Running between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin in the far southwest of Australia, the Cape to Cape Track is one of the country’s loveliest coastal paths. It is 76 miles long, but largely flat, so walking it feels more like an extended “stroll” than a trek, said Jamie Lafferty in the Financial Times – and it is even easier if you join one of Walk into Luxury’s four-day group trips, as I did last November.
This local operator puts guests up at a single hotel and drives them to the most beautiful sections of the trail for daily walks, each up to six hours long, with knowledgeable guides. From surprise picnics to dinners in high-end restaurants, the food is wonderful – and so is the wine, all of which is locally produced. The path runs the length of the Margaret River wine region, where viticulture began in 1967. Today, the region produces 2% of Australia’s wines, but accounts for 20% of its premium market.
On Walk into Luxury’s trip, guests visit several wineries, including the oldest, Vasse Felix. I loved the lunch we had there (including an excellent toothfish and miso-aubergine dish), and the Tom Cullity wine, a cabernet sauvignon and malbec blend made from grapes descended from the area’s very first vines.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Our hotel, the Injidup Spa Retreat, was also good, with guest villas and their plunge pools perched on a cliff above an often deserted beach of “flawless” pale sand. In early November, the coastal plains were “ablaze” with spring flowers, and there were lots of birds to watch during our picnics, including cockatoos, wedge-tailed eagles and superb fairywrens – a tiny species that is “unfathomably blue”. We saw a pod of playful dolphins and a pair of humpback whales (mother and calf) close to shore, and also spotted – and avoided – a dugite (a large venomous snake) sunbathing on a rock. Most magical, however, was the final day, when we walked through an ancient forest of “titanic” karri trees, listening to the birdsong and the “gentle hushing” of the upper canopy.
The trip costs from £1,855pp, excluding flights (walkintoluxury.com).
-
How the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule worksIn the Spotlight The law is at the heart of the Colbert-CBS conflict
-
What is the endgame in the DHS shutdown?Today’s Big Question Democrats want to rein in ICE’s immigration crackdown
-
‘Poor time management isn’t just an inconvenience’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl: A win for unityFeature The global superstar's halftime show was a celebration for everyone to enjoy
-
Book reviews: ‘Bonfire of the Murdochs’ and ‘The Typewriter and the Guillotine’Feature New insights into the Murdoch family’s turmoil and a renowned journalist’s time in pre-World War II Paris
-
6 exquisite homes with vast acreageFeature Featuring an off-the-grid contemporary home in New Mexico and lakefront farmhouse in Massachusetts
-
Film reviews: ‘Wuthering Heights,’ ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,’ and ‘Sirat’Feature An inconvenient love torments a would-be couple, a gonzo time traveler seeks to save humanity from AI, and a father’s desperate search goes deeply sideways
-
A thrilling foodie city in northern JapanThe Week Recommends The food scene here is ‘unspoilt’ and ‘fun’
-
Tourangelle-style pork with prunes recipeThe Week Recommends This traditional, rustic dish is a French classic
-
Samurai: a ‘blockbuster’ display of Japan’s legendary warriorsThe Week Recommends British Museum show offers a ‘scintillating journey’ through ‘a world of gore, power and artistic beauty’
-
BMW iX3: a ‘revolution’ for the German car brandThe Week Recommends The electric SUV promises a ‘great balance between ride comfort and driving fun’
