Odyssey Narrated (2024)

13/12/2021

This walk in the Malvern Hills begins at North Quarry Car Park in Great Malvern. It is one of a number of car parks run by the Malvern Hills Trust. It opens from 6am to 11pm and costs £4.50 for the day. The ticket is transferrable to any other of their car parks.

There are 3 options to get back to the beginning of the walk after you finish in Ledbury.

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Now head diagonally left up the hill on the other side until you reach another sealed track. Turn left and follow the track out of the deer park to the main road. The entrance to Eastnor Castle is in front of you and well worth exploring if you have the time.

Turn right on the main road, follow it for 50 meters and then turn left down a narrow track that brings you to Eastnor Church

13/12/2021

Take the path on the right side of the car park signposted to British Camp (Herefordshire Beacon) and wind your way to the 338-metre summit. Its strange shape is due to the man-made iron age fort that used to command the views of this area.

Having absorbed the vista, head south over Millennium Hill, turn left and zig-zag steeply down before turning right. Stick to the path that keeps the forest closely on your right and after a while the path heads into the trees to Peacock Villa

13/12/2021

From here the trail heads south. Take either the sealed path around Summer Hill summit and past Beacon Road Car Park, or the gravel track over the hill and along the top of the ridge until it meets the main B4218. Cross the road and take the path heading up the ridge, keeping the public toilets on your right. The obvious trail now follows the top of the ridge over Perseverance Hill, Jubilee Hill and Pinnacle Hill to the top of Black Hill

13/12/2021

Start at the North Quarry Car Park (P on the map) and take the trailhead at the southeastern end of the car park towards North Hill. Stick to the higher path as it heads through forest. After passing Ivy Scar rock, turn very sharply right (signed to North Hill) and complete a large zig-zag up the hill. Exiting the trees, join a wide track called the Lady Howard de Walden Drive. Follow it clockwise around North Hill for 90 degrees and then turn left and take the clear trail straight up to the top of Worcestershire Beacon .

10/12/2021

Setting off along the River Derwent with the dew still clinging to the grass and the mountains hiding beneath a cover of cloud, the air was laced with the familiar morning chill of the Lake District. Soon, a gradual climb took us further into an amphitheatre of rocky crags. A soundtrack of water running down wrinkled gullies accompanied the slow unveiling of impressive mountain architecture beneath a moody layer of mist.

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The Scafell Pike Corridor Route takes advantage of an interconnected series of mountain shelves which steadily gain height. This creates a natural trail requiring consistent, but achievable effort, rather than a steep slog like the popular Wasdale Head route.

The trail takes up an excellent position beneath the summit surrounded by some of the best views in the Lake District. With towering crags and deep ghylls, stunning views and hidden tarns, it’s the perfect path for appreciating the diversity of the area.

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Buses stop at Seatoller which is a 2-kilometre walk to the trailhead at Seathwaite. Therefore, to get to the Corridor Route via public transport, you will need to add an extra hour to the overall walk duration to get from Seatoller to Seathwaite and back again.

10/12/2021

This walk up Scafell Pike via the Corridor route is long but not technically difficult. Hands may be needed on the odd short rocky section, but there are no knife edge ridges, difficult scrambles or vertiginous drops near the trail.

The path is generally well defined, but it can be slightly indistinct at times, so keep an eye on your map and pay attention to the signs. In a couple of places the path is slightly exposed over the (very picturesque) ravines.

09/12/2021

Vladivostok
Mountains and bays surround Vladivostok, making it a stunning beautiful city in Russia’s east. The last stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway, Vladivostok is the country’s largest port on the Pacific Ocean; it is just a hop, skip and a jump away from North Korea and China.
The city offers many cultural attractions from theaters to museums to concerts; actor Yul Brynner was born here in 1920. Travelers may want to stroll through some of the city’s lovely parks, including Minny Gorodok, which was once a military base. The city’s main square is Admiralsky Skver, with a museum devoted to a submarine nearby.

09/12/2021

Veliky Novgorod
Founded in the 10th century, Veliky Novgorod is one of the oldest cities in Russia’s far north. Veliky Novgorod claims to be the birthplace of Russia since its early residents invited the Scandinavian Prince Rurik to rule Russia, creating a ruling dynasty that lasted 750 years.

Top sights include the Saint Sophia Cathedral and Bell Tower, the oldest in Russia; the Hanseatic Fountain, said to return 1,000 rubles for every one thrown into it; and a host of museums, including ones on iron, porcelain and history. Located on Lake Ilmen, Veliky Novgorod is a good place to eat borscht and buy bio-honey.

08/12/2021

Puerto Princesa
The rock islands, caves, and natural parks of Palawan Island are the hidden paradise of the Philippines. The coastal city of Puerto Princesa is where you should base yourself in order to explore some of these natural gems of the country. The Subterranean River National Park is a great first stop to see a five-mile underground river and impressive limestone caves.

The UNESCO World Heritage site has boat tours that take you through the national park. Other must-see spots in Puerto Princesa are Honda Bay, which is popular for snorkeling, and Ugong Rock, where you can try ziplining and caving.

08/12/2021

Coron Island
One of the top diving destinations in the world, Coron Island is a tropical paradise, with electric blue and green water that almost seems unreal. The mountainous island sits on the tip of the Palawan island region, the western-most section of islands in the Philippines. The island is popular for diving because of the numerous wrecks here.

Many of the preserved shipwrecks are located in depths ranging from shallow water at just three meters to deep water at 42 meters. Some of the wrecks require more than one dive to explore due to their size, but you can easily spend a week diving in this area. For non-shipwreck diving, check out Barracuda Lake, a former volcano with many unusual rock formations and fish.

23/11/2021

The Lithuanian city of Kaunas, along with Novi Sad in Serbia, is the European Capital of Culture for 2022, allowing the photogenic destination to step into the spotlight to showcase its cultural offering to the world.

A visit to Kaunas is ideal for a short European city break, with direct flights from the UK with low-cost airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air. The city combines tree-lined promenades and historic architecture with contemporary street art and high-class dining. As Lithuania's second largest city, Kaunas offers a unique take on art deco design, fairy tale attractions like Kaunas Castle and Pažaislis Monastery and Modernist architecture to browse.

23/11/2021

Fresh from its Olympic and Paralympic success, Japan is a dream holiday destination that should be firmly on your list for 2022. This year, however, it's time to go beyond Tokyo and explore the country's rural side. Japan's newest bullet train route, Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen, is set to open between Nagasaki and Saga in autumn 2022. This will help speed up Nagasaki connections from the current Kyushu bullet train line that comes into Fukuoka from Tokyo.

The trains themselves will be called kamome meaning 'seagull,' following the popularity of lockdown video game franchise, Ghost of Tsushima, which is set on the stunning archipelagos surrounding the city of Nagasaki. Over the next decade, there will also be new bullet train lines joining Tokyo directly to traditional Fukui, snowy Sapporo and passing through the Nakasendo walking trails of the Kiso Valley. Japan is set to be one of the biggest rail holiday destinations of the future...

19/11/2021

CLIMB UP TO THE DOME OF THE PANTEÃO NACIONAL
The striking baroque National Palace was originally built as a church but now houses monuments to the great and the good, linked to the golden era of Portuguese history. Like many landmarks in Lisbon, it pays particular homage to Vasco da Gama, the sea-faring hero who returned fabulous wealth to Portugal.

Climbing the stairs to reach the internal perimeter of the domed roof provides the best view of what 16th-century money can buy. The entrance is lavishly adorned with geometrical marble flooring, plush gold detailing and grand stone columns.

19/11/2021

HUNT FOR WEIRD TREASURES AT FEIRA DA LADRA (THIEVES’ MARKET)
At the square beside the National Pantheon, a flea market takes place twice a week (Tue & Sat) which has a reputation for being known as the thief’s market. Despite the appealing stories of the market being stocked to the brim with stolen goods, the name actually comes from ladro referring to a bug found in antiques.

Nonetheless, it’s one of the quirkiest things to do in Lisbon. The market sells everything you will never need: old rotary phones, broken mannequins and pre-loved vinyl. There’s also plenty of handmade crafts, CD’s, military objects and nana’s discarded furniture. Tourist prices tend to sneak in, so practise your best haggling.

19/11/2021

WANDER THE CLOISTERS OF SÃO VICENTE DE FORA
The Church of São Vicente de Fora has had a chequered history, including being devastated in the 1755 earthquake. Thoroughly renovated throughout the 17th century, it remains today an exquisite hidden gem, that houses the tombs of many Portuguese Kings. It’s a wonderful thing to do in Lisbon.

The church itself is decent, but the cloisters next door are thoroughly impressive. Lisbon’s story-telling azulejos cover the walls under the protection of white vaulted ceilings. The sacristy walls are covered with intensively elaborate marble designs and intricately painted ceilings.

19/11/2021

TAKE IN THE VIEWS FROM SÃO JORGE CASTLE
São Jorge Castle was once a Moorish castle, but subsequent occupiers have altered the building so much that little of its original construction remains. However, as it operated as the Royal Palace from the 13th to the 16th century, it’s lost little of its grandeur.

The most compelling aspect of the castle, however, is the stunning view over the beautiful city. Lisbon’s patchwork of terracotta tiles interrupted only by narrow rambling lanes is a sight to behold.

Odyssey Narrated

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