The land of fire and ice is a beguiling, otherworldly place, its scenery as dramatic as its nickname suggests. From bubbling geysers to snowcapped volcanoes, stunning waterfalls (below) and black sand beaches, nothing quite prepares you for Iceland’s magnificent beauty. As I travelled across the Reykjanes Peninsula on my way to the country’s capital Reykjavik, I was struck by the vast expanse of yellow grass and jet black soil that surrounded us. It was a bleak, unrelenting scene, unlike any I’d seen before and I was instantly captivated. It took me a while to put my finger on why I…

I couldn’t very well spend a week in Béarn, in the shadow of the Pyrenees, without spending at least one day exploring the majestic mountain range. So we set off on a road trip that would take us through the Ossau Valley, one of a number of valleys cutting a swathe through the Pyrenees. The Ossau Valley is the third largest Pyrenean valley in Béarn, starting just south of the regional capital Pau and running all the way to the Spanish border. We followed the D920 and then the D934 into the valley, passing a number of small towns along…

There are few things I enjoy more than a good glass of wine, so when I discovered Alsace had its own Route du Vin, there was no way I was going to let that opportunity pass. Snaking its way through the Alsatian countryside in the shadow of the Vosges mountains, the Route du Vin is so-called because of the many, many vineyards in the area. This is wine country and all around us, the fields and hills were filled with row upon row of grape vines. And all along the winding road were caves selling the wares made from these…

Of all the châteaux I visited in the Loire Valley, my favourite was possibly Chaumont-sur-Loire. This château, perched high on a cliff overlooking the picturesque River Loire, may not have the architectural flourishes of Chambord or Chenonceau, but it’s a delightfully charming affair surrounded by acres of stunning gardens. Originally founded at the beginning of the 11th century by Odo I, Count of Blois, the current château dates back to the late 15th and early 16th centuries. In 1465, the old château was burned to the ground on the orders of Louis XI after its then-owner Pierre d’Amboise took part…

The last château we visited in the Loire Valley was the elegant Château d’Amboise. Set high on a rock overlooking the historic market town of Amboise on the banks of the River Loire, this former royal château is where Leonardo da Vinci was laid to rest. The castle became a royal residence in 1434 when Charles VII took it from its then-owner Louis d’Amboise as punishment for plotting against Louis XI. Much of the current building dates back to the late 15th century when Charles VIII had it rebuilt. For the next 150 years or so, the château was a…

In the historic market town of Amboise on the banks of the Loire, you’ll find Château du Clos Lucé, the large brick mansion where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last years of his life working for the French court. The legendary artist-scientist-inventor had been enticed to France at the age of 64 by François I, who lent him the royal family’s summer house as a base, and da Vinci lived there for the next three years until his death on 2 May 1519. The château, which was originally named Manoir du Cloux, was built by Hugues d’Amboise in the 15th…

Thanks to its quaint medieval streets, charming château and lovely views of the River Indrois, it’s hardly surprising that Montrésor has been named one of les plus beaux villages de France (most beautiful villages in France). It’s one of only three villages to have been given the distinction in the Loire Valley. We started our visit to Montrésor at the privately owned château, which is perched high on a rock in the centre of the village overlooking the River Indrois. The château was built in the Renaissance style by Imbert de Bastarnay (a counsellor to kings Louis XI, Charles VIII,…

Thanks to its arched bridges spanning the River Cher, Chenonceau is possibly the prettiest, most distinctive and most fairytale-like of all the chateaux of the Loire. I’d been wanting to visit Chenonceau since I was a child after my parents bought me a 3D jigsaw of it (it took forever to build!). So when my parents invited me to spend a week with them in the Loire Valley in June 2019, it was at the top of my list of places to visit. There’s been a chateau on the spot since the 12th or 13th centuries. But the current incarnation…

Tucked away in a valley in the Chiltern Hills you’ll find Hughenden, the country pile of former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. Queen Victoria’s favourite PM bought the 1,500-acre estate in the Buckinghamshire countryside in 1848 as a country retreat and lived there with his wife Mary Anne when he wasn’t in London. The estate dates back to at least Norman times, when it was owned by William the Conqueror’s brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. The current red-brick house was built in the late 18th century and was redesigned by the architect Edward Buckton Lamb for the Disraelis in 1862.…

I’ve been to many a stately home in my time, but the Holkham estate on the north Norfolk coast is one of my all time favourites – and I didn’t even step foot in the hall! Made up of a grand Palladian mansion surrounded by 3,000 acres of parkland, Holkham also boasts a boating lake (above), 700 acres of woodland, a walled garden, various historic buildings, a village, a nature reserve and a sandy beach. Plus it’s home to around 400 fallow deer (below). In short, there’s plenty to see and do, and you need a full day to see…