Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2017 i Wanderlust

ROBB TURNER Maple estate owner and author A dedicated maple syrup disciple, Robb’s knowledge of the sweet stuff went from zero to encyclopaedic after setting up his Crown Maple estate in 2010. Now, he’s even crafted a syrup-themed cookbook, with his maple-bacon-cookies among some of the tastiest recipes (p16) Mountain, desert, ocean or jungle… which are you? Mountain. First great travel experience? Growing up on a farm in Illinois, USA, where I’d hike all day with friends and pretend that we were native Americans living off the land. Favourite journey? Every winter with my family, when we visit somewhere new. Our most recent trip was to Costa Rica. Top five places worldwide? New York City, USA; the Great Wall of China; Bahia, Brazil; Piedmont, Italy; our Crown Maple Estate in…

‘If I’m going to do a challenge, it’s got to be the biggest peak that I can tackle’ In your latest TV series, Britain’s Best Walks, you trek a mix of coast, hills and countryside. Did you have a favourite among these? It’s impossible to say. Every walk has things you like about it. The ‘Yorkshire’ episode, for example, was about getting to the top of Pen-Y-Ghent, which is a proper walkers’ route and part of the Three Peaks Challenge. It was wild and windy, as you’d expect, but also visually stunning; and we went via Hull Pot, so it was a classic fell walk, too. Whereas the ‘Rivers’ episode was set in north Devon and took in Exmoor National Park. It was completely idyllic, the sun was with us…

The UK has joined the US in banning electronic items carried in the hand luggage of passengers flying from certain Middle Eastern countries on selected airlines. So will you still bring them and risk your devices going in the hold? YES Keith Rickaby, Wanderlust reader “We normally travel hand-luggage-only, so we couldn’t stash any electronics in the hold. For us, we’d just have to rewind a few years to a time when we didn’t really have much in the way of technology anyway. So, the iPad is staying at home next time (as are our Kindles), in favour of taking a book or two each and swapping them along the way.” NO Gareth Clark, Wanderlust sub-editor “The grim truth is that I can’t travel without electronics. I don’t mean that…

Our editorial assistant recalls his own motorhome adventure in Finnish Lapland Why did you stay in a motorhome in Arctic conditions? I wanted to see what it was like. I’ve never stayed in a motorhome before, and so staying in one in the heart of Lapland was something completely new to me. I was interested to see how it (and I) would cope in such harsh conditions and, in some ways, I wanted to prove that you could enjoy these sort of trips throughout the year and in all kinds of weather. So… what was it like? Very cosy! The heating worked fantastically well and, if you run out of gas, the vehicle can still be heated via the mains electricity. I actually forgot that our motorhome was covered in…

‘Your travel healthcare policy should also cover repatriation and, if appropriate, helicopter rescue. But be sure to read the small print of any policy first’ Here in the UK the NHS comes in for a lot of flack, but while it may sometimes be hard to access the right clinician quickly, when things go badly wrong health-wise, you’ll get good care. Elsewhere, you can’t be so sure. The service may be there, but how do you find it? How can you know if the clinic is clean enough or the clinicians qualified to the right level? What if you have no language in common with the medic? The first, and most obvious, precaution is to take out adequate travel insurance, and make sure it has a link with a medical…

Your Story The bare bones of Bergen-Belsen Reader Tabitha Green, winner of our ‘One Sight I’ll Never Forget’ online writing competition, recalls a school trip like no other... They say that the birds don’t sing in Bergen-Belsen. They sing freely in the heath and woodland outside this former concentration camp, but inside, they remain quiet. It seemed fitting. My father was in the armed forces, and we were stationed in northern Germany for many of my school years. It was only natural that one of my history lessons saw the class visit the nearby site of the camp, famous for having had Anne Frank as one of its prisoners, claiming her life just months before it was liberated on 15 April 1945. Today, there is little left of the camp,…

I was delighted to open Wanderlust to read about Northern Madagascar [‘Magic Eye’, March 2017, issue 174]. It brought back such happy memories. I lived on Nosy Be with my family when I was five – over 30 years ago! Through my young eyes, it was a paradise of beaches, coral reefs and wonderful wildlife. I returned 10 years ago and, by serendipity, met the man who’s now my husband of six years. So, this magical place really holds a special meaning for me, and I hope to return a soon. Thank you for such an inspiring article! Sarah Keir, via email…

1 The remote tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are strictly protected, with travellers currently not allowed to visit their islands; p24 2 Human diseases can affect gorillas, with visitors to the rainforests of Congo-Brazzaville having to wear face masks to avoid spreading infection; p56 3 A motorhome can take you a lot further than just caravan parks filled with crying children; p66 4 Deep in Mount Myohyang are 150 rooms filled with 71,000 presents gifted to North Korea’s leaders; p110 5 Switzerland is chock-full of quirky sleeps – a hay barn, turret and converted wine barrel, to name just a few; p80…

PRECARIOUS PERCH San Luis Obispo, California Photographer: Ryan Hill As travellers, we love breaking the mould in search of untrod adventures. The same clearly goes for photographers. In this hair-raising shot, snapper Ryan Hill has pitched up in the unlikeliest of places: on the crest of an rocky arch off the Californian coast. Yet while his deftly balanced tent begs the question ‘How?’, we can’t help but recall a similar natural wonder, Malta’s recently collapsed Azure Window (see p12 ). And though the sea may eventually claim this arch, too, Ryan’s shot reminds us to make the most of our wild landmarks while we can. Depart curated by The Sizoo Brothers (£35, Terra Lannoo Publishers, ISBN 9789089897046). Out now. SALMON SWIPE Katmai National Park, Alaska Photographer: Paul Souders Watching…

BRISTOL TRAVELLERS’ CLUB Bristol, 9 May  www.marcopolotravel.co.uk YHA,14 Narrow Quay, BS1 4QA. £3.50, with a proportion of the entry fee donated to WaterAid. From 7.10pm. Tickets are available on the door. Colin Knowles recounts his overland adventure across West Africa, and Mike Bates shares stories from his time in Panama and Costa Rica. GLOBETROTTERS CLUB Chester, 20 May  www.chesterglobetrotters.co.uk Grosvenor Museum, Chester, CH1 2DD. 1pm. £3. For booking details and information, call Hanna on 01244 383392 or Eve on 01606 301762 Barbara Brooks talks about her gap- year travel, and gives tips on how you can do the same, while Heather Lannin recalls her time spent working with orphans in Sierra Leone. AUSTRALIA’S NATURAL WONDERS London, 25 May  www.rgs.org Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, SW7 2AR. £20 for members;…

VITAL STATISTICS Capitals: Colombo (Sri Lanka); Port Blair (Andaman Islands); Dhaka (Bangladesh) Population: 22 million (SL); 420,300 (AI); 166million (B) Languages: Sinhalese, Tamil, English (SL); English, Hindi, plus 24 other regional dialects (AI); Bengali, English (B) Times: GMT+5.5 (SL & AI); GMT+6 (B) International dialling codes: +94 (SL); +91 (AI); +880 (B) Visas: Required by UK nationals for all countries. A 30-day Electronic Travel Authorisation for Sri Lanka costs $35 (£28); apply at eta.gov.lk/slvisa. For the Andaman Islands, you will need an India visa – e-visas can be obtained from indianvisaonline.gov.in for $75 (£60). Note that if you are arriving by ship, you cannot get one of these; you need to apply for a normal visa (£119) via the embassy. For Bangladesh, you must obtain a visa in advance at…

VITAL STATISTICS Capital: Brazzaville Population: 4.7 million Language(s): French, Lingala and Kituba Time: GMT +1 International dialling code: +242 Visas: Required by UK nationals. This must be obtained in advance and can be available the next day if applied for in person at the Honorary Consulate of the Congo-Brazzaville (020 3077 9958) in London. Visas cost £60 for 15 days; £90 for one month. All applicants require proof of accommodation during their stay. Money: Central African franc (XAF), currently around XAF756 to the UK£. US dollars or euros are also useful. ATMs are few and credit cards are rarely accepted outside of Brazzaville and Pointe Noire. When to go Dry season – summer see highs of round 25°C combined with high humidity across the northern rainforests. Wet season – the…

Chloe Knott, senior product manager at adventure tour operator Exodus (exodus.co.uk), tells us why there’s more to Swiss living than chocolate and cuckoo clocks... DRAMATIC MOUNTAIN VISTAS: With 48 of Switzerland’s peaks towering above the 4,000m mark, the country provides some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in Europe. Ranging from the iconic ‘Toblerone’ shape of the Matterhorn to Switzerland’s highest peak, the Monte Rosa (4,634m), the landscape here is a hiker’s paradise. There are an almost untold numbers of treks here, but one of the most popular is surely the famous Haute Route, which crosses the Swiss Alps and traces a roughly 100km trail between the windswept peaks of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. HIGH ALPINE LAKES: The country is dotted with spectacular lakes that glisten with bright cobalt-blue…

SHOULDER STRAPS & HIP BELTS All daypacks should offer shoulder straps; look for padding with some kind of ventilation, so it’s comfortable and doesn’t get too sweaty. But packs under 30L don’t always offer hip belts. If you are going to use the bag for walking, it’s a useful addition and you should look for ones that do – again, padded and ventilated. If you are using it occasionally, either around town or for travel, opt for one without and save on weight. BACK ‘SYSTEMS’ Many daypacks will have some kind of ventilated back ‘system’, using sculpted foam and mesh panels or a curved static frame that holds the pack away from your body so that air can circulate and you don’t get sweaty. But, for occasional use – carrying…

VITAL STATISTICS Capital: Bern Population: 8 million Languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. English is understood in hotels and tourist attractions, but not always in the villages or by locals Time: GMT+2 (Oct-Mar GMT+1) International dialling code: +41 Visas: Not required by UK nationals for stays of up to 90 days Money: Swiss Franc (CHF), currently 1.24CHF to the UK£. Credit cards are widely accepted across Switzerland, and ATMs are readily available in towns throughout the country. When to go Spring & autumn – the best time to avoid the summer crowds, and spring will see the landscape covered in blossoming flowers. Autumn is a great time for wine connoisseurs, though some mountain passes may be closed due to snow. Summer – warm, with average temperatures between 18°C and 28°C,…

‘We climbed a jagged circle of lava pyramids to Mount Paektu’s blue crater lake; reached by 2,160 steps – a tacit reference to the date of Kim Jong-il’s birthday’ The Majon Hotel catered to our every comfort. The bathroom had a generous collection of toiletries, all labelled Sheraton – no affiliation, of course, they must have purchased a job lot. On the desk in the bedroom was a little box containing a pair of scissors, a small pot of glue, a metal ruler, bulldog clips and a stapler. And in the wardrobe… a gas mask. This hotel also had one more surprise up its sleeve. Gazing out to sea, I saw a sweep of ochre sand curve away under steep, pleated cliffs to reveal a private beach. Beyond that lay…

While the world need never see another picture of your cat, social media’s capacity to draw people together is unmatched. Travellers immediately siezed on its potential, with Instagram being a popular outlet for journeying snappers deprived the shop window of a gallery. That’s where this knee-trembling image of the Kasteelspoort hike on the way to Cape Town’s Table Mountain (pictured) comes in. Taken by Alexander Kibble, the shot features in Depart (Terra Lannoo; £35, out now) curated by the Sizoo Brothers. Using pictures posted by the brothers and their friends on Instagram during their global gallivanting, the book draws on the thrill of discovery and sheer bravado that often bonds social media and travel. Who says staring at a phone can’t inspire?…

PHOEBE SMITH • EDITOR • Hurdling the language barriers as she drives multi-lingual Switzerland SEE PAGE 80 TOM HAWKER • PRODUCTION EDITOR • Drooling over ways he can shoehorn maple syrup into his next meal SEE PAGE 16 GARETH CLARK • SUB EDITOR/WRITER • Revving his engine and seeing where in the world the road takes him... SEE PAGE 92 RHODRI ANDREWS • EDITORIAL ASSISTANT • Bagging his Edinburgh Festival ticket early, so he can party like the Scots... SEE PAGE 133…

‘War, weathering, climate change and over-tourism can all impact our landmarks’ Earlier this year, one of Europe’s iconic wonders collapsed into the Mediterranean Sea. After decades of erosion, Malta’s Azure Window arch finally crumbled in March during a heavy storm. Sadly, it’s not alone. And for every site lost to human stupidity, such as Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra, there’s others, like the limestone stacks of Australia’s Twelve Apostles, that simply vanish at nature’s behest. That there’s no single factor for this trend makes it harder to combat. “It’s a combination of things,” explains Matthew Strebe from the World Monuments Fund. “War, weathering, climate change and over-tourism can all impact our landmarks.” Sadly, it’s a problem that’s not going away. The Fund recently published a report on 500 heritage sites…

Canada’s love affair with the maple tree is etched into the country’s history: the maple leaf adorns both flag and currency, while ‘The Maple Leaf Forever’ is an unofficial national anthem. And then there’s maple syrup, which was first enjoyed by its local indigenous peoples, before being passed on to European settlers. Now it sweetens nearly any table at which visitors might sit. Today, Canada produces over 75% of the world’s maple syrup stock from a swathe of hardwood forest known as the ‘maple belt’. This stretches from Nova Scotia, through Québec and Ontario, to the northern USA – now that’s our kind of road trip. And as the snow melts in spring and the maple sap rises, it’s time to harvest the country’s finest export. The syrup is commonly…

Journeys are never just geographical. They are personal, too. This month’s bookshelf kicks off with a particularly raw example. Travelling With Ghosts (£15, Weidenfeld & Nicolson) sees Shannon Leone Fowler attempt to make sense of her boyfriend’s shocking death by revisiting her backpacking travels with him, before moving on to places that loudly resonate with mortality and grief – Poland, Bosnia, Israel. Choo Waihong also has a tale to tell. Hacked off with the oh-so-male system of Singapore’s legal world, she understandably found herself drawn to the matriarchal Mosuo people, who dwell on China’s mountainous border with Tibet. The Kingdom of Women (£18, I B Taurus) is her fascinating account of a slowly shrinking culture. Crime writer Thomas H Cook’s travel instincts are, not-surprisingly, a bit on the dark side.…

1 Tobogganing  Hurtling down a frozen hill laden with snowy pines is one of the tundra’s raw thrills. Head to Saariselkä in the far north and grab a toboggan at Kaunispää Fell before enjoying Lapland’s longest sled ride – 1.2km of pure Arctic adrenalin. 2 Eat in a Lappish hut  This is Lappish culture at its cosiest. Huddle around the open fire to defrost, before diving into traditional treats such as tasty wood-smoked reindeer and salmon, served alongside Finland’s national food: freshly-baked rye bread. 3 Snowmobile safari  The fastest mode of transport over snow in Lapland. Hop aboard a snowmobile to explore a vast network of remote, winding forested trails, skim across frozen lakes and climb hilly fells with ease deep in the Arctic wilderness. Oh, and feel pretty cool…

One of the best ways to experience a beautiful destination is to explore it on your own two feet. We grew to love hiking around two decades ago. Since then, we have set out to capture the classic treks of the world in pictures. One of our favourite experiences has been a 12-day trek in Ladakh, India (pictured here). But in addition to capturing the beauty of the hike, the challenge here was to convey its essence – what walking this particular trail was like, as opposed to similar-looking settings. An effective way to do that was to include figures in the shot. But posing someone in front of a wild landscape is not enough; to tell a story, they needed to be captured in action. The sight of a…

SPRAYWAY Sirius 25 £30  www.sprayway.com The test: At the budget end of the scale comes this unisex offering from Sprayway. A more traditional-looking rucksack, it features a lid – minus a pocket – as well as a zipped front pouch, two wand pockets, a rain cover and attachments for walking poles, if needed. Inside the main compartment is a sleeve for a hydration pack (alternative to a water bottle), though there is no outlet for this other than the main opening. The back system is made up of three padded and vented panels, while the shoulder straps are wide, padded and also vented. There is a hip strap – rather than a belt – but that helps to keep the weight down to an impressively low 600g (the joint third-lightest…

River inspiration What better way to read my latest edition of Wanderlust [March 2017, issue 174] than by watching a cruise boat float into the harbour of Old Havana, Cuba, while dipping into your ‘Best River Cruises’ article. I found myself lusting over Madagascar’s tsingy after a day’s horseriding through the limestone mogotes (steep small hills) of Viñales, and preparing for our next home-stay while pondering a trip to Bhutan. And following a year of taking not-so-good photographs, I was inspired by your travel photos, both in terms of my next destination and how to take better pictures. While our Cuban holiday is coming to an end, I am still happily sat on Playa Ancón, flicking through the pages of your magazine, recalling trips gone by and dreaming of journeys…

VITAL STATISTICS Capital: Pyongyang Population: Approximately 25 million Language: Korean Time: GMT+8.30 International dialling code: +850 Visas: Required by UK nationals. These are usually arranged by the tour operator and included within the cost of travel. Permits will be issued in Beijing before transit; UK nationals can stay in the China capital visa-free for up to 72 hours. Money: Won (KPW), around KPW1,125 to the UK£. But you will usually be asked pay in Chinese yuan, euros or US dollars. When to go Shoulder months – the best time for travel, avoiding wet summers and cold winters. National holidays is the peak time for visitors, with grand events like National Foundation Day (Sep 9) and Party Founding Day (Oct 10) taking place. Summer – wet and hot (25›C-30›C). But travel…