LEISURE 43
21 March 2020 THE WEEKTravel
Antarcticais“acontinentof
superlatives”,saysStanleyStewart
inCondéNastTraveller–this“vast,
emptyworld”oficelakesandsnow
cliffs,offrozenseasand“sharp-
toothed”mountains,isthe“coldest,
driest,highest,windiest”placeon
Earth.Only 200 yearshavepassed
sinceitwasfirstsighted–byaRussian
navalexpeditioninJanuary 1820 –
andeven 90 yearsafterthat,Ernest
Shackletoncouldstillcallit“thelast
greatjourneylefttoman”.Visitingis
fareasiertoday– 5 0,000peoplecome
eachyearoncruiseships–buttheeffect
onmindandheartisstillunparalleled,
andperhapsgreaterifyoujointhevery
fewwhostayonland.
DoingsoinluxuryispossiblewithtouroperatorssuchasWhite
Desert.Itsbase,WhichawayCamp,consistsofseveninsulated
circularpodsinthe“remotespaces”ofQueenMaudLand–but
giventhelogisticsinvolved,itmustcountas“oneofthemost
exclusivestaysintheworld”,withitsspaciouscommunalarea
withfurthrowsandalibraryofbooks.
Theenvironmentalstandardsarehigh:
heatingandwateraresolar-powered,
andcarbonoffsettingisobligatory.
Antarcticais“groundzeroforclimate
change”,heatingupfasterthanalmost
anywhereelseonEarth,which,given
theamountoficehere,couldhavea
“catastrophic”effectonsealevels.
Crossingalakeonfoot,youmight
revelinthe“exquisitelacework”of
airbubblesintheicebeneathyour
crampons,the“minimalistsimplicity”
ofyoursurroundings,orthe“thunder”
ofacalvingglacier“shatteringthe
delicatesilence”.Avisittoapenguin
rookeryisadelight.All“fearlessgrit
andcoldflippers”inwinter,the
animalsarerelaxedandplayfulinmidsummer.Andthenthere
isthefrozenocean–“atumultuousupheavalofcolossal,rock-
solidwaves,mosttallerthanaman”–asightsoawe-inspiring,
personaltroublestendtomeltawaybeforeit.Aneight-daytrip
costsabout£71, 000 perperson(white -desert.com).This week’s dream: camping in Antarctica’s dreamlike wastes
Gettingthe flavourof...
Chiltern Hills steam trail
Rolling offfrom Aylesbury,
glide through attractive scenery
and visi tfivesteamvenues over
four nights.From £589pp
b&b, including rail traveland
excursions.01538-382323,
railtrai l.co.uk. Depart21M ay.
Scottish Highlands break
Enjoy this self-guidedwalking
holida ywith afour-nigh tstay
at Alltshellach, situatedonthe
shores of Loch Leven, from
£419pp full-board.020-3974
8865,hfholid ays.co.uk.
Depart 16 June.Five-star city centre stay
The Gran dium Hotel Prague
is locatedaround thecorner
from Wenceslas Square.A
3-night stay costsfrom £238pp
b&b, including flights. 01903-
258 288, loveholidays.com.
Depart30J une.AweekinKenya
Stay at theboutiqu evillage-
style Pinewood BeachResort
and Spa, righton GaluBeach,
from £939pphalf-board,
including London flights.
01342-887119, tropicalsky.
co.uk. Depart 12June.Fellini’s childhood haunts
Thisyearisthe centenaryofFederico Fellini’s
birth,and fanslookingtofollow inthefilm
director’sfootstepsmightconsider atrip
to Rimini,saysJulietRix inTheDaily
Telegraph. Hegrewupin thislittle city
on Italy’sAdriaticcoast, made regularvisits
throughouthislife(always stayingatthe
“glorious”Grand Hotel),and wasburied
here.Healsofeaturedit inhisfilms,even
reconstructingits mainsquareatRome’s
CinecittàStudios forhis 1973 Oscar-winner
Amarcord.Atourshouldinclude his
childhoodhomes,the nine-mile-longbeach
(“desertedand atmospheric”in winter,just
as inthefilms),thesplendidartnouveau
Cinema Fulgor, andthe cathedral (withits
Giotto crucifixandPiero dellaFrancesca
fresco)wherehetriedtostealfromthealms
box.In December, anewFellinimuseum
willopeninthe city’sRenaissancecastle.An epic Aussie trainjourney
Plyi ng a1,900-mile, thre e-da yroute around
Australia’s southeasterncorner–from
Adelaide to Brisbane–the Great Southern
is thecountry’s latest luxury rail service, and
it’s afine waytotakeinthe region’s “vast
andvaried”landscape,says Le eCobaj in
The Times. Launched in December, the train
has“class ybut cool ”interiors (including
double beds an dshowers in platinum class)
andadiningcar servingexcellentmodernAustraliancuisine. Fromthe“welcoming
green” oftheGrampians NationalParkto
thehillsof Queensland, theviewsareoften
“hypnotic”.Andthere aretwofull-day
stops–one inYass,withoptionaltours
of nearbyCanberra orofthewineries of
Murrumbateman;and theother inthe
seaside townofCoffsHarbour,a“1950s
throwback”withmanicuredlawns,pastel-
paintedice-creamparloursandtwo wide
whitebeaches.Visit journeybeyondrail.
com.auformore information.Flying overthe sea in Anglesey
Apoweredsurfboardthatfliesabove the
water,the eFoilhasbecomea“must-have
toyaboardsuperyachts”sinceits launchin
2018.AndinJanuarythesportarrived here,
withthelaunch oftheUK’s first eFoiling
school,says JamesStewart inTheSunday
Times.LocatedinAnglesey,it offersone-on-
one tuition and saysbeginnersoftenlearn to
standonamovingboardinjust20 minutes.
The eFoil’s motor is controlledbyahandheld
throttle, andunder th eboard is afoil–a
wing, mounted onadagger-like blade, that
lifts the board abovethe surfaceoft he water
for asurprisinglysmoothride at speeds of
up to 25mph.Theboards are silent, solar-
powered, and“wildlife-friendly” because
they generateno wake, andthe ex perience,
once yougetthe knack,is“ magical”.Visit
foilride.co.uk formoreinformation.CosmoledoWizard Island,
Seychelles
Set onaremoteisland in the
Seychelles atoll from which it takes
its name, this eco-camp offers its
guests “a wonderfully Crusoe-like
experience”, says Tatler. It consists
of eight “eco-pods” made out of
shipping containers that have been
plumbed, wired and “ingeniously”
furnished. There is air con, but
“the biggest luxury here is the
isolation”. Turtles share the sand
with you, and there are fine dive
sites nearby. The deep-sea fishing
is good and the flyfishing even
better. The seafood is fresh, of
course, and served, whether as
sashimi or barbecued, under
“some of the most unpolluted
star-lit skies in the world”.
From $950 per person per night.
bluesafari.com.Hotel of the week
“Oneofthemostexclusivestaysintheworld”Last-minute offers from top travel companies
Browse our selection of unique and exciting holidays, hand-picked for readers, atTheWeekTravel.co.uk