The road to the isles

There is something really enchanting about the Isle of Harris, in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. This really is a place to get away from it all.

Let’s be quite clear. This is not a destination for someone who enjoys basking by the poolside, or smoozing around sophisticated hotels, restaurants and bars. Shopaholics will find only traditional grocery stores, plus the occasional arts and crafts studio and, of course the essential knitwear or Harris Tweed shop and workshop. Harris Tweed of course was recently brought to the fashion forefront again with the Nike trainers, or sneakers, that famously featured the cloth that can only be woven on Harris or Lewis.



The sun sets behind Pabbay in the Sound of Harris

So this is not a very commercialised society. Extremely welcoming, friendly and with a strong belief in providing hospitality.

Before heading to the Isle of Harris also recognise that most facilities only operate six days a week. Sunday observance is still strong in the islands (where Sunday is more normally called the “Sabbath”).

Not that you will be thrown out of your guest house, or hotel. The islanders’ hospitality would not allow that. But the ferries don’t run, virtually all shops are shut and restaurants that are not part of hotels or guest houses are likely to be shut.

Oh, and one more thing. During the summer months – in calm reasonably mild conditions – you may fall prey to the dreaded Scottish midge. These little blighters seldom cause any real harm, but their tiny itching bites can cause grown men to take cover in sheer frustration.

Having been to the Isle of Harris last as a teenager I was fearing the worst. I thought that the latter part of the 20th Century and the first few years of the 21st might have changed the island. It hasn’t. At least not substantially.

There are a few more guest houses, a few more tourist shops, visitor centres, restaurants and cafes. But, other than that, it is still the same.


The Toe of Harris from Northton

The islanders still treat door locks as optional. I dread the day that level of trust is abused.

So what are the attractions?

Well the weather is always a talking point. Apart from St Kilda and Rockall, and the west coast of Ireland, this is the last outpost of Europe before America. With most weather patterns for Britain coming in over the Atlantic, the weather changes quickly here and there are precious few trees to shelter from the ocean wind. So the air is sweet and unpolluted, but it can equally well be salt-laden and biting – even in the summer.

So, you just have to accept that the weather is a lottery. You may strike it lucky with a warm sunny spell the summer. The good thing is that the weather patterns can change quickly. As some seasoned visitors will say, ‘if you don’t like the weather, now, just wait 20 minutes’.



One of the many glorious beaches, this one at Scarista

Those who come to the Isle of Harris, then, are people who appreciate the beauty, the unspoiled nature of the place and the traditional island values.

There are a high proportion of islanders who will use Scottish Gaelic (pronounced gah-lick as opposed to Irish gay-lick) in everyday speech. It is also used on road signs. But the good news for most visitors is that English is spoken everywhere – often with a captivating, soft-spoken Hebridean accent.

The mountain and seascapes are superb. The beaches – even when chilly and windswept – look absolutely stunning. And the sunsets can be breathtaking.



Inside the blackhouse at Arnol

You should plan to visit one of the blackhouse museums. We would recommend a trip north to Arnol in Lewis to see the Historic Scotland blackhouse. You get a real sense of how the islanders lived up until the early part of last century in these dry-stone thatched cottages, with a peat fire in the middle of the floor. The smoke simply rose to the rafters and seeped out through the thatch. The resulting soot, giving the blackhouses their name.

You can do Arnol as part of a loop, taking in Stornoway, the main town on Lewis, crossing to the west coast for Arnol and returning by Dun Carloway broch and the highly-impressive standing stones of Callanish.



The impressive standing stones at Callanish

To get to the Isle of Harris, you can fly to Stornoway on the Island of Lewis and hire a car to drive to Harris. Although described as two separate islands, Lewis and Harris are joined together. Amazingly, together they constitute the third largest island in the British Isles – behind only the mainland and Ireland.

Alternatively you can take the ferry. Our favourite is the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Uig in the Isle of Skye, taking one hour 40 minutes to cross the Minch to Tarbert in Harris. The good news is that road-equivalent tariff introduction has recently slashed the cost of taking a car to the islands.

Either way, be aware that the roads on the Isle of Harris are not for the foolhardy or the fainthearted. Some sections of road are single track, that is the are the width of only one car. So you are quite likely to meet on-coming traffic head-on at a blind bend!

We recommend a four, or five-day, trip. We based ourselves at An t’Ob (or Leverburgh as it was named by soap baron Lord Leverhulme when he sought to build his industrial miracle on the island in the early part of last century). We stayed at the Grimisdale guest house and found it an ideal, comfortable and most welcoming location. It is for sale at the moment, but hopefully the new owners will maintain the very high standards set by the current owner.

For evening meals we frequented the Anchorage bar and restaurant which is right down at the terminal for the ferry to the Uists. After a meal washed down by Hebridean beer it was breathtaking to watch the sun set behind the Isle of Pabbay in the Sound of Harris.

It’s things like that which make the Isle of Harris a great destination!

Sydney impresses as a destination and a place to live

It was a wierd sensation to have left on Sunday night, to have journeyed overnight and to arrive at Sydney on Tuesday morning.

We felt cheated. After all we only had a couple of weeks in Australia to explore a little bit of this huge country and, even before we got there, someone had stolen one of our days! It was our own fault in some ways.

We had found out that the cost of flying to Australia and back from the UK was very little different from a round-the-world ticket. So, we chose the latter, selecting to fly west to minimise the jet-lag.

After stopping off overnight in Hawaii we set off for Sydney, crossing the international date line and losing the day on our way.

Any feelings of disappointment were quickly whisked away, when we headed in from the airport through Sydney's suburbs to our hotel. There, in the background we could see the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. Once in the hotel, we found we could just see
jøn Utzon's famous "orange slices" of the Sydney Opera House peeking through a gap in the skyscrapers.



A stunning building that has become an Australian icon – the Sydney Opera House

Although it was November (and therefore summer in the southern hemisphere) it was quite cool and overcast as we took the air down by the quayside and walked out past the controversial "toaster" as the locals call the building to the east of Circular Quay.

In the grey sunless weather the Opera House didn't look as magnificent as I had expected, close up. The concrete is disappointingly like so many buildings around the world, although the white roof tiles of the "orange slices" have weathered well. A little bit below expectations it might have been, but it is still extremely impressive. Fortunately, when the sun came out on subsequent days we were able to enjoy the full splendour of Australia's iconic building.

Nearby is The Rocks - the oldest part of Sydney, much of which was saved from the bulldozers by the intervention of the unions.
Down on the quayside are a row of little tourist-trap eateries. At the end of our first day we settled down at Wolfies, where we enjoyed an amazing view across Circle Quay to the Opera House and to the left, the Sydney Harbour bridge.



The Opera House and Sydney Harbour bridge from a ferry trip in the harbour.

It may not have been the cheapest restaurant around but the food was good, the wine was excellent and with a view was simply outstanding. As such, it represented good value in our book.

I can certainly see the attractions of living in Sydney. The commercial heart is reasonably compact and, if you live on the other side of the bay you might be lucky enough to take the ferries to work. No traffic jams, no parking problems. Just and envigorating sea breaze as you cross from one side to the other.



The Monorail from downtown Sydney to Darling Harbour

While it is quite easy to walk around the downtown commercial heart of Sydney you may want to take the monorail. This will whisk you along above the pedestrian and traffic level, weaving in and out of narrow gaps between buildings as far as Darling Harbour.

The stations themselves are on the first floors of shops. The logic of the monorail seemed so obvious and made me ponderwhy it is not morecommon in our cities.

It is not intrusive, the pylons that hold the rail being relatively small. It rides above and does not conflict with pedestrian or vehicular traffic. It can thread its way in and out of buildings. And, by using the first floors of buidlings as stations, it can re-vitalised uppoer floors of shopping streets, which have traditionally been poorer trading areas.

Istanbul, where west meets east

Istanbul is one of the world's great cities with a population of more than 11 million. It also has an amazingly diverse society, thanks to its role as centre of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires and a city, quite literally like Turkey as a whole, straddling Europe and Asia. That makes it a fascinating destination for visitors.

For our visit we chose the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul. This is the historic district on the European side with famous sites like the Aya Sofya (or Hagghia Sophia), the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and much more. There is a broad range of hotels to choose from – ranging from up-market hotels to hostels – in this area. We selected the Best Western Acropol hotel which is very well located for the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya, Topkapi Palace and within reasonable walking distance of the other attractions in the area.



The Blue Mosque at night

The Best Western Acropol staff could not have been more helpful (someone told us before we left in Istanbul the question was not so much 'How can I help you?' but 'How much can I help you?').

But, it is important to note that this hotel fronts onto a very popular street of outdoor bars and restaurants, so there will be sounds of merriment from outside into the small hours during the summer. Then, in the early morning, you may be woken by the morning call to prayer - but surely that is part of the experience.

We also found the air conditioning rather ineffective and – having noted the welcome bonus of wireless internet – the gremlins on our floor meant it did not work, meaning a walk to reception or the outdoor cafe area to connect.

We flew from KLM from Amsterdam to Istanbul, but there are direct flights from many UK airports. Remember to check the visa requirements. For most European visitors you need to go to the visa window to purchase your visitor visa, before joining the immigration queue.

Walking around the airport we were approached by a hotel transfer company who offered to take us to the hotel and back. Yes, we probably did pay a bit more than we might have (and subsequently we have heard that it is cheaper to book through the hotel), but the service was efficient and the driver did sterling battle with the traffic.

Put it this way, we thanked our lucky stars that we had not even contemplated hiring a car. Driving in Istanbul is a bit like a game of chicken, accompanied by incessant hooting of the horn. It's a skill we would rather leave to the locals. Even in the little street in front of the hotel, the traffic regularly came to a honking standstill as cars inched past each other.

After settling in, we set off walking up the hill to the park between the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque. It was a magnificent introduction to Istanbul. We stood in awe as the sun went down, and the mosques around the city struck up their amplified call to prayer.

It was one of those travel experiences that will stick with you forever - standing between a 1,400-year-old place of worship and one of the world's greatest mosques dating from 1616. Which way to look? During the summer, starting in May there is a son-et-lumiere display.

The Aya Sofya was the first port of call the next day. It is a breathtaking place – all the more so when you consider the history. It was built between 532 and 537 AD as a Christian church, to replace the previous church which had been destroyed in a riot. For a thousand years it stood as the largest cathedral in the world.



The vast interior of the Aya Sofya

When Constantinople (Istanbul as it was then known) was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the church was converted into a mosque. The Christian mosaics were plastered over.

In 1935 It was secularised and turned into a museum. Some of the mosaics have now been uncovered. You look around and the vastness and history are almost overwhelming, then you notice details like the marble doorsteps worn down by 1,400 years of worshippers.

The Blue Mosque (or Sultan Ahmed Mosque) on the other side dates from the 17th century. It gets its name from the blue tiles which adorn the interior. Construction was ordered by the young Sultan Ahmed at the age of 19. It is said that he supervised the construction closely and even worked alongside the workmen on occasion. That would suggest there is no truth in the apocryphal story that he asked the architect for gold (altim) minarets, but actually got six (alti) minarets.

However it happened, the Blue Mosque is one of a quite limited number outside Mecca to be surrounded by six minarets.


The tiled interior of the Blue Mosque

The mosque is open to visitors outside prayer times. You will have to remove your shoes before entering and it is courtesy for women to wear a head scarf and both sexes to cover knees and shoulders. It is worth the effort. The interior is beautiful and quite bright and airy thanks to the magnificent tiled interior.

Topkapi Palace is a chance to see how the other half lived. Allow yourself at least a morning or afternoon and do purchase the additional ticket to visit the Harem.

One of the things you will find as you walk around Sultanahmet is that the inevitable encouragement to patronise the shops and restaurants. In our experience – although persistent – it is always done politely and with good humour. The best way to respond is with a similar banter in return, while politely refusing – unless of course you do want to enter the store or restaurant.



Similarly, there are carpet sellers everywhere. They will come up to you near the tourist attractions and start the conversation by offering a bit of advice: "The Aya Sofya is closed, it will be open in the morning", or similar. They then ask where you come from and, mysteriously, they almost always have a connection with your home town! That gets you into a conversation, which usually leads to the punch line: "I have an uncle/cousin/brother who has a carpet shop".

Again polite refusal and giving as good as you get is the order of the day. Go along with the banter. If you do get inveigled into a shop, be quite clear whether or not you want to buy, because the sales operation will be quite sophisticated! We know. Having sworn we would not go into a carpet shop, the sales patter worked for one charming man who walked us to his nephew's shop!

Another place to watch you do not get carried away is the Grand Bazaar. This is a vast undercover market with almost 60 covered streets and 4,000 shops with jewellery, leather coats, T shirts and much more. Again the encouragement to buy will be considerable.



The Basilica Cistern, dating from the 6th Century, was only re-discovered in the 17th Century

Once in any of the shops the sales patter will be considerable and the demonstrations dramatic (how about stamping on a Turkish tea glass to prove it is strong?). You will be expected to haggle. Although alien to may Westerners, it is also carried out with politeness and humour and you should join in the game.

Another sight worth adding to your Istanbul itinerary is the Basilica Cistern. Dating from the 6th century it stored up to 18 million gallons of water from the Belgrade woods, brought to the cistern by aqueduct. It was only rediscovered in the 17th century when French archaeologists noted that locals were fishing through holes in the floor, using buckets!

The cistern has 336 marble columns and two carved heads of Medusa taken from previous buildings. It remains a mystery why one head is upside down and the other is on its side.

We reckoned four days gave enough time to visit most of the sites in the Sultanahmet and also to take in a sail on the Bosphorus. As far as eateries are concerned we ate in the hotel on two occasions at street restaurants twice, but the most outstanding dining experience was Konuk Evi, in a garden tucked round the back of the Aya Sofya. On a warm evening you sit in the garden, or if there is a chill in the air, you sit inside in a grand conservatory.

With ever more attractive prices on flights, Istanbul is becoming very accessible. I hope you find it as fascinating as we did!

Blackpool? No Dublin!

Blackpool? As the guide on the open top bus confirmed, that is what Dublin means in Gaelic - black pool. But, unlike its namesake on the other side of the Irish Sea, Dublin has a very cosmopolitan atmosphere.

It's a remarkably compact capital with a central area that is easy to walk around and sight see. We stayed at the Trinity Capital Hotel, which is handily located for most of the city centre attractions. We loved the eclectic style of the hotel. With its big spacious entrance, filled with quirky furniture. There are plenty of other hotels in the city.

It was also ideally located close to Trinity College and the Temple Bar area - an ideal location to enjoy Dublin on foot.

We started our Dublin experience with a quick jaunt round the corner to Trinity College to see the famous Book of Kells. It is fascinating to see and, when you stop to ponder the amount of work that went into transcribing every page in calligraphy and illustration, it becomes even more amazing. It was good to note that even such a perfect work had the occasional error... I suppose we would call them "typos" now!

Visitors to the Book of Kells also then ascend to the Long Room, the old library building in Trinity College. It is a room that takes your breath away. It is long and it is jam packed from floor to ceiling with books - quite a spectacle! Inevitably, also, you start to wonder who would have the courage to select one of the books on the top shelf on the balcony. I got vertigo just thinking about it.



Ha'penny Bridge at night

At night time, a walk down the banks of the Liffey is a must. It gives you a flavour for the city, with the lights on Ha'penny Bridge, reflecting in the river. Ha'penny Bridge is what everyone calls it because that used to be the toll you had to pay to cross it, but the official name is Wellington Bridge.

Temple Bar is where many people head for the night life. Don't be fooled, though, the name Temple Bar has nothing to do with drinking places. It was the bar of land beside the river. So, the eponymous Temple Bar is the result of a clever bit of opportunism, not the institution which named a district.

Dublin bars are famous and there are plenty of them. Guinness or Irish Whiskey are the obvious things to drink and the ideal is to find a pub where you can enjoy some authentic Irish Music.



The GPO in O'Connell Street, scene of the Easter Rising in 1916

No trip to Dublin would be complete without visiting the GPO in O'Connell Street. This is where the Easter Rising of 1916 took place. The GPO was the headquarters of the leaders of the uprising and you can still see the bullet marks on the pillars of the busilding. Indeed much of the area was destroyed during the fighting.

It is easy to find, with its new Monument of Light - a giant steel pin that sprouts from the traffic island opposite the GPO and towers into the Dublin sky, at night it has a beacon on top. It stands on the sight of Nelson's Column, blown up by the IRA in 1966.

Needless to say, one of the favourite tourist destinations is the Guinness Storehouse, where you will learn the story of Guinness and also be able to buy all things Gunness to remind you of your trip. As part of your admission fee, you qualify for a pint in the Gravity Bar - a circular observation bar right atop the building where you can look out across the city. Even if you are not a Guinness fan, you should try it here - it really does taste better in Ireland!



The saddest sight in Dublin!

And, what better on a Sunday morning, than to head into the Georgian Squares for which Dublin is famous.

Dublin is a place for just wandering around. You never know what you will find. We stumbled into a Chinese street market and open-air concert to celebrate the Chinese New Year! There are also plenty of interesting shops and cafes to discover.

One place, close to Trinity College, that is definitely worth a visit is Fallon & Byrne. This is the place to buy quality food - mouthwatering fresh breads, vegetables, cheeses, meats and unusual foods from around the world. It is also a favourite haunt of visitors and Dubliners alike when they stop for a coffee.



Take a Sunday morning saunter round the Georgian squares and admire the brightly-coloured doors.
You can get flights to Dublin from all major UK airports.

Zermatt and the Matterhorn

On a clear day, Zermatt is all about the Matterhorn. But, on the day we arrived in this famously car-free town , where enclosed golf buggy taxis hum around the streets, the Matterhorn was teasing. It's head was stubbornly stuck in the clouds. We joked about our "room with Matterhorn view", but still it was not to be seen.

But there is nothing you can do about the weather, other than hope for a break. The following day the morning mists cleared just enough to tantalise. It was almost like a strip-tease! Little breaks in the cloud gave you enticing glimpses of parts of this famous mountain. Then gradually more an more appeared until we were sure it was worth taking the Gornergrat railway up to view the Matterhorn closer up.


Even from Gornergrat the Matterhorn still clung to its teasing little veil of cloud.

There are hundreds of climbers who tackle the mountain for real. It was scaled until 1865 by Britain's Edward Whymper and his team, in 1865. On the way back, one of the climbers slipped, pulling four others to their death. As was then the practice, all seven were roped together and it was only by good fortune that the rope broke before all seven were dragged to their deaths.

The local churchyard is full of memorials to the climbers who do not make it. Still hundreds of climbers tackle the Matterhorn each week and every year a number die in the attempt.



The Gornergrat railway gets you up to 10,132 feet (3089 m) where - as long as the clouds are clear - you can enjoy the full vista of the mountains around the Matterhorn and further afield. It is worth checking the webcam before going up to see how clear the conditions are.

The Gornergrat railway is not included in the Swiss Pass (which gets you unrestricted travel on most Swiss railways, post buses and many boats) – however, if you present your pass you will get a substantial discount on the Gornergrat ticket. Remember, also, as you board the train in the centre of Zermatt, near the main rail station, that the weather at 10,132 feet may be substantially different from the weather in Zermatt! If yo want to walk around at Gornergrat, pay particular attention to your footwear. Snow packed down by hundreds of feet can be extremely slippery, so choose something with good grip!

We spent some time at Gornergrat, just soaking in the atmosphere and the views, while also catching our breath. The air is thinner at this altitude and even slight exertion will have people who are not acclimatised gasping for air!


Revealed - the Matterhorn in all its glory

The following day Zermatt patience was rewarded when the Matterhorn finally discarded all its veils and gave us the promised Matterhorn view from our room. We stood and stared in awe. We scoured the surface with binoculars. It was hard to imagine that, at that very moment, parties of climbers were challenging themselves and the elements to climb the mountain.

The memorial stones in the churchyard beside the hotel were a reminder that some might not make it.

Zermatt itself is an unashamedly touristy town. Everywhere there are chalets with balconies and window boxes overflowing with flowers, even in late September.


Skiers set off from the town in the morning

We stayed in the Hotel Couronne, a modern hotel quite near the centre of Zermatt. Clean, comfortable, with friendly, helpful staff. Our only quibble was that the free wi-fi internet which they promote is very slow (to the extent that some pages just would not load) and the wireless signal was too weak to climb the stairs to the top floor. Otherwise, it rated quite highly in our books and even providing free internet is a definite feather in their caps.


The main street in Zermatt. Flowers cascade from window boxes everywhere in Switzerland.

There are plenty of eateries in the main streets around the station. Our favourite, though, was Pizzeria Roma which was close to the hotel. It is a cosy welcoming place, with good food and, on the night we were there, it was particularly busy with a pre-wedding party - yet the service was first class.

Find hotels in Zermatt. Book your flights to Switzerland and get your Swiss rail pass. Check out all things Switzerland.




Switzerland - a photographic journey book at Blur

Switzerland - mountains, lakes and forests

Somehow European excursions seem to have skirted Switzerland. Apart from a few days in the exhibition hall in Geneva, Switzerland had not been a holiday destination since I was taken there in childhood with my parents. We were long overdue a visit!

Part of the reason may have been that it has, historically, been an expensive to take a car into. I remember trips through the Brenner Pass and round through France to avoid Switzerland.



First thing to remember is that - although it is surrounded by European Union countries - Switzerland is not a member. So, you do need to check over the entry requirments. In reality, many nations are welcomed for holiday visits without visa. In Switzerland, tourism is big business.

As such, most people in the main destinations also speak excellent English. But, please don't let that be an excuse for laziness.

I always feel that it is only polite to have at least the basics of "hello", "please" and "thank you" learned (phonetically if nothing else) in countries you are visiting. To blurt out your greeting or question in English, without so much as a "bonjour", is in my opinion, rather rude.

Don't be shy. In these days of speedy travel, people throughout Europe are quite used to dealing with and understanding mangled versions of their languages! The effort will usually be clearly appreciated.

Think Switzerland and you think of cheese and chocolate.

Certainly cheese is everywhere. Fondue pots bubbling with the delicious mixture of cheese, wine and tomato. Raclette - which is basically melted cheese that you scrape onto toast, potatoes, or whatever takes your fancy. Rösti, which is something like a American hash browns, delicious but often quite full of oil or fat.

You can almost feel your arteries fur up!


The beautiful village of Lauterbrunnen, near Interlaken

But I suppose there are plenty of mountains to climb to help keep you fit.

The best way to see Switzerland is probably by rail, bus and water bus. Public transport in Switzerland is excellent and genuinely integrated (not just being cynically dressed with the "integrated" buzz word).

Visitors from outside of Switzerland can choose from various travel passs. The Swiss Pass is top of the range and it really is worth considering despite the initial cost. Do the sums on your potential trips and you soon realise how good value it is if you really want to explore the country.

You get unlimited travel on most rail, bus and ferry routes. On the few that aren't included it you normally get 50% discount, including many cable cars, chair lifts, mountain railways and various discounts on museums (some free to pass holders). It is also very liberating to be able to hop on and off trains without having to think about buying tickets.

Most countries could learn a lot from Switzerland when it comes to public transport. The trains are punctual, clean, interconnect well (time and time again you find that the train you want to connect to is directly opposite on the other side of the platform ready waiting).


Excellent train system including these double deckers

Inter city trains are often double deckers and there are quiet carriages where music and mobile phones are prohibited, carriages with bike racks and family carriages with play areas for the children.

Sure enough you probably do have a bit more walking to do (although arguably so compared with finding and walking from car parks). As with most destinations in Europe walking is something you will need to do if you want to get te best from your trip. However, you don't need to be a mountain climber. Everywhere you go there are cable cars, chair lifts and mountain railways to take the strain of the serious hill climbing.


Jungfraujoch the 'Top of Europe' at 11,333 ft, reachable by mountain railway

Remember, though that - while the temperature may be balmy in the resorts down in the valley - the cable cars will often deposit you above the snow line at the top. The secret is to take layers, with a fleece, gloves and hat. Another essential is shoes with grippy soles, otherwise you end up slithering on snow, packed down by hundreds of feet.

Another thing to remember is that, at 10,000 feet, there is something like a third of the oxygen in the air that there is at sea level. So don't be surprised to be breathless if you exert yourself!

Down in the resorts you will find that many shops and restaurants are closed, or close early, on Sunday. Even in the capital, Bern, finding a restaurant after 7pm on a Sunday is a litte bit of a challenge. We ended up eating in the hotel's café bar.



Switzerland - a photographic journey book at Blurb