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Western Daily Press {West Country Life}

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Capella Marigot Bay

UK Saturday 30, May 2015 12,13 1581 sq. cm ABC 19970 Daily page rate £2,624.80, scc rate £12.06 0117 934 3000

White beaches, natural marvels and chance to sample Nordic cuisine TRAVEL With 900 miles of coastline, an intriguing Viking history and superb food, Denmark’s picturesque North Jutland makes for an alternative European weekend break, says Warren Chrismas I’m cycling leisurely around the streets of Skagen in the far north of Denmark, and my imagination is clearly running away with me. I’m wishfully eyeing up the properties and picture myself living here. I’ve only been in the picturesque harbour town for a few hours and I’m a little bit smitten. Really, I don’t know what’s come over me. I’m intoxicated by the fresh seaside air and I’m dazzled by the bright light which has lured artists for more than a century. I’m knocked out by the fact that virtually all of the houses are painted in a gorgeous yellow ochre (or ‘Skagen yellow’), with rooftops covered in bright red tiles and edged in white. I assume a law ensures the striking uniformity but, no, our local tour guide assures us that residents are voluntarily sticking to tradition. It all seems so nice. So civil. I’m in Denmark to explore North Jutland, the country’s most northerly region, which tempts visitors with 900 miles of white beaches and several natural marvels, not to mention the chance to indulge in some Viking history and Nordic cuisine. Aalborg, the gateway to the region, is less than two hours from Gatwick, and from spring to autumn, a tour around North Jutland makes for an alternative weekend city break. Aalborg itself is an industrial city at heart, but

has a few points of interest. We take a stroll around the old town, visit the new House of Music on the waterfront and – by chance – catch the Queen of Denmark boarding her official boat. For lunch, we order a classic herring-on-rye-bread open sandwich at a restaurant in the Utzon Center, an exhibition space designed by locally born Jorn Utzon, best known for designing the Sydney Opera House. We then head a little out of town to Norresundby to visit Lindholm Hoje, a Viking burial site and former settlement which dates back to the fifth century. An expert guide is on hand to tell us what the numerous rock formations represent. Background knowledge and some imagination are required here. The exhibits in the museum are more tangible and, to me, a lot more interesting – especially the surprisingly intricate brooches and buckles from the Iron Age. In the evening we head to Mortens Kro, Aalborg’s best-known restaurant, owned by flamboyant celebrity chef Morten Nielsen. Highlights include a delicious lobster soup and a stunning summer berry desert. The restaurant’s garish decor – which includes some highly risque artwork – isn’t quite so easy to digest. The following morning we drive 30 or so miles west to breakfast at the popular Svinklov Badehotel, a 90-year-old seaside retreat which offers a homely atmosphere and exceptional food too

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Western Daily Press {West Country Life}

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Capella Marigot Bay

UK Saturday 30, May 2015 12,13 1581 sq. cm ABC 19970 Daily page rate £2,624.80, scc rate £12.06 0117 934 3000

It’s not easy securing a room here, but it’s worth popping by for tea and the speciality layer cake. Some 13,000 slices are sold a year. Standing on the adjacent beach, with seemingly endless stretches of sand in either direction, I’m tempted to wander off and lose myself for a few hours. But there’s lots to see over two days, and I’m on a tight schedule. We head north to the edge of Rabjerg Mile, a spectacular migrating dune. Amazingly, the 250acre stretch of sand is moving north-east at a rate of up to 18 metres a year. After walking through grassy dunes for a few miles, we find ourselves on top of a huge ridge with fine white sand in every direction. I stop to take it in, and genuinely feel like I’ve been transported to a desert in another continent. It’s quite an experience. Back in the car, we continue north – in fact, as far north as it’s possible to drive – to the hugely popular tourist destination Grenen. After parking, we catch the “Sandor men”, a tractor and trailer service which takes us to the end of a twomile sandbar. It’s here that, famously, the Skagerrak (part of North Sea) and Kattegat (Baltic Sea) collide in fairly spectacular fashion. Swimming here is prohibited as currents are so strong, but plenty of visitors can be seen paddling and posing for a photo with a “foot in each sea”. Finally, it’s on to Skagen, the jewel in the crown of North Jutland. For the record, Danes pronounce it as “Skane”, with a long “a” and a silent “g”. After a satisfying lunch at Pakhuset, a charming seafood restaurant packed with colourful wooden mastheads, we head to Skagens Museum to admire paintings from renowned local artists, such as Laurits Tuxen and PS Kroyer. They’re as mesmerising as the town itself. Although it has the feel of a small harbour or marina, Skagen is in fact the country’s busiest fishing port. It gets incredibly busy in summer, and the population expands from less than 10,000 to 50,000 in July, with hotels and campsites full to bursting. (It’s quieter from mid-August, as kids go back to school earlier than the UK.) I’m told property prices have gone crazy too. Oh well, moving to Skagen was never very realistic anyway. But for a weekend break, it’s just perfect.

FactFile ■ Warren Chrismas was a guest of the Danish

tourist board (www.visitdenmark.co.uk) ■ Stay at the Comwell Hvide Hus (www.comwellaalborg.dk) from 998DKK (£96) per night, or Badehotel Lonstrup (www.villavest.dk) from 898DKK (£86.50) per night ■ Norwegian (www.norwe gian.com/uk) flies to Aalborg from London Gatwick from £29.50

TRAVEL TAKE-OFF Algarve On The Beach (www.onthebeach.co.uk; 0871 474 3000) offers seven nights at the four-star Algarve Garden Apartments (self-catering) in Albufeira from £278pp (two sharing). Includes flights from Edinburgh on June 5.

Maldives letsgo2 (www.letsgo2.com; 0203 582 6621) offers seven nights at the four-star Kuredu Island Resort & Spa (all inclusive) from £1,249pp (two sharing) – saving up to £708pp. Includes flights with Qatar Airways from Heathrow or Manchester. Travel from June 1-30.

Barcelona Cheapflights (www.cheapflights.co.uk) offers two nights at the four-star H10 Marina Barcelona (B&B) from £180pp (two sharing). Includes flights from London on June 9.

St Lucia DialAFlight (www.dialaflight.com; 0844 556 6060) offers seven nights at the five-star Capella Marigot Bay Resort & Marina (B&B) from £1,189 pp (two sharing) – saving 50 per cent. Includes flights from Gatwick. Travel from August 27 to October 22. Book by May 26.

Turkey Jet2holidays (www.jet2citybreaks.com; 0800 408 5594) offers seven nights at the two-star Club Ako Apartments (self-catering) in Marmaris from £176pp (three sharing). Includes transfers and flights from Leeds Bradford on June 10.

Berlin Blue Sea Holidays (blueseaholidays.co.uk; 020 3474 0453) offers two nights at the four-star Ivergs

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Western Daily Press {West Country Life}

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Premium (B&B) from £99pp (two sharing) – saving £120pp. Includes flights from various London airports, Bristol and Manchester. Travel on select dates in November and December.

Japan Virgin Holidays Worldwide Journey (www.virginholidays.co.uk/tours; 0844 225 1235) offer the 15-day Japan Panorama escorted tour, visiting Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Hakone, Takayama, Kanazawa, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island and Kyoto, from £2,995 (two sharing) – saving up to £740pp. Includes mixed board accommodation, transport, guides and flights from London on June 14.

All offers are correct at the time of going to press, and subject to change

TRAVEL NEWS Popularity is music to Austria’s ears Last weekend’s 60th anniversary bumper edition of Eurovision has caused a surge of holiday booking interest in the host nation of Austria with Holidaylettings.co.uk reporting a 100 per cent increase in searches for rental apartments in the city. The central European country has a rich musical heritage, spanning all the way from Mozart to Julie Andrews and The Sound Of Music. The classic musical celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and anyone wanting to relive their favourite Von Trapp family moments should visit Salzburg for a bus tour of the famous film locations, including the gazebo where Sixteen Going On Seventeen was shot. Passengers are encouraged to sing along to a soundtrack playing on the bus, though dressing up as nuns is optional (40 euros from viator.com). Another highlight is the Salzburg Marionette Theatre, which hosts a Sound Of Music puppet show every Friday at 7.30pm (from 20 euros, www.marionetten.at). It was the Austrian Alps that inspired Julie Andrews to burst spontaneously into song, and anyone wanting to find out if the hills really are still alive with the sound of music should join the Yodel Hiking Tour in the Zillertal ski area east of Innsbruck. Take a cable car from Konigsleiten up to 2,200 metres, then hike back down, stopping off at five interactive stations, including a walk-in cow bell, a giant pair of lederhosen and the biggest alpine horn in Europe. Each station fea-

tures a recording of a yodel which can easily be copied. Visit jodelweg.at – which operates when the cable car is open from May to October. If that all sounds a bit twee, skip forward several decades to the avant garde Springfestival (www.springfestival.at) in Graz (June 3-7). A lineup of DJs and electronic dance artists such as James Zabiela and DJ Marky will perform on a club carved into the Schlossberg mountain and a platform on the floating Mur island. (Festival pass, 65 euros.) But to really doff your hat to Austria’s musical greats, pay a visit to the Zentralfriedhof, Vienna’s main cemetery. Here lie the graves of Mozart, Schubert and Rock Me Amadeus star Falco, who, somewhat bizarrely, is considered a national hero in Austria.

Deals for solo travellers Single travellers will be pleased to hear that Hurtigruten have waived single supplements for passengers booking a six, seven, 11 or 12-day voyage on more than 80 departure dates between July and December 2015. Better still, solo travellers can also benefit from the cruise company’s Northern Lights Promise. If the aurora doesn’t show, passengers will be eligible for another free six or seven-day cruise next year. A Classic Voyage North from Bergen to Kirkenes costs £899pp full board. Visit www.hurtigruten.co.uk or call 020 3582 6642.

An end to airport waiting discomfort Flying business class may grant access to VIP airport lounges, but for the rest of us there’s still hope for comfortable seating, unlimited Wi-Fi access and even a few hours’ sleep thanks to a number of pay-in options now available at major airports. Passengers passing through Heathrow’s Terminal 2A can make use of the Plaza Premium Lounge from £25 for one hour, and there are plans to open more outlets in major European airports. Visit www.plaza-network.com

Torbay Express steams ahead Torbay Express Limited is delighted to announce that we have been awarded the 2015 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. This achievement is a direct result of our consistently great reviews from TripAdvisor travellers.

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Western Daily Press {West Country Life}

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UK Saturday 30, May 2015 12,13 1581 sq. cm ABC 19970 Daily page rate £2,624.80, scc rate £12.06 0117 934 3000

The Torbay Express is a steam hauled train with heritage carriages that runs on summer Sundays from Bristol Temple Meads across the Somerset levels and around the East Devon coast to Paignton and then on to the privately owned Paignton and Dartmouth Railway line to Kingswear. From here passengers take the ferry to picturesque Dartmouth, where they spend around four hours exploring the town before heading home. Barry Cordell, managing director of Torbay Express, said “I am absolutely thrilled that we have been awarded this certificate. This is a reflection of the commitment and dedication of all the staff involved with the trains; from the booking office, through to the caterers and I would especially like to express my thanks to all the volunteer stewards for all their hard work, which does so much to make the journey so memorable for the passengers.”

Warren ordered a classic herring-on-ryebread open sandwich at a restaurant in the Utzon Center, an exhibition space designed by locally born Jorn Utzon, best known for designing the Sydney Opera House, top. The cobbled streets of Aalborg, above. Skagen fishing port, main image

If you are a Julie Andrews fan join the Yodel Hiking Tour in the Zillertal ski area east of Innsbruck. Take a cable car from Konigsleiten up to 2,200 metres, then hike back down

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Western Daily Press {West Country Life}

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Capella Marigot Bay

UK Saturday 30, May 2015 12,13 1581 sq. cm ABC 19970 Daily page rate £2,624.80, scc rate £12.06 0117 934 3000

King Edward I with the Torbay Express headboard on its arrival at Kingswear, Devon. The Torbay Express has been awarded the 2015 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence

Stay at the Badehotel, Lonstrup from £86.50 per night

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Western Daily Press {West Country Life}

Keyword:

Capella Marigot Bay

UK Saturday 30, May 2015 12,13 1581 sq. cm ABC 19970 Daily page rate £2,624.80, scc rate £12.06 0117 934 3000

Reproduced by Gorkana under licence from the NLA (newspapers), CLA (magazines), FT (Financial Times/ft.com) or other copyright owner. No further copying (including printing of digital cuttings), digital reproduction/forwarding of the cutting is permitted except under licence from the copyright owner. All FT content is copyright The Financial Times Ltd.

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