LEISURE 43
Estonia’sislandsareknownfortheir
naturalbeautyandhistoriccharm,but
Kihnu,theseventhlargest,standsout
foradifferentreason:“itsabundance
ofwomen”.Duringthe 1 9thcentury,
menwouldgotoseaformonths,
huntingsealsandfishing,says
HillaryRichardinTheNewYork
Times.Overtime,womentookon
therunningoftheisland,occupying
traditionallymaleroles–frompriest
tolighthousekeeper.As“menbegan
tofadefromeverydaylife”,this
became“ingrained”inKihnuculture;
today,inapopulationofaround 500 ,
onlyahandfulofpermanentadultresidentsaremen.
Kihnuwomenwearatraditional“uniform”ofheadscarves,
handwovenstripedskirts(calledkorts)and–aftertheyare
married–brightlycolouredaprons.Islandsociety“functions
asalarge,tight-knitfamily”and,whiletheconceptoffeminism
is“oftenmetwithbewilderment”,thewomenarerobustly
outspoken–sodon’tgoifyou’reeasilyoffended.“Theisland
isnotforeveryone.”
Kihnu,intheBalticSea,2 7 miles
fromEstonia,canbereachedbyferry
fromthecityPärnu.Approachingby
sea,visitorssee“windsweptbeaches
surroundingpristineforestsandthe
occasionalbrightlycolouredfarm-
house”.Onwalksaroundthe“rocky
coast”,theislandfeels“muchlarger
thanitsfour-milelength”.There
arefewsignsoflifebeyondthe
occasionaldogor“sealbobbingin
thewaves”.Beyondthebeach,the
“fairy-tale”forest“growswild”.
PartoftheappealisthatKihnuis
not“setupformasstourism”.There
arefewroads,nocashmachines,nochainstoresandthefirst
policestationisstillbeingbuilt.“Here,visitorsareguests,not
tourists.”Theystaywithfamiliesinhomesteadsandgetinvolved
in“dailylife,includingmeals,choresandislandevents”.While
oldergenerationsclingtotradition,youngerwomenseetourism
asanopportunitytopreservetheisland’sUnesco-recognised
heritagethroughcarefulcommercialisation.Withadwindling
population,keepingtheculturealiveis“adelicatebalance”.2November 2019 THE WEEKTravelThis week’s dream: Estonia’s isle of womenGettingthe flavourof...Berlin Christmas market
Delve into the festive atmos-
phere withathree-night stay at
theAmanoGrandCentral
hotel, from £229pp room-only,
including London flights.020-
3474 5456,www.holidaydew.
co.uk. Depart17 December.
Central Copenhagen hotel
Stay fournights at theFirst
HotelMayfair,locatednear
the meatpacking district.From
£416pp room-only, including
Liverpool flights.020-3897
1146,loveholidays.com.
Depart6January.Downtown Bangkok
Spendsixnights at the Baiyoke
SkyHotelinBangkok, with its
spectacularviews ofthecity,
from £847ppb&b, including
Dublin flights.020-89747200,
travelrepublic.co.uk.Depart
2December.Seven nights in Bali
Stay attheboutiquevilla hotel
The Elysian, with Seminyak
beachashort walkaway ,from
£1,659pp b&b,including
Birminghamflights. 0800-540
4837,kuoni.co.uk. Depart
6December.Visiting vanGogh’s province
Thecity of‘s-Hertogenboschis“so unpro-
nounceable,eventhe localsshortenitto Den
Bosch”, saysMartinDunford intheLondon
EveningStandard.Itis“typicallyDutch:
sliced bycanals,dicedwithgables”,and with
itscollectionofexcellent museums,it offers
anenticingalternative toovercrowded
Amsterdam, less thananhouraway bytrain.
Locatedin theCatholic provinceofBrabant,
Den Boschhasa“reputation” for being“a
funsortofplace”wherepeople“livelifeto
thefull”. FromthetopofitstoweringGothic
cathedralofSt John, you geta“fabulous
viewofthecity”,butthemostpopular
activityistouringthe“slightly spooky”
canals–dark,unseenwaterways thatrun
beneath the narrowmedievalstreets.This
yearthe NoordbrabantsMuseum hasan
exhibition dedicated toBrabant’s“most
famousartist”,VincentvanGogh. It’sa
“great show”–withawonderfulcollection
of drawings,paintingsandletters.Van
Gogh’s Inner Circle runs until12Jan 2020.BikepackinginScotland
Walking long distances inScotlandis hard
work; theweight ofyour te nt and provisions
can dragyou down.Butonabike, with a
pannier orasingle-wheel trailer, youcan
“let the wheels take the load”,says Alan
BrowninThe Guardian.And in theScottish
Highlands there areplenty ofwild trails tofollow. Foragreat overnighttripin Argyll,
ItracedtheshoresofLochEtiveintoGlen
Kinglass,fromTaynuilt toTyndrum,
followingloggingandestatetracks,stalkers’
pathsandoldmilitaryroads.InScotland,
wildcampingispermittedon most open
ground, and bothies –opento anyone–are
alsoanoption.Isleptin abothyinaGlen
Kinglassgorge reminiscentofa“Chinese
silkpainting”,completewithwaterfalland
“trees oncrazyledges”.Therealbeauty of
bikepackingisthattherearenoruleswhere
yougo orstay.“Youare free.”Bountiful Dominican Republic
Thesoutheast coastof the Dominican
Republic wasoncethelandof the Taíno,
indigenouspeople who were“legendary
healersand expertsinlocal medicinalherbs”,
saysWanderlust. Todaytheluxuryretreat
Ki-Raoffers 2 1stcenturyhealing: it’s aspa
andresortthatdrawson ancientpractices.
Guestscansleepby the oceanincanvas tents
and take advantageofearly-morning yoga
sessions. The placeis teeming with nature;
the ownersclaim that 70%of th ecountry’s
indigenous birdpopulation can bespotted
here.There arewhale-watching tours and
cycle trails,ory ou cantake aboat to Isla
Saona–the nature reserve with whitesandy
beacheswherethe Bounty chocolate bar
advertswere filmed.Visit ki-ra.com for
more information.Low Wood Bay Resort &
SpaWindermere
This former 18th century inn on
the shores of Windermere has
morphed intoa“sprawling resort”,
says Emily Sargent in The Times.
It had been looking “a little tired”
until the new Winander Club
opened in March, adding more
bedrooms,aroofterrace andabit
of contemporary sparkle. Thespa
has aheated infinity pool and
sauna tubs overlooking the water,
plus arange of treatments such as
the Mud Room, “where you can
throw mud at your friends for 45
minutes”. Rooms all have comfy
superking-size beds and large
bathtubs; some have lake-view
balconies or terraces. The food is
great and staff are “wonderful”.
Doubles from £158 b&b.
englishlakes.co.ukHotel of the weekKihnu:hasaUnesco-recognisedheritageLast-minute offers from top travel companies