Via de la Plata Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Route

Santiago de Compostela, the 'Jerusalem of the West' was Europe's first tourist destination. Ever since the 9th century, when skeletal relics supposedly belonging to St James (Santiago's namesake) were discovered, people have been flocking here on the premise that the Way of St James pilgrimage cuts in half the time to be spent in purgatory. Walking along one of the many traditional routes that lead here from all over Europe is as popular a journey today as it has ever been. The Via de la Plata is one of the least-travelled of the Ways of St James - an uplifting 1000 km (625 mi) physical and spiritual trek for anyone who would prefer to walk in contemplative solitude rather than socialize with the throngs of wayfarers along the much better known Camino Frances. 

 

It follows the path of the old Roman Road from the orange groves of Seville to the northern market town of Astorga, where it merges with the Camino Francés east-west route. Much of the path is a reminder of how it must have been two thousand years ago, with Roman bridges and ruins, original paving and ancient milestones. You walk across open country of fields and olive groves, woods and moors, passing through some of Spain's most beautiful cities and stopping off at pilgrim refugiós.

 

The road runs through the hills and plains of the Extremadura taking you to Merida, one of the richest Roman sites in Spain, and Caceres, an intact medieval walled city, through the pastures and highlands of Salamanca, along the Duero River to the Romanesque city of Zamora, and into the verdant woodlands of Galicia. The final triumphant step of your pilgrimage is onto the carved scallop shell inscribed into the pavement of Santiago Cathedral, a ritual that supposedly purges you of your sins.

 

HOW

On foot

WHEN TO GO

April to June or September to October. Avoid July and August when the heat is unbearable.

TIME IT TAKES

Six to seven weeks

HIGHLIGHTS

Merida - Roman ruins.

Caceres - city walls.

Zamora - Romanesque churches.

Salamanca - Plaza Mayor.

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

For the most part, the path is undulating but not too taxing.

However. after you enter Galicia, there are some very steep climbs and descents that require a reasonable level of fitness. Pilgrims often wear a 'uniform' of cloak and wide-brimmed hat and carry a walking stick, a gourd (for drinking from wells) and a scallop shell (the St James pilgrim symbol).

Hotels in Santiago de Compostela

 

Semmering Railway

The 160-year-old World Heritage Semmering Railway is the most scenic route in Austria, running for 41 km (26 mi) across the Semmering Pass in the mountains between Vienna and Graz. Built between 1848 and 1845 in the pioneering days of railway construction, it became the prototype for all high-mountain railways. It is an inspired feat of engineering with sixteen viaducts, fifteen turmels, and a gradient five times greater than anything that had been built before. 

 

In 1842 Austrian State Railways commissioned Carlo di Ghega, a Venetian engineer, to design a line that would not detract from the beauty of the natural surroundings. It was the last link in the Sudbahn line, to create a continuous track between Vienna and Trieste on the Adriatic Sea. The resulting section of railway is a work of art that led to Semmering becoming a fashionable fin de siecle tourist resort, attracting visitors as much for the train journey as for the destination. 

 

The line runs from the country town of Gloggnitz in the Schwarza Valley up to Semmering, a charming 19th century ski resort that today has a distinctly quaint feel about it. The highest point of the railway is 898 m (2945 ft). It then descends the southern slopes of the mountains to Mtirzzuschlag, a small provincial town where Johannes Brahms composed his Fourth Symphony. The dramatic landscape of sheer gorges, craggy mountains and forest makes for a hair-raising ride - winding round sheer rock faces, shooting into tunnels and crossing precipitous ravines. Despite the progress in engineering techniques since the line was built, you cannot fail to admire the harmonious design. If you only do one train Journey in Austna, mate it this one.

 

HOW

By train

WHEN TO GO

Any time of year

TIME IT TAKES

40 minutes

HIGHLIGHTS

Gloggnitz castle, originally an 11th Century Benedictine monastery.

Incredible mountain views.

Kalt Rinne Viaduct Sudbahn Kulturbahnhoff - Railway museum at Murzzuschlag.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

There Is a hiking track over Semmerling Pass following the route of the railway line.

Hotels in Vienna

 

Paddle Steamer on the Murray River

The presence of Australia's principal river, the Murray, has been a key factor in turning the south east of the country into its most productive and heavily populated area. The American writer Mark Twain hailed the Murray as Australia's Mississippi, although in a country where water has always been a limited resource it lacks the flow of its mighty American counterpart. Like the Mississippi the Murray offered a means of navigation for the early European settlers to reach the rich pastoral country inland; and for over fifty years from the 1860s it reigned unchallenged as the main transport artery for the region, carrying livestock and produce downriver to the coast and bringing supplies back to the sheep and cattle stations. 

 

As in America the paddle steamer was the dominant means of river transport in these years. Where once they had a strictly commercial, utilitarian role these elegant vessels now ply their trade on the Murray as leisure boats. There is no better way to enjoy the varied sights of this riverscape - the mighty cliff-faces, the stands of towering red gums, the wetlands with their abundant wildlife - than from the deck of a paddle steamer as you glide by in sedate comfort. 

 

At the historic river port of Mannum, on the Murray's lower reaches and an hour's drive east of Adelaide, you board the Murray Princess for an extended cruise upriver to the first lock near Blanchetown and back again, sleeping on board in well-appointed cabins. The rewards for opting for this slower and gentler form of transport are many, not least the grandstand views it gives you of the river's spectacular birdlife - pelicans, black swans and egrets are all commonly seen here.

 

HOW

By boat

WHEN TO GO

All year

TIME IT TAKES

Four nights for the round trip.

HIGHLIGHTS

Watching the birds and animals as the riverbank comes to life in the early morning.

Taking a guided nocturnal tour to seek out the varied wildlife that emerges after dark.

The ancient rock carv1gs at Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Reserve.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

If you want to be independent and fancy something a little more exclusive you can rent your own houseboat to take out on the river. 

Hotels in Adelaide

 

Istanbul to Aleppo on the Toros Express

The original Istanbul to Baghdad railway was largely planned and financed by Germany, but the Toros Express (named for the mountain range it crosses) was inaugurated in 1930 by the Compagnie lnternationale des Wagons-Lits, to extend its Orient Express service. Though trains no longer continue to Iraq, and the opulence has vanished (along with Belgian detectives), the Toros Express now runs from Istanbul to Aleppo once a week. Haydarpasa Station, on the waterfront south of Uskudur, is reached by ferry from Galata. This grandiose building, with its wood panelling and fine stained-glass, was presented to the Sultan by Kaiser Wilhelm in 1908. 

 

The Syrian sleeping car, with its two-bed compartments and friendly, tea-making steward, is attached to a Turkish train. It heads out of Istanbul by the Sea of Marmara, and then eastwards along a broad valley. Then the line climbs southwards, and continues (past Afyon, where an  ancient citadel crowns a dark crag) to the empty, arid plateau, where views expand - tawny plains, distant peaks, isolated villages and minarets. It is late by the time the train arrives in Konya (home to fine carpets and whirling Dervishes); overnight it runs, by way of inummerable turmels and bridges, through the huge Taros range. 

 

In the early morning the train descends the southern slopes towards Adana. Then the line runs east through fertile plains to Febsipasa, where the sleeping car is uncoupled and joined to another train. At the border, after the normal delays, the train is coupled to a Syrian locomotive, and the journey continues through rocky hills and olive groves to the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo.

 

HOW

By train

WHEN TO GO

March to November

TIME IT TAKES

About 30 hours

HIGHLIGHTS

The sheer romance of a journey like this - heading into the huge, changing landscape of Turkey and on into Asia Minor.

Descending the Toros at dawn: distant views from the craggy mountains of the green plain below, glimpses of the distant Mediterranean as first light touches it.

Finally arriving in Aleppo: a beautiful, exciting but easy-going city.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

Tea-making is the only catering for the sleeping car. Take ample provisions and liquids. Also take toilet paper.

Hotels in Istanbul

 

Dajti Express Cable Car

Tirana, the capital of Albania, has its own eccentric charm - hospitable natives, orange trees in the streets, some old Ottoman buildings and a glorious street market. From the chaotic jumble of poverty, hastily erected buildings and traffic which is the city centre, the dark bulk of Mount Dajti, 25 km (15 mi) to the east can, smog permitting, be seen. This spacious and easily accessible National Park is a favourite excursion and escape for city-dwellers. It has been inhabited from early times and the name could be linked with the ancient cult of Diktyrma, a mother goddess venerated around the Mediterranean. Its relatively low altitude - 1610 m (5232 ft) - allows forest cover and pleasant shady walking in the summer. 

 

Until 2005 the only approach was by road, passing through the city outskirts and fashionable new housing, winding along the contours of the mountain. Inside the Park, low-key tourist developments are bunt around restaurants and the road finishes at a large, green area which is used for picnics and barbecues. This is also the terminus for the Dajti Express Cable Car, an Austrian-built enterprise which runs from the edge of town. The 4 km (2.5 mi) ride up to 1230 m I (3998 ft) takes just fifteen minutes. 

 

The views over the mountain range, the sprawl of Tirana and the eastern lowlands are excellent. From the Dajta Field, paths lead through attractive beech woods and areas of pine and fir. These quiet wooded slopes are home to many flower and plant species and to small mammals including red squirrels and beech martens. The woods are cool and peaceful, a perfect respite from the city.

 

HOW

By cable car

WHEN TO GO

April to June, September and October

TIME IT TAKES

One day or less

HIGHLIGHTS

There are some good restaurants, including one with fish straight from its own pools.

In the late spring. alpine strawberries grow among the trees.

You may come across one of Enver Hoxha's domed anti-invasion bunkers in the woods.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

The summit of Mount Dajti is still fenced off, occupied by military installations.

Hotels in Tirana

 

Snaefellsnes National Park

  

A continuously evolving landscape of volcanoes, geysers and lava fields, the whole of Iceland is a geological treasure; and the Snaefellsjokull is the absolute jewel in the crown. A mysterious 1446 m (4743 ft) high strato-volcano, with a 200 m (650 ft) deep ice-filled crater, shrouded in a 7 sq km (3 sq mi) ice cap, it has lain dormant for the past 1800 years; ancient plaits of lava trail down its flanks across the plains of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula to the sea. 

 

It is one of the seven most potent 'energy sources' of the planet, the well-spring of Icelandic mythology, looming over a strange land where dwarves still lurk in the crannies, elves hide in the mossy banks and ogres stomp across the ice. Used by Jules Verne as the setting for his novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth, the Snaefellsjokull is an enduring source of inspiration for mystics, artists and poets. From the romantic moonscape wilds of the Buclir estuary you walk for 18 km (11 mi) in a surreal fairyland, across a moss-carpeted and rock-strewn lava plain to the picturesque fishing village of Arnarstapi. 

 

From here you can walk a further 8 km (5 mi) along a bizarrely beautiful coast of fantastic lava formations and spectacular caves. Fierce Atlantic breakers crash through holes in the rocks, hurling great fountains of spray up into the sky, and the basalt column cliffs are packed with birds - colonies of kittiwakes, fulmars, razorbills and arctic terns. Reaching the sheltered natural harbour by the hamlet of Hellnar you can stand beneath the Snaefellsjokull, only 10 km (6 mi) from the snowline, on the meeting point of the ley lines that supposedly carry currents of transcendental volcanic energy round the planet.

 

HOW

On foot

WHEN TO GO

May to June

TIME IT TAKES

Six to eight hours

HIGHLIGHTS

Bird colonies along the cliffs.

Badstofa Cave, Hellnar.

Mary's spring - water emerging from lava. thought to have healing powers.

The Midnight Sun.

Spotting orca whales off the coast. 

YOU SHOULD KNOW

This walk is quite an easy one. There are numerous trails and historical sites in the Snaefellsnes National Park. From Arnarstapi or Hellnar you can hike up across the ice cap to the volcano crater.

Hotels in Snaefellsnes

 

Explore the Peninsula Valdes

  

If you are in search of an escape from the mundane, you would be hard put to find anywhere more inspiring than the windswept shores and blue waters of the Patagonian coast. This magical region of multi-coloured pebble beaches, steep cliffs, jagged rocks, and miles of sand flats is one of the most precious wildlife habitats in the world where, amongst a plethora of sea and land creatures, you can see dolphins playing, orcas out on a seal hunt, and the largest southern right whale breeding-grounds in the world. 

 

The drive from Puerto Madryn, on Golfo Nuevo, along the Ameghino Isthmus to the tip of the World Heritage wilderness of Península Valdés, plunges you straight into the savage beauty of the natural world. You can hear the southern right whales calling to each other as you watch them play in the water along the remote shores of El Doradillo beach. You drive along clirt tracks through desolate Country of steppe and saltpans where guanacos, rheas, maras and grey foxes roam at will among the sheep. On the mudflats of Puento Norte, while you watch the elephant seals and sea lions, you will see opportunistic orcas lurking offshore ready to pounce on any unprotected pup and drag it into the water. 

 

At Valdés Caleta, a long gravel spit, you can observe a colony of Magellan penguins among the thousands of seabirds that congregate here. At the end of the road, at Punta Delgada lighthouse on the south - eastern tip of the peninsula, as you gaze down from the high cliffs at the huge colony of elephant seals on the beach below and out over the endless spread of the Atlantic Ocean, you feel you have reached the very edge of the earth, far beyond the clutches of the man-made world.

HOW

By car

WHEN TO GO

June to December to see southern right whales and orcas. Wildlife is at its peak October-November.

TIME IT TAKES

Although this is only a 200 km (125mi) drive, the roads are mainly unpaved, You should allow 2-3 days if you want to explore the peninsula properly.

HIGHLIGHTS

Watch southern right whales from El Doradillo Beach.

Boat ride out to sea from Puerto Piràmides to see dolphins and whales.

The sea lion and seal colonies.

The saltpans of Valdes Peninsula.

Diving from Punta Pardelas beach.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

Peninsula Valdes is a protected nature reserve and you must pay a fee to enter. You can also see the largest Magellan Penguin colony in the world at punto Tombo, 110 km (70 mi) south of Puerto Madryn.

Hotels in Patagonia

 

Sacred Way

  

The Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi took shape from the 8th to the 7th century BC, centred on a temple guarding the centre of the world, the Omphalos (Navel), the chasm of the Oracle. Here Pythia, the priestess, perched above the void and spoke the words of the god; a priest interpreted the often-ambiguous pronouncements to the waiting supplicants. From the 6th to the 4th century BC, Delphi was the spiritual centre of the ancient world and an international political centre, for warriors and kings joined the worshippers. 

 

Great wealth and power were amassed - in addition to ritual cleansing and sacrifice, those seeking advice paid tribute. Individuals and cities erected dedications to Apollo - statues and small buildings (treasuries) and the Sanctuary grew. Under Roman rule, the power of the Oracle declined, and in the Christian 4th century it was declared defunct. Delphi spreads over a natural amphitheatre of rocks and cliffs in the foothills of Mount Parnassus. The Sanctuary - the Sacred Precinct - is part of a larger complex that includes a gymnasium, stadium and sanctuary to Athena. 

 

The entrance is through the Roman agora; the Sacred Way, a paved path, zigzags up the terraces and slopes. The lower section is flanked by plinths and niches, which once held more than 3000 votive statues, and the remains of the treasuries. Above these, the Spring of Gaia and the Rock of the Sibyl pre-date the building of the temple. The Athenian Stoa acts as a gateway to the Temple, which now consists of foundations and a re-erected line of Doric columns. The Sacred Way ends at the 5000-seat rock-cut theatre, which still has remarkable acoustics.

 

HOW

On foot

WHEN TO GO

April to June, September and October

TIME IT TAKES

One day

HIGHLIGHTS

The Museum - with a superb collection of the sculpture, friezes and artefacts from the site.

The stadium where the Pythian Games took place every 4 years still has a starting line of marble slabs with grooves for the runners toes.

The Tholus, or Rotunda, a very beautiful construction in the Sanctuary of Athena, the postcard image of Delphi.

The views - beyond the grey crags, green valleys studded with olives roll down to the sea, sparkling in the Gulf of Itea.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

The extensive site is steep, rocky and uneven.

Carry Provisions; there are plenty of excellent picnic spots and it's a long walk down to catering facilities. 

Hotels in Delphi

 

Lake Waikaremoana

  

A natural gem in the North Island's East Coast/Hawke's Bay Region is the remote and rugged Te Urewera National Park, which preserves some of the country's most magnificent scenery. Tucked away in the southwestern corner of the Park is the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk - one of the nationally designated 'Great Walks' managed by the Department of Conservation, indicating that they are New Zealand's finest tramping tracks. This 46 km (29 mi) hike loosely follows the lakeshore after which it is named, offering superb lake views when it strays from the water. The going is fairly easy and the Great Walk isn't that long, but the idea is to take it easy, stopping overnight and enjoying recreational opportunities such as swimming and fishing offered by Lake Waikaremoana as you go. 

 

There are five huts and campsites and prior booking is mandatory throughout the year - even in wmter this is a popular trek, though the Great Walk is occasionally closed as a result of heavy snowfall that brings down overloaded tree branches to block the track. Most hikers drive in to Aniwaniwa on the gravel-surfaced State Highway 38 that links the East Coast with Central North Island. From there, there are well-signed roads to both walk entrances, though most prefer to park securely at Aniwaniwa and take one of the regular shuttle buses or water taxis that servIce each end of the walk. 

 

They will also return hikers to their vehicles after completing the Great Walk. It's possible to travel either way between Hopuruahine Suspension Bridge (north) and Onepoto (south). The route passes through a variety of terrain with varied vegetation, from the beech forest of Panekire Bluff to mixed broadleaf woodland, dense rainforest and open grassland. All harbour abundant bircllife, adding a colourful dimension to this unforgettable walk through varied and always stunning scenery.

 

HOW

On foot

WHEN TO GO

September to June

TIME IT TAKES

Three to four days

HIGHLIGHTS

The view from the top of towering Panekire Bluff at the southern end of Lake Waikaremoana.

A side trip up to Korokoro Falls - a sight that is well worth the 30 minute walk.

The distinctive night calls of the protected - and slowly recovering - brown kiwi population of the Park.

A drive up from Aniwaniwa to nearby Lake Waikareiti after completing the Great Walk.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

The deer, pigs and possums found in the Te Urewera National park are Quarry species. so hikers should keep a weather eye open for hunters. 

Hotels in Hawke's Bay

 

Mozart Cycle Path

  

This 450 km (280 mi) cycling route in the borderlands of Austria and Bavaria is a wonderfully relaxing way to unwind, dawdling along through enchanting pastoral scenery of rolling fields, mirror-like lakes and alpine meadows with the snowy peaks of the mountains always in the background. The region was once the centre of the European salt trade, which brought in huge amounts of money. Its legacy can be seen in the architecture of the old market towns and picturesque villages that you pass - quaint period buildings, beautiful churches and magnificent castles. 

 

From Salzburg you cycle north to Oberndorf, the site of the 'Silent Night Chapel', where the world's best-loved Christmas carol was first sung in 1818, and into the Chiemgau region of Bavaria. Pass the Waginger See, a pretty oxbow lake set in rolling farmland, and cycle along the shore of Bavaria's largest lake, the Chiemsee or 'Bavarian Sea'. The route continues past the Seeon Benedictine Monastery to the lovely old market town of Wasserburg, sited picturesquely on a bend of the River Inn, and follows the course of the river before heading back eastwards through the historic salt-mining towns of Bad Reichenhall and Berchtesgaden to the Konigssee, a beautiful fjord-like lake set in the mountains of Berchtesgaden National Park. 

 

The first circle of your journey completed, you head back into Austria through St Gilgen on Wolfgangsee, the village where Mozart's mother was born, along the shore of Wallersee to the final lake of your tour, the charming Mattsee, surrounded by hills and woods, only a few kilometres north of Salzburg. By the end of your journey you will have a marvellous sense of physical tiredness and mental well-being - your legs may ache but your head will be full of the wonderful landscapes you have seen.

 

HOW

By bike

WHEN TO GO

June to September

TIME IT TAKES

Seven to eight days

HIGHLIGHTS

Salzburg - Mozart's birthplace and UNESCO World Heritage City.

Herrenchiemsee - island in the Chiemsee with fairytale castle.

Waging am See - picturesque lakeside town.

Wasserburg - historic Bavarian salt-trading town on the River Inn.

Mattsee Abbey.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

This route is easy or moderate cycling, much of it on cycle paths.

The route is well sign posted with hotels and guesthouses where cyclists are welcome and there are bike repair shops in almost every town. 

Hotels in Salzburg and Bavaria