Recipefiesta

Gory getaways are all the rage, thanks to glamorous extras, contemporary themes and a taste for escapism. Our writer heads to Berkshire to visit an ‘unhinged heiress’

I’m an inch down a flute of buck’s fizz when a journalist careers into a buffet table, clasping her bloodied neck. “She’s had her throat slit!” peals a thirtysomething dressed as Jessica Rabbit. A young man in a lime-green cycling skinsuit giggles: “Murder, murder, ahahaha!” and claps his hands. Immediately, 86 crime fans gather to survey our now-dead companion, who has collapsed, mouth agape, on a hotel dining chair. Zoë, a 39-year-old nurse from Woking, reaches for her notebook. “Hmm, slashed throat,” she says. “Is someone here trying to silence her?”

There is something distinctively British about deriving comfort from a grisly murder. A few years ago, sales of mysteries and thrillers overtook those of all other genres of fiction, and our appetite for stylised gore increased in the pandemic years, with crime literature seeing a 19% increase in sales from 2019 to 2020. New escapist subgenres have grown in popularity, including “cosy crime” (polite romps, often set in an imagined past) and “armchair destination” mysteries staged in attractive travel destinations, such as Lucy Foley’s bestselling The Paris Apartment and The White Lotus, an HBO comedy-mystery series set in dysfunctional fictional holiday resorts in Hawaii and Sicily.

The AltiHut began as a way of solving the problems caused by too many human visitors, and evolved into the country’s first mountain hostel

Dawn comes at a little past 7am, when the early September sun pokes its head over the ridges east of the northern Georgian town of Stepantsminda, and paints the glaciers and knife edges of Mount Kazbek in hues of peach and magenta.

On the wooden deck where I stand, shivering, I alternate blowing the steam off a cup of coffee with struggling to capture the glorious light on my phone or in scribbles in a notebook.

Handel’s Messiah in Versailles, Christmas Eve Vespers in Dresden or the Hallé in Manchester – we’d like to hear about your favourite Yuletide concerts

There’s nothing like a good carol to get you in the mood for Christmas, especially when accompanied by crisp conditions, a mince pie and a winter warmer. Carols from King’s College in Cambridge set the mood in millions of living rooms around the world on Christmas Eve. But that can’t compare with hearing a lone chorister’s voice amplified in the chapel’s vaults. Or the 100 voices of the Bach choir ringing around Cadogan Hall. In the spirit of the season, we’d like to hear about the best Christmas choral concerts you’ve experienced in the UK and Europe. If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition.

Keep your tip to about 100 words

Wolves and lynx are returning to the mountains around this sustainable ski resort, where solar-powered lifts serve the grand prix runs and snow parks

There’s a sense of healing among the pines and tangled roots. Skulking somewhere in the snowy woodlands is an Alpine ibex, a distinctly Viking-horned goat, once hunted to extinction in Switzerland before being reintroduced a century ago. Hidden in the forest, an endangered black grouse is whistling as it forages for dwarf shrub needles. Fresh fox-print trails wind through stone pine and spruce, though the grey wolf and bat-eared lynx that have begun to return to these mountains are more elusive.

I’m in Laax in Graubünden (70 miles south-east of Zurich), the Swiss Alps’ traditional home of winter sports, but it’s a ski holiday that most people wouldn’t recognise. The down-to-earth resort pitches itself as Switzerland’s most sustainable playground and I’m exploring from on-high on the new Senda dil Dragun (Way of the Dragon) treetop walkway. The raised, mile-long pathway towers 28 metres above the pillowy snow drifts and I keep my eyes peeled, scouting for ghostly predators and their prey. Though there might not be dragons, the woods are home to an ark’s worth of Alpine species, from chamois and mountain hare to marmots and ptarmigan. In the stillness I spy a red deer through a knot of snow-laden pines. The quiet drama is just as nerve-tingling as any black run.

The antithesis of whistle-stop world tours, single-destination holidays offer sustenance and sustainability

• Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email

I came late to a love of travel. A combination of early marriage, child rearing and a focus on my own front yard were to blame for the delay. But I recovered from all three and started to focus on the horizon instead. Being well into my 50s, I knew my chances of ticking off all the usual tourist destinations were slim. And, for me, there was only one other horizon I absolutely had to see for myself. It belonged to a country with a cuisine, culture and history I knew better than that of my own: one whose language I had studied for nine years but had never spoken on its soil. In 2015 my long-distance love affair with France was finally consummated.

Liberated at last from – and with the encouragement of – my children, who clearly wanted me out of the country, I joined a house- and animal-minding website. I then went about trying to sell my animal husbandry skills – at the time non-existent – to potential hosts.

To mark the park’s birthday, we take a look at its best attractions, beyond its fabulously wild moors and valleys

Aside from its vast expanse of heather, undulating hills and ancient woodlands, there’s so much to love about the North York Moors national park, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this month. It’s where sheep really do roam on village greens, and you can pass through serene valleys on a heritage train. The skies are so clear here that the region provides some of the best stargazing in the country. From ancient archaeological sites and abbeys to some of England’s finest views, here are its top attractions.

Add sparkle and cheer to dark nights at these festive illuminations and light trails

A pair of giant sparkling reindeer welcomes visitors to Dunham Massey’s illuminated trail, with both the grounds and the exterior of the house blazing with vivid, festive colours. Highlights include the Rose Garden, with 150 illuminated roses that fade and brighten in time to music, and the fire lanterns, which give an atmospheric, ethereal feel to the wooded landscape. The trail takes around 90 minutes, with proceeds going to conservation work on the estate. In the nearby village of Ripton, the Black Swan has 14 bedrooms and a children’s play area (doubles from £125 B&B, theblackswan.co.uk). 18 November to 2 January, nationaltrust.org.uk

Light trails, sparkly castles, pantos, vintage cinema and even a solar-powered ice rink … We pick dozens of events to get you into the spirit of Christmas

We all need a bit of cheer at this time of year, when nights are long and days are often dark – maybe now more than ever. Luckily, the UK’s stately homes, galleries, gardens, theatres, churches and steam trains have been planning ahead and are ready with art and music, fire and ice, and mince pies with Santa. Even the most resolute Scrooge should find something to enjoy.

Views of six counties, with sea, sand and islands, are just part of the beauty of this south Wales walk

A pub is a vital part of a country walk, but which way to do it? The whole walk first, then pub for well-earned food and beer? Or pub as halfway mark, to restore flagging body and spirits, the uncovered miles making that second or third beer a bad idea? On this walk from the well-loved Britannia Inn, in the Gower village of Llanmadoc, we can decide on the day: it’s a figure-of-eight route, with the “Brit” close to where the loops cross. There’s rain forecast for later, so we start early and aim for a late post-walk lunch, with stops to soak in the views without getting soaked.

And what views. Part of the beauty of this peninsula is its variety of landscapes: wild moorland, golden beaches, limestone cliffs, meadows, mixed woodland and saltmarsh.

Greener cities such as Exeter and Bristol can benefit from spurt in ‘urban eco-tourism’ while industrial centres in northern Britain lose out, research finds

A new study revealing Britain’s greenest cities could lead to a boost in urban ecotourism.

Exeter has the greenest heart of all British cities, the new piece of research has found, followed by Islington in north London, Bristol, Bournemouth and Cambridge.

Brilliant delis, art shops, cafes and more exuding the Christmas vibe from Penzance to Glasgow, delight our tipsters. Scroll to the bottom for the winning tip

Rather than spend an afternoon in the crowds of Manchester why not jump on a tram and ride 20 minutes to the trendy south Manchester suburb of Chorlton? The neighbourhood has dozens of crafty shops, independent traders and an unrivalled variety of places to eat, drink and be merry. Among the highlights are The House of Bystander for its local art; Chorlton bookshop, which is a beautiful independent store; and Franny & Filer, which stocks contemporary artisan jewellery. After shopping you can find any sort of cuisine: Barbakan Deli is wonderful for a fresh lunch, the tapas at Bar San Juan is the best you’ll find outside Spain and the Beech Inn is perfect for a winter pint.
Mike Ladyman

Inspired by Master Chef winners, a sprinkling of Michelin gongs, plus supper clubs and pop-ups evolving into new restaurants, the city’s independent food scene has never felt more energised

This Japanese hideaway down an alley in Nottingham city centre made it into the Michelin Guide this October and was described by Jay Rayner as his “restaurant of the year” in the same month, so it’s fair to say chefs and co-owners Simon Carlin and Tom Clay are creating something special. As well as snacks, small plates and kushiyaki (skewers) they offer dishes like slow and sticky soy-braised pork shoulder, sauteed wild mushrooms in a nutty butter sauce (topped with a confit egg yolk) and a selection of charcoal-grilled, smoky meat and veg skewers. Their new bar Yokocho, a stone’s throw away down Hurts Yard, does expert cocktails with a Japanese twist.
Lunch deal £14, evening small plates and skewers from £4.50, 1A Cannon Court, kushi-ya.co.uk

Eerie caves, gorges and open-air theatres set the scene for this year’s festive shopping sprees, with plenty of ethical stocking fillers up for grabs

Zrinjevac Park in Zagreb becomes a Christmas wonderland, with lanterns lighting up the avenues of trees and a pretty market with wooden huts selling gifts made by local artists, and festive food and drink (try baked štrukli, pastries with soft cheese). Festivities take place across the whole city as part of Zagreb Advent, which runs for six weeks. In Ban Josip Jelačić Square there’s a huge Christmas tree, with live music, ice rinks and stalls at parks and squares across town.
26 Nov-7 Jan, adventzagreb.hr

Tell us about your favourite drinking spot in the UK or Europe where you enjoy a drop with the ghosts of writers past

How many times have you had to rely on the company of a book while waiting for a friend who has a loose concept of timekeeping? Choose your bar well, however, and you could be kept company by the spirit of the writers themselves. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in London’s Fleet Street was a favourite of Dr Samuel Johnson, Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Brendan Behan was a fixture in McDaids in Dublin. Zola, Proust and de Maupassant chewed the fat in Paris’s Café de la Paix. And there are no fewer than six bars in Madrid regularly frequented by Ernest Hemingway, including Museo Chicote. Jot down a few lines and tell us about your favourite literary hangout in the UK and Europe. If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition.

The overnight service from Turkey to Bulgaria started running again this year and was voted one of the world’s best journeys for 2023 by Lonely Planet

Last week Lonely Planet’s annual Best in Travel list included the Istanbul-Sofia Express as an essential journey for 2023.

The overnight service restarted in April this year, after being suspended in early 2020. When introduced in 2017, it was a successor of older night-train services, including several incarnations using variants of the name Orient Express. I boarded one of the speedy suburban trains at Sirkeciin Istanbul’s Eminönü quarter, heading out of the city to Halkalı, an unassuming commuter station that’s now the starting point of this night train.

Airline chief Shai Weiss attacks airport’s proposal to increase landing charges by 120%

Virgin Atlantic has withdrawn its support for Heathrow’s third runway plans amid an ongoing row over the cost of flying from Britain’s biggest airport.

The carrier had been one of the most prominent airline backers of expansion before the pandemic. But on Monday its chief executive, Shai Weiss, hit out at Heathrow’s proposal to increase landing charges by 120% and called on the aviation regulator, the CAA, to reform a “broken” system and “pay closer attention to the abuse of power by a de facto monopolistic airport”.

Beef in red wine, top-notch fish stew and chilli-infused tequila are the best of the bunch, says tour guide Robyn Vulinovich

One of my favourite restaurants is Villa Spiza, which is on an alleyway a few minutes’ walk from Unesco-listed Diocletian’s Palace in the old town. It’s small and busy – locals love it! The menu is handwritten every morning to reflect whatever is in season. Depending on the day, you might find traditional Croatian dishes including pašticada (slow-cooked beef in red wine with gnocchi) or brujet (fish stew) – the grilled fish and shellfish dishes are always delicious.

With its dizzying ridges and stunning views, Mont Blanc is home to some of the world’s best trail running

I’ve been running uphill for over an hour, scaling this narrow mountain trail, when we pass through some trees. This must be the top, I’m thinking, hopefully, as we crest the pass. But alas, rising up on the other side are more hulking mountains and snaking up through the middle of them, like a line of ants, are the tiny dots of the runners ahead of us.

“Putain,” swears the French runner behind me. I know exactly how he feels. The 170km Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc is the most famous trail race in the world. In the fast-growing sport of Mountain Ultra Trail (MUT) running, it’s the big one, the sport’s Super Bowl. For a week at the end of August each year, the town of Chamonix in the French Alps is completely taken over by ultra runners and their supporters. Any unsuspecting visitors arriving in the area would be left baffled by this strange world of short shorts and little backpacks and super-fit people that they’d wandered into.

Our special feature on trips with no driving starts with a train, bus and walking of the salty wilderness of southern Suffolk

Five more car-free UK trips

The bus runs right beside the Orwell estuary. There are swans drifting among saltmarshes red with autumn samphire, and oystercatchers digging in the pebbles with their long orange bills. It feels an unlikely place to reach easily by public transport, but I stepped off the train 10 minutes ago, after a rail journey to Ipswich through Dedham Vale, an idyllic corner of rural Suffolk often painted by Constable.

Behind me, the cranes of Felixstowe fade into tawny mist and a seasidey smell rises with the sun from seaweed-swathed beaches. A raised path runs past miles of reeds and meadows. I’ve been exploring East Anglia for decades and the Shotley peninsula, where two mighty estuaries converge at the southern end of Suffolk, may be my favourite corner.

There’s no boozing at the end of this hike through industrial history, but at a pub like this you won’t even miss it

I love pubs and I usually enjoy a pint after a walk – but not always. If I’m driving a fair distance home, or I’m dehydrated and extremely thirsty, I know that a real ale is not going to make me feel great or allow a speedy recovery. While I applaud the coffee-drinking revolution, who wants a steaming cappuccino after a ramble?

In the lively town of Rawtenstall, south Lancashire, there is a genuine alternative: Mr Fitzpatrick’s, the last traditional temperance bar in the UK. Locally loved, regionally revered, it really should be nationally esteemed – and emulated. Not, I should add, because we need a moral revolution, but because a cool pint of dandelion and burdock is delicious and refreshing (though I have a friend who swears by sarsaparilla), and such abundant choice of alcohol-free drinks is not normally the hallmark of the British beverage sector.

Speeding down mountainsides has become a hobby for the well-to-do, but if you scout around, our tipsters say, good-value options can be found. Scroll down for the winning tip

We took a family ski trip to Slovenia a few years ago with our daughter, who was seven at the time, and we wanted to try a smaller resort. We took the train from the UK to Bohinj via Ljubljana and Jasenice. In Bohinj we stayed near the foot of the cable car that goes up to the slopes of Vogel. It proved the perfect place for our daughter to learn with the brilliant local ski school and for the rest of us to enjoy some of the more challenging slopes. Lift passes were relatively cheap (this year €40 a day for adults) and as such we didn’t feel the pressure to maximise our piste time; instead, we also got to explore nearby Bled and the snowy walks at Bohinj too.
Layla Astley

The Haute Tarentaise region is ideal for clipping on your touring skis, escaping the resort crowds, and discovering a world of spectacular, little-known valleys as far as the Italian border

I’m skiing in the heart of France’s Haute Tarentaise region, surrounded by some of the biggest and best-known ski resorts in the world – to the west I can see the chairlifts of the huge Paradiski area (Les Arcs and La Plagne), to the south are Tignes and Val d’Isère, immediately north are the slopes of La Rosière, and beyond a high ridge to my left is the small ski resort of Sainte-Foy.

Yet other than my friend Hugh there’s not a soul to be seen nor a sound to be heard, other than the tinkling of a mountain stream beneath the snow. That’s because we are ski touring a little-known valley that forks off from the Isère and, despite the close proximity of all these ski resorts and the thousands of skiers careering down their slopes, it feels like we’re a million miles from lift-assisted skiing.

It wasn’t the romantic getaway this couple had planned but could Mallorca still work its magic on them?

“It’s your turn … she’s awake”

Heavy, loaded, silence.

Publishers praised UK city’s arts scene and gastronomic diversity as it makes the list of 30 best places to go

Lonely Planet has chosen Manchester as one of its must-visit destinations for 2023, the only UK destination to make the guidebook’s annual Best in Travel list.

The city is described as “one of the best – if not the best – cities in the UK, with something for everyone” in a roll of honour that includes Sydney, Lima, Montevideo, Marseille and Dresden.

Tell us where you go for top alternative Christmas shopping in the UK – the best tip wins £200 towards a Sawday’s stay

Where do you go to get the best alternative Christmas presents and stocking fillers? We’re not talking online here … we want suggestions for great independent high streets that support local makers, cool markets selling handcrafted goods, or perhaps there’s a winter weekend of artists’ open studios near you where you can hunt down unusual artisan gifts. We’re after suggestions in the UK (and good value not high-end shops!) – simply share your suggestion and why you love it and you might even bag a trip yourself.

If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition.

A walk amid cinematic landscapes to five south Wales waterfalls – and a cosy pub – proves the perfect substitute for a holiday abroad

It had been a tough month for several reasons and I needed a break. I initially thought a holiday abroad would be the only antidote. But as it turned out, a wild-swimming weekend in the Brecon Beacons in south Wales was the only medicine I needed.

My excitement at the coming trip quickly morphed into panic as we looked at the weather forecast: lots of grey cloud and big rain drops.

Food and wine critic Andrea Grignaffini reveals his favourite haunts in his home city – a gourmand’s delight with wine bars galore

Food in Parma is all about our unique products – parmesan cheese, Parma ham – and the way we prepare them, as antipasti or as fillings for pasta. The best quality is found at the traditional salumerie and cheese shops on Piazza Ghiaia. Cibivari, half a mile away on Strada XXII Luglio, is a bakery and deli recently opened by the dynamic Roberta Boni, using local, seasonal produce in simple home cooking – focaccia, aubergine parmigiana. Take it away for a picnic or eat in at one of the small tables.

Whether it’s from a cliff, harbour or beach, sit back and soak up the coastal panorama at these stylish getaways

The wooden deck of this white, timber-clad beach house on two floors leads straight down to Camber Sands, home to rolling dunes and over four miles of golden beach. The open-plan, centrally heated Hamptons-chic space sleeps up to eight people in four sleeping areas. Warm up with the wood burner, firepit and sheepskin rugs, and relax amid salvaged beach curios or kick back with the beach house guitar or bongo drums.
Two-night minimum stay, off-peak, from £550 per night. Seven-night minimum stay during summer holidays; barefootcamber.co.uk

From the Highlands to Cornwall, we select stylish boltholes on hills, coasts and in deep, soothing countryside. Come on, light that fire …

Good for: seabirds and snowdrops
This 17th-century brick-and-flint two-bedroom cottage in Great Walsingham looks like a picture postcard. And its cosiness rating is off the scale: there’s a large inglenook fireplace, a wood-burner, exposed beams, a twisting staircase and doors you need to duck to get under. You’ll find inspiration on what to do in the bathroom, which is papered with local maps. For instance, it’s a short amble to Little Walsingham, home to the gastro Black Lion hotel and a ruined abbey known for its dazzling snowdrop displays. And it’s only five miles to Holkham’s endless beach, for the most refreshing winter walks.
Sleeps four, from £435 for three nights or £531 a week, norfolkhideaways.co.uk

Every year, walkers from all over the north join members of the Fell and Rock Climbing Club on a trek up Great Gable in remembrance of those who have lost their lives in conflict

On the mountaintop, everyone is insisting the weather is fine. It’s at least fabulously clear up here, as it has been all morning on 11 November 2021. At dawn, I had wiped the frost from the inside of my windscreen to see Windermere silvered with a filigree of mist. Around the valleys a few lights were on, and not just farmhouses. No doubt hardy souls were pulling on their walking boots, stuffing a bag with a flask and packs of nuts, readying themselves for the pilgrimage.

It’s a 45-minute drive from where I’m staying in Troutbeck to the graphite mine at Honister Pass – which holds the UK record for the greatest amount of rainfall in 24 hours . It’s then a steep climb to Great Gable, roughly two and a half hours of well-kept steps, then sheep paths, then rivers of rocks. Along the way is a view from Honister Crag to Buttermere and Crummock Water, twinkling side by side in a valley of rusty bracken and green slopes.

Entrepreneur, yachtsman and hotel owner who once owned both Land’s End and John o’Groats, and took a British challenger to the America’s Cup

Peter de Savary, who has died aged 78, liked to describe himself as a swashbuckling entrepreneur, adventurer and sportsman. He came to fame in the 1980s and 90s for his patriotic but unsuccessful attempts to win the America’s Cup yacht race, with a series of expensive craft. A restless speculator, who would buy a derelict castle on a whim, he once owned both Land’s End and John o’Groats but his serendipitous business ventures could often be short-lived. He was an early Brexiter, and stood unsuccessfully for James Goldsmith’s Referendum party in the 1997 general election.

De Savary, a colourful and noisy figure who loved cigars and vintage cars, came close to a British triumph in the America’s Cup in 1983 with his boat Victory 83, losing in the final heat to Alan Bond’s Australia II. But his attempt to mount further challenges were unsuccessful and ended in 1994 when Placeton, the holding company for much of his interests, went into receivership with £200m debts and De Savary had to sell his homes.