The Week UK - 14.03.2020

44 LEISURE Travel

TheAfricannationofSudanhas

muchincommonwithitsnorthern

neighbour,Egypt–ariver(theNile),

areligion(Islam),andadesert

landscapeacrosswhichancientremains

arescatteredlike“confetti”.Butits

developmenthasbeenhamperedby

warsanda30-yeardictatorship

(toppledlastyear),andfortourists,

itfeelsas“remoteandromantic”as

Egyptmighthaveacenturyago,says

TeresaLevonianColeinTheSunday

Times.Itoccupiesmuchoftheterritory

ofancientNubia,whosesuccessive

kingdomssometimesrivalledEgypt,

weresometimesdominatedbyit,and

onceruledoverit(from 744 BCto

656 BC).Drivingnorthfromthecapital,Khartoum,youcantake

inthecountry’smostimpressivemonumentsinanine-daycircuit.

Datingfromthe 14 thcenturyBC,thetempleatSolebis

thelargestinSudan,butchancesareyou’llfindyourselfalone

there,asatmostofthecountry’sancientsites,examiningthe

hieroglyphicsonitshugestoneswithnothingbutbirdsongand

thebrayingofdonkeystodisturb

you.Sudan’spyramidsaresmaller

andsteeperthanEgypt’s(kings

wereburiedbeneath,notinsidethem).

ThoseatKarimaareparticularlywell

preserved.“Slenderandethereal”,

they“appeartofloatinthedusk”.But

mostexten siveofallthesitesisMeroë,

“thelasthoorahofthekingdomof

Kush”,withpharaonic,Hellenisticand

Romanelements.

Sudanisn’tonlyentrancingforits

archaeologicaltreasures,however.

Therearesilentvillageswheresandy

lanesarenegotiatedbydonkeycarts;

thescentsofincenseandofginger-

infusedcoffee;thesoundofthe

muezzin“wailinginthedistance”;nomadtentsbuiltfrom

acaciawoodandpalmfrondsinthedesert;andwellswhere

sheep,goatsandcamels“patiently”waittheirtur n.“Somethings

neverchange.AndSudanistheplacetofindthem .”Corinthian

Travel(corinthiantravel.co.uk)hasanine- daytripfrom

£3,845pp,excludingflights.

This week’s dream: Sudan’s ancient wonder

Gettingthe flavourof...

Short break in Windsor

Threenights at theluxurious

De Vere BeaumontEstate

Hotel, originallybuil tfor Lord

Weymouth,cost from£144pp

(two sharing)b&b.01753-

640000,devere.co.uk. Arrive

24 April.

Four nights in Montenegro

Stay at thestunning 4-star,

coastal PalmonBay Hoteland

Spa, in Igalo,from£229pp

b&b, including Southend

flights. 020-3993 4168,

fleetwaytravel.com. Depart

20 October.

Almería coastal trail

Walk through Spain’s Cabode

Gata NaturalPark an dsmall

fishing villages,such as Las

Negras,on th is six-day route,

from £499ppb&b. 01962-

302085, walksworldwide.com.

Depart1May.

Four-star Turkey stay

Spendsix nights atthe

beautifull ylocatedGrand

YaziciClubMarmaris Palace,

from £949ppall-inclusive,

includingGlasgow flights. 020-

8492 6868,olympicholidays.

com. Depart12June.

Snorkellingwith killer whales

They aretheplanet’sapexmarine predators,

fromwhichevengreat whitesharksfleein

terror –sosnorkellingwithkillerwhales

canfeel scary.But itis“magical”too,says

MikeCarterinthe FT,and there’snobetter

wayto tryitthaninthe company ofmarine

biologistson Kvænangen,afjordin northern

Norway. Orca pods havebeenvisitinghere

duringthecolder months for three years

now,followingherringsthathaveabandoned

theirpreviousoverwinteringgroundsin

openseas tothe south,perhaps owingto

climatechange. Sightingsare notguaranteed,

but even briefencounterswith these black-

and-whitegiants inthe Arctictwilightare

amazing,and manyvisitors have enjoyed

longinteractions,or witnessed the

“underwaterballet”ofcarouselfeeding,

duringwhichwhalesroundup herring

by“terrifyingtheminto aball”, then stun

thefishwith theirtail flukes.Cookson

Adventures (cooksonadventures.com)has

afive- daytrip from £11,000perperson.

Abeach break in Chile

Most tourists in Chile headstraight for

the Atacama desert,or the mountains of

Patagonia.Butthe country’sgentlyrustic

central region (around thecapital, Santiago)

hascharms of itsown, say sChris Moss in

The Dail yTelegrap h–not leas tits wine ry

hotelsand its stylis h(butnot ov erdeveloped)

seaside resorts. Oftheformer,ViñaVik

is the most“extravagant”, withitshuge

windowsand curvytitaniumroof,but

it’salsowonderfully soothing,thanks in

parttothe woodedhillssurroundingits

vineyards,whicharegreat forsolitary post-

prandialstrolls.And among thelatter,

Pichilemu –long“blogged aboutbyglobe-

trottingsurf erdudes”–standsout forits

discreetcontemporaryholidayhomesand

pristineblack-sandbeach (overl ookedby

a“high-design” hotel,the Alaia).

Sauternes’vineyards by bike

ThequietvillageofSauternes, southof

Bordeaux,isso idyllic,arrivinghere “feels

likelandinginthemiddleofaFrenchfeel-

goodmovie”,saysAndy Pietrasik inThe

Guardian.Thelocalwines –generally rich,

sweetandamber-coloured–are“like

summerin aglass”.And there are somany

local wineries,it isworthtakingafewdays

extraafteratour,and travelling(ifyoucan)

by bicycle. Visit someofthe “magnificent”

histori cbuildingsnearbytoo, such as the

14th century Château de Roquetailladein

Mazères. And stayatLa Sauternaise,ab&b

recentl yopened in the Sauternes’ former

officede dégustation,ortastinghouse, a

“four-square”buil ding of honey-coloured

stone rightnext to the village’s12th century

church.Doublescost froms11 5b&b

(chambres-sauternes.com).

The Cottage in the Wood

Malvern Wells

Margaret Thatcher wasaregular

gues tatt his hotel in the Malvern

Hills, and it’s easy to see why she

liked it, says Stephen McClarence

in The Times–“it’s secluded,

restful, and offers panoramic views

over the Severn Valley”. Hidden

away upasteep drive, theCotta ge

(actuallyaGeorgian mansion

with two “attractive” annexes)

is part-way througha“stylish”

refurbishment; so far, 11 of the

30 rooms have been updated.

Public areas are “bright and airy”,

with “flamboyant” wallpaper by

Timorous Beasties; guest rooms

are neutrally decorated. The

superb restaurant serves

imaginative, full-flavoured modern

British food.

Doubles from £119 b&b. 01684-

588860; cottageinthewood.co.uk.

Hotel of the week

Meroë:“thelasthoorahofthekingdomofKush”

Last-minute offers from top travel companies

For The Week’s own insider tips and exclusive offers, please visittheweek.tripsmiths.com or call 01858-589579

THE WEEK 14 March 2020