place to do so.

“But sadly, I really feel we are losing this

ability to engage with each other these days.

I'm lucky that I have the same energy as my

mother, and I always try to pass on her wisdom

to others.”

Once again, before I can ask him, he tells

me how a top chef keeps in shape.

“Let's just say I have a good metabolism!”

he says, laughing.

“No, actually, if you work in a hot kitchen

for half the day or more, believe me, the

heat means you're going to burn off a lot of

calories, maybe as many as 3,000 calories,

more even. It's not quite like riding a stage of

the Tour de France but not far off.”

Despite being an honorary Brit, Blanc

returns to his native France regularly, especially

Paris. He reconnects with friends and meets with

his culinary contemporaries he greatly admires,

like the renowned chef Pierre Gagnaire.

“Pierre is one of the best chefs in Europe.

His Paris restaurant has three Michelin stars. à


I love his approach and sensitivity to food.

“I’ll usually visit Paris for a day or two at

a time. I'm not an expert on the place. I just

know a lot of chefs and gardeners!

“Each time I visit Paris I discover

somewhere wonderful - a great new cafe, or

a small bistro with a lot of character.

“But the best thing about Paris is the

wonderful fresh food markets. They are some

of the best in the world. They are all about

proud people selling fresh, local produce.”

He singles out one market, in particular:

the Marché President Wilson in the 16th

arrondissement on the Avenue du Président

Wilson (between Rue Debrousse and Place

d’Iéna, also known as the Pont de l’Alma

market.

“Markets like this are so much more than

just a place to buy food. It's a wonderful

snapshot of Parisian daily life, a lively

gathering of vendors and regulars catching

up with each other.”

Somehow he has sensed that I have a trip

to Paris in the near future. Blanc reels off his

recommendations for places to eat in the city

of light.

He mentions his favourite old haunts like

l'Atelier Maitre Albert (1, rue Maitre Albert),

Le Beurre Noisette (68, rue Vasco de Gama,


15th arrondissement) or Les Petites Sorcières

(12, rue Liancourt, 14th arrondissement).

Then he’s back to extolling the virtues of

Parisien food markets, and the Marché des

Enfants Rouges (in the Marais district, in the

3rd arrondissement).

“It's the oldest food market in Paris. It is sonamed

because it used to be an orphanage

where the children dressed in red.”

There’s a rare but brief pause in the

conversation before he dishes out the advice

he would give to any young chefs starting out.

“The most important thing is to be

curious,” he says. “Be curious about

everything. It’s so important to open your

mind, to open your heart. Be intuitive and

receptive and ask thousands of questions.

Even today, I'm still curious about everything.

“Equally, talent alone will never be enough

to carry you where you want to go, so you

have to work really hard, too. Build up your

will power and inner strength, so when you're

down you can pick yourself up. It also helps

if you love people. If I ever stop loving people

then I will stop doing what I'm doing.

“And it’s important to remember that a

well-run kitchen is a quiet and harmonious

kitchen. Being a chef is not about humiliating

other people like we see on our TV screens. In

a kitchen no-one ever needs to shout.” u

DON'T MISS!

THE ANNIVERSARY

MUSIC NIGHT

GRAND FINALE 2 0

NOVEMBER. JOIN

IN THE FUN WITH

THE HOTEL’S 35TH

ANNIVERSARY

CELEBRATIONS, AND

COMMEMORATION

TO RAYMOND’S

70TH BIRTHDAY.

BELMOND.COM/

LEMANOIR


EXPLORE THE GREAT WEST WAY ®

WITH AN EXPERT GUIDE

Chauffeur driven tours with a Blue Badge Guide

www.southwestdriverguide.co.uk | southwestguide@gmail.com

eat explore experience

Visit Exeter for seriously stylish shops, a diverse cultural scene and top eateries

serving the best of Devon’s food and drink. Add 2,000 years of history into

the mix and it’s easy to see why everyone’s talking about Exeter!

www.visitexeter.com

Escape to the

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EXETER’S COMPACT CITY CENTRE

makes it ideal for Christmas shopping.

An eclectic mix of shops can be found

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other, from the big names in the High Street and

Princesshay, to independent and vintage fashions,

jewellery, crafts and gifts in the cobbled Gandy

Street and quirky West Quarter.

Browse for unique and artisan gifts from local

retailers and enjoy festive food and mulled wine

at the wonderfully atmospheric Christmas Market

on Cathedral Green, open from 16 November

until 19 December. This year, the city is the

stage for 5 Nights of Lights. Celebrating each

corner of the city, festive lights will be switched

on each evening in the city’s distinct shopping

quarters, with live music and entertainment from

Wednesday 13 – Sunday 17 November.

Light will be the theme for Princesshay Shopping

Centre’s evening street entertainment, every

Thursday in the run up to Christmas, when shops

across the city will stay open until late. Head to the

nearby maritime town of Topsham for enchanting

Christmas lights, switched on 15 November amidst

carols and a procession of light. Topsham is home to

a large number of independents where you can pick

up unique festive treats.

When you’re shopped out, cosy up with a real ale in

one of Exeter’s historic pubs, or seek out one of the

city’s speakeasy-style cocktail bars for a seasonal

concoction. This should get you in the mood

for a festive sing along to this year’s pantomime

performance of Beauty and the Beast at the Exeter

Northcott, running from 30 November – 5 January.

All of the city’s historic attractions are open year

round. Escape the hubbub of Christmas shoppers

to explore beneath the city’s streets on a guided

tour of Exeter’s Underground Passages, built in

medieval times to house the fresh water pipes

serving the residents of the city. The Passages are

dark and very narrow - not for the claustrophobic!

Join a free guided walking tour of Exeter with

the Red Coat Guides to discover more about

this fascinating city and its 2,000 year history,

and definitely don’t miss RAMM, Exeter’s award

winning museum, where you can explore 16

galleries of local and national touring exhibitions,

also completely free of charge.

Excellent road, rail, bus and air links mean Exeter

is within easy reach of the rest of the UK, and the city

is an ideal base for exploring the rest of Devon. u

Go to www.visitexeter.com/christmas to find out

more about visiting Exeter this Christmas.

COMPETITION

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• Souvenir picture of Exeter at

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• Hamper of local produce

from members of the Exeter

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BEHIND the B RAND

S E C O N D C H A N C E S K I N S

Part of a considerable movement to protect both British craftsmanship

and promote a sustainable business model, leather brand Billy Tannery

use goat skins that would otherwise have been discarded to create

beautiful and unique bags and accessories. We meet its founders…

Words | Emma Johnson

SUSTAINABILITY HAS BECOME a major

buzz word for brands recently. Being able

to demonstrate your commitment to ethical

manufacturing or promote your green criteria

as key parts of your marketing strategy, is, these days,

considerably good business sense.

But, for some businesses, sustainability isn’t just a

secondary concern, or a nice promotional soundbite,

it’s fundamental to the identity of the brand. Not least

for Billy Tannery, a sustainable leather brand whose

entire reason for existing comes from a need to reduce

wastage and run a truly sustainable business. à


Before Billy Tannery existed,

UK goatskins were either

destroyed, or occasionally

shipped overseas to be tanned.

WASTE NOT

Founded by childhood friends Jack and Rory, Billy Tannery

makes bags, briefcases, aprons and accessories using

beautiful British goat skins which are left over from the

UK meat and dairy industry. Before Billy Tannery existed,

UK goatskins were either destroyed, or occasionally

shipped overseas to be tanned. After much of the UK’s

leather industry collapsed in the eighties and nineties,

the smaller tanneries that were set-up for tanning small

skins closed. Given the UK’s rich heritage for leather

production, and the dreadful waste of these valuable

skins, Jack and Rory thought something had to be

addressed. “For us sustainability is about questioning

everything, and applying some common sense. Does

that waste product really have to go into landfill? In most

cases, we could be using it to create something useful.”

What Billy Tannery creates are supple, robust satchels,

smart, sturdy briefcases, hardwearing, industrial-style

aprons and simple, stylish accessories – all made using

striking goat leather. “Goat leather has an especially

pronounced grain that comes from the natural

characteristics of each skin,” explains Rory. “A lot of the

time, with industrially-produced leather, these natural

variations are covered up by printing an artificial grain

pattern on to the skin.

Our goat leather always retains the natural grain,

which means that each of our products is subtly different

and unique.”

Crucial to Billy Tannery’s identity, however, is how

it produces all this while maintaining a short supply

chain and supporting and investing in British artisan

skills – though it has not been a journey of entirely

plain sailing. The brand’s plan was to build their own

microtannery, source wastage product goat skins from

abattoirs and then make their products in a handful of

workshops in the UK. “From the very start, we designed

the brand specifically to keep the supply chain as short as

possible, as we felt this was a key component for ensuring

sustainability and transparency.

However we found out that, as no one had done

anything quite like this before, the infrastructure just

wasn’t in place.”

“Goat leather

has an

especially

pronounced

grain that

comes from

the natural

characteristics

of each skin”

SOURCING SKINS

Through Cabrito, the goat meat company that is

currently the source of all of Billy Tannery’s goatskins,

the company were able to find out which abattoirs

could provide them with goatskins, and start to build

their network. “They were initially sceptical about a

couple of idiots ringing them up talking about a new

microtannery,” says Jack. “But we negotiated a price

for the skins to be salted and kept until there were

enough for us to take away.

Once they had also dealt with the tricky specifics

of transporting animal products - something that

required new licensing - the pair turned to finding a

location for, and building, the microtannery, which

would process all their skins ready for production.

BUILDING THE TANNERY

“Building the tannery was a really exciting, if terrifying,

experience. It was a big gamble as we had to build

it before we knew if it was actually going to work, or

before we could start work on any other areas like

product design,” says Jack. As luck would have it, a

local tannery engineer had two wooden tanning drums

that had been salvaged from a sheepskin factory

which closed in the nineties. This was the turning point

for Jack and Rory, who set about installing them and

building the tannery. The pair then spent almost a year

learning how to tan leather, under the watchful eye of

industry veteran Paul Evans, who helped them to tailor

the process to the equipment and the raw materials -

always with sustainability at the forefront. Impressively,

the tannery operates a uniquely sustainable process in


BEHIND THE BRAND

Pictured Left: Billy Tannery co-founder

Jack Millington working in the tannery.

Pictured Below: The Gote, priced

£395.00 and The Briefcase, priced

£450.00, www.billytannery.co.uk

that it recycles 90 per cent of the water used for each tanning process,

rather than starting each new batch with thousands of litres of new

water. Any waste water is stored and treated onsite, after which it is

used as fertiliser on the surrounding grassland, which in turn feeds

livestock. “So we in fact have a positive impact on our surrounding

environment too,” says Jack proudly.

FINDING WORKSHOPS

The final cog in the machine was to find workshops in the UK willing

to accept small production runs. It turned out to one of the greatest

challenges that Jack and Rory have faced so far. “Finding high quality

workshops in the UK is a dark art of hushed recommendations,

often impossible communication and plenty of trial and error with

sampling,” explains Rory. “There are so few decent leather goods

workshops in the UK, that understandably people tend to be very

secretive about where their products are made.” The brand ended

up working with an experienced industry consultant to review its

manufacturing, and finally settled on a process which suited their

initial needs, and gives the company plenty of scope to grow. “For us a

big part of the equation is the relationship with the workshop, it has to

be an enjoyable experience for everyone involved,” adds Rory.

STAYING SUSTAINABLE

Day-by-day, operations are dealt with by Jack, while creative director

Rory works on all aspects of design and brand communications, from

product design through to the look of the website and social media.

“When it comes to design, our inspiration comes from the leather

itself,” explains Rory. “For us, the best British design sits somewhere

between restrained and bold, so we tend to start with a classic product

style and then look to modernise and simplify it, while maximising the

impact of our goat leather.”

This commitment to echoing the intrinsic British style is typical of a

brand that understands exactly where it has come from. “We are proud

to source, tan and make pretty much everything here in the UK,” says

Jack. “From a practical point of view, this makes it easier for us to run

our business, but from a brand perspective we can also be much more

transparent about where our products are made, what they are made

from and the people that make them.”

It’s still early days for a brand that is barely two years old, but already

has plenty of strong credentials under its belt. Building the first new

tannery in the UK for decades is a major achievement, while a recent

collaboration of a limited-edition goat leather sneaker made with local

shoemaker Crown Northampton – which featured in The Times – has

been a highlight for the pair. And sustainability continues to feature

high on their list of priorities. “We are always looking for ways to

improve our tanning processes and make them even more sustainable,

so we have recently been working on a project looking into the use of

food and drink waste in our tannery. The early results have been really

promising,” explains Jack.

“But, the thing that makes us most proud is hearing such positive

feedback from customers. When a customer takes the time to email us

to say how much they love their bag or other product, it makes all the

hard work worthwhile,” adds Rory. u


OUTDOOR

ART

A stellar art exhibition can make for a fabulous day out,

but sometimes you just want to be in the great outdoors.

Luckily, these do not need to be mutually exclusive thanks to

the fantastic selection of world-class art in sculpture parks,

beaches and gardens which makes for a scintillating experience

Words | Emma Harrison

SCULPTURE BY

THE LAKES, DORSET

Described as one of the most beautiful

sculpture parks in the UK, Sculpture by the

Lakes is a haven of peace and tranquillity.

Nestled in 26 acres of Dorset's glorious

countryside, renowned sculptor Simon

Gudgeon has created a glorious treat for

art enthusiasts and collectors alike.

sculpturebythelakes.co.uk

JUPITER

ARTLAND,

EDINBURGH

Jupiter Artland has

an expansive outdoor

sculpture collection featuring

site-specific artworks

commissioned from some of

the world's most renowned

artists to Antony Gormley,

Anish Kapoor, Cornelia Parker

and Marc Quin. Their latest

permanent commission,

Gateway, by Portuguese

artist Joana Vasconcelos is

an artwork integrated in a

whimsical pool garden. The

piece includes patterns from

her own astrological chart

into the design of the artwork,

which is made of 11,366

hand-painted and glazed

tiles crafted using traditional

methods at a 100-year-old

factory in Vasconcelos’ native

Portugal.

jupiterartland.org


FOLKESTONE TRIENNIAL,

KENT

Fifteen installations from the 2017 Folkestone

Triennial Festival have been rehomed around

Folkestone. Expect to see pieces by Antony

Gormley, David Shrigley and Lubaina Himid.

One of the new acquisitions Bill Woodrow’s The

Ledge - a white steel sculpture of an Inuit figure

and a seal on a thin layer of ice - showcases his

concerns about climate change. Visitors can

also expect to see works by the likes of Tracey

Emin, Yoko Ono and Cornelia Parker.

creativefolkestone.org.uk/folkestonetriennial

YORKSHIRE SCULPTURE

PARK, YORKSHIRE

In an open-air gallery in West Bretton

near Wakefield in West Yorkshire, you can

find a wonderful selection of work by both

British and international artists such as

Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. In

fact, Moore’s impressive selection of bronzes

is one of the largest open-air displays of his

work in Europe. Their most recent display

'David Smith: Sculpture 1932-1965' features

40 pieces by this pioneering and highly

influential American artist.

ysp.org.uk

CHIHULY AT KEW

GARDENS, LONDON

Renowned US glass artist, Dale Chihuly

is back at Kew Gardens with Chihuly:

Reflections on Nature. This ethereal

outdoor exhibition is made up of 32

spectacular installations which includes

a new piece of work which has been

specifically designed for the newly opened

Temperate House. Visitors can also

expect to see the Seaforms Series and his

intriguing installation Sapphire Star.

kew.org/kew-gardens


THE TREATMENT

ROOMS, CHISWICK

Known as the UK’s unique

mosaic house, this fascinating

artistic masterpiece is the result

of a project that began in the 90s

by artist Carrie Reichardt, who

has quite literally covered her

house (and studio) top to bottom

in colourful mosaic tiles! Hidden

away on a quiet, suburban street

in Chiswick, you can even book

the top of the house for the night,

available to rent on Airbnb.

airbnb.co.uk

PLUS DON’T

MISS…

FRIEZE SCULPTURE

LONDON'S LARGEST

DISPLAY OF

OUTDOOR ART,

CURRENTLY ON SHOW

IN REGENT'S PARK

UNTIL 6 OCTOBER

2019, WITH FREE

ADMISSION TO ALL

RHS GARDEN WISLEY,

SURREY

What do you get if you take a selection

of exciting sculptures with an intriguing

array of exotic plants? The Sculpture Trail

at RHS Garden Wisley of course! Now in

its 22nd year, the sculptures range from

abstract to traditional pieces that have

been created from a wide selection of

materials including bronze, resin, wood,

metal, glass, stone and found objects.

rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley


PICTURE CREDITS: MARK BAKER, © RHS / PAUL DEBOIS

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Britain's newest luxury cruise ship is here.

Newly built boutique cruise ship, Spirit of

Discovery is the first vessel to be named at

the Port of Dover for over a decade.

travel.saga.co.uk/cruises

THE UK’S FIRST 100% VEGAN HOTEL OPENS IN PITLOCHRY

Offering travellers the opportunity to experience the Scottish Highlands without compromising on

their ethics, Saorsa Hotel has launched as the UK’s first 100% vegan hotel. Catering to both vegans and

those interested in plant-based lifestyles, the hotel is entirely free from animal products from check-in

to departure. Victorian-era baronial house, built in 1875, has undergone a complete refurbishment,

everything from the bedding and toiletries to the cleaning products used by staff have been redesigned

to create a boutique, luxurious and welcoming experience for ethical travellers. saorsahotel.com

LEAD FROM THE FRONT

Brompton Bikes has joined forces with

London's Corinthia Hotel offering guests

the chance to explore the capital without

adding to the Co2 levels.

corinthia.com/london

N E W

A SLICE OF CAKE

Don't miss Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee

Morning, Friday 27 September when more than

200,000 people take part in a day dedicated

to cuppas and cakes, while raising vital funds.

coffee.macmillan.org.uk

TOWN AND COUNTRY

With staycations on the rise, we love the four-night

Town & Country package from a collaboration

between Britain’s first-ever country club, Stoke Park

and Dukes London, Mayfair, from £2575 for two.

dukeshotel.com

We love this new cookbook from The Pig:

Tales and Recipes from the Kitchen Garden

and Beyond by Robin Hutson, published

by Octopus Publishing, priced £30.

octopusbooks.co.uk


Top places for

FORAGING

From spectacular coastlines to country bounds, we hope you

enjoy our eight best places to discover Britain’s wild larder

Words | Chantal Borciani

1FAT HEN,CORNWALL

Voted one of the top 50 cookery schools in the UK

by The National Cookery School Guide, professional

forager, ecologist and cook, Caroline Davey runs

cookery courses that celebrate seasonal produce and

the staggeringly beautiful expanses of West Cornwall.

There’s a fantastic range to choose from including

gourmet wild food weekends, vegan foraging, seaweed

discovery days, and hook, cook and catch fishing

feasts. Or combine a love for cycling with sustainable

harvesting on a Wild Food Cycling Day.

fathen.org


2FORAGING

IN

FROME

Explore hidden Somerset idylls with Robin

Harford, a plant-based forager, ethnobotanical

researcher, and wild food educator. Guests

will harvest a bounty of edible flora around

beautiful Frome before returning to the kitchen

to enjoy delicious dishes created by world-class

chefs. London, Devon, Sussex and Dorset

courses also available. From £50 per person.

foragingcourses.com

3 4

THE ANGEL HOTEL,

ABERGAVENNY

Enjoy an overnight foraging break at The Angel Hotel

nestled near the Brecon Beacons. Guests will enjoy a

three-hour guided foraging tour, in collaboration with

the Brecon Beacons Foraging Company, and learn the

fundamentals of wild plant identification. Then devise

delicious dishes and drinks from the array of products

found moments from the hotel’s front door.

From £243 based on two people sharing, includes

accommodation, breakfast, foraging experience and

a 3-course meal.

angelabergavenny.com

LLYS MEDDYG,

PEMBROKESHIRE

This cosy hostelry in Newport, a stone’s throw

from the Nevern estuary and located within the

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, runs day

seashore and country foraging courses where guests

can visit breathtaking local beaches, rivers, woods

and mountain passes. Discover seasonal gems, go

picking in the hedgerows, gather your

finds and then prepare a feast of foraged goodies.

Day course £75. £25 for children aged 12-16.

llysmeddyg.com



5 6

FORAGING FORTNIGHT,

SCOTLAND

The inaugural Foraging Fortnight celebrates Scotland’s

bounty of wild food, flavours and traditions. From

wild food feasts and shore walks to foraging treks,

fireside evenings and festivals, events will take place

across Fife, Moray, Lanarkshire, Orkney and the Forth

Valley and Lomond from 31 August to 15 September. In

Orkney, a series of Foraging Fortnight events are taking

place as part of Orkney International Science Festival

from 5 – 11 September, with foraging stars Zeki Basan

and Anna Canning leading foraging walks and talks

about areas our ancestors foraged 5,000 years ago.

foragingfortnight.co.uk

FOREST SIDE, LAKE

DISTRICT

Head out to the wilds and wonders of the Lake

District with Forest Side’s head chef Kevin Tickle. Ex

head forager at Simon Rogan’s acclaimed L’Enclume

restaurant, Kevin has an encyclopedic knowledge

and life-long passion for sourcing edible produce

direct from the fields, fell tops, coast and woodland

of the Cumbrian landscape. Set in the countryside of

Wordsworth’s beloved Grasmere, Forest Side has 20

beautiful contemporary bedrooms and provides the

ideal foodie escape in the Lakes.

Foraging breaks booked by request.

theforestside.com


7 8

ST MICHAEL'S MOUNT

Take a walk along this iconic Cornish causeway to St

Michael’s Mount with wild food expert Emma Gunn

and forage for a multitude of seaweeds including sea

lettuce, Japanese wireweed, dabberlocks, sugar kelp,

dulse, and bladderwrack. On the Mount, guests will

search for native wild berries, sorrel, nettles, silverweed,

daisies, dandelions, cleavers, dock, plantain, three

cornered leek, and honeysuckle, to name a few, and

finish the day with a delicious picnic, created by the

St Michael’s Mount Head Chef Greg Milne. Suitable

for ages eight and up. £30. 15 September and 29

September. Dates for 2020 to be confirmed.

stmichaelsmount.co.uk


HAMBLETON HALL

Luxury hotel Hambleton Hall in Rutland

hosts its mushroom hunt every autumn

in the private woodland of Burley Wood.

Mycologist Paul Nichol is on hand to identify

the myriad fungi and the day is topped off

with a three-course lunch at the hotel. A

stunning 17-bedroom sanctuary, Hambleton

Hall boasts a Michelin-starred restaurant

overlooking Rutland Water, one of the

most important wildfowl sanctuaries in the

UK. £90pp. 5 October. 2020 dates to be

confirmed.

prideofbritainhotels.com

Smithycroft, Somerset

Find your special place

From quintessential cottages and country houses

to quirky windmills and lighthouses.

A portfolio of over

500 luxury, self-catering

holiday properties

in the UK and Ireland.

View the properties

ruralretreats.co.uk

Call for our brochure

01386 897 959

15

of the best

Luxury stays

FOR LARGE

GROUPS

BRITISH

TRAVEL

JOURNAL

Loves...

SURREY RHAPSODY A utopia of surreal garden sculptures, topsyturvy

architecture and glass-like pools, Rhapsody has fallen head first through the

rabbit hole and landed in the heart of Wonderland. Settled in the Surrey countryside and with a

raucous history of revelry, this luxury rural escape, with outdoor heated swimming pool, yoga hut

and sunken hot tub, is a self-catering retreat worthy of any Mad Hatter’s tea party. Sleeps up to 12,

priced from £13,500 per week, £9,250 per short break. rhapsody.uniquehomestays.com

NORFOLK THE OLD RECTORY

A truly magnificent 8-bedroom property with games

room, tennis courts and manicured grounds. Priced

from £2080 per short break. barefootretreats.co.uk

WEST SUSSEX

HOUND LODGE

At Hound Lodge, in the midst

of Goodwood's spectacular

12,000-acre estate, life flows at a

different pace. This magnificent

10-bedroom country retreat is

yours to experience in its entirety,

offering a rare opportunity to

spend time away from it all

and escape the hectic pace of

modern life. Up to 20 guests, poa.

goodwood.com/stay-dine-relax

NORFOLK STONES THROW

A chic Victorian holiday retreat over four floors,

moments from the beach. Sleeps up to 12 people, priced

from £1045 per week. originalcottages.co.uk

DEVON

HUNTSHAM COURT

Huntsham Court is an historic

private hire country estate with

a manor house and gardens

and a relaxed ethos. Situated

in the beautiful rolling Devon

countryside on the borders of

the Exmoor National Park and

close to Somerset. Sleeping

from 10 up to 92 people across

40 luxury bedrooms!

huntshamcourt.co.uk


SOUTH DORSET

THE LINDENS

The Lindens is a beautifully

renovated 18th century manor

house which lies within the

peaceful and pretty village of

East Lulworth, a stone’s throw

from the majestic Lulworth

Castle, the idyllic Lulworth

Cove and iconic rock arch

of Durdle Door. One of two

new 'manors' from Lulworth

Estate’s holiday cottages, The

Lindens has been luxuriously

renovated to offer a unique

escape for large groups,

staying on England’s first and

only natural UNESCO World

Heritage site.

The ‘manors’ accommodate

up to 18 people, start at £40

per person per night for full

occupancy during low season.

lulworth.com/stay/the-lindens

CORNWALL

TREVENEK

Set within the verdant headland

of Mawgan Porth, just a short

walk to the popular surfing

beach, Trevenek is a stunning

holiday home with games room

balcony, BBQ and dining table.

Sleeps 8-10 people. Priced from

£2,990 per week, £2790

per short break.

perfectstays.co.uk/property/

trevenek

THE COTSWOLDS

ASTLEY MANOR

A beautiful historic manor house, close

to Stow-on-the-Wold, with tennis court

and croquet lawn, lake and hot tub, as well

as the immaculate vegetable garden and

orchard. Indoors there's a cinema room and

8 beautifully designed bedrooms in a classic

English country home style. Set in stunning

mature gardens this is the perfect pick for a

quintessentially English week away. Sleeps up

to 15 people, prices from £10,225 per week.

luxurycotswoldrentals.co.uk

WORCESTERSHIRE BROAD

MEADOWS FARMHOUSE

Queen Anne style property dates back to the

1690s Sleeps up to 12 people. Priced from £1,510

for 3 nights ruralretreats.co.uk

NORTHUMBERLAND NEWFIELD

HOUSE A glamorous mansion with full-size

heated indoor pool, hot tub, sauna, steam room,

bar and cinema room. Sleeps up to 14 people. Priced

from £3625 for 7 nights coquetcottages.co.uk


KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Overlooking a quiet residential street close to the

designer shops and restaurants of Knightsbridge.

Sleeps 6, £2000 per night. capitalhotel.co.uk

MAYFAIR TOWN HOUSE A spacious

five bedroom immaculately presented and beautifully

furnished ambassadorial town house. Sleeps up to 10

people, prices on application. carltoncourt.com

THE COTSWOLDS, LAKES BY YOO GLASSHOUSE

A unique home with a 100% glass façade. The house is sitting in the lake distinguishing it from

any other house on the Lakes by Yoo estate, and most likely also from any other house in the UK!

Offering luxurious "outside in living" , the architecture evokes the feeling of living outdoors in

almost every corner of the property. Up to 12 guests, poa. thelakesbyyoo.com

WEST SUSSEX

COWDRAY HOUSE

Rolling hills and open skies are not the only

features which make Cowdray House a

wonderful location. Set in 110 acres of private

gardens, grounds and parkland, Cowdray

House is a spectacular venue for exclusiveuse

hire. It was home to the Estate’s original

polo field, commonly referred to as the

House Ground, and guests today can enjoy

polo lessons during their stay. Sleeps up to 44

guests, prices on application

cowdray.co.uk

NORTHUMBERLAND

THE COOKIE JAR

Formerly the Convent of Mercy for over 120

years, The Cookie Jar, located on the cobbled

streets of Bailiffgate, adjacent to Alnwick

Castle, has been beautifully renovated

into a charming 11-bedroom hotel. Perfect

for shooting, golfing or fishing parties, and

for relaxing after a busy day, there’s the

resident’s lounge serving pre-dinner cocktails

and afternoon tea, The Bistro, and heated

terrace and walled garden. Bedrooms boast

drench showers, Penhaligon’s toiletries as

BRITISH

TRAVEL

JOURNAL

Loves...

well as a welcome jar of freshly baked cookies!

Much of the properties character and original

features have been retained, with room types and

names riffing on the building's religious heritage;

'Mother Superior' suites have oversized "heavenly"

bathtubs, while 'The Chapel' is "the Mother

of all Superiors" with a beautiful stained glass

circular window and other features from its earlier

incarnation as the convent's chapel. Sleeps up to 22

guests, priced from £175 per room/per night

cookiejaralnwick.com/whole-jar


a real treat of A retreat

The Cookie Jar, Alnwick’s newest boutique hotel

and your cosy retreat. Formerly the Convent

of Mercy, this historic building has been tastefully

renovated into 11 luxurious rooms and suites,

and offers all the home comforts you could

ever need with an added little bit of

unexpected cookie-ness.

It’s the perfect spot for that special private event

or a weekend escape from the city. We look

forward to welcoming you.

To book call: 01665 510 465

or email: hello@cookiejaralnwick.com

www.cookiejaralnwick.com

12 Bailiffgate, Alnwick NE66 1LU

/CookieJarAl /TheCookieJarAlnwick /thecookiejaralnwick

0111_Cookie_Travel journal advert_half page.indd 1 28/08/2019 17:01

01665 710700 coquetcottages.co.uk

Discover Northumberland this Autumn and

make lasting memories in the finest collection

of award winning family-friendly & petfriendly

holiday homes on the coast

Creative | Connected | People

Exclusive Travel Experiences in the UK & Ireland

www.dreamescape.co.uk

enquiries@dreamescape.co.uk | 0845 260 1085

H O T E L R E V I E W

MONKEY ISLAND

Discover riverside delights at Monkey Island Estate near

Bray, an island idyll, less than an hour from London

Words | Chantal Borciani

FEW ESTATES CAN claim to be built upon the historical

DNA of a nation, yet after the 1666 Great Fire of London

barges scattered rubble from the capital's reconstruction

onto Monkey Island in Berkshire, laying the foundations

for this riverside retreat.

The small island, set near the pretty village of Bray on the

Thames River, in fact dates back to around 1197 when local

monks christened it Monks Eyot – one possible root of the

estate’s moniker – however, it was the ruins from the Great Fire

of London that raised the isle above flood level thus making it

IMAGE © ISABELLE PLASSCHAERT / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO


possible to build upon. The 3rd Duke of Marlborough

fell in love with the riverside plot and in 1723 created

an idyllic angling retreat on the island with a twostorey

Fishing Temple and octagonal Fishing Pavilion

commissioned from Palladian architect Robert Morris.

Despite changing hands and guises over the

centuries, the Temple and Pavilion survived and today

the stunning Grade I listed buildings remain the

backbone of Monkey Island Estate.

Now under the ownership of the YTL Group,

Monkey Island Estate opened as a new luxury

boutique hotel earlier this year following a three and

half year restoration. Located 35 minutes by train

from Paddington Station, the luxury estate may be

conveniently located but feels a world away from the

city. River charm runs deep here and guests can even

arrive by boat – the hotel’s private wooden launch,

Dragonfly, will pluck you from the nearby quays at

Windsor, Cliveden, Marlow and just about anywhere in

between. à


R E G A L R O A M I N G

The hotel offers 41 bedrooms and its elegant, refined design

is the calling card of New York-based Champalimaud Design,

which also has The Dorchester and The Gainsborough to its

name.

Most guest rooms are located in the Temple building where a

couple of the larger suites also boast balconies and terraces. The

pièce de résistance, however, is The Wedgewood Suite, which

occupies the original building and boasts magnificent near-360°

views of lawns and riverbanks. Its spectacular ceiling features

Neptune, shells and mermaids in high relief Wedgewood blue

plasterwork and feels regal in every sense of the word. Guests

warmed by quintessential British touches will delight in the

stunning bone china tea set, dark panelling, historic portraiture,

and semi-canopied bed. Modern luxuries also abound with cloudsoft

linen, a river-view roll-top bath, vast waterfall shower, and

fragrant Aromatherapy Associate toiletries.

Monarchs, aristocrats, literary icons and a multitude of famous

names from war poet Siegfried Sassoon to HG Wells have enjoyed

river life at Monkey Island over the past 800 years and the hotel

proudly celebrates its legacy.

A 1905 photograph on display shows Edward VII enjoying

afternoon tea under the island’s walnut trees and on arrival

moreish orange and walnut brownie slices await us, giving

another nod to the hotel's rich history. The brownies are made by

executive chef William Hemming using a traditional recipe dating

back centuries to the time when the island was home to orange

and walnut trees. Accompanying the delectable goodies is an

embossed card with a quote from Frances Countess of Hertford

writing in 1738 of the island’s horticulture.

Historical touches such as a these are frequent and engaging,

ensuring every guest’s stay is intertwined with the island’s fascinating

story.

On our side table, a complimentary gin elixir makes the perfect

sundowner to recline with as we relish the Wedgewood Suite and

its views of the gardens and flowing river. The elixir pays homage

to the monks’ centuries-old tradition of making potions and

remedies using botanicals. This monastical connection continues

at the hotel’s brand new Floating Spa. Located on a custom-made

river barge moored alongside the hotel gardens, The Floating

Spa has three treatment rooms and draws inspiration from the

monks’ homemade botanical tinctures and celebrates a time

when apothecaries would use barges to ship medicinal herbs up

and down the bustling River Thames. A host of five-star facials

and massages are on offer, and homemade elixirs are stored in a

collection of wonderful bell jars at the spa’s ‘Elixir Bar’ – the onriver

setting only serves to increase the blissfully soporific vibe. à


RIVER WONDER

Retaining a wonderfully natural, meadow-like feel, the

hotel’s flower beds are sown with cascades of wild flowers

while the fresh-cut lawns extend out to the water’s edge.

Wild geese saunter past and the two riverfront terraces are

ideal for enjoying the tranquil surroundings, perhaps with a

Monkey Island Pilsner in hand.

Across the small main lawn, guests can explore the

hotel’s herb garden, where botanicals are grown for the

spa’s tinctures and some kitchen produce. There’s also a

smokehouse, which produces some of the most delicately

flavoured and delicious smoked salmon I’ve tasted. The

charming tea room greenhouse will soon provide the hotel

with its own signature blends, three beehives deliver the

gooey honeycomb for breakfast and a chicken coop houses

the hotel’s resident flock.

Guests can collect their own eggs for breakfast should

they wish to and in true Monkey Island Estate style the

chickens are named after the famous ladies of the property:

Vicky, after Queen Victoria who used one of the island’s

cottages for her lady in waiting; Maggie, after Princess

Margaret who would attend the exclusive Oxfam Ball on

the island during the 1960s and Alexandra, after Queen

Alexandra who picnicked with King Edward on the island.

Across the small footbridge, the hotel has three country

chic and beautifully restored cottages on site (there are three

more in the village centre), which are perfectly suited to larger

groups. As always, history is never far from hand, with one

of the cottages having played host to Edward Elgar when he

stayed at Monkey Island. The composer famously worked

on his First Symphony and the same cottage would, decades

later, also become former British Formula One racing driver

Sir Stirling Moss’s home.

The island’s Pavilion is home to the hotel’s other public

spaces. In the Monkey Room, original 17th Century frescos

adorn the ceilings – restorers found scraps of the original

paintings strewn around the property and spent eight months

restoring the historic murals that may have also played a part

in the naming of the island. A newly built bar and brasserie

overlook the river and gardens. On the top floor, a 12-seater

whisky snug and bar provides a cosy winter setting.

The brasserie, open to both hotel guests and visitors, is

very reasonably priced for Bray and boasts a fantastic river

locale. The alfresco waterfront terrace is a perfect spot for

lunch, afternoon tea or dinner during the summer and the

interior has a relaxed bistro with floor to ceiling windows

and French doors that keep those river views coming. The

menu celebrates local and seasonal British produce.

Dinner highlights included that house-smoked salmon, the

Cornish catch of the day, and British lamb on black pudding.

Breakfast is a time to savour – both the festoon of freshly

baked pastries – and the surroundings – watching little motor

boats pootle by as the river wakes up.

“When we

returned

to our

suite after

dark, two

miniature

flower pots

filled with

velvety

ganache and

chocolate

soil were

left as extra

treats,

together

with a

parting gift

of a packet

of wildflower

seeds – to

help us

recreate

that Monkey

Island

ambience at

home.”

BRAY AND STAY

Part of Monkey Island estate’s undeniable allure is its

setting and unique experience. Guests can enjoy a picnic

cruise, sunset trip or pre-dinner sail aboard Dragonfly.

The stunning launch can also ferry you to and from

Henley – perhaps for the Regatta come summer, to

Windsor for dinner or a day trip, upriver to the Roux's

legendary three Michelin-star Waterside Inn, to Marlow

for lunch at Tom Kerridge’s restaurants, or to nearby

Cliveden or Eton Dorney. For larger celebrations, three

riverboats can be hired. On the island’s lawn, a clutch

of handcrafted bespoke Shepherd’s Huts provide guests

with the ultimate star-gazing experience. Take a seat

by the fire pits with a blanket come nightfall, toast

marshmallows at the huts’ fire pits and snuggle down

with a boozy hot chocolate, looking skyward to spot the

stars on a clear night.

Small touches, too, make for memorable stays.

When we returned to our suite after dark, two miniature

flower pots filled with velvety ganache and chocolate

soil were left as extra treats, together with a parting gift

of a packet of wildflower seeds – to help us recreate that

Monkey Island ambience at home. And our turndown

service was accompanied with another embossed card,

this time with a quote by ex-resident Edward Elgar, and

was left with a sprig of fresh lavender and deep sleep

pillow spray.

Whether fascinated by history or in search of a luxury

escape a stone's throw from the capital, Windsor and

Marlow, Monkey Island Estate has stories and offerings

in abundance. The added bonus of having Bray's

exceptional foodie hotspots on the doorstep – Heston

Blumenthal’s three Michelin-star Fat Duck sits in the

centre of the village alongside his one Michelin-star

coaching inn The Hind’s Head – means there's even more

reason to extend a stay. u


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Home to some of the most spectacular landscapes

the country has to offer, the Cotswolds will take

your breath away with its idyllic villages and beautiful

lakes as well as the endless number of activities

and things to do all year round. With self-catering

lakeside accommodation in the heart of the Cotswolds,

you’ll enjoy everything this part of England has to

offer. Many of our holiday properties are dog-friendly

whilst the Cotswold Water Park has activities for

the entire family to enjoy including fishing, water

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Book your holiday online at orionholidays.com or give us a call on 01285 861 839

48

hours in

ALDERNEY

From a Roman fort to uncrowded beaches, sense the magic in Alderney,

a warm, peaceful and relaxing escape in the Channel Islands, where you

can fully unwind. Breathe, relax, and enjoy “the Alderney feeling”

Words | Jessica Way


Braye Beach

DON’T GO TO ALDERNEY. You won’t like it. In fact,

don’t even read my article, and I hope you have a

great staycation elsewhere on the British Isles! I wish

I could keep this up, but of course, I’m joking. The

truth is, as anyone who follows me on Instagram will know,

I adored my weekend break in Alderney. In fact I enjoyed it

so much that I feel hesitant in sharing my experience of this

charming island, for fear that word will get out, and that one

day the island might change.

Alderney is the third-largest of the Channel Islands, behind

Jersey and Guernsey, located 8 miles from France, and 60

miles from the UK. One of the less-visited Islands, Alderney is

still refreshingly uncommercialised – but with modern luxuries,

beautiful beaches and sumptuous accommodation – offering

a unique holiday experience to, in my opinion, rival any of the

other more popular islands.

As the closest of the Channel Islands to the south coast of

Great Britain Aurigny Air Services (aurigny.com) offers direct

flights from Southampton in just 40 minutes. Ideal for me,

living just a 10-minute drive from Southampton Airport, and

made getting to the island a breeze. Flights from other airports

require a transfer in the small, friendly airport on Guernsey, so

a little more complicated, maybe, but ultimately still worth it to

experience this hidden gem.

Alderney’s simple way of life and breathtaking scenery

provides the space to reflect and feel blissfully rejuvenated

– complete escapism from our modern world. There are no

crowds, no queues, and no traffic - just fresh air, incredible

wildlife, an abundance of flora and fauna, and around 50 miles

of footpaths and ancient trails to explore. The historic town of

St Anne, intriguing Roman forts and Victorian defences are

fascinating - and the island naturally lends itself to an outdoor

lifestyle, kayaking, hiking, cycling, swimming. à


You don’t just visit Alderney - you feel a connection with

the island. The unspoilt, wild landscape, magnificent

coastal views and beautiful beaches dotted around the

10-mile perimeter are utterly enchanting. You can’t help

but relax and completely unwind as you marvel over the

architecture, or investigate the many historic forts.

Every day on Alderney is an adventure – even for

the locals. Some who had lived there for years, told us

they still find hidden gems (even bays!) they never knew

existed. They are living in paradise – and so are their

children. Alderney has the only school in the British Isles

where children take their swimming lessons in the sea!

There’s a family-run farm providing the entire island

with delightful local produce, a cinema, starry skies,

various events running throughout the year – and that’s

not to mention blonde-haired hedgehogs and blue

letterboxes - I mean what more could you want?

It’s truly unique – and the community spirit is

unparalleled. The magic touched me with, as they

describe it, “The Alderney Feeling”.

DAY ONE

Just a 5-10-minute transfer from the airport took us to

our hotel (you can walk it in around 20 minutes), The

Victoria, conveniently located at the bottom of Victoria

Street, in the ‘capital’, Saint Anne. It’s a perfect location,

close to all the action and within easy reach of the

coastline and main sites of the island.

Our lovely host, Ally couldn’t have made us feel any

more welcome, and inside was beautifully light and airy,

with coastal-themed interiors, home-from-home touches

and contemporary charm. Sister-hotel, The Georgian (on

the same street opposite The Victoria) looked every bit as

attractive and inviting, and is another excellent holiday

option. (thevictoria.gg)

Close by our hotel was Cycle & Surf, the shop where

we had pre-booked our electric bikes. Andrew, who runs

“You don’t

just visit

Alderney -

you feel a

connection

with the

island. The

unspoilt,

wild

landscape,

magnificent

coastal

views and

beautiful

beaches

are utterly

enchanting.”

the shop with his wife Kathy, was fabulous. They have

turned this essential hire shop into an island gem,

with the latest top-of-the-range electric bikes, and a

range of designer and casual wear - all very reasonably

priced. I walked in to see a floaty beach dress, jumper

and lace t-shirt I couldn’t resist. (cycleandsurf.co.uk)

It was time for lunch. We strolled up along the

cobbled street to Le pesked, the only French restaurant

on Alderney, and we were in luck. The Alderney Food

and Drink Festival had started, and, as a lunchtime

special, the fabulous Brittany chef David Ollivrin was

serving up five dishes for two, for just £20. The food,

made from local produce, was delicious. My personal

favourites included the Alderney Crab Spring Roll in

plum sauce, Moules and Marinated Pork Brochette.

Re-fuelled, we met at the bottom of Victoria Street

for our Round-the-Island tour with Alderney Tours, led

by John Horton, the Island Bird Observatory Warden

(as seen on BBC Countryfile and CH4 Little British

Islands). This two-hour minibus tour is the perfect

introduction, offering the opportunity to learn about

the geography, history and wildlife, and to get your

bearings of where everything is, before heading out on

your self-guided explorations.

John is the perfect tour guide, professional,

knowledgeable – and with a great sense of humour.

But, like many of the Islanders we met, it’s not his only

day-job. John’s passion for birds and wildlife is what

led him to take a career break as a Metropolitan Police

Officer to establish the Channel Isles first accredited

bird observatory – where numbers and variety of birds

soon far exceeded expectation. Just a couple of à


Pictured top-left

to bottom-right:

Fort Houmet

Herbe; Jessica

looking out across

to Fort Houmet

Herbé; The

Victoria, Hotel;

Pepperpot and

Longis Beach; and

Fort Tourgis


Pictured above in a clockwise direction: Alderney cliffs opposite Les Etacs; Looking out across

Longis Bay from a bunker in 'The Nunnery'; Alderney gannets; Hard hat tour of the new luxury hotel,

'The Blonde Hedgehog'; 'The Nunnery'. Opposite page: The Georgian, sister-hotel to The Victoria.

Just a couple of weeks into the job, John

observed a group of 16 Ring Ouzels coming

to rest on the fourth green of the golf course,

adjacent to the observatory. He thought:

“This is going to be awesome!”


weeks into the job, John observed a group of 16 Ring

Ouzels coming to rest on the fourth green of the golf

course, adjacent to the observatory. He thought: “This

is going to be awesome!”

And it has been an enormous success. One of John’s

first bird-ringing sessions resulting in the recording of

over 40 Firecrests! Alderney has established itself as an

important place for migrating birds – one of the most

exciting islands in Britain for seeing and monitoring

birds, both in migratory transit and in seeking

undisturbed nesting sites.

We stood at the headquarters of the Alderney Bird

Observatory, based in ‘The Nunnery’ – the bestpreserved

small Roman fort in Britain. “With such huge

historical importance, the plan is to develop this into a

publically-accessible heritage site” John explained as we

admired the surviving walls of this impressive fort.

John lives at the lighthouse, just a short walk from

‘The Nunnery’, juggling his roles as tour guide and bird

warden. He seemed equally passionate about both,

telling the group no two days are the same.

John dropped us back at Cycle & Surf, where our

electric bikes were waiting – ready to take us back up

Victoria Street to meet another of the locals.

General Manager, Tracey Farquhar-Beck had

offered to give us a hard-hat tour of new luxury hotel

‘The Blonde Hedgehog’ (think Soho House and The

Pig Hotels) opening this September. Encircled by the

quiet cobblestoned streets of Saint Anne, the hotel is

composed of three buildings, The Blonde Hedgehog,

Clarence House (next door), and The Corner House

(opposite).

Tracey told us the back story. Owner Julie-Anne,

business entrepreneur and founder of charity Zamcog, is

opening her first hotel - along with the restaurant and a

new butcher’s shop. Currently living in London, she will

soon be relocating from London to live in Alderney and

personally manage her island ventures. An investment

welcomed by the locals - supportive of Julie-Anne and

excited for the increased tourism more luxury hospitality

on the island might bring.

We had some time to relax back at The Victoria,

reflect on our day - and share our enthusiasm for the

special place we felt so fortunate to have discovered,

before heading out for dinner over the road at The

Georgian.

The ground-floor of The Georgian offers a great

option for a pre-dinner drink, or relaxed dining, with the

cosy warmth of a traditional pub, or head upstairs, as

we did, to enjoy the refinement of The Orangery, with

more of a fine-dining feel, ambient music, candles and

elegantly dressed tables.

In contrast to the bar, The Orangery restaurant is

light, airy and contemporary, with beautiful, modern

landscape paintings adding vibrant colours to the white

walls. The windows slide open to the full width of the

building - showcasing a panorama of mature island trees

in their immaculate Georgian terraced garden full of

pretty wallflowers and hanging baskets.

We ordered from their 2 Mile Menu, as the name

suggests all ingredients (very) locally sourced. Our

alfresco-style dining was made complete with a

bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, tomato bruschetta, freshly

caught Alderney scallops, and Kiln Farm Sirloin Steak

with Georgian House melted butter. If only there had

been time for dessert - we were booked on the Bat &

Hedgehog walk with the Alderney Wildlife Trust - it

would have been the Speculoos Cheesecake, or possibly

the Affogato. (georgianalderney.com)

Meeting point was at the Wildlife Trust shop, just

a few doors up from The Georgian. Our expert guide,

Roland Gauvain, then showed us how to use our bat

detectors to search out bats as we wandered up Victoria

Street and through the pretty Parish Church of Saint

Anne. We find Pipistrelles - “just 4cm long but with a

wingspan of 22cm” Roland explained. He was extremely

knowledgeable about the life of bats, how they live, and

their feeding cycles, I was surprised to learn they can eat

up to 3000 midges in one night!

As darkness fell, we began our search for Alderney’s

famous blondes. With no foxes, badgers, stoats or

weasels on the island to worry about, Alderney's rare

blonde-haired hedgehogs thrive. With a population

of around 600, they have dominated their brown

equivalents. They are thought to originate from only

a handful of pairs, brought to the island as pets in the

1960s - and (if you believe the locals) released from a

Harrods bag. We spotted a few snuffling about, the first

all curled up, just a ball of blonde spines! à


Others had their beautiful pink snouts on show - each one

uniquely cute and charming. Some quietly scuttled away,

while others didn’t seem too fussed about us at all. The

islanders treat them like little kings (and queens) feeding

them when they come to their gardens - perhaps one of

the reasons they are doing so well.

There are not many people who know more about our

adorable British tiggywinkles than the Alderney Wildlife

Trust - the island’s only organisation dedicated to the

protection of the natural environment and local wildlife.

Take part in one of their activities, walks or tours and

your money will be put towards funding many essential

projects in conserving their island. (alderneywildlife.org)

DAY TWO

Breakfast at The Victorian is excellent. Home prepared by

Ally, made with local produce fresh from the fisherman or

farm-to-fork and served in the pretty dining room.

Choose from healthy smoothies, continental,

porridge, pancakes, a full Victorian House breakfast – or

pre-order for overnight oats, soaked apples, or (as I did) a

grilled kipper with a poached egg.

Alderney is about self-adventure, and, as Andrew

from Cycle & Surf described it, “There’s nothing to do

on Alderney, but there just isn’t enough time to do it

all”. While Alderney might not have a tourism brochure

packed with must-visit attractions and gift shops for its

visitors, there was so much to go and see – to investigate

- to explore. You could stay for weeks, months, years and

still find somewhere new and exciting to spend a lazy day.

The Victoria provided us with a delicious packed

lunch, picnic-style, and off we went on our bikes - in

search of our own slice of this Alderney magic.

We had a map, but one of the things I liked best about

Alderney was that we didn’t need it. The enjoyment is

in following the paths and discovering places as you go.

It’s easy to lose yourself in the natural beauty, enjoying

Alderney is

about selfadventure,

and, as

Andrew

from Cycle

& Surf

described

it, “There’s

nothing

to do on

Alderney,

but there

just isn’t

enough time

to do it all.”

the moment, and seeing where the day takes you.

And with the coastline of never-ending stretches of

white-gold beaches, never too far out of sight, you can

always get back on track, if needed.

Just 10 minutes into our journey and we came across

a Blue Plaque - at the home where John Arlott, English

journalist, author and famous cricket commentator for

the BBC’s Test Match Special lived.

There are several more Blue Plaques dotted across

the island - you can even pick up a leaflet showing the

Blue Plaque Trail. Other distinguished people who

were born or lived in Alderney include John Wesley,

Founder of Methodism; TH ‘Tim’ White, a writer best

known for publishing “The Sword in the Stone” and

author Elisabeth Beresford, famous for creating The

‘Wombles’.

I wonder if the island's adorable blonde hedgehogs

could have inspired Elisabeth’s furry, long-nosed

burrowing creatures (who lived peacefully under the

parkland of Wimbledon Common, emerging secretly

to clean up and repurpose the rubbish left behind by

humans).

After passing the cute 18 hole golf course, Alderney’s

colourful puffin statue, and the ‘Nunnery’, we arrived

at Mannez Lighthouse, where if you are visiting May to

September tours are available every Sunday.

Overlooking Fort Les Hommeaux Florains, with the

sun shining and not a single soul in sight, we munched

our way through our fresh crab sandwiches. The views

were spectacular - easily one of the most peaceful

picnics, just us and the birds, the gentle swashing of

the waves below – one of the many highlights. à


Pictured above-left in a clockwise direction: Alderney's Blonde

Hedgehogs; Former home of John Arlott, on the Blue Plaque

trail; Alderney's colourful puffin statue; Birdwatching from

Breakwater harbour; Local produce; Mannez Lighthouse


Pictured above in a clockwise direction: Jessica meets some of the locals at Saye Beach who regularly

get-together for an early morning swim and warming brew; Saye beach, Alderney Puffins; Cantina

Number 6; Gannets at Les Etacs. Opposite page: Stargazing at Fort Tourgis

“We swam on Saye Beach, named as one of

Countryfile’s Beaches of the Year, and met some

of the locals who were brilliant fun - welcoming

us whole-heartedly into their self-formed

'Alderney Beach Swimming Club!'”


C O O R D I N A T E S

L A T I T U D E 4 9 . 7 7 1 5 5 º N

L O N G I T U D E 2 . 2 0 7 6 º W

PICTURE CREDITS: JESSICA'S OWN AND © VISITALDERNEY/ JAKE WOODNUTT/MARTIN BATT/JAKE WOODNUTT

The north-east side of the island was my personal favourite,

especially the beaches of Corblets Bay and Saye Bay. We swam at

Saye Beach, named as one of Countryfile’s Beaches of the Year, and

met some of the locals who were brilliant fun - welcoming us wholeheartedly

into their self-formed 'Alderney Beach Swimming Club!'

Sadly, it was time to head back as we had a boat tour booked,

especially to see the puffins and the gannets. We got to the pontoon

harbour meeting point where Roland from The Wildlife Trust, and

the rest of our group, were gathering.

The waters were a little choppy, but arriving at the isle of Burhou

and seeing the puffins, one of the most iconic birds resident in the

Channel Islands, made it all worth it. They live here from late March

until early August, the only time they spend on land, until heading

back to the sea for the rest of the year, out in the Atlantic. These

colourful seabirds are instantly recognisable by their bright beaks.

Sadly, puffins are now red-listed and classified as a vulnerable

species. The Alderney Wildlife Trust monitor the population and help

protect them from threats.

Next stop was Gannet Rocks (Les Etacs), home to almost 6000

pairs of Britain’s largest seabird! And we didn’t need the binoculars

here to watch them swooping and diving from the shore, we were

close enough to smell them, we could almost touch them - and what

a display! Incredible, another holiday highlight for me. We chatted

to the skipper, Bugsy, who we had earlier encountered in Victoria

Street. As he is also the island’s resident fishmonger, I thanked him

for my breakfast kipper!

We finished a perfect day with dinner at Cantina Number 6,

Braye Street. A cheerful restaurant with a brilliant blue front door

and painted window frames, set against cream brickwork, desertstyle

plant pots and rustic wooden sign. The Latin American vibe

continued inside, guitars, retro numberplates and colourfully

painted oars mounted on the wall, a trendy cocktail bar made from

old tea box shipping containers, mosaic tiles, and ornate cushions.

Earn hipster points by ordering a ‘Perfect Storm’ - their version of

a ‘Dark and Stormy’ but with a special secret ingredient! From the

kitchen, I enjoyed some fresh local oysters, Caribbean Fish Feast

- polished off with a strawberry shortbread sundae. True to their

garden-kitchen ethos, our waitress came in from the terrace door

with some fresh mint leaves in her hand – a group of locals were

enjoying her Mojitos. We were feeling the vibe here so, following a

recommendation from our waitress, sipped on Espresso Martinis,

outside on the balcony overlooking Braye Beach.

Alderney is an ideal destination for a digital detox, story-bookstyle

adventure, relaxing beach holiday, or all three rolled into one.

With spectacular sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and stargazing, romantic

moments are never too far away. It’s idyllic - and I found myself

completely captivated by its charm. I discovered “the Alderney

Feeling”, and I know I will return. u

MAKE IT EXTRA SPECIAL

Stargazing

Alderney is an area unpolluted by artificial

light and therefore shows off the night sky

to its best advantage. In the evening Fort

Tourgis is the recommended place to go and

is easily accessible for views of the Milky Way

and when shooting stars are often nightly

events. With the island having a milder than

average climate, it’s easy to grab a blanket

and enjoy a few hours stargazing on this

beautiful island.

Afternoon Tea at Braye Beach Hotel

Braye Beach Hotel is (currently) the only 4*

hotel on Alderney, situated directly on Braye

Beach - one of the best bays on the island.

Non-guests are also welcome to enjoy their

bar, restaurant and terrace area for morning

coffee, a light lunch or early evening drink.

For a romantic afternoon enjoy a sumptuous

champagne afternoon tea in their signature

Seaview Restaurant, to include freshly made

salmon and prawn sandwiches, scones,

cakes and chocolate delicacies.

Drink coffee in Jack’s Brasserie

A trendy stone brick coffee shop located

on Victoria Street - directly opposite The

Victoria. Recently taken over by Richard,

formerly from the Braye Beach Hotel. He is a

great character, full-of-life - and knows how

to make an excellent coffee. Sit outside and

relax in the sunshine. Also open for breakfast

and lunch, or a cold beer and wine.

GETTING THERE:

FLY IN LESS THAN 1 HOUR

FROM SOUTHAMPTON AIRPORT

BY SEA IN JUST OVER AN

HOUR FROM GUERNSEY OR

NORMANDY

Ü VISITALDERNEY.COM


Do sEThiG

MigT

A fantastic series of fully supported, one-day hiking marathons all

over the UK. Every Mighty Hike is easily accessible and will take

you to some of the most beautiful and unspoiled parts of our country.

Bring your family, bring your friends and take a step forward for people

living with cancer.

Find out more and sign up at

macmillan.org.uk/mightyhikes

Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and

Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604).

Also operating in Northern Ireland.

TAKE A JOURNEY

S C O T L A N D

Edinburgh | Pitlochry | The Highlands | Caledonian Forest

© VISITSCOTLAND / KENNY LAM

Travel through the heartland

Take a journey with us through the heart of Scotland, starting in the buzzing capital of Edinburgh,

Words | Melanie Abrams

visiting Big Tree Country before reaching Inverness, The Highlands and the Caledonian Forest

à


Our journey begins. in

EDINBURGH

Scotland’s historic and spirited capital. The pavements of Edinburgh are

thronged, day and night, with visitors, some lured by any of the many cultural

events, some seeking to re-connect with their ancestral past and others simply

content to stroll the streets admiring the unspoilt architecture

Words | Adrian Mourby

© VISITBRITAIN / ANDREW PICKETT / VISITSCOTLAND / KENNY LAM

TAKE A WALK THROUGH OLD TOWN

Edinburgh from Calton Hill is one of the most-photographed

images of the “Athens of the North”. In the foreground

stands a neoclassical memorial to the Enlightenment

philosopher, Dugald Stewart.

Down below rises an eighteenth-century new town that

Edinburgh’s idealists built once it was safe to expand beyond

the ancient fortifications. Walk down Calton Hill onto Regent

Road at sunset and the view before you is as rich as any oil

painting. Beyond Waterloo Place and all the way down Princes

Street, spire after spire rises in the orange glow. Nearest are

the towers of the Balmoral Hotel, then the spire of the soaring

memorial to Sir Walter Scott, and beyond them the steeples of

six or seven churches heading west out of the city.

By day the Scott Memorial dominates this side of

Edinburgh. The great novelist sits larger than life, in carved

white marble beneath a huge, blackened gothic canopy that

is reminiscent of London’s Albert Memorial but 25 feet taller

still. Scott’s novels did so much to reinvent Scottish identity and

boost Scottish self-respect after the defeat of Bonnie Prince

Charlie’s rebellious army in 1745. Surely Edinburgh is unique

in having its main railway station – Waverley – named after

a literary character? (Edward Waverley was the hero of Sir

Walter’s first novel.)

The memorial overlooks parkland that was once a loch at

the base of Edinburgh castle. It’s situated on Princes Street,

named after the future George IV who, as Prince Regent

visited Edinburgh in 1819. George was deeply unpopular

in England at the time of his journey north but as the first

member of the British royal family to pay a visit to Scotland

since the humiliating defeat of 1745 he was overwhelmed

by the enthusiastic reception he received from the people of

Edinburgh.

George’s niece, the much more popular Queen Victoria,

is celebrated above the portal of the Scottish National

Gallery which lies 150 yards further down Princes Street.

By the time this Athenian-looking temple to the arts was

opened in 1859 the British royal family had not just forgiven

Scotland’s uprising but bought themselves a holiday home –

Balmoral Castle – in the Highlands.

Turn left to walk past the two single-storey neoclassical

buildings that house the national collection and you will

come to the Playfair Steps. These rise steeply up from the

gallery towards New College, a medieval-looking divinity

school beneath the castle. Both the college, the National

Gallery and the steps that link them were designed by

William Henry Playfair (1790 – 1857). Playfair’s work

encompassed both the Athenian style of Calton Hill and

the National Gallery and the turreted gothic style that was

championed by Sir Walter Scott and those who read his

novels and yearned for Scotland’s medieval past.

At the top of the steps follow signs to Lady Stair’s Close.

The narrow path passes under one of Edinburgh’s à


© VISITSCOTLAND / PAUL TOMKINS / KENNY LAM

towering eight storey houses into an internal courtyard

where, in a corner tower stands the Writer’s Museum.

Here you can discover all manner of literary relics.

There is a whole basement devoted to Robert Louis

Stevenson which includes his boots and cap, and a

wardrobe that belonged to his family (built by one

Deacon Brodie whose infamous double-life in Edinburgh

inspired Stevenson to write Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde).

Cutting through another passageway, this time under

Gladstone’s Land, a six storey house built in 1727, brings

you out on to the Royal Mile.This sequence of ancient

roads links Holyrood Palace, the Queen’s residence in

Edinburgh, with the castle. Turn right and walk up to the

castle itself and you will pass many shops selling cut-price

cashmere, tartan and whisky, as well as “Boswell’s Court”

where the great biographer was said to have dined with

his subject, Dr Johnson. Suddenly there is the forecourt

of the castle, a huge squat impregnable fortification built

“The narrow

path passes

under one of

Edinburgh’s

towering

eight storey

houses into

an internal

courtyard

where, in a

corner tower

stands the

Writer’s

Museum.”

on top of an old volcano. The view on each side of this

apron is panoramic, but on the left hand - southern - side

you can see the towers of George Heriot’s School, which

is said to have inspired local author, JK Rowling with the

idea of Hogwarts.

Leaving the castle, take the steps known as Wynd

North down to Johnston Terrace and then further down

still through Upper Bow, a convoluted stone staircase

that leads to Victoria Street. This new, gradual incline of

a road was built in the 1830s to make western access to

Edinburgh less of a climb. Gaily painted, Victoria Street

is one of the grandest and yet most colourful terraces in

Edinburgh. It rises seven storeys high and contains shops

like the fashionable tweed merchants Walker Slater and

the famous Whisky Shop as well as a very good basic

Edinburgh drinking den known as Bow Bar.

From here climb up Victoria Street and to your right,

over George IV Bridge you’ll find the National Museum of

Scotland and opposite it the Elephant House Café where

JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter. Turn left and you’ll come

back to the Royal Mile and St Giles’ Cathedral whose

remarkable steeple is topped by a coronet that is based

on the medieval crown of the Kingdom of Scotland. u

P L A N N E R

WHERE TO EAT

THE SHIP ON THE SHORE

When Murray Georgeson began this fish restaurant in

2006 in rundown Leith he had no idea he’d spearhead a

revival of Edinburgh’s old dockland and eventually create

a culinary icon. If you like seafood, book a table in this

bohemian diner with its splendid seafood platters and

original art. (24-26, Shore)

theshipontheshore.co.uk

BRASSERIE PRINCE BY ALAIN ROUX

The new all-day brasserie at the Balmoral Hotel is a coproduction

between hotelier Sir Rocco Forte and Alain Roux,

son of Michel Roux and chef patron of the three-Michelinstarred

Waterside Inn. The décor is a stylish – but not

slavish – homage to the Parisian bistro. (1 Princes Street)

roccofortehotels.com

LE DI-VIN

In 2008 this Polish oratory near the Caledonia Hotel was

converted into a restaurant and a dramatic wine bar. Over

the entrance is a giant monochrome mural celebrating the

Auld Alliance of France and Scotland. Look out for Mary

Queen of Scots and Sean Connery on one side and Dumas

Pére and Brigitte Bardot on the other. (9 Randolph Place)

ledivin.co.uk


BRITISH

TRAVEL

JOURNAL

Loves...

N E W !

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...

BELMOND ROYAL SCOTSMAN ADVENTURES

UNDER THE STARS

Scotland’s only luxury sleeper train, announces bespoke

excursions that takes guests off the rails and into the wilds of

Scotland. Guests can now tailor their itinerary by choosing

from a range of activities including stargazing under some

of the darkest skies in Europe in the Cairngorms; hiking the

gorges of Aviemore, canoeing on Loch Ness, clay pigeon

shooting at Rothiemurchus Estate or teeing off for golf at

some of Scotland’s most famous links courses. Departing from

Edinburgh’s Waverley Station, Belmond Royal Scotsman travels

on circular routes through the heart of the Highlands. With

only 40 passengers on board, the train replicates a ‘Country

House on Wheels’ and has two, three- or four-night itineraries.

belmond.com

VISIT THE ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA

A visit to Edinburgh is simply not complete

without a tour of this iconic ship. The Royal Yacht

Britannia - Her Majesty The Queen’s former floating

palace, where Prince Charles and Princess Diana

honeymooned, and where the young princes William

and Harry spent their school holidays sailing the

Western Isles of Scotland.

Today a museum, voted as Scotland’s Best

Attraction for over 10 years - and it’s clear to see

why it’s fabulously brilliant. Visitors are welcomed to

step on-board and explore for themselves the yacht

where Presidents Mandela, Reagan and Clinton

were wined and dined, and celebrities like Liz Taylor

and Frank Sinatra, (or more recently, Zara Philips

and Mike Tindall) have been entertained.

There are five decks of the yacht to explore while

listening to the super-informative and engaging

audio. From the gleaming Engine room to The Sun

Lounge, Her Majesty The Queen's favourite room,

and where she would enjoy breakfast and afternoon

tea. Allow time to enjoy a champagne lunch or

tea and scones in the Royal Deck Tea Room with

its panoramic views over the River Forth and enjoy

the delicious menu, all prepared on board in the

original Royal Galleys by Britannia’s team of chefs.

royalyachtbritannia.co.uk

YOU CAN

EVEN HIRE

THE STATE

DRAWING,

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ROOM

OR THE

OFFICERS'

WARDROOM

FOR PRIVATE

EVENTS,

WHERE

EVERYTHING

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REPLICATED

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SAME HIGH

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AS WHEN

BRITANNIA

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We love ...

Y O U M I G H T A L S O E N J O Y

NIRA CALEDONIA

Edinburgh has a number of charming boutique hotels created out of

the terraces of its eighteenth-century new town on the north side of

the city. Nira Caledonia has just 28 rooms, many of them large and

gracious but with dark modern furniture and extra-large TV screens.

Staying here opens up a whole new perspective on Edinburgh’s

beautiful, rational new city that later inspired so much

American town planning. (6-10 Gloucester Place)

niracaledonia.com

THE GLASSHOUSE

This very modern glass and steel hotel is built behind the facade of

Lady Glenorchy’s Church, which was demolished in 2000 but still

provides a portal into reception. Most of the rooms and suites look

out on to a rooftop garden that has picturesque views of Calton Hill,

and which is very is popular in the summer for picnics. Edinburgh

Playhouse is next door and there are a lot of lively dining options

nearby. (2 Greenside Place)

theglasshousehotel.co.uk

THE BALMORAL

Built in 1902 as the Great Northern Hotel, the Balmoral

is the grandest place to stay in Edinburgh. It rears up

above Waverley Station like a great granite cliff. The

hotel’s clocktower is always set three minutes fast to make

sure passengers get to the platform on time. Rooms are

elegantly designed by Olga Polizzi, the sister of owner Sir

Rocco Forte and the views from those at the top extend

beyond Edinburgh into the countryside. (1 Princes Street)

roccofortehotels.com

INTERCONTINENTAL EDINBURGH

THE GEORGE

Rich in history, welcoming hotel guests since 1881. The hotel's

recent multi-million-pound restoration and refurbishment

sensitively combines luxurious natural materials such as

oak, marble and leather with a palette of colours inspired

by the great 19th-century Scottish landscape painters.

phcompany.com

EDINBURGH

W H E R E W E S T A Y E D

FINGAL, EDINBURGH

Alexandra Dock, Leith

Fingal is a luxury floating hotel permanently berthed on

Edinburgh’s vibrant waterfront, just a short stroll to the

shops, restaurants and galleries, in the historic Port of Leith.

A blissful stay, far enough away from the hustle and bustle of

the city to feel utterly tranquil, but still within easy reach of all

the major city centre attractions (10 minutes by taxi or bus).

Following a £5 million investment the former Northern

Lighthouse supply ship has been exquisitely refurbished

offering absolute luxury, flawless service, and a wholly

unique experience - far removed from your everyday world.

Fingal started life as a lighthouse tender, helping

maintain lighthouses and transporting their keepers,

equipment and supplies to some of the most treacherous

locations in Scotland.

The 23 beautifully styled cabins are all named after

Stevenson lighthouses inspired by Fingal’s rich maritime

heritage - augmented by the personalised embossed

headboards. There are a range of bedroom suites to include

cabins with private balconies, duplex apartments, and suites.

Book the magnificent Skerryvore Suite, with a separate

sitting room and private decking area for watching the sun

go down, stargazing and Champagne.

If you do decide to explore the charms on your doorstep,

one of the highlights could be ‘The Distillery’, opening soon

as the first vertical whisky distillery in Scotland, and a new

major new landmark for Edinburgh. You might like to ‘meet

the maker’ of the exquisite hand-woven luxury shawl on

your bed. Scottish textile artist Araminta Campbell offers

FINGAL IS

ALSO A

PERFECT

VENUE

FOR AN

EXCLUSIVE

USE SPECIAL

OCCASION

OR WEDDING

VENUE - THE

ELEGANT

BALLROOM,

WITH A

GRAND

SWEEPING

STAIRCASE,

CAN SEAT

UP TO 60

PEOPLE FOR

DINNER

private tours of her studio, located just down the road. Or if it

is a culinary delight you desire head to Tom Kitchin’s Michelinstarred

restaurant on Commercial Quay, also just a few

minutes walk away.

Once on-board however, you may choose not to step off!

Serving breakfast, afternoon tea and evening supper, the

Lighthouse Bar has a relaxed, luxurious feel, with soft leather

seats, art deco interiors, and a magnificent shimmering ceiling.

There’s also vast floor to ceiling windows which lead out to

an outdoor decking area where you can watch the vibrant Leith

Docks transform from bold daylight into soft, dusky tones, as

the evening sun spills across the ocean.

Its glamorous vibe sets the tone for appreciating one of

their spectacular cocktails (or mocktails). Try an Old Fashion

Shipwreck, with a delicious explosion of flavours. The menu is

simple with just a few starters, then Scallops, Lamb, Salmon or

Asparagus to follow. Simply seasonal dishes - fish fans should

try the salmon which is smoked on board.

Breakfast is about relaxing, spreading the papers out and

digesting the morning’s news while watching the colourful

world outside come alive. From a full cooked, hearty feast with

all the trimmings to a continental style buffet and lots of fresh

juice, fruit and gallons of tea and coffee. Children are welcome,

double cabins are priced from £300 per night.

fingal.co.uk


Next we stop at

PITLOCHRY

Famous as a holiday resort, rich in Victorian heritage, Pitlochry is

situated in the heart of the stunning scenery of Highland Perthshire and

is the perfect half-way stopping point between Edinburgh and Inverness

Words | Jessica Way

© VISITBRITAIN/JOE CORNISH



FROM EDINBURGH, it’s an hour and a half drive or two hours

by train north to one of Scotland’s most beautiful places to

visit - the burgh of Pitlochry, in the county of Perthshire. You’ll

know when you’ve arrived, as all you will see around you is

enormous trees - a feature that has given Perthshire the name of Big

Tree Country. With more than 200,000 acres of woodlands, which

include more champion trees than anywhere else in the UK, it’s a title

well deserved.

Pitlochry is very much a holiday destination with hotels, restaurants

and its own special attractions and events for visitors throughout

the year. The town sits below Beinn Bhracaigh (Ben Vrackie), the

speckled mountain, and beside the River Tummel in some of the most

magnificent scenery in Scotland, with a backdrop of surrounding hills

and beautiful woodlands.

The famous Highland Games are held here every September,

promoting the cultural history of Scotland through competitive

traditional dancing, piping, athletic and heavyweight championships.

A short drive from Pitlochry, along a winding tree-lined road, hugging

the River Tummel, lies the Queen' s View - a famous vantage point

looking out over one of the most iconic panoramas in Scotland,

directly to the west along Loch Tummel. On a clear day here you can

see the mountains surrounding Glencoe near the West Coast. It is

often thought that the location was named after Queen Victoria who

did, in fact, visit in 1866. However, it is more widely believed to have

been named after Queen Isabella, the 14th-century wife of Robert the

Bruce, who used the spot as a resting place on her travels.

And don’t miss a trip to The House of Bruar - Scotland’s foremost

luxury retail destination - approximately 10 miles north of Pitlochry.

Here you will find the best in contemporary country clothing, the UK’s

largest Knitwear Hall, a comprehensive Food Hall with a Delicatessen,

Butchery and popular Restaurant, Art Gallery and even a Fish and

Chip Shop. u

EAST HAUGH HOUSE

Military Road, Pitlochry

An award-winning country house hotel, and huge asset to

this beautiful burgh, family-run for the past 30 years by the

McGown family who lovingly converted the property, built

originally as part of the Atholl Estate some 350 years ago.

It is a very special place to stay, located in the heart of

picturesque Pitlochry, surrounded by beautiful woodland

walks and riverside rambles and with access to some of

the very best fishing on the Rivers Tay and Tummel. Every

guest is made to feel extremely special, a truly unique,

unforgettable home-from-home experience in 17thcentury

Scottish luxury.

The beautiful turreted stone house boasts twelve

individually designed bedrooms, including a deluxe

four-poster room with Jacuzzi baths, a suite with movie

room, and deluxe superior room with open fireplace.

There is also a separate Victorian private gate lodge

within the grounds. The restaurant, under the helm of

award-winning Chef Patron Neil McGown, is known by

the locals as serving the best Sunday roast in town and

boasts an impressive A la Carte menu, as well as an everchanging

daily specials menu.

easthaugh.co.uk, balnakeilly.com

H I R E !

A PERFECT

VENUE

FOR LARGE

GROUPS

BALNAKEILLY

HOUSE IS A

LUXURY 13

BEDROOM

RETREAT

WITH

VIBRANT

INTERIORS

AND A

LARGE

ROOFED

HOT TUB


Then we reach

THE HIGHLANDS

Inverness, known as the gateway to the rugged north of Scotland and,

beyond, to the Western Isles, is our perfect stop, before taking the Kyle Line to

the Kyle of Lochalsh and spending the afternoon at Eilean Donan Castle

T

HE NEXT PART of our Scotland

Special could be experienced as

part of the 'Castles and Wildlife

of Scotland' tour by Great Rail

Journeys – one of their new luxury, more

intimate small group tours. This is such a great

way to travel, with all the essential elements of

the journey taken care of for you - a 7-day trip

including overnight journeys aboard the new

Caledonian Sleeper Train (featured on page

97), 4 nights of luxury at two different hotels,

a dolphin cruise, nostalgic rail trip along The

Kyle Line, and a visit to Eilean Donan Castle.

Departing from (and returning to) London

Euston station, all you need to worry about is

finding the Virgin Lounge ahead of boarding

before settling in for your first night on the

rails. Plus there’s plenty of free time for being

curious and finding your own slice of Scottish

adventures whilst on the road - starting in the

cultural capital of the Highlands, Inverness.

Inverness offers city life and beautiful scenery,

with a fascinating history and a wealth of things

to do and places to see, including its Castle,

Cathedral, Museum Art Gallery, Botanic

Gardens. The list goes on! Inverness is a Gaelic

word meaning “mouth of the River Ness” –

The Ness being the river which flows out of



© VISITSCOTLAND / KENNY LAM

Loch Ness (famous for its monster!) into

the Moray Firth (famous for its resident pod

of Bottlenose dolphins). While there is not

a tour that can guarantee you a sighting

of the Loch Ness monster, you would be

unlucky not to see any sealife on Dolphin

Spirit the biggest dolphin boat on the Moray

Firth. Departing from Inverness Marina,

it's a purpose-built passenger vessel with

all-round visibility for up to 70 dolphin

watchers on two decks – with passionate

and expert guides also helping you spot

seals, otters, herons, osprey and puffins.

A journey from Inverness on the

acclaimed Kyle Line – one of Scotland's

most scenic railway lines is another

'Highlands must'. Notable stops include

Achanalt, where the marshlands

surrounding Loch Achanalt provide a

habitat for several rare and interesting plant

and bird species, as well as Achnashellach

Forest, reputedly the site of an historic battle

between three Scottish clans in 1505.

Disembark at the end of the line to

transfer to the 13th century Eilean Donan

Castle, perched atop a tiny island at the

confluence of Loch Duich, Loch Long, and

Loch Alsh. This iconic castle has been filmed

and photographed numerous times over the

years, most famously being featured in the

film 'Highlander'. u

“Inverness

offers city life

and beautiful

scenery, with

a fascinating

history and

a wealth

of things

to do and

places to see

including its

own Castle,

Cathedral,

Museum

Art Gallery,

and Botanic

Gardens. The

list goes on!”

TULLOCH CASTLE

Tulloch Castle Drive, Dingwall Ross-Shire

This magnificent hotel dates from the 12th century when

the Bains and later the Clan Davidson laid claim to its

lands. Like its lively history, the castle's fortunes have

changed many times. The castle retains many of its period

features, including the 250-year old panelled Great

Hall, and painstakingly restored original fireplaces and

ceilings. In days of old, only the Laird or the Chief of the

Clan could enjoy a relaxing stay in a Scottish highland

castle. Thankfully, times have changed. Today, Tulloch

Castle has 20 well-appointed en suite bedrooms, each

with their own unique character and charm. Guests

are given a warm welcome, and can expect splendid

hospitality, comfortable surroundings and superb food.

bespokehotels.com/tullochcastlehotel


Last but not least!

CALEDONIAN FOREST

Jessica Way has a ‘wild’ time staying in the Caledonian Forest,

Sutherland, in the Scottish Highlands, where she unwinds and learns

of an exciting project striving to restore the balance of nature


A

S A TRAVEL WRITER, people will

often ask me ‘what’s hot?’ in the world

of destinations and holiday trends.

There’s this one hotel, an eco-friendly

Wilderness Reserve in the wild side of the Highlands,

permanently fixed at the tip of my tongue – and that’s

Alladale.

I haven’t spoken as much about one single

hotel I’ve stayed in - ever. Alladale is, in my view,

trending in every way. It’s environmentally-minded,

experience-driven, and the perfect retreat for a

luxury digital detox.

It’s not a new hotel; the Laird of Alladale, Paul

Lister, acquired the estate back in 2003. However,

I feel that it is now that his passion, vision, ethical

mindset and ability to remain commercially minded,

is being shared and understood more than ever.

Generally speaking, society is becoming more

aware of the environmental importance of climate

change. It’s thankfully an era of being more

considerate to the environment around us, tackling the

big issues of waste and conservation.

I meet people regularly now, both socially and

through work, who share stories about the changes

and small contributions they have made.

Companies such as Riverford and Gousto,

which minimise the amount of single-use plastics

from supermarkets, are gaining in popularity.

I try, for example, by using soap bars for my

body and hair, having weekly milk deliveries from

Milk&More, and taking part in fundraising events.

“It’s not a

new hotel;

the Laird

of Alladale,

Paul Lister,

acquired

the estate

back in 2003.

However, I

feel that it

is now, that

his passion,

vision, ethical

mindset

and ability

to remain

commercially

minded,

is being

shared and

understood.”

But how is all this about making a difference relevant

to Alladale I hear you ask? Well, “social purpose” is not

just becoming important to everyday lifestyle, it has

transferred to the tourism and travel industry too.

People want to see the positive impact travel

can have on the world, they're seeking to make a

contribution while on holiday – with a rise of more

fulfilling and enriching travel experiences.

Alladale has recognised this change too. However,

their conservation work is not merely a marketing

campaign to publicly proclaim the good work they are

doing to rewild Scotland at the reserve for commercial

advantage. Far from it. Alladale is the real deal, and to

them, this is not an opportunity, but a responsibility.

And it’s not a cheap one either! Uncomparable to

the extra cost of buying unpackaged fruit and veg, or

paying slightly more each week for eco-friendly toilet

roll, this sustainable environment project is costing

Alladale millions.

The man behind the project, Paul Lister, thankfully

has deep enough pockets to pay for it – he’s the son à


of Noel Lister, founder of the MFI furniture empire,

which he sold to Asda in 1985 for a reputed £60 million.

Paul’s big vision to “restore the ecology of Scotland”,

came to him shortly after his father died from a stroke in

2015. Losing his father made him reassess his current life

as a furniture salesman where he “used to eat, sleep and

breathe chipboard dust”.

He spent some time in South Africa to try to find

himself again, and the ever-popular game reserves

inspired his dream for Alladale.

We didn’t get to meet Paul in person during our stay

he’s only at the reserve around three months a year, but

Pieter-Paul Groenhuijsen, the General Manager, who

greeted us on arrival, and dined with us in the evening,

more than made up for it. Pieter is a tall, muscular

Dutchman, who is instantly likeable, warm and composed

- usually found with his adorable husky puppy Logan shyly

by his side. On arrival, we sat chatting in the spacious

(but cosy) lounge, our bags carried in, while we chatted

over teas, coffees and delicious homemade banana cake.

I was there with an exclusive small-group tour, a new

offering by Great Rail Journeys, following a promise of

“undiscovered destinations, charming train travel, and

luxury hotels” – and can confidently say they delivered.

This hotel was a delightful surprise and welcome highlight

within the itinerary.

Pieter passionately shares Paul’s same vision for the

reserve - enthusiastic about the replanting of the forest.

We looked out of the window at the outstanding views,

imagining how the landscape would have been a couple

of thousand years ago, colourful mosaics of flora, trees

and vegetation.

The reserve is part of Glen Alladale, a broad glacial

valley surrounded by 2,300-foot mountains, and the

Alladale estate itself covers 23,000 acres of Caledonian

“Originally

described as

“The Great

Wood of

Caledon” the

wood would

have been

home to a

wide range

of species

including

the beaver,

wild boar,

lynx, elk,

brown bear

and the wolf,

as well as

creatures

still present

today.”

Forest. Originally described as “The Great Wood of

Caledon” (there’s even a book, of the same name) the

wood would have been home to a wide range of species

including the beaver, wild boar, lynx, elk, brown bear

and the wolf, as well as creatures still present today.

Due to centuries of deforestation, today less than

1% of the original forest remains, and the widespread

introduction of sheep and intensive grazing by an

increased deer population, natural regeneration of

the forest has been put on hold. “The problem is the

ecological system isn’t working” Pieter explained.

We were taken on a drive of the reserve, keen to

explore this beautiful wild landscape and to see the

conservation work in practice. A few of us chose to sit

in the open trunk of the 4x4, maximising our views and

photo opportunities. It’s a glorious day - and we feel

blessed to be there. The scenery is wildly dramatic, the

colours so vivid, the peacefulness and freshness of the

air – it’s exhilarating, just being there.

The only man-made objects in sight were the wooden

bridges, enabling us to drive over the crystal clear

streams - a world away from London - yet only 2.5 hours

commute.

We were taken to see the lodges. Deanich Lodge was

my personal favourite, hidden deep in the reserve, for a

true ‘off the grid’ experience. It wasn’t long before we

found ourselves surrounded by a herd of fluffy Highland

cows, a mixture of red, yellow, brindle, dun, and silver.

Some are very noisy. All are utterly adorable, especially

the younger calves.

I was hoping we might also see TV adventurer Bear

Grylls - as he has chosen Alladale as the location for his

Survival Academy, confirming just how wild this area is.

We do though drive past a large group of children and

teachers. Paul has set up and hosts an annual six-week

Challenger Trust, camping, conservation and outdoor

adventures for parties of secondary school pupils.

Our ranger Neil, just 18 years old, tells us about their

aims of replanting 30 million trees while pointing out

some of the 800,000 trees they have already planted.

80% are local varieties, including Scots pine, rowan,

willow and juniper. Most of these will take a lifetime to

grow, but to see the small sprouts that have emerged so

far gives both hope and excitement.

Only once the forestation is complete can they then

concentrate on bringing back the animals that have

been lost - the overall idea being to restore the Highland

ecosystem, reintroducing the flora and fauna that once

thrived here, and eventually the large predators who

once lived here.

We see a sign “Slow please, Red Squirrels”, a

great example of a successful re-introduction in 2016.

Following becoming extinct in many parts of Scotland,

they are now thriving here once again. As are Red Kite,

the white-tailed sea eagle, and European beavers.


Despite all this excellent work, there is still some criticism around the

project. Paul himself, being described as “howling mad” by the Daily

Mail and referred to as ‘The Wolf Man’ by some of the locals, to which

he has skillfully made a joke of himself, by greeting new guests wearing

a wolf mask! The press is at it too, with Alladale being described as

“Jurassic Park”, and articles writing of the shock-factor, with gasps,

and reluctant locals worried about the project.

With further sensible planning and a science-driven approach,

Alladale firmly believe it is the right thing to do for future generations.

Having been there and seen what they’re doing first-hand - it is truly

remarkable.

As is the hotel itself, with its luxurious bedrooms, spacious cosy

sitting room, snooker room, delicious home-cooked evening meals -

and views out to the dramatic glens, colourful hills, glistening rivers,

and herds of majestic red deer roaming around outside your window.

The very best bit though, while increasing cultural understanding

in the conservation of wildlife, Alladale also ploughs 7% of

accommodation revenues into The European Nature Trust – so guests

are contributing directly to conservation and restoration efforts – a

strategy, in my view, only to be applauded, and a positive step forward

for sustainable eco-friendly tourism. u

GETTING THERE

Experience Castles and Wildlife of Scotland on an escorted small

group tour with Great Rail Journeys. Priced from £1,495pp, the

7-day trip includes return travel on the Caledonian Sleeper, hotel

accommodation, all rail and excursions and selected meals.

Departing 6 Oct 2019, 24 and 26 April, 15 and 17 May, 12 and 14

June, and 2 and 10 October 2020.

greatrail.com/tours/castles-and-wildlife-of-scotland

N E W !

WE TRAVELLED ON THE NEW! CALEDONIAN

SLEEPER TRAIN LONDON TO INVERNESS

It’s time to ‘Dream Big’ and let the new fleet of Caledonian Sleeper

trains transport you from London to Scotland in style. Following

an investment of £150 million, for the first time, their new fleet of

trains offer guests double en-suite bedrooms! Other new features

include a hotel-style keycard entry system, charging panels and

WiFi throughout the train. Take the Lowlander route between

London and Glasgow or Edinburgh. Complete the rest of this

journey on the Highlander route between London and Aberdeen,

Inverness and Fort William. A basic seat on the Caledonian

Sleeper starts at £45, with prices for Caledonian Doubles from

£335 single occupancy and £400 shared.


WORDSWORTH

HOUSE & GARDEN

WHINLATTER

MUNCASTER

MIREHOUSE

WORDSWORTH

TRUST/DOVE

COTTAGE

ARMITT

RUSKIN MUSEUM

BEATRIX POTTER

GALLERY

LAKELAND

MOTOR MUSEUM

TOWNEND

GRIZEDALE

DALEMAIN

STOTT PARK

BOBBIN MILL

HUTTON-IN-THE-FOREST

ALLAN

BANK

HOLE-

HIRD

HILL TOP

BROCK-

HOLE

GONDOLA

HOLKER

FURNESS

ABBEY

CARLISLE

CASTLE

BRANTWOOD

BLACKWELL

LEVENS

ASKHAM

BROUGHAM

CASTLE

SWARTHMOOR

SIZERGH

ACORN BANK

LANERCOST

BIRDOSWALD

BRITISH TRAVEL JOURNAL CROSSWORD 03

ACROSS

8 He was Shylock to Jeremy

Irons' Merchant (6)

9 NC500 tourist destination

on Loch Broom (8)

10 Banjo lad played to get

employment (4,1,3)

11 Rumours (6)

12 Old Edinburgh singer

who loved a lassie (6)

13 Pens again (8)

14 Quoted concerns (6,9)

18 Annually, Blenheim Palace

pays one in the form of a

French royal flag (4-4)

21 Cotton cloth (6)

23 Small extension of the sea (6)

24 Falls in Yorkshire (8)

25 Berkshire village where a

struggle ends? (8)

26 Marriages and mergers (6)

DOWN

1 Laurens van der Post's "Lost World"

(8)

2 Out of breath (6)

3 Called forth (8)

4 Locale of Kempton Park racecourse

(7-2-6)

5 Fully renovated (3-3)

6 Professional who helps you look

well (8)

7 Stick together (6)

15 Instruction (8)

16 Distinguishes (5,3)

17 Dragon's Fury and Oblivion rollercoasters

certainly are (8)

19 Incredible! (6)

20 Figures who are never billed? (6)

22 Prologue (4-2)

Answers will be printed in the

Winter Issue out 28 November

The first twenty correct crosswords received will be rewarded with a free gift of

Newby Teas - simply send your completed crossword (or the answers) with your

choice of Moroccan Mint, Jasmine Blossom, Earl Grey or English Breakfast tea,

and your postal address, by post to British Travel Journal, Mitchell House, Brook

Avenue, Warsash, Southampton, Hampshire, SO31 9HP,

or email the answers to crossword@britishtraveljournal.com

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD 02 | SUMMER 2019

ACROSS: 1 Lews, 4 Unsinkable, 9 Strait 10 On credit 11 Horseshoe-shaped,

12 Reindeer 15 Deva 18 Star 19 Deaf ears 21 Breakfast cereal 25 Solihull 26

Mercia 27 Marylebone 28 Lynn. DOWN: 2 Extrovert 3 Swabs 4 Untested 5

Stobo 6 No-cost 7 Alexandre 8 Laine 13 Normality 14 Rad 16 Variation 17

Gatcombe 20 Effuse 22 Rhoda 23 Salvo 24 Rural.

FOR YOUR JOURNEY

Books, apps, travel gadgets and crossword

The Heritage Cumberground

WE LOVE

Victorian Line

Diary Line

Monument Line

Museum

Castle & Home

Wellington

Garden

TFT

Spiritual

Walkies

BOOK RELEASE

A must read for all golf enthusiasts,

who will know that Scotland boasts

some of the best courses in the world,

yet no two courses are ever the same!

Priced £14.99 available from:

pen-and-sword.co.uk

CUMBERGROUND

Cumbria, home to two UNESCO World

Heritage Sites, is making the tracking

down of heritage through itinerary

planning simplicity itself, by launching its

‘Heritage Cumberground’ map. (free)

cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk

FAIRTRIP APP

The first app in the world dedicated

to sustainable travel, featuring 3,000

hotels, restaurants and experiences for

their authenticity and their positive

social and environmental impact. (free)

fairtrip.org

C1 MOONGLOW

Launched to mark 50 years since man’s

first steps on the moon. This exclusive

new timepiece uses Callibre JJ04, an

in-house modification accurate to a

day every 128 years. Priced £1,695.

christopherward.co.uk


British Travel Journal | Autumn 2019

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