Wanderlust UK – September 2019

138 wanderlust.co.ukSeptember 2019

DISCOVER

FromtrekkingfarfromtheMountFujicrowdsoutsideTokyotoabird-spottingbreakinMadrid

and the ultimate effortless escape from London – our experts offer their advice

Mya-RoseCraig

TwitcherMya-Rose,

aka‘Birdgirl’,isan

ambassadorforLeica’s

SportOptics

(leicastore-uk.co.uk)

TomFay

BasedinJapansince

2007,Tomisthe

co-authorofHiking

andTrekkinginthe

JapanAlpsandMount

Fuji(cicerone.co.uk)

Helen&NeilMatthews

Thepairaretheauthors

ofBradt’sSlowTravel:

TheChilterns&The

ThamesValley

(bradtguides.com)

SPOTTING BIRDS AROUND

THE SPANISH CAPITAL

Q

I’m o to Madrid for a city

break with my (youngish)

family, but would like to spend one

day out of the city spotting birds

with them – is there a good area to

do this that’s easy to access? And

what could we see?

A

There are some excellent places

to see unusual birds within

a short drive of Madrid, so you should

be able to have an enjoyable day in

August suitable for the whole family,

even young children. Just 30 minutes

north-east of the airport, Fresno de

Torote, makes a great €irst port of call.

Pull oƒ the road on the M„113 before

the village and scan the €ields for

great and little bustard. You also have

a good chance of seeing Spanish

imperial eagle; cinerous (black) and

griƒ on vultures, as well as roller and

calandra lark here.

Allow a couple of hours before

heading west to El Monte de el Pardo

north of Madrid, a former royal

hunting ground and now a great

place for a family stroll. The beautiful

Mediterranean forest around the lake

is good for spotting cinerous, griƒ on

and Egyptian vulture; Spanish

imperial, golden, Bonelli’s, and

short-toed eagle; azure-winged

magpie; and golden oriole.

Alternatively, head south to Laguna

de Navaseca in Castilla-La Mancha,

the setting of famous Spanish novel

Don Quixote. It’s about a two-hour

drive, but it’s worth it if you want to

spot birds such as white-headed

duck, black-necked grebe; €lamingos

and other waterbirds, which you can

sit and watch from the bird hide next

to the car park.

Mya-Rose Craig

EXPERTS

Ask the experts

HIKING AWAY FROM THE

HORDES IN JAPAN

Q

I’d like to try a moderate-

ability trek outside of Tokyo,

Japan, but I hear that Mount Fuji

tends to be either closed or

extremely busy. Is there an

alternative that will deliver views

without the queues?

A

Japan is a great hiking

destination and as 70% of the

country is mountainous there are

countless Mount Fuji alternatives to

choose from. The North, or Kita, Alps

are home to some of the most

impressive mountains in the country,

and the two- or three-day round trip

to the summit of Mount Jōnen

(2,857m) oƒ ers fantastic views, a

moderate challenge and none of the

Fuji-san crowds. The trek begins from

the picturesque mountain resort of