One of France’s most remote and intriguing regions, Brittany (Bretagne in French), is the rugged north-western tip of France jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. Prehistoric standing stones attest to its ancient past, while its local dialect, Breton (closely related to Cornish and Welsh), and its very name are a reminder that it was an outpost […]
Counties Kerry and Cork, in the very south of Ireland, are routinely listed as the most beautiful parts of a country famous for magnificent scenery. There’s great produce too, from delicious raw milk cheeses to great fruit and veg and some special craft beers. The highlight of this region is the five southern peninsulas: beautiful […]
Keen to see more of Switzerland? ~ Top 5 Switzerland (country guide) ~ Top 5 Bern (city guide) ~ Top 5 Swiss Hotels Here’s an authentic taste of Switzerland: ~ Swiss Barley Soup (Gerstensuppe) ~ Cheese Fondue ~ Swiss Vermicelles (Mont Blanc) ~ Kaffee Fertig Top 5 Canton Bern (regional guide) The Canton of Bern […]
Keen to see more of Ireland? Here are my guides to Ireland’s Ancient East and Southern Ireland (Kerry & Cork) Top 5 Ireland’s Cliff Coast (Clare regional guide) The Wild Atlantic Way is a 2,500km driving route along half of Ireland’s coastline; it’s far too much to tackle in one go, so is divided into […]
One of the less visited areas of France, Jura is a diverse landscape of plains, vineyard-clad hills and the rugged Jura Mountains, which it shares with neighbouring Switzerland. There’s some spectacular scenery and delicious food, but most exciting of all is the unique vin jaune (‘yellow wine’) that has made this region famous among oenophiles […]
Top 5 Barossa (regional guide) Australian wine areas don’t get much more iconic than the Barossa. Without getting into too much detail, the Barossa ‘wine zone’ is divided into two official ‘wine regions’: the cooler, higher Eden Valley in the east and the warmer Barossa Valley in the west; plus a small stretch further west […]
Forget man-made boundaries, the mighty Murray River is a natural boundary that connects Australia’s three south-eastern states. From its source in the NSW Snowy Mountains it forms much of the border with Victoria before flowing into the sea at Goolwa in South Australia. Each state has its own Murray Region, but here’s five of the […]
Top 5 Adelaide Hills (regional guide) Adelaideans, do you know how blessed you are? Just 20 minutes from your city centre, you start climbing into one of the most beautiful parts of Australia. I love the Adelaide Hills, especially when they’re bursting with spring blossoms or glowing with autumn leaves. A drive through the Hills […]
Emilia-Romagna may be one political region – but culturally it contains two very different territories. Emilia, in the west – home to the foodie cities of Parma, Modena and Bologna – draws most of the attention, while Romagna, in the east, remains relatively undiscovered. Here life has a slower, friendlier (dare I say, almost southern […]
Keen to see more of Ireland? Here are my guides to The Dramatic Cliff Coast (Clare) and Southern Ireland (Kerry & Cork) Top 5 Ireland’s Ancient East (regional guide) Ireland holds a fascination for almost everyone. Its history ranges from megalithic tombs, Vikings and Normans, through heart-tugging tales of famine and emigration, to more modern […]
