KGOMOTSO RAMOTHEA //
SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM
SOUTHAFRICA.NETLOLA AKINMADE
ÅKERSTRÖM //
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHER
LOLAAKINMADE.COMRORY BOLAND //
WHICH? TRAVEL
WHICH.CO.UK/TRAVELJAMES WARNER SMITH //
AUTHOR, COOL
CAMPING BRITAIN
COOLCAMPING.COMTHE EXPERTS
While trips in 2021 are likely
to go ahead, it’s still too early
to book without running
the risk of being le out of
pocket. Earlier this year, the
coronavirus outbreak le
thousands of UK travellers
stranded and millions more
waiting months for refunds.
The risk of another outbreak
causing further disruption
is signifi cant.
Generally, the sensible
thing to do is to take out travel
insurance that covers illness
and travel disruption, which
the better policies would
usually include. However,
as insurers now exclude
coronavirus-related claims,I’m a strong advocate of
exploring your own backyard;
you can transfer that travel
curiosity to your local
neighbourhood with great
eff ect. There are many ways
to sharpen your observational
skills while experiencing
‘boring’ everyday scenes, like
watching sunlight be diff used
through trees and seeing what
shapes the rays cast over the
ground. You can also play
with light and shade. Head
out to your garden or local
park and explore the eff ects
of harsh a ernoon light on
your photography.
If you have a variety of
lenses, now’s the time to
experiment and challenge
your range. For cityscapes,
try using a fi xed lens, such as a
50mm. As you won’t be able to
freely zoom in and out, you’ll
be forced to concentrate onQ // I’d like to book a
trip abroad for next
year, but am nervous
about making the
commitment. What
advice do you have?
Q // I want to go on a
long-distance hike
this summer. Where
would you suggest
that has good camping
potential along
the way?The 186-mile-long Pembrokeshire
Coast Path has plenty of campsite
off erings. Compared with other
popular coastal footpaths around
the country, the campsites along
this route are generally more
easily accessible from the main
footpath, smaller and tend to be
independently run. For the best
coastal views, stop off at Rhosson
Ganol campsite on St David’s
peninsula, overlooking Ramsey
Sound. The best pocket-sized
campsites for privacy, meanwhile,
include Becks Bay Camping near
Tenby, Point Farm Campsite near
St Ann’s Head and Little Haven
Campsite near Walton West.
The National Trails website is
a helpful resource, as it details
campsites along every section
of the route (although it doesn’t
include some of the very smallest
farm campsites). There are
also excellent hop-on-hop-off
bus services for walkers during
the summer months. For more
details, see coolcamping.com
and nationaltrail.co.ukQ // I want to JAMES WARNER SMITH
improve my travel
photography
without going too
far from home.
What tips and
resources would
you recommend?
I wouldn’t recommend
booking a trip just yet; instead,
wait until policies return
without these exclusions.
Once insurance is sorted, I
would recommend booking
a package holiday. They’re
currently fi nancially protected
by the government, so
you’ll receive a refund if the
company goes bust (and
it’s likely some will in the
near future). Look for fi rms
that have refunded quickly
in recent months; you’ll be
rewarding those smaller,
specialist operators that did
the right thing, and you’ll get
your money back if anything
goes wrong. RORY BOLANDcomposing more interesting
shots while having to maintain
social distance.
Many organisations and
companies, including the
Royal Photographic Society,
Nikon and Leica, have
launched online resources.
By forcing us to be present,
the current situation off ers an
excellent opportunity to push
ourselves creatively. I’ll be
teaching courses that explore
this idea at my upcoming
online academy: academy.
geotravelermedia.com
Further tips and
tricks can be found at:
nationalgeographic.com/
photography
online.nikonschool.com/courses/
instagram.com/explore/tags/
stayhomewithleica
store.leica-camera.com/uk/
en/programme
LOLA AKINMADE ÅKERSTRÖMJul/Aug 2020 135