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FRONT COVER: Mike Kipling; Village Ways; Barney Smith/ Rufus’s Roost; Bordeaux Tourism
ICONS: flaticon.com.
GRAPHICS: freepik.com
MAPS: freevectormaps.com & freepik.com
CEO: Melissa Tilling; SALES: Alison Nicholls; MAGAZINE EDITOR: Richard Hammond; DEPUTY EDITOR: Rebecca Miles (editor@ charitable.travel); MAGAZINE
DESIGNER: Claire Gates
Where you see these symbols throughout the magazine you can be assured that the destinations featured can be reached without flying or that the activities featured will have a positive impact for the community, environment or wildlife in the region.
Welcome to the second issue of Green Traveller magazine. We’ve been overwhelmed by the support for the first issue – it’s great to hear that so many people not only want to learn more about
destinations through nature conservation, local community empowerment and humanitarian aid.
how to go green but have also welcomed the opportunity to showcase some truly wonderful green holidays.
Throughout the magazine, keep an eye out for the flight-free and positive impact icons. They distinguish between those trips that can be reached overland with those that bring genuine benefits to
In this issue, you’ll find plenty more inspiration, from suggestions for car-free breaks in the UK (p22) and a collection of places to go foraging in the UK and Europe (p16) to an inspiring feature on walking holidays by the seasoned hiker and experienced travel writer Sarah Baxter, illustrated by some lovely photos from one of my favourite ethical travel organisations Village Ways (p28).
I’d love to hear what you think, and I look forward to shining a light on the many ways to go green in future issues of this ground-breaking magazine.
Happy green travelling!
Editor,
Green Traveller MagazineSo many people have welcomed the opportunity to showcase some truly wonderful green holidays
This is Oualidia, an off-the-beaten-track town a couple of hours by bus or grand taxi south of Casablanca and north of Essaouira on the Moroccan coast. Located between the crashing Atlantic waves and calm lagoon waters, it’s a world away from the city medinas and arid mountains that are often the focus of the country’s tourism.
To support Moroccothe earthquake appeal, turn to p2
In a world where nearly everyone has access to a camera and photo sharing is as easy as a couple of swipes, we look at how photographers can be considerate towards their subjects and surroundings, while still capturing that perfect shot.
Words & pictures by Diana Jarvis (dianajarvis.co.uk)
This lagoon is part of Morocco’s Sidi Moussa-Oualidia RAMSAR protected wetland complex and it’s an important ecosystem for both biodiversity and agriculture. It’s a prime stop-off for migratory birds as well as permanent residents, such as these greater flamingos. I kept my distance and used a long lens so as not to disturb the birds as they grazed.
Guides in little colourful boats ply the waters edge and offer rides out into the lagoon for a chance to get closer to the varied birdlife. Taking a local guide was the best way to get to know this unique ecosystem.
FISHING
Fishermen head out into the Atlantic for a varied daily catch. You can watch them precariously perched on rocky cliffs (pictured left) as well as see the fruits of their labours at the daily market. They were all happy to chat and pose for a photograph once I’d taken an interest in their catch.
The Spanish city of Valencia is gearing up for its year as European Green Capital 2024. The city is easily navigable by bike and foot, including new pedestrian spaces in Plaza de la Reina, Plaza del Ayuntamiento and Plaza de Brujas, and is one of the first cities to measure the carbon and water footprint from tourism activity as it aims to meet its goal of being carbon neutral by 2025. visitvalencia.com
New research from flight-free travel agency Byway has revealed that 42% of UK holidaymakers are seeking alternatives to flying to reduce their carbon footprints. The figure rises to 56% for London-based holidaymakers, and 61% for Gen Z (those born between 1997 to 2012).
Based on a survey of 2,000 UK holidaymakers conducted by OnePoll, the research found that there’s a significant appetite for flight-free holidays and climate is almost always the reason: 43% of UK holidaymakers would rather take a
train, ferry or bus than fly and 42% of UK holidaymakers want flight-free alternatives specifically to reduce their carbon footprints.
Younger generations are most likely to try flight-free: UK Gen Z travellers are over three times more likely than average to choose flight-free for the first time in 2023 (28% vs 8%), and those aged 25-34 are more than twice as likely (17%).
Cat Jones, founder and CEO, Byway said: “It’s clear from our research that holidaymakers across the UK want alternatives to flying, whether for
environmental reasons or simply because they enjoy the experience of travelling through the world rather than flying over it.
“We started Byway to take the hassle out of finding and booking low-carbon holidays. However, aviation is still heavily subsidised and cost is one of the most prevalent blockers to choosing flight-free. France’s Transport Minister has said France will raise flight taxes to pay for trains. If we’re serious about hitting the UK’s carbon reduction goal of 100% by 2050, we need our government to step up and make similar bold moves.”
Jersey’s tourism board has pledged that by the year 2030, Jersey will be a carbon neutral island, “not only to help preserve the natural beauty of the island’s landscape and wildlife, but also the wider world”. Several local activity providers on the largest Channel Island have been awarded the Gold Standard by the nationally recognised grading scheme Green Tourism, while EVie is a technologyenabled vehicle sharing scheme, designed by islanders to offer on-demand mobility options via a digital platform. The fleet of vehicles include electric cars, 140 dockless e-bikes, electric ‘BlueBikes’ available for long-term hire and electric Cargo bikes. There are also initiatives in place to reduce the amount of plastic used and encourage beach clean-ups. jersey.com
Dive training organisation PADI has established 11 Eco Centres, a credential awarded to those dive centres that exhibit continued commitment to conservation efforts that support both the goals and objectives of the PADI Blueprint for Ocean Action and the global agenda to protect the ocean. Included in the first 11 are Fifth Point Diving Centre in Northumberland and Excel Scuba in the Canary Islands, Spain.
Small group and adventure tour operator Intrepid Travel has added carbon labels to more than 500 of its international itineraries. Appearing on the individual tour pages on the company’s website, the labels show the carbon footprint of the trip, per traveller, per day, which the operator says will provide ‘greater transparency’ as it deepens ‘its commitment to climate-conscious travel’.
The total emissions are calculated by identifying the different components contributing to the overall carbon footprint, including accommodation, transportation, food provided during the trip, activities, the local operations’ office emissions and waste. A 15 per cent contingency is then added to each trip’s total emissions, to account for anything unintentionally missing.
Belize is to host the inaugural 2024 World Travel Sustainability Awards, the new World Travel Awards programme ‘to help drive net positive hospitality in travel and tourism’.Intrepid Travel
This month, we’ve got an ethical retailer for winter sports, a handy app for finding plastic alternatives, a wildlife book and an informative website for athletes looking to make their race trips more sustainable
A collection of city guides for triathletes looking for the best places to run, cycle and swim in cities around the world, Zafiri is packed with helpful information. As well as a series of guides, it includes tips on where to stay, the gear to seek out, and recommendations for great places to eat, both pre and post race.
Spot wildlife every weekend for a year with this excellent guide to British wildlifewatching breaks, reaching from the Isles of Scilly to northern Scotland. Written by experienced naturalist James Lowen, the guide suggests 52 short breaks that celebrate the full range of Britain’s most exciting wildlife, from tiny silver-spotted skipper butterflies to gargantuan basking sharks. It’s packed full of engaging descriptions, detailed directions (including grid references and postcodes), accommodation suggestions, and assessments of accessibility and childfriendliness. £15, bradtguides.com
City to Sea, an environmental organisation on a mission to stop plastic pollution, has produced a handy app to help you find over 400 local refill schemes across the UK and refill stations where you can refill water bottles. It also lists places that’ll give you a discount if you bring your own cup, eateries where you can take your own lunchbox, and shops selling refills of groceries and toiletries. refill.org.uk
With winter fast approaching now is the time to start planning your cold weather clothing. Online trading company EcoSki vets winter gear for how it is manufactured and how suppliers are treated to help customers choose more ethical brands and products, limit unnecessary purchases (and waste) and keep all that hard-wearing kit in circulation for longer. In particular, they select kit that has non-toxic durable waterproof repellents and utilises post-consumer waste, as part of four criteria: Repair, Rent, Preowned, or New ‘kit with a conscience’ that aims ‘to provide a more positive step towards a circular solution’.
A
comprehensive, jargon-free guide to sustainable travel and how to navigate it
Allow your tastebuds to guide you through Europe to find some delicious delights on your next holiday with the help of Lonely Planet Food’s latest guide, Gourmet Trails of Europe. Seeking out tasty treats is one of the top things travellers like to do and there are so many off the beaten track options, well-known and loved by locals, to discover at most traditional holiday destinations, that this book is bursting with suggestions.
Highlights include the Northern Soul delights of Northumberland, Volcanic flavours in Tenerife and Estonia’s seasonal specialties. Yet Lonely Planet Food’s Gourmet Trails of Europe doesn’t just reveal destinations that have unexpectedly amazing culinary scenes, it also showcases 40 locations across Europe for enjoying the very best local cuisine, with restaurant recommendations and tips from local experts, as well as epic food and drink itineraries to follow for gourmet weekend breaks.
Pick an itinerary and you’ll be unearthing unforgettable experiences around Europe,
including bustling farmers’ markets, rustic tavernas, innovative restaurants, decadent chocolateries, revolutionary eco-distilleries, vibrant pop-up bars and much more. And each trail is accompanied by sumptuous full-colour photography and delightful trail maps.
Also in the book, you’ll meet the chefs cooking heirloom recipes, the trailblazing winemakers producing world-famous vino, and the culinary pioneers creating a whole new food language. Or perhaps you’ll be inspired to dine below Norway’s icy North Sea, devour fresh mezedhes in Greece or forage for wild herbs in Germany’s Black Forest.
So whether you want to spend your next weekend away pushing boundaries and eating bugs in Wales, or going classic and discovering UNESCO vineyards in France, there’s a food focus in here for you.
Lonely Planet Food’s Gourmet Trails of Europe is out now in hardback for £17.99, available where all good books are sold.
We’ve got 10 copies of Lonely Planet Food’s Gourmet Trails of Europe to give away – to be in with a chance of winning one, visit charitable.travel/ lonely-planet to enter our competition
It’s all too easy to forget about what food you’re going to need for a self-catering break until the last moment, at which point you make an emergency dash to the nearest supermarket, buy everything in bulk, and then end up throwing the surplus food and associated packaging in the bin at the end of the week. Far better to plan ahead and buy fresh, seasonal food, or order it from a local supplier who can deliver it to you before you reach your accommodation.
Increasingly, farm shops are providing local delivery services – there’s a handy guide to over 8,800 farm shops across the UK at bigbarn.co.uk, including places such as the Loch Arthur Farm Shop in Dumfries and Galloway, which prides itself on its quality artisan food.
Online marketplaces such as magaroo. com can help you find local independent businesses, while local veg box schemes provide a new revenue stream for independent growers and producers, and reduce the need for single-use plastics.
There are an increasing number who enable you to order on a one-off basis, so if you don’t ordinarily have an order for your home, you can still order a box for your self-catering break. Schemes that offer one-off use and deliver nationwide include Eversfield Organic, Boxxfresh, Riverford Organic Farmers, Abel & Cole, Pikt and The Veg Box Company, but there may well be local schemes, such as localfooddirect.co.uk, which delivers fresh, local and ethically sourced food across Somerset, shropshiresown.co.uk, which delivers throughout Shropshire, and food4myholiday.com, a family-run service specifically for self-catering guests in Cornwall and West Devon.
You’ve booked a sustainable place to stay but what can you do to further lessen your impact?
Richard Hammond shares his guidance, wherever you choose to lay your headMALLINSON’S WOODLAND RETREAT, DORSET Richard Hammond
When you’re camping, it all boils down to respecting nature. Use compostable or recyclable cooking and eating equipment, and use environmentally friendly washing products. For your water, use a large container that can be refilled on site, rather than buying lots of plastic bottles. If you’re taking extra supplies of toilet roll, check whether the campsite requires it to be biodegradable, and buy from ethical suppliers, such as uk.whogivesacrap.org. If the campsite allows open fires, use designated fire pits if available (or take your own), and avoid disposable barbecues. Lastly, sort your rubbish and put it in relevant recycling bins on site before you leave. If you have camping gear that you no longer need, rather than sending it to landfill, consider sending it to organisations such as Gift Your Gear and the Continuum Project, or share it on Freecycle.
Once you’ve kicked off your shoes and flopped on the bed, turn to hotel directory or information pack to understand how you can support the hotel’s eco initiatives, for example, by preventing your towels from being washed every day or making sure you sort your rubbish in tune with the hotel’s recycling scheme. Also, look out for any tips on how you can support the local economy, such as where you can eat locally. Turn off the air-conditioning unit/heating or adjust it to a sensible temperature: personal preferences vary, but generally somewhere between 21 and 23ºC (70–74ºF) is comfortable for most.
On leaving the room, turn off the air-con, heating or other electric devices that are on standby if the hotel hasn’t given you a key card that does this automatically, and on check out, give your hotel feedback on how eco-friendly you think it is; if you think it could do more, encourage the hotel to go greener in the future.
The Bothy Code requests that you leave the bothy as you would hope to find it – clean and tidy with dry kindling for the next visitors (who may arrive in foul weather and need the warmth of a fire as soon as possible). Make sure that watercourses are not polluted and that you don’t cut firewood from living trees. Adhere to the estate’s restrictions on the use of the bothy, for example during stag stalking or at lambing time, and respect the restriction on numbers – groups of six or more should not use bothies to ensure there’s room for any walker relying on the shelter provided by the bothy.
Sustainable and green stays are fast becoming an essential way to enjoy travel while respecting the environment. We’ve found the five best sustainable and green stays in Northumberland who all offer the luxury and attention to detail you would expect to find in an area of outstanding beauty while still promoting green tourism.
Perfectly positioned between Alnwick and Bamburgh, Brunton Cottages’ nine properties sleep between two and 16 people and are set on a 2,500-acre organic farm that’s been passed down through three generations.
Holding a Green Tourism gold award, recycled materials are used throughout these tastefully decorated cottages, from the external stone work to the furniture inside, and the hot water and heating are powered by biomass and wood from its own tree-planting scheme. bruntoncottages.co.uk
Guests at Laverock Law cottages in Berwick can have a luxurious holiday with minimal impact on the environment, thanks to the responsible visitor charter the owners have introduced to help visitors support their vision of sustainability. The three cottages, stunning treehouse and beautiful glamping hut sleep between two and five. Check in and you can expect to be treated to delicious local food and environmentally friendly heating and water systems, while unwinding in the beautifully created outdoor spaces among the glorious Northumberland wilderness. laverocklawcottages.com
Kidlandlee sits nestled in the hills of the Coquet Valley in the heart of Northumberland National Park. There are nine stunning cottages sleeping between two and eight, and guests can expect an off-grid stay surrounded by rolling countryside and huge dark skies. The owners have created a sustainable home and extended this to visitors by lowering their carbon footprint, ensuring wildlife habitats are sustained and by supporting local businesses. kidlandlee.co.uk
The owners have weaved environmentally friendly features into every aspect of Beacon Hill’s 15 cottages, a treehouse and three luxurious shepherds’ huts in Longhorsley, near Morpeth. Every detail has been considered to reduce their carbon footprint, including supplying fair trade products for guests and using locally sourced food and services wherever possible. Beacon Hill also uses solar panels, a biomass boiler and electric charging points to support its ecofriendly ethos. beaconhill.co.uk
Set on a farm 15 minutes north of Morpeth and 10 mins west from the coast, Hillside Huts & Cabins boast their own wind turbine and were created with sustainable materials. Alongside the turbine to power the lighting, reclaimed compressed sawdust is used as fuel for the log burners and the welcome food hampers are full of locally sourced goods. The four luxurious huts, sleeping between two and four, are the ideal base for getting back to nature and exploring Northumberland’s dramatic scenery full of epic castles, heather-clad hills and sandy beaches. hillsidehuts.co.uk
I’m standing in the middle of Cours de l’Intendance, a grand street in the centre of Bordeaux, as Fred, my guide (bordeauxwithFred.com), tells me it’s unrecognisable from 25 years ago. During much of the 20th century, Bordeaux’s beautiful limestone buildings, designed to replicate Paris’ elegant boulevards, were filthy with soot, and cars and congestion were rife in the city centre. Today, the buildings are gleaming – if
they’re not clean the owner is charged a hefty fine – and I can wander where I like along the now pedestrianised streets and squares. It’s all thanks to Mayor Alain Juppé, who introduced the trams and removed the cars in the mid 90s and is generally credited with bringing the sunshine back to Bordeaux. And wander I do – this city is compact, and its medieval centre full of independent shops, restaurants and of course wine bars (I even find a few enticing vintage shops,
and every street spoils us for choice. Restaurant le Ganache, Casa Gaïa and Darwin’s Magasin Général are highlights, and we feast on grilled vegetables, felafels and nutty sauce, lots of shellfish, and sweet cannalés, but it doesn’t get fresher than the white shrimp we eat on the Garonne River with Bordeaux’s last and only fisherman, Jean-Marie, Le Pêcheur de Bordeaux.
or frips). Visiting over the summer with my husband and daughter, we fit in as many meals as we can. The Romans were first to plant vines in the surrounding fertile countryside, but it’s not just the vineyards that remain important, gastronomy in the broadest sense is proudly celebrated here too. A raft of inventive and independent restaurants serve locally sourced, seasonal food
While these restaurants and the boat trip happily cater for a seven-year old, my daughter’s highlights include the Miroir d’Eau, an architecturally delightful splash pool in the Place de la Bourse, and the giant ferris wheel at the Esplanade des Quinconces.
There’s more to Bordeaux than wine and our hotel, Grand Hôtel Français, provides a childfriendly treasure hunt walking trail around the city while Fred fills our heads with tales of revolutionary heroes and historical tussles. Easy to reach by train (it’s just over two hours by TGV from Paris), we learn that a short break in Bordeaux is good for the soul.
Don’t miss Darwin – an urban ecosystem, it’s home to everything from a skate park and a farm, to a bistro and weekly partiesWords by Rebecca Miles Rebecca Miles © Steve Le Clech Photos Teddy Verneuil
Tiggywinkles
Come for its large, dark brown olives, stay for its rich larder of fresh produce and dive into delis, cafes and restaurants proudly serving it all up
Words by Clare Hargreaves
With its Mediterranean climate, vast and rugged mountains and extensive coastline, the southern Peloponnese produces an enticing larder –from olives and olive oil to figs, salty cheeses, mountain-reared meats, and seafood. And in Kalamata, the beachside city in the Peloponnese’s southwest corner, you can sample all this. The cooking may be simple, but it’s hard to beat for freshness and flavour.
You’ll find more of Kalamata’s must-eats at Mantineia, a deli in the city’s old quarter a few blocks from its apricot-and-cream Byzantine-style cathedral. Perhaps the most sought after is vanilla fir honey, from the forested Menalon mountains to the northeast. This is a ‘honeydew’ honey, which means it’s made not from blossom nectar, but from sweet secretions produced by micro-organisms on the trunks of the vanilla (or black) fir tree. Bees use this to produce a pearl-coloured honey that’s not only delicious but has a remarkably low glucose content.
Peloponnesians are champions at yoghurts and cheeses. In Mantineia’s fridges you find metal trays of set yoghurt, which aproned ladies cut into chunks for you to take home. Also look out for locally-made sfela, a protected-name
The king of the larder round here, of course, is the olive. Messinia, the surrounding region of Kalamata, has around 15 million olive trees, producing 60,000 tonnes of extra virgin olive oil annually. Visit between November and January, and you’ll see entire villages
Grab a table on the plane-tree-shaded terrace at the convivial O Thiasos cafe and order the signature dish – succulent roasted pork clothed in the tastiest crackling you’ve ever crackled
semi-hard cheese made from goat and sheeps’ milk (sfela comes from the Greek sfelida, meaning strip, as it’s cut during production). It pairs brilliantly with local lalagia, bread-stick ‘spaghetti’ that’s been fried in olive oil then scattered with sesame seeds, displayed in vast baskets alongside.
outside harvesting their precious trees –always by hand in the case of Kalamatas, to avoid damaging their delicate flesh.
For more information, see Green Traveller’s Guide to Central and Southern Peloponnese
Joining a foraging course is a great way to learn about the abundance of nature’s free larder while spending time in the great outdoors. Adhering to the foraging code, you’ll learn how to recognise, gather and sustainably harvest wild foods with confidence, including those found along the coast, such as seaweed and shellfish, and those in forests, such as edible plants, berries, seeds, mushrooms and truffles – all depending on what’s in season.
The duration of these courses varies from just a few hours to a weekend, or multi-day residential courses where you can also learn how to prepare and cook the delicacies you find in the wild.
Craig Evan’s Coastal Foraging courses explore the coastline of south-west Wales, from Pembrey in Carmarthenshire to St Davids in North Pembrokeshire, covering three habitats: beach, rock pool and rocky shore; tidal mudflats and estuaries; and sand dunes. The courses focus on where to find and catch edible seafood, including clams, mussels, oysters, plants, marsh samphire and sea vegetables –with a bit of local history thrown in too.
DETAILS Courses start from £85 per person. coastalforaging.co.uk
This company is run by Liz Knight at Nant y Bedd Gardens, a beautiful wild forest garden high up in the Grwyne Fawr valley near Abergavenny. Her day courses run from 10.30am–3pm, but you can also book her for two-hour foraging walks (for up to five people) or combine with one of the workshops on topics such as making wild drinks, seasonings and beauty products.
Liz is also the wild food tutor at Humble By Nature in Monmouth, Eckington Manor in Worcestershire, and Brompton Cookery School in Shrewsbury.
DETAILS Details Courses start from £45 per person. foragefinefoods.com
Chris and Rose Bax set up their company to promote wild foods as exciting ingredients to use in innovative ways. Their courses are held in the north of England and cover a variety of subjects, including foraging for flowers, herbs and wild berries, picking hedgerow fruit and preparing wild game, as well as a day’s foraging for edible mushrooms in autumn, and a day’s foraging for edible seaweeds and plants in pools and gullies and around the pretty village of Robin Hood’s Bay on the Yorkshire coast.
DETAILS Courses start from £75 per person. tastethewild.co.uk
Mark Williams has been teaching foraging for 30 years across a range of Scottish habitats, from high mountains and forests to hedgerows, urban settings and at the coast. While out and about, he introduces aspects of health and nutrition, traditional and modern medicinal uses, survival and bushcraft. Mark also runs online one-to-one courses and webinars as well as outdoor adventure trips, such as a three-day kayaking, wild camping and shore-based foraging trip along the coast of Galloway.
DETAILS Foraging walks are £80 for adults, £40 for children aged 12-16. gallowaywildfoods.com
Finding precious truffles in Prespa National Park is easy in the company of Nikos Tsilis and his expertly trained dog – the boundlessly enthusiastic Avra – on foraging walks in the region’s oak, beech and ancient juniper forests. The precise locations will vary depending on time and season – whether you’re searching for black summer truffles or the more greatly prized white winter variety, or perhaps wild mushrooms as well. Nikos is young and self-taught but has accrued a wealth of knowledge about these pungent fruiting fungi; he’s even discovered a few new species. DETAILS Message Nikos for the latest info. instagram.com/nick_tsilis
Spend an autumnal weekend mushroom foraging at Le Manoir du Lys, a smart country inn near the spa town of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne in Normandy. After an afternoon’s foraging in the nearby forest, a mycologist will help you identify what you’ve found over a refreshing glass of pear cider, and Michelin-starred chef Franck Quinton will give you a masterclass in how to make delicious mushroom-based dishes. If you go in late September, head east to the town of Bellême for the annual four-day International Wild Mushroom Festival.
DETAILS Prices start from €165 per person. manoir-du-lys.com
These plant-based foraging courses held in Devon, Dorset, Kent, Sussex and London are run by author Robin Harford, who will teach you how to identify wild edible plants as well as tell you the stories of wild plants, their uses as food and medicine, and their folklore and history.
DETAILS Courses start from £245 per person. eatweeds.co.uk
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Here’s Green Traveller’s guide to getting to Greece without setting foot on a plane – instead travelling overland by train and ferry from London St Pancras to Igoumenitsa or Patras
Train via Paris and Milan to Bari in Italy then ferry across the Adriatic Sea to Igoumenitsa (for Thessaloniki) or Patras (for Athens)
Journey Time: about 48 hours
Approximate cost (one way):
Eurostar London to Paris from £39 Train from Paris to Bari from £142 Ferry from Bari to Igoumenitsa from £90
If you want someone to book the whole journey for you, get in touch with Byway.travel. If you’re happy to book it yourself, visit eurostar. com, or either of the two main pan-European ticketing agencies – thetrainline.com and RailEurope. com. Both charge a small booking fee but allow you to buy tickets for multiple train operators in multiple European countries. They also offer a free email alert service to let you know as soon as bookings open for your chosen route so you can snap up the cheapest tickets when they become available. To book your ferry tickets, visit ferryhopper.com.
Our journey starts with the Eurostar, the UK’s international high-speed rail service that runs from the magnificently renovated London St Pancras station. On board, there’s no weight limit for your luggage, but you should be able to carry and lift your bags safely.
In Paris, you change stations from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon, which can take about half an hour on the Paris RER D line (it’s only two stops, though we recommend you leave at least 50 minutes for the entire transfer). See our guide on How to transfer between train stations across Paris If you want to break the journey and stay overnight to see a bit more of Paris while you’re travelling through, there are lots of lovely places to stay near both Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon.
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At Gare de Lyon, board a TGV high speed train to Milan Centrale station. The best thing about overland train travel is that you have the time and space to walk around the train, visit the buffet carriage, play cards, read a book, catch up on emails, watch a film, or just gaze out of the window as the train whizzes across the picturesque French and Italian countryside. You’ll arrive into the heart of Milan, so no need to take a transfer from an out-of-the-way airport to the city centre and thankfully, there are many hotels very close to the railway station.
Centrale station is the main hub for international travel, but intercity trains also arrive at Cardona and Garibaldi stations and all are connected to Milan’s metro network, one of the best in Italy with trams, buses and a suburban rail system too.
Stay overnight in Milan, then the following morning take the high-speed train to Bari, in the south of Italy, to catch the overnight ferry to either Igoumenitsa or Patras on the west cost of Greece, arriving just after midday.
From Bari rail station, you’ll need to take the 50 bus (departing from opposite the railway station exit; buy your ticket at the booth) to the port to catch the ferry. Bari is a lovely city so it’s worth spending some time here if you can.
On arrival at the port’s departure terminal, you’ll need to take a transit bus to the ferry check-in terminal, then take the transit bus back to the departure terminal.
If you’re looking to travel onwards to Thessaloniki then take the ferry to Igoumenitsa; if you’re going to Athens, take the crossing to Patras. The ferry has a bar and dining area with basic food, including sandwiches and crisps (do take Euros as you may not be able to pay using a card) and there are sleeper cabins with comfortable bunk beds and windows.
At Igoumenitsa, it’s just a short 5-10 minute walk from the port to the bus station from where it takes four hours by bus to Thessaloniki. For information and timetables, see ktelmacedonia.gr
At Patras, you’ll need to take a bus to the town centre bus station (it takes 15-20 minutes) to board the bus to Kiato railway station from where there are trains to Athens. For more information on timetables, see: hellenictrain.gr.
IGOUMENITSA
PATRAS
FLIGHT-FREE JOURNEY PLANNER greentraveller.co.uk/ flight-freejourney-planner
Open up a whole new world when you explore Britain on foot, by bike or on public transport
Words by Richard Hammond
Travelling on trains and buses makes the journey all part of the day out. On the way you can read the paper, play cards, and take time to switch off. Without being tied to where you’ve parked the car, you can do linear walks and bike rides, and of course you can enjoy a drink before returning home. Most major cities have excellent rail and bus networks, so you can travel across town without the hassle of parking, or head out to the countryside to many wonderful visitor attractions that often give discounts if you arrive by public transport. Here are three examples of car-free days out: leave the car and the congestion behind, and away you go.
Find how to travel car-free to many of the UK’s best visitor attractions with discounts when you arrive by train, bus, bike or on foot at goodjourney.org.uk
The car-free New Forest Tour is a hop-on, hop-off bus service that runs each summer on three circular routes around the ancient forest and to the coast at Barton-on-Sea and Milford-on-Sea. From the top deck of the open-top bus, there are grandstand views of the wild ponies grazing and the many historic villages of the New Forest, en route to places such as the Beaulieu National Motor Museum, Ringwood Brewery and Hythe Ferry, home to the world’s oldest pier train where you can take the short return ferry ride over to Southampton.
The flexible hop-on, hop-off tickets mean you can stop off and spend some time at one of the attractions along the way and re-join the bus later in the day. The tour calls at Brockenhurst railway station, which has frequent trains from London, so it’s an effortless, car-free day out from the capital as well as from cities along the south coast, such as Southampton, Bournemouth, and Salisbury. thenewforesttour.info
England’s only true mountain forest, Whinlatter Forest provides views across Bassenthwaite Lake, Derwentwater and Keswick and is home to the longest purpose-built mountain bike trails in the Lake District. You can hire bikes and head off on one of the bike trails (Altura, Gorse and Quercus) to reach the viewpoints with speedy descents or take part in mountain bike orienteering along a combination of forest roads and parts of the Quercus trail. There’s also horse riding through the forest, guided walks with alpacas, or spend a few hours on the high-ropes course at the onsite activity centre. During the summer, you can reach Whinlatter on the hourly 77/77A bus from Keswick, a wonderful route that’s also known as the Honister Rambler – one of Britain’s most scenic bus routes. Route dates and times may vary so do check the Stagecoach timetable before you travel (stagecoachbus.com). You get free admission if you arrive by bus or by bike. forestryengland.uk
Learn about Scottish marine life – deep sea corals, kelp forests, marine mammals and the five million seabirds that breed around the Scottish coast each year – at this innovative interactive discovery centre. There are live cameras to zoom in on the local wildlife but if you want to get closer to the action, there are several boat trips out to the Firth of Forth, including a one-hour cruise around the island of Craigleith and the Bass Rock, home to the world’s largest colony of northern gannets; if you’re lucky you may also spot a dolphin. The centre is a 15-minute walk from North Berwick railway station, which is about 30 minutes by train from Edinburgh Waverley. seabird.org
You’re never far from a footpath in Britain – there are about 150,000 miles of public rights of way in England, Scotland and Wales, and many of them can be reached by public transport. Walking to catch a bus, boat or train is a great way to begin a walk – the adventure starts as soon as you leave your house – whether you’re going on a day walk out of a city centre, or a long-distance walk across areas of great natural beauty. Many train, bus and boat operators are keen for walkers to use their services, especially at weekends, and provide multi-modal ranger tickets that you can use across their networks. Here are a few examples of car-free itineraries – simply lace up your boots and away you go.
Find hundreds of carfree walks in the UK at carfreewalks.org and a network of walking routes that connect Britain’s towns and villages at sloways. org. Keep an eye out too for the ‘Walkers are Welcome’ logo given to over 100 towns and villages that are particularly welcoming to walkers.
This is a series of 12 self-guided walks from train stations along the Bentham Line, totalling 68 miles (109km) from Heysham Port to Skipton across Yorkshire and Lancashire. The train travels through the lovely valleys of Aire, Ribble, Wenning and Lune, passing the hills of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, before reaching the huge estuary of Morecambe Bay.
Four of the stations along the route, Wennington, Bentham, Clapham and Giggleswick are handy gateways to the Forest of Bowland. The shortest walk is just 2½ miles (4km) – from Morecambe station to Bare Lane station – while the longest is the 11⅓ miles (18.2km) from Wennington station to Carnforth, the station that famously featured in the classic 1945 film Brief Encounter directed by David Lean. communityraillancashire.co.uk
England’s Coast Path is a new National Trail (nationaltrail.co.uk), which will run all the way around the country’s seashore. Most sections are already open, and when it’s complete it will be around 2,800-mile long, making it the longest continuous coastal path in the world. There are any number of railways and bus connections along the route.
One of the most fascinating stretches is the 11-mile (17.7km) walk along the Durham Heritage Coast from Seaham railway station to Crimdon (you can get the train back at Hartlepool railway station). Walk through the region’s industrial heritage, passing wonderful wildflower meadows and via some beautiful beaches. Keep an eye out at sea for basking sharks, they’re frequently sighted off the Durham Heritage Coast during the summer. durhamheritagecoast.org
The 186-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path, from St Dogmaels in the north to Amroth in the south, is connected by five coastal bus services – the Puffin Shuttle, Poppit Rocket, Strumble Shuttle, Celtic Coaster and Coastal Cruiser – operating seven days a week from May to September, and two days a week in winter. They all operate on a Hail and Ride basis in rural areas, so you have to flag down the driver to stop. It means you can be picked up or set down at any point along the bus route, providing it is safe to do so. The buses go to many of the crucial stages along the coastal path, such as St Brides Bay, Marloes and Bosherston. The main gateway railway station for the coastal path is at Carmarthen, and there are bus services from Haverfordwest where the Puffin Shuttle connects with St Davids and Milford Haven. pembrokeshire.gov.uk
Trekking can be the most rewarding way to travel: slow-paced, big-spaced, away from the crowds, immersed in the great outdoors. And it is, by its nature, a more sustainable way to explore. You’re travelling under your own steam, often in small groups, usually in remoter regions. But how can you ensure your footsteps have the lightest impact on the environment and the most positive effect on local people?
The key is to do your research. Know who you are travelling with and what that company’s principles are, which means asking your tour operator proper questions.
“Don’t just ask: are you sustainable? That’s too easy to just have the answer be ‘yes’,” says Christina Beckman, senior director of strategy and impact with the Adventure Travel Trade Association.
“Ask: how are you a sustainable company? Have you invested in sustainability? How will locals benefit from this tour I’m considering?”
Ask how staff are treated. Are porters and guides paid fairly? Is information on climate change and environmental protection part of their training?
How does the company invest in their future?
Ask what size your group will be. Large groups can overwhelm local communities. “Tourism needs to be small and empathetic,” says Gavin Bate from trekking specialists Adventure Alternative. “We try to not be part of the problem by not sending too many people to the same place.”
Don’t be embarrassed to get into the details.
Tackling a meaty trek is a wonderful way to explore, but how do you make sure you’re giving back as much as you’re getting from the experience? Sarah Baxter shares her essential insight
Ask: Will I be given loads of plastic bottles? Is food sourced locally? Do you use biodegradable waste bags? Solarpowered lamps? Local transport?
Don’t just rely on the company itself for answers. Seek testimonials from past clients – a good operator will be happy to share that information. Research whether the company is a member of a carbon offset scheme or organisation such as 1% for the Planet (contributing at least 1% of annual sales to environmental causes). Has the company been evaluated by third parties such as the Rainforest Alliance? Is it a B Corporation?
“It’s pretty easy for companies to fake their sustainability credentials through their own marketing channels, so travellers need to dig beneath that,”
Don’t just rely on the company itself for answers. Seek testimonials from past clients tooDANCING AT GONAP VILLAGE KATHDHARA, INDIA
says Gary Cohen, Intrepid Travel’s managing director for Latin America. “Consider whether operators have any reliable external certification, which is far more objective.”
A good way to lessen your impact is not to trek where everyone else is – to hike away from tourist honeypots and into areas where tourism can still bring considerable benefits. “The world is waking up to overtourism – look at those images of heaving trails on Everest and Snowdon,” says Megan Devenish, head of product expansion and sustainability at Much Better Adventures. “Instead, go off the beaten track as much as possible. Think about the experience; break the bucket list mentality.”
Of course, trekkers will always be drawn to highprofile routes such as Kilimanjaro and Everest Base Camp. And there are some positives to come from popularity. “In the 1980s the numbers climbing Kilimanjaro were far lower but those people made more mess. Now Kili sees around 40,000 trekkers a year but the mountain is pretty clean,” says Bate.
But if you choose to tick off a headline trek, you still need to quiz your tour operator. “Going to Kilimanjaro? Ask about the company your operator works with in Tanzania – what is their relationship to them? Do they pay their staff well? Do staff get proper rest between trips? Ensure you’re going on a holiday that gives people economic dignity,” adds Bate.
And compare prices. Paul Cripps is the founder of Cusco-based Amazonas Explorer, which takes people on adventures around the Sacred Valley and beyond – including the Inca Trail. “In Peru you get what you pay for,” he says. “If it’s cheap, you need to be asking questions.”
There are things you can do on a practical level,
too. For instance, ensure your toiletries are biodegradable and don’t contain chemicals that will leach into the soil. Consider your use of trekking poles – they can be beneficial for your knees but damaging to the soil and vegetation. If you take them, use them only when needed, be mindful of where you plant them and consider fitting rubber tips to the metal ends.
Don’t litter – carry out rubbish you create and pick up other people’s rubbish too, if
possible. And talk about litter, to keep the issue on the agenda. That means asking trek operators, hoteliers and restaurant owners what happens with waste, what their policies are on single-use items, and whether they have recycling facilities.
Take responsibility for your water consumption too. Ask your trekking company how they provide water to clients. And research how you can treat your own water – bring your own filtration bottle or purification system.
At the end of your trek, consider donating any excess outdoor clothing or kit directly to your porters.
Perhaps most important is not to just trek
though a place, but to interact and engage with it. Learn about where you’re going. Talk to the people – learn some language and don’t be afraid to try using it. Spend money on local crafts and at small, local-run businesses.
“One of my biggest peeves is seeing travellers treating locals poorly either in outright lack of respect or taking advantage of the beauty of their locations or cultures without any giving back,” says Beckman.
“Travel is a privilege, and people should learn while they are doing it,” says Cripps. “It’s all part of an environmental lesson. We show people places in order to help protect them; the aim is to create advocates for the planet.”
Village Ways runs village-tovillage walks in spectacular, little-visited corners of the Himalayas that ensure communities directly benefit. They’re pictured throughout this feature, and include Binsar, Kathdhara and Gonap in the Indian Himalayas. “It begins with selecting places with the potential for low-impact tourism,” says managing director Manisha Pande. “We then involve host communities from the start, making them partners in the project and ensuring benefits are spread throughout the community.”
This increase in local pride has translated into environmental positives: for example, in the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, sightings of rare birds and mammals are on the rise.
Trekking specialist Adventure Alternative doesn’t just employ people on the ground to run its trips, it has set up local companies that operate as sustainable, independent entities. Workers get the same rights as they’d get in the UK; money stays in the country; and profits are ploughed back into training.
On its Kilimanjaro climbs, trekkers are encouraged to engage with the local crew. “I encourage my guides to have deeper conversations with guests; they have the green light to bring up big subjects such as water equity on the mountain,” says Bate.
Adventure travel specialist Much Better Adventures (MBA) admits there’s a problem with tourism – “We will never say ‘this is a sustainable holiday’,” says Devenish, “All we can say is that
this trip is taking steps towards being sustainable.”
MBA only works with 100% locally-owned ground-handlers, specifically seeking out those that go the extra mile to benefit local communities. For example, its Lost City trek in Colombia is guided by members of one of the last remaining tribes in the region, and its one-of-a-kind jungle trek-and-raft trip is led by locals that have turned an area previously wracked by civil war into a conservation success.
Intrepid, which runs a huge variety of trips across the globe, including treks, is a certified B Corporation. This means everything the company does has been externally assessed and verified, and is a helpful steer for trekkers when they’re deciding which company to travel with – especially on routes that are not regulated. Such is the case in Peru, when it comes to looking beyond the classic Inca Trail. Intrepid runs an Inca Quarry Trail that offers spectacular scenery and lesser-known archaeological sites without the crowds, while Amazonas Explorer, also a B Corporation, takes trekkers on alternative Inca routes, such as its newly created Waqrapukara Trek above the Apurimac Canyon.
The network of trails on the rugged Greek island of Andros is one of the few to have been awarded Leading Quality Trails status by the European Ramblers Association. Hikers visiting Andros don’t only help extend the island’s holiday season beyond the typical July/August window, they help to maintain the island’s heritage: the trails here have been used for millennia but, due to recent depopulation and lifestyle changes, are at risk of being lost forever. “Trekkers coming, transmitting that there is something of value here, generates pride and positivity,” says the founder of Andros Routes, Olga Karayiannis. “By walking you’re keeping the history alive.”
Walk across a raised boardwalk through the forest to this wonderfully secluded large treehouse in a private woodland on the Baxby Manor estate. Sleeping up to six in three tree-top rooms, between its two turrets is a large veranda with a logfired pizza oven and a hot tub. The kids will be in den heaven when they discover the hidden doorway under the stairs that opens up to a wooden slide down to a secret room with bean bags and comfy cushions. Simply magical. baxbymanor.co.uk
Local branches of Wildlife Trusts (wildlifetrusts. org) share information on seashore safaris along the UK coast. For example, join an underwater snorkel trail through a marine conservation zone at the Fine Foundation Wild Seas Centre in Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset, where you’ll see peacock’s tail seaweed, Connemara clingfish and Montagu’s blennies, while in the shallow water look out for large wrasse and shoals of small fish against the colours of rainbow wrack and coralline seaweed. If you’re lucky you may also see some of the large marine mammals that visit the zone, such as seals and dolphins. dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk
If you need to take a cab for the final leg of a journey, the TrainTaxi website lists taxi firms that serve railway stations across the UK. traintaxi.co.uk
Is there anywhere quite like the UK in the summer? Long days to play in the sea and mess around at the beach, followed by rounders at the campsite and toasting marshmallows over an outdoor fire. Yet there’s much to commend travelling in the UK out of the peak summer season, when you can avoid the crowds, especially in popular places such as Cornwall, the Lake District and North Wales. Here are some of the sights, sounds and activities to enjoy travelling year-round:
Autumn Autumn colours, blackberry picking, harvest, bonfires, picking pumpkins, mellow mist and lingering wood smoke, crunchy leaves underfoot, foraging for seafood, chestnuts and mushrooms.
Spring Woodland wildflowers, wild garlic, bluebells, apple and cherry blossom, spring veg, waterfall walks, the return of winter migrating birds and morning birdsong, longer evenings and sunlight through the windows.
Winter Wrapping up for winter walks, pubs, crackling fires, hot soup and hot chocolate, wood-fired hot tubs, Christmas markets, surfing, snowfall, sledging, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ski-touring.
The latest news, tips and places to stay to help the whole family travel green
Keep an eye out for these – their presence signals a healthy ecosystem. Environments where these biological indicators are struggling are where many other plants and animals are also likely to be in trouble. The more that they and their habitats are celebrated and protected, the more that biodiversity is likely to thrive.
Seagrass grows around the coast of Britain – it is the only flowering plant able to live in seawater yet is highly sensitive to environmental stress, so is an early warning sign of coastal pollution. It also has an excellent capacity to store carbon.
Beavers build dams, dig canals and restore dead wood, creating water habitats that enable other wildlife to flourish.
Dormice live in woodland and hedgerows but a decline in their numbers can signal habitat destruction – often by deer.
Mayflies are highly sensitive to pollution, so they are a valuable indicator of the health of aquatic ecosystems.
Common blue butterflies live in meadow grasslands rich in wildflowers that enable other important species, such as orchids and horseshoe bats, to thrive.
The Wildlife Trusts are a federation of 46 independent wildlife conservation charities covering the whole of the UK, looking after more than 2,300 nature reserves and operating more than 100 visitor and education centres. Every Wildlife Trust is an independent charity and organises a range of ways you can get involved in local conservation efforts, from volunteering to fundraising. wildlifetrusts.org
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