European Destinations

The Tinwood Estate is located just three miles from my home, on the edge of the South Downs national park. Tinwood first set up their vineyard in 2007, and since have been producing three fantastic varieties of sparkling wine. From their Blanc de Blancs, and their Estate Brut to their cool refreshing Rosé.

Reflecting on all the wonderful European city break destinations that I have visited in recent years, I was surprised that Berlin was one of the destinations that I hadn’t yet visited. Just over a year ago I decided to take a trip to Berlin to visit the annual ITB Berlin travel trade show.

I enjoyed my Porto city break last January so much, that I knew I just had to go back and see more of this wonderful city. So when I saw this great deal to Porto, I just knew that I had to book it straight away.

I first touched down in Gdansk a mere six months ago and upon arrival I immediately fell in love with the beauty of this city, so much so that I couldn't resist returning here to enjoy a second Gdansk weekend break.

One of my favourite things about this time of year is making a visit to one of Europe’s beautiful Christmas Markets. Each year I try and visit at least one destination, sometimes more. Having previously visited markets in Germany, Croatia, Spain and Sweden, I decided on the Christmas Markets of Basel for this year’s trip.

This year I visited Scotland for the first time in almost 10 years. Although it was just a short 24 hour trip it made me realise just how long it had been since my last visit. This prompted me to plan a longer trip up to the Scottish Borders for a weekend break with my family, over one of the May bank holiday weekends.

Few regions in Europe stir the imagination quite like Transylvania. For many travellers the name alone conjures images of Gothic castles, misty forests and the enduring legend of Dracula. Yet beyond the folklore lies one of Europe’s most captivating and culturally rich regions; a landscape of medieval towns, vibrant cities and sweeping mountain scenery.

Anyone who knows me will know that my main passions in life are travelling, food and fine wine. I do have another guilty pleasure though, and that is Gin, so when I was asked by friends if I would like to go to a Gin cocktail masterclass at the Bombay Sapphire distillery in Laverstoke I jumped at the chance.

I try and visit at least one Christmas market each year, and this year along with a group of friends we decided to visit Luxembourg. This was my first trip to Luxembourg, so as well as enjoying the various Christmas markets, I also discovered some of this picturesque continental city. Luxembourg is completely land-locked between France, Belgium and Germany and has subtle influences from all its neighbours.

Spread across 219 square miles of beautiful Hampshire countryside is The New Forest National Park. The New Forest is about an hours drive from my home in Sussex, and even though I pass through here quite frequently it had been years since I had actually stopped to enjoy some of this stunning area of the country.

I first visited Madrid three years ago for a summer city break and I knew immediately that Madrid would be one of those cities that I would return to time and time again. After three years I felt it was time to return for another Madrid city break.

I have visited Granada briefly on a couple of occasions in the past, but these visits were flying visits, maybe for a meal, or just a passing visit on the way to or from the ski resort in the Sierra Nevada. When I booked my Spanish trip for this summer, I decided that as I would be passing through Granada I would stop here for a mini Granada city break on my way to southern Spain.

I recently went on a short break to Holywell Bay, near Newquay in Cornwall with some friends for the bank holiday weekend. When I'm at home, Sunday is a day for having family or friends over to visit and to enjoy a traditional Sunday roast. If I'm away for the weekend, it's the one thing I really miss. However, when I'm away for a weekend within the UK, I don't have to go far to find a cosy local pub to enjoy my Sunday lunch.

Picturesque blue domed churches and white-washed towns and villages perched on a cliff-top, high above the vivid blue waters of the Aegean Sea could...

Italy is a country I find myself returning to time and time again, I don’t necessarily go back and visit the the same city every time though. Don’t get me wrong, I have been to both Rome and Venice more than once, but I do like to explore some of Italy’s other fantastic cities. For this trip I decided to visit a brand new city and found myself booking a Bologna City Break.

I have travelled to Spain many times, probably more so than any other country, the reason being that my family have a home in Andalusia. I have driven to Andalusia from the UK many times, either passing through or around Madrid, but I have never yet had the chance to stop in Madrid and discover what the Spanish capital has to offer. I thought it was time to change that….

Hidden away amongst the snow capped Julian Alps in Slovenia are the crystal clear waters of Lake Bled. The turquoise waters glisten in the...

This year celebrated the 20th year of the West Dean Chilli Fiesta. To my shame West Dean is less than ten miles from my home, and this was to be my first visit to the Fiesta. The Chilli Fiesta is a three day event, from Friday to Sunday, and its aim is to celebrate everything about the humble chilli.