Set beside the “cobalt” Moray Firth, a half-hour drive east of Inverness, Nairn is “arguably Scotland’s finest seaside town”, says Robin McKelvie in The Telegraph. Its beaches are beautiful, with their “starched white” sands, and its high street is “as elegant as any in the Highlands”. It is “alive with independent businesses” including bijou galleries, “old-school bakers” and “Instagram-friendly” artisan cafés.
Try the ice cream at James’s (the “creative” flavours, such as almond croissant, are a delight) and the Scottish seafood at Strathnairn Beach Café. The “classiest” place to stay is the Golf View Hotel – “a Victorian palace where time stands gloriously still”. And there’s much to see nearby, including Cawdor Castle (of “Scottish play infamy”) and wild places such as Culbin Forest, where scenes from Christopher Nolan’s recent “The Odyssey” were shot.
A wild coastal walk in New Zealand
At the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island lie the Marlborough Sounds, a maze of deep, jagged ocean inlets and forested peninsulas. Tracing the length of one of these wild, winding promontories is the glorious, 46-mile Queen Charlotte Track, says Helen Pickles in The Times.
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It’s one of the country’s most spectacular long-distance hiking paths, and the only one on which tour operators (such as Wilderness Guides and Marlborough Sounds Adventure Co) offer daily luggage transfers, typically included in a four-day package with nights in lovely, remote lodges. There are some steep climbs, but the highest point is only at 475 metres, and it’s all worth it for the “breath-catching ridge-line views”, sense of isolation and “dazzlingly empty” beaches along the way. Go between October and April, but note that the weather is always “capricious” – so pack sturdy waterproofs and plenty of spare clothes, including shorts and T-shirts.
Brescia’s amazing Roman remains
Long known mainly as an industrial city, Brescia isn’t touristy – but it’s a handsome place, says Mia Aimaro Ogden in The Sunday Times, and worth visiting especially for its “extraordinary” Roman remains. They include amazingly vivid temple frescoes and one of the finest surviving Roman bronzes, the 6ft-high “Winged Victory of Brescia”.
While in town, be sure to see the frescoes by Giandomenico Tiepolo (son of Giambattista) in the church of San Faustino, and the “marvellous” Santa Giulia history museum, which occupies a monastery dating back to AD753. Stay if you can at Lenel, a stylish new boutique hotel housed in a “surprisingly lovely” old electricity substation; eat at El Licinsì, an excellent osteria; and note that Lake Garda lies only 15 minutes away by train.
