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Retreat to the borders

18/11/2020

During a brief break between lockdowns my wife and I decided to get away from the daily drudgery of our covid-enforced entrapment inspired wholly by the TV show Gone Fishing with funny men Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse.
If this show has passed you by, Whitehouse is the long-suffering master angler and Mortimer a giggling, daft apprentice who provides food, lodgings and idle chatter.
In one episode they spend a couple of days searching for salmon on the River Tweed in The Borders. Their lodgings were French roulottes, lovely traditional wooden caravans kitted out with luxurious bedrooms, showers, toilets, cookers, hobs and wood burners. They were among a dozen other similar roulottes of varying sizes dotted around a few acres of deliberately overgrown land each with its own little path through tall grass and shrubs - one of them enjoyed a fabulous wood-fired sauna.
By the end of the episode we had tracked down the Roulotte Retreat near Melrose and had booked a short stay.
Just on the edge of Bowden, we drove up a little track and into the tree-covered car park of Bowden Mill where we were welcomed by Avril who, at a safe distance, gave us a few tips about staying in a roulotte.
Within hours we had cooked dinner on the little two-ring oven and settled in to our first evening away from traffic and the city and were soon warm and snug in our country retreat listening to owls calling to each other as the night drew in.
We spent the next couple of days discovering a part of the country new to both of us. A footpath took us across fields and through a forest, revealing its spectacular autumnal colours, and over the Eildon Hills to Melrose for lunch at the friendly and splendid Provender restaurant tucked just off the High Street.
In recognition to our fishing heroes Paul and Bob, we spent four hours having fly casting lessons under the watchful eye of instructor Malcolm Douglas on the lake at the Schloss Rosburghe Hotel and Golf Course near Kelso.
The small lake was tucked away in a beautiful setting behind the hotel and proved a happy hunting ground for my wife Jacquie who landed a decent rainbow trout after her first few casts. The experience proved such a success we have gone on to have a further lesson and, although fishless, the start of more fly-fishing trips to come and with the hope of returning north to try our luck on the mighty Tweed.
For more information about the roulottes go to www.roulotteretreat.com

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Uncovering the missing links of La Mer at Le Touquet

4/6/2018

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The restored 12th hole of La Mer at Le Touquet

Until a recent visit to Le Touquet Golf Resort, I’m ashamed to say I’ve never really given much thought to those who have designed any golf course I’ve played.
I suppose it’s like when I choose a wine, I’m no connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination, but I know what I like. I’m not too worried about who makes it, so long as it’s enjoyable and keeps me coming back for more.
Now, after a couple of days enjoying a round or two in on the Côte d’Opale on the Northern coast of France, I’ve begun to rethink my lack of caring for golf architects and the trials and tribulations they face so my day on the golf course is made much more interesting.
I spent time discussing the ins and outs of golf course design and playing a few holes with Patrice Boissonnas on one of his latest projects to reinstate Harry Colt’s masterpiece La Mer course to its original design. His passion and determination has most definitely put him on the first step of fulfilling his dream to increase his status in the highly competitive world of golf design.
His quest at La Mer began in 2011 when he was charged with the job of restoring the original course to the golden years of the 1920s an 30s when royalty and high fliers from around the world, flocked for the golf courses of Le Touquet to test their skills as well as the fashionable beaches and casino to enjoy the high life.
The history of La Mer started in 1928 when Harry Colt, who was responsible for the designs of grand masters like Turnberry, Sunningdale and Wentworth, was commissioned to build a links course among the dunes and grasslands at Le Touquet. It opened in 1931 and within 10 years had hosted the French open twice. Subsequently staging it again in 1976 and 1977.
During the Second World War, allies bombed the German concrete bunkers along the coastline and with them La Mer, and five of Colt’s celebrated fairways and greens. By the time the course was rebuilt they had disappeared beneath trees and undergrowth. When it was rebuilt, new holes were created to take their place.
Today, thanks to the dedication and passion of Boissonnas, four of the ‘lost holes’ have been uncovered, rebuilt and crafted to recreate the original design. Along with them, previous work on the rest of the course has been readjusted to fit Colt’s ethos. After completing four holes, the fight to restore the ‘last lost hole’, the 17th, continues as Boissonnas and ecologists argue the pros and cons of removing the forest which has grown through the fairway of Colt’s original.
Armed with a copy of the original design and aerial photographs, as well as finding the remains of bunkers guarding the 17th green, he is convinced he has found the route of the original fairway and will not rest until the final ‘missing link’ is reattached.
Until that happens golfers will approach the 17th up a precipitous final 100 yards to a towering green, which runs completely against Colt’s design ethos.
As it is, the course is stunning. From the opening par 5, first, 469 metres off the white tee, to the 384m par 4, 18th, it is clearly evident why so many golfers rate this course so highly. Winding its way through and across towering dunes and formidable grasslands, it is a classic out-and-back links with deep greenside bunkering and immense run-offs.
For me there isn’t a best hole or a favourite because each one has its own distinct character. And, fortunately for me, it’s not a course which plays solely to the low handicapped long hitter, it gives the higher handicapper a fair chance of reaching the green in regulation. What it does successfully is repay good shots for golfers of all levels and any loose ones will cost at least one shot – which is what Colt intended while designing all of his courses.
But, if you play this course and have a higher handicap, make sure you play at least half a dozen from the white tees, just for the thrill of it. By seeing the course from this perspective you begin to appreciate a little of what goes into designing a golf course and, seeing the layout of a particular hole, appreciate how much the designer has used the natural contours of a land and how much has been manufactured using bulldozers.
The difference is always intriguing and, while I doubt I will ever become a connoisseur of golf course design, it will perhaps help me understand a little more why I like one course more than another and why I keep going back for more.
Meanwhile back at the clubhouse, nearly a century on from those heady days in the Roaring 20s, Le Touquet Golf Resort, is ushering in a new golden age for European golf travel with the opening of a remarkable clubhouse designed to blend in to the links. Its striking roofline features pyramidal peaks, reminiscent of the dunes themselves, while offering hospitality and every modern comfort.
The clubhouse and its acclaimed restaurant The Spoon, is part of a long-term investment programme at the resort, which will see its hotel Le Manoir undergo a transformation, with plans to turn it into a boutique-style hotel. A stylish restaurant, echoing the modern golf clubhouse, has already opened and the communal areas are undergoing renovation during this winter.
Le Touquet Golf Resort, part of the Open Golf Club group, is less than an hour's drive south of the Eurotunnel terminus, making it easy to access using the A16 autoroute, and every possibility of a day out to play the courses or more relaxing weekend to play a couple of them.
While you are in the area you can’t miss a trip to Open Golf Club group’s two sister courses Les Dunes and Les Pins (The Pines) at nearby Golf d’Hardelot.
Les Pins, originally designed by the much-praised Tom Simpson in 1931, has also undergone some major restoration, again under the guidance of Boissonnas and fellow designer Frank Pont, who used old photographs and aerial views to restore it to Simpson’s original 1931 routing and design, recreating the shaping and contours of greens, surrounds, fairways and bunker edges.
While work is still ongoing, the course is a delight and the success of its redesign is proven as it has recently been adopted as a venue by the European Tour Qualifying School.
Golf d’Hardelot has reinforced its position as one of Europe’s must-visit golf destinations after its iconic Les Pins course was elevated to #24 in Golf World magazine’s newly published ‘Top 100 Courses in Continental Europe.’
The meteoric rise up the rankings (from 98th in 2013) is the result of one of Europe’s most successful course renovation programmes.
Ken Strachan, General Manager of Golf d’Hardelot, said: “Becoming one of Continental Europe’s Top 25 courses, after such a historic leap up the rankings in 2015, underlines the focused investment we have made to further enhance the experience for our visitors and members.”
For more about Le Touquet Golf Resort visit www.opengolfclub.com/en/Golf-du-Touquet.
For information on Golf at Hardelot visit www.hardelotgolfclub.com/en/

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Chasing the light with photographer Teresa Kaufman

13/2/2018

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Photographer Teresa Kaufman

“The first thing you’ll need to pick up on, and pick up on quick is the changing light,” said Teresa.
The Chamonix valley runs pretty much north east to south west and the sun gradually works its way down the south-facing mountain Le Brevent. With half the valley in shadow, getting the right aperture as well as careful subject selection is crucial.
“What ISO are you using,” she asks. “Er, um, let me see,” I say, as I desperately scour my viewfinder to find it while pretending to be mid-focus.
“You won’t want any more than 100," she says. Even at this time of day the light’s going to kill your photos and once the sun’s up above the massif, you’re going to have to be on your toes.”
And she’s right. The shadow drops away on the southern slopes by the minute and you feel you are constantly changing settings to keep up. My thumb on the aperture wheel of my camera is a blur as we chase the light.
The temperature is only just hanging above freezing point in the valley, but my concentration is not on the cold, but instead taken up by checking, changing and retaking and rechecking as we move from sunlight to shadows and back again.
A herd of cows, some black and some brown, push their noses through the couple of inches of overnight snow in search of grass. The black cows against the snow with a snowy mountain backdrop below a crystal clear blue sky play havoc with my light readings.
“How’s that one look?” Teresa asks. “She gives me the readings I should be seeing in my viewfinder from her handy Leica digital point-and-shoot she takes with her to snap her clients in action. “That’s perfect,” I reply. I know she’s right, but I’ve changed my ISO to 200 to keep my shutter speed high . . . don’t ask – Fortunately there will be no report after our day out, but if there was, the words ‘must pay attention’ would be there, heavily underscored and in red.
It was mid-November and I was in the French Alps and in the delightful town of Chamonix with professional photographer Teresa Kaufman to experience some of her brainchild Photo Walks beneath the breathtaking Mont Blanc massif.
I’m not exactly a newcomer to photography, or walking for that matter, but as there’s still plenty of room for improvement in both, Teresa’s walks seemed to fit the bill perfectly, so I dressed up warm as suggested, put on my walking boots, grabbed my camera bag and headed for the hills.
After the first day in the valley, I make a point of paying attention and use Teresa’s photographic expertise to my advantage. Although I still go off piste, photographically speaking, and discover errors and sometimes surprise myself with my results – in a good way, of course.
Teresa’s walks were the result of her spending a week in hospital recovering from hip replacement surgery. With time on her hands she contemplated her future and how she could earn enough money to remain in the place she has called home for more than 30 years.
“It came to me in a flash,” she said. “Living in Chamonix surrounded by mountains, I realised the way forward was, in fact, all around me. I decided to combine my love of cross-country trekking and hiking with the photographic skills I learned as an active photo-journalist and start the Photo Walks.
She researched and set up walks in the surrounding countryside and used her local knowledge from trekking across the valley to seek out the best vantage points to photograph the stunning scenery. She insists her walks are not only for keen photographers, though, but for anyone with just a point-and-shoot digital camera or even the camera on their mobile phone.
“Every group is unique and people see different things each time. It’s fascinating when they come up with a totally different perspective,” she said. “And I am always amazed by the quality of the pictures my visitors take - and more so of those taken with those little phone cameras.”
Teresa takes her small groups through the villages and towns and drop-in on hidden gardens, meeting craftspeople, artists and farmers along the way giving her visitors an intimate and exclusive insight into the daily lives of the people who live and work in the villages and who make up the very fibre of the valley itself.
Her collection of walks is on the increase with the demands from returning clientele. She is constantly researching and discovering new areas and people to, as she says, invent new walks.
One includes a fascinating behind-the-scenes peek in the kitchen of Michelin-starred restaurant Le Bistrot near the centre of Chamonix. Here chef Mickey Bourdillat and his talented team go about their work preparing for the lunch service while walkers take snaps and, if you’re lucky, have a little taste of the jus as it gently reduces in the pot. There’s no need for the flash as the light is perfect and, I discovered later, so is the food.
Each walk allows the visitor to understand the environment and discover the very heartbeat of the valley itself. Teresa reveals her vast knowledge of the area with her stories about life in the mountains and her passion for the architectural gems she uncovers around every corner.
“I don’t bombard people with too much information though,” she says. “As photographers we need to wander off and discover our own perspectives of places we drop into.”
And it’s that ‘we’ which makes a real difference. You feel part of her everyday life. She greets people and introduces them as you stroll through their neighbourhood. Her enthusiasm for her surroundings and the history behind them is as unquenchable as her work ethic.
As well as working on her walks Teresa is in constant demand for her photographic skills. She travels mainly throughout France, where she’s happiest.
“It’s not easy to keep up sometimes,” she says, as she prepares for another photo exhibition. “I’m so far behind the eight ball on that one, I don’t know how I’m going to complete it in time,” she says in the still unmistakable New York accent of her youth.
She has written articles for magazines and providing the accompanying photographs. For her exhibitions, she specialises using black and white film and records the lives of people who work and survive in the most diverse of environments.
Teresa says she couldn’t live anywhere else and, since that defining moment in her hospital bed, she believes she has discovered her own way of staying in her beloved valley among the people she admires and respects so much.
“Everything I have done in my life has guided me here and all I want is to be among my friends and, of course, my cats. For me it’s the centre of the world,” she said.
From the short amount of time I spent walking through the towns and villages from Servoz to Vallorcine and beyond, I can begin to understand how she fell in love with this part of the world and why she never wants to leave.
This place is beguiling. The mountains seem to constantly draw you in. The light not only plays havoc with your camera sensors, but your senses too. When the bleaching sun finally softens it does so with a flourish to give a lightshow finale which turns the mountain tops a pinkish pale orange to leave an ethereal glow and an overwhelming feeling of serenity across the landscape - nature’s own lesson in how light affects absolutely everything.
To see Teresa’s work and discover her walks go to www.teresakaufman.com

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Alta's Dark skies, bright lights and An unspoilt snowy wildnerness

13/2/2018

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A reindeer in Alta

My search for the Northern Lights is much less dramatic than those throughout history. There was no trudging for days on end through the Arctic winter risking life and limb to reach my goal. In fact I got to Alta, 500km inside the Arctic Circle, by way of a cabin on an extremely comfortable ship courtesy of cruise firm Saga on a press trip.
I joined the cruise at Bergen on a particularly rainy day (apparently of which there are many in that area) as the ship made its way to Andalsnes and then on to Alta. Two really stormy nights at sea followed as we headed north with gale force winds and mountainous seas. After two nights without much sleep, I was looking bedraggled and exhausted (okay, slightly tired), but at least I was beginning to feel like one of the great adventurers. Albeit in a warm cabin on a comfy bed snuggled beneath a duvet with three meals a day and hot chocolate on tap. Okay, let's say my journey was just a tiny bit torrid.
While on board, I met a team of dolphin and whale watchers from the conservation group Orca. They were true heroes as they took dawn to dusk shifts through constant temperatures of at least minus10C, counting and identifying bird species and, of course, any dolphins or whales which came our way. The longest I managed on deck with them was about 15 minutes in an icy wind which threatened to peel flesh off the bones.
Once in Alta we met guide and sled dog musher Emma who, believe it or not, is from Hertfordshire. On our way to Parken Gard Husky, she informed us she was studying tourism in Norway and was in the process of moving to the district of Alta to live at the end of a long fjord where she can mush until the . . . err . . . cows come home.
The next hour or so was the most fun I've had since I was a kid. What more could anyone want than a sled pulled by excited and eager dogs across an unspoiled, snow covered wilderness with just the sound of the soft padding of dogs paws and the sled's runners crunching through the snow. It was then I realised why a girl from Hertfordshire was a dog musher in Norway.
As far as Northern Lights are concerned, the only photographs I got were on board the ship with more light pollution than Heathrow airport. My trip out to the wilderness and complete darkness for a photo-shoot was spoiled by a bank of cloud and I left the frozen lake with cold feet and an ice-covered camera tripod.
Now, like any true explorer, it means another expedition to the frozen north to try again. This time, though, it won't be by way of any comfy cabin aboard a luxury cruise ship. My trusty dogs will be waiting, provisions packed on my sled and ready for the off. That is, of course, once I've caught the SAS flight from Heathrow to Olso then on to Alta airport and by a heated car across to Longfjordbotn where I hope to begin a different type of Arctic adventure with Arne and Marianne of Parken Gard Husky.
See www.parkengaard-husky.no
For more about Saga cruises www.saga.co.uk

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happy return to the Grand canyon in national parks' centenary year

30/10/2016

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An artist makes an impression of the Canyon

Travellers often say you should never return to a place you have enjoyed because it usually ends in disappointment.
Quite often they are right. After all you will never be able to recreate the excitement of visiting a place for the first time or the memory of finding that special place to be treasured always.
There are, of course, exceptions to the rule, the rarity which can be visited many times and on each occasion can create new memories and reveal new places which can be explored for the first time.
One of those rare exceptions is the Grand Canyon. The first time I visited it was around 20 or so years ago when my children were young. We were only day trippers, but the memory of my first view of the South Rim opening up a thousand feet or so below me, still takes my breath away.
With my children, now fully fledged and flown, I returned to the South Rim, this time staying for two nights at the Yavapai Lodge. And to my delight, the magnificence and dizzying power of this incredible place left me as breathless and awestruck as it did all those years ago.
Of course, since the time of my first visit, things around the canyon have changed. There is now the lodge at Yavapai Point with six two-storey blocks of rooms from doubles through to family rooms. There is also a whole network of dedicated and tarmacked footpaths, from one end of the Rim to the other, easily accessible to people of all ages and abilities and linked by free buses from East to West.
For those who enjoy hiking, the ready-made paths don’t detract from the experience. It may not be as rough and rugged as it may have once been, but each and every turn and elevation reveals a panorama as stunning as the previous one.
Staying within the huge national park also gives keen photographers the opportunity to take their cameras into the night and take pictures of the night sky in total darkness without a smidgeon of light pollution.
I don’t expect to wait another 20 or so years for my third visit to the Canyon, but the next time it will be to the less accessible and apparently more spectacular North Rim. I can’t wait to start making even more new memories of the same extraordinary place, from a different perspective.

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Cycling, yoga and plenty of savoie fare in morzine

29/10/2016

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On the road around Morzine

Do you like your yoga Vinyasa, Hatha or Yin? Well until recently, I didn't know the difference, but after my first session of an hour or so of stretching and twisting in a sun-dappled cow pasture at the foot of a French alpine peak, I suppose I can now say, I like my yoga pasture-ised.
While almost enjoyable and certainly enlightening, my less than supple body struggled to mirror the moves of my teacher Nadia of the Yoga Alliance, whose patience and self-control for continuing on regardless and keeping a straight face as I attempted the various poses, was exemplary - and I'm certain the usual occupants of the pasture would have made better and more capable students than me.
It followed another first for me in the Alps - the other was the first time I’ve ridden a real road bike around the hills and mountains of the bustling town of Morzine, as a guest of Savoie Mont Blanc Tourisme - and so, red-faced and gasping in the increasingly-thinning air, I pedalled my way 'looking the business' in my new Team Sidcup Cycles jersey, to the Col de l’Ecrenaz at an altitude of 1433m, encouraged every metre of the way by my guide Joseph Pauly.
In the past I have followed the Tour de France on TV, and never really appreciated just how tough it must be. And in comparison my 'mountain climb' was just a tiddler . . . something any professional, or indeed, any decent cyclist would do without too much of a strain.
Apparently, news of my cycling debut was not celebrated in the columns of L’Equipe and I understand my success will not be entered in the annals of road cycling either. Although slightly miffed at that news, any plaudits could not have eclipsed the pure satisfaction of conquering my first col. The feeling of relief and a great deal of pride was beyond mere words on a page.
The second day of my cycling excursion we again followed the Guide Cyclo, a book made available for free at the Morzine-Avoriaz tourist office and on their website, to take on the climb made famous by French Tour legend Bernard Hinault, whose time to the top is 33 minutes.
You may not be surprised to discover, his record for the 1800m Grimpee D’Avoriaz remains intact. Heavy rain meant I had to return to base just after the Lac de Montriond as it was deemed the treacherous descent would be too dangerous for a novice cyclist such as myself. So, Monsieur Hinault, you can rest at ease until my next attempt. For those more likely to challenge his time, there is a permanent system cyclists can use to time themselves with electronic chips which are available at the tourist office.
There are many good reasons to visit this fantastic part of the world. If you’re not into cycling or other sports, you can walk in the hills with your own personal guide to enjoy spectacular views, see chamois graze or marmets sunbathe on rocks, while eagles soar above rocky crags looking for lunch.
While on the topic of food. The Savoie region is famed for its vast selection of cheese and most restaurants have a huge choice from reblochon, used in delicious tartiflette, or raclette used for fondue feasts. But there is more to Savoie cuisine than cheese and a few days trying out the varied dishes from lake perch to the meaty farcement with a glass or two of one the fabulous wines of the area is time well spent.
Morzine, while busy throughout the year with skiers and the like in winter and outdoor enthusiasts throughout the summer, is large enough to soak up the numbers of visitors with plenty of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars, but small enough to retain a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
I stayed at Le Petit Dru - www.petitdru.fr In the summer, the price for a double room is €168 including breakfast for two.
Restaurants include:
La Chamade www.lachamade.com where a main course is around €25 and dessert at €10
Le Bec Jaune brewery and restaurant www.becjaunebrewery.com with organic and locally sourced burgers from around €10
La Rotonde www.morzine-avoriaz.com/restaurant-la-rotonde.html
La Ferme de la Fruitière with cheeses and Savoyard specialities www.alpage-morzine.com
Alpen Roc hotel/restaurant www.alpenroc.com which has main courses from around 20€ and all desserts €6.

More on activities:
Cycling www.morzinemountaincycling.com
Rental cycling shop: Torico www.toricomorzine.com - price for the day is 55€ for a Scott Solace 10 Disc
Cycling coach: Joseph Pauly +33(0)6 62 10 32 77: 220€ per day /120€ half a day. Jo is also a mountain bike instructor www.ride-ability.com
Yoga: Nadia Stragliati - FB page @AlturaYoga
Price for a session of 1hr30mn costs: 90€ for a group of 10 people maximum
Nadia is member of an international yoga group called Yoga Alliance and teaches yoga Vinyasa, Hatha and Yin. Her phone number: +33 (0)6 62 38 71 55
Walking with a mountain leader: Price per person is €35 for a day and €25 half a day (group up to 15 people). For a private session: 115€ half a day and 190€ for the day
Bureau des guides - Morzine – Florian Stoppa www.guides-morzine.com

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/lifestyle/holidays/anything-102062/

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Retreat to the borders

Uncovering the missing links of La Mer at Le Touquet

Chasing the light with photographer Teresa Kaufman

Alta's Dark skies, bright lights and An unspoilt snowy wildnerness

happy return to the Grand canyon in national parks' centenary year

Cycling, yoga and plenty of savoie fare in morzine

Jeff R Fuidge

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