Travel

It was on a starry night, when the hills were bright, that astronomists realised they needed to move away from those darn light-polluted hills. And with a steady interest in star-gazing, the Spanish mecca of Montsec has seen a steady rise in tourists visiting for its glimpse of our galaxy. Set in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountain, the Montsec Astronomy Park has become recognised as a world-class spot for star-gazing since it opened its doors to the public in 2009. The conditions...

by Inka Piegsa I was lucky enough to live  in Turkey for four years, but I didn’t stay put in my nice little apartment near Bodrum on Turkey’s Aegean Sea. Of most interest - especially for those wanting to avoid typical tourist traps, is Turkey's Black Sea coast. Contrary to the harsh mountains of Anatolia and the summer heat on the Aegean and Mediterranean Coast, the Black Sea region is green, green and green, full of pastures, flowers, forests, grazing...

By Jack Peat, TLE Editor  21:15 on Thursday evening, my brother, my friend and I are sat on one of around 20 carriages parked on a shaded platform at London Euston away from the hustle and bustle of daytime West Coast mainline traffic. Our bags have been dropped off in two adjoining sleeping berths and wafts of haggis and tatties emanate from the buffet car kitchen. As the train starts its ten hour climb to the Scottish highlands I kick...

The picturesque mountains of France play home to a plethora of world-class events throughout the year, both for participants and spectators. This summer alone has a wide choice events for hardcore cyclists, runners, families, foodies and music-lovers, who'll all find a great activity to punctuate their holidays. Here, we've rounded up this season's selection of unmissable events taking place in the French mountains over the coming months. Tempted? Gastronomy Reblochon Festival, La Clusaz, 9 August 2015: A festival celebrating local...

Here's a competition for Facebook fiends, Pinterest peeps and those with unsteady hands - we have FIVE Panoramic Pods to give away. These neat contraptions take the imperfections out of hand-held panorama pics, moving neatly from one end of a pic to another, without those annoying black bits ruining your potential cover shot. Of course, the tripod works perfectly on its own, allowing steady photos and videos - ideal for skiing vistas, beach shots and natural expanses.   It works...

By Ben Griffin, founder of Great Escapes Wales Breaking all previous records, 10 million overseas visitors came to the UK in just the first four months of the year. This means that we are well on track to see the 6% rise in visitors for 2015 as predicted by the UK’s tourism board. These tourists are a vital part of our economy. It may come as a surprise to those busy complaining about the British weather, but tourism is the...

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  Brits are choosing holidays to countries and landmarks made famous by TV and film, according to new research, with New Zealand, Malta, the USA and Dorset among the most popular destinations. One in four adults now regularly pick where to go on their next holiday based on filming locations used in their favourite TV shows or films. New Zealand, used to film much of The Lord of the Rings came top in the poll of film locations...

By Emma Silverthorn I wouldn't generally review an airport, these liminal spaces being dull, if not depressing, but Comiso actually deserves a few words. The entry point to the south east of Sicily, this airport tells you much about this region of Italy. This was by far the friendliest airport I've ever been in. The staff going above and beyond, they let our group go over our luggage allowance (don't tell Michael O'Leary) and actually sought out a wine-saving solution...

By Harry Bedford Thirty years ago Boracay was a desert island paradise, with no electricity supply or motorised vehicles in the heart of the Philippines archipelago. Today, Boracay’s beautiful White Beach is lined with McDonalds, Starbucks, Seven-Eleven and countless hotels, bars, restaurants and clubs, rapidly becoming the country’s number one tourist destination. For many in the western world the Philippines can feel like a remote, isolated and inaccessible destination; further away and more expensive than the likes of Thailand and...