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Portugal as a travel destination has been growing in popularity in recent years and rightfully so. Flanked by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, this travel destination is the perfect choice for avid foodies. Here are our top favourite things to eat whilst in Portugal.

PASTÉIS DE NATA: In Portugal it's not just socially acceptable to devour sugary pastries for breakfast, it's actually expected. You can savour these little beauties everywhere in Portugal for breakfast, as a snack or dessert. Be careful, they are quite addictive.

BOLINHO DE BACALHAU: Delicious fish cake with salted codfish as main ingredient. Also try the croquettas version. Excellent as a snack or accompanied with a glass of beautiful Douro wine.

SARDINES: Barbecued, salted, grilled or even mashed up in butter you will be amazed at the incredible number of options when it comes to enjoying sardines in Portugal.

CATAPLANA: A delicious stew based on seafood or a combo of clams and pork prepared in a cataplana pot, hence the name of the dish. It’s rich and full of flavour.

CHOURIÇO: A distant cousin of the Spanish Chorizo, this lovely pork sausage has many varieties depending on the region you visit and is fabulous to nibble on with a glass of Douro wine.

BIFANA: A Lisboan sandwich with thinly sliced pork that's been slowly cooked in white wine, garlic, and spices.

TRAVESSEIROS DE SINTRA: A fluffy puff pastry shaped like a pillow, sprinkled with sugar on the outside and filled with velvety egg and almond cream on the inside.

FRANCESINHA: This sandwich, originally from Porto, is not for the faint of heart. It contains sausage, roast meat or ham in the centre topped with melted cheese and a special tomato sauce infused with beer.

POLVO: Octopus is very popular and it comes in many variations throughout the country. Served cold or warm, we guarantee that olive oil and garlic are at least 2 of the base ingredients.

All this delicious food needs to be accompanied by quality wine. You’re in luck as one of the oldest and most alluring wine regions in the world is to be found in Portugal. The Douro Valley, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001, is a stunning region in the north of Portugal where the mighty Rio Douro meanders through the landscape. Although parts of the region do produce excellent regular white and red wines, the region’s true recognition comes from the different styles of fortified wine or port wine that are produced here. These are some of the recommended wines to try:

• Quinta de la Rosa 10 Year Tawny
• Quinta da Raza, Alvarinho-Trajadura 2021
• Quinta da Raza, Dom Diogo Padeiro 2021
• Real Cave Do Cedro, Aleixo Grande Reserva 1997

All perfect excuses to make Portugal your next travel destination. Your suitcase is waiting…

Winter sun in Provence is a new 5 night gentle walking tour especially designed for the winter months in Provence with its mild temperatures and blue skies lighting up the enchanting scene.

Stays are in buzzy locations – St Remy, the heart of Van Gogh’s landscapes in the Alpilles region, charming Isle sur la Sorgue in the different setting of the Luberon mountains and Avignon with its notable wine and gastro options. Arles can also be included in the tour. Our usual mix of luxury boutique hotels and short transfers to carefully crafted easy walking routes make this a holiday full of Provencal charm and flair.

It is available from November to the end of April.

A recent study has found that The Lake District is officially the most Instagrammed nature spot in the whole of the UK!

This probably (definitely) isn’t a surprise to locals, or holiday makers that have found beauty in the vast and remote expanses of the area. With lots of tough competition including Loch Ness, Ben Nevis and Stonehenge, The Lake District beat many of the other glorious spots that the United Kingdom has to offer.

With many holiday makers returning to the areas in and around Cumbria every year, there is a clear desire for walking and cycling holidays that offer incredible scenery, and a lovely change to the everyday hustle and bustle.

The Lake District is also officially the UK’s largest national park so it makes sense to see its beauty recognised in posts on Instagram. Containing 16 lakes and more than 150 high peaks, this popular nature spot is a favourite beyond the UK with international tourists too.

Be sure to check out one of England’s highest and most prominent mountains based within the Lake District - Helvellyn - if you’re up for a 5 mile walk and climb with our recommended guide.

As well as the scenic views, there are clear benefits of outdoor holidays to both physical and mental health,and if there is one positive to come out of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s our reconnection and rekindling with the great outdoors. The contrast could be especially beneficial to residents of cities, where there is a constant hum of public transport and activity.

Just 30 minutes or one hour walking outdoors each day, breathing in fresh air and getting exercise is a sure-fire way to feel refreshed and grounded (so imagine how amazing you will feel after a week of walking in The Lake District!)

Because hiking holidays are often enjoyed in small groups of friends and family, they have significant links to happiness levels and endorphins associated with laughter and human interaction.

The study of Most Instagrammed Nature Spots was conducted by Absolutely Bear, a sustainable men’s clothing brand based in the UK. By combining data of exact match and associated hashtags of the top 100 beauty spots, they discovered the top 15, and surprise surprise we have trips to most of them - see links above!

Walking has been one of the few safe and social activities we have been able to do over the past year in the pandemic. In fact, there have been over one million people searching for “walks near me” in the UK alone in the last year!

As we look forward to the easing of restrictions and the impending opportunities to meet more friends and family outdoors, taking a trip to The Lake District should be definitely something to consider

As we sputter on through what we hope are the final days of lockdown in Britain we are all looking forward to a more normal life and to taking trips and holidays that invigorate and restore us. We hope that the projected May 17 date for the opening of hotels in Britain will mark the start of the holiday season for us this year. We have many tours already booked and we welcome fresh enquiries.

In the meantime, here are some guilt free viewing ideas, all available on Amazon Prime - hopefully some a little less known than others...

HARRY POTTER

What better excuse than lockdown for a Harry Potter marathon! All 8 films with so many iconic moments from the flight of the Ford Anglia over Glenfinnan; stunning views of Glencoe; Hogwarts Dining Hall at Christchurch Oxford and many more culminating in the Warner Bros Studio Tour. Take a look at Highland lochs and isles for a ride on The 'Hogwarts Express' alias The Jacobite seen steaming over Glenfinnan Viaduct in the picture above or contact us to design the perfect tour for you.

FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD

An apt title for this period - this 2015 film adaptation of Thomas Hardy's wonderful novel, tells the story of Bathsheba Everdene's struggles in Victorian England to run her farm and choose between 3 very different suitors. Take a peek at the film trailer then plan your own escape from the crowds with a cycling trip in Doset and the New Forest - click here for more information.

MISS POTTER

Renee Zellweger plays the part of Beatrix Potter as her childhood stories and paintings are brought to life and become some of the best loved stories of all time, and allow her to indulge her love of the Lake District; buy Hill Top Farm and save some of its treasures for us today. See the film trailer then plan a walk in her footsteps on our Quintessential Lake District holiday

SUNSHINE ON LEITH

This feelgood film will make you laugh and cry as two young soldiers return from Afghanistan to pick up the threads of life and love in Edinburgh. Weaving the songs of The Proclaimers throughout it ends with a raucous finale near the castle. Even if you don't watch the film, listen to the music and you will want to add an extra day to our Lochs and Glens to Edinburgh cycle tour!

Here is a county well worthy of a spotlight! We love it for its unspoilt coast with a slightly old fashioned air, the mix of reed beds, sandy heaths, woodland and sinuous estuaries, a slower pace of life, timbered buildings, arty finds and a landscape enabling marvellous flat cycle rides and fascinating walks.

In the wider world, Suffolk is also known for its music and literature links, its foody ethos of farm shops, relaxed pubs with quality offerings of local foods and drink and the medieval town of Lavenham.

The charming coastal spots of Orford, Aldeburgh and Southwold are linked with Woodbridge on our gentle cycling holiday A Suffolk seaside jolly. With a day off in each place, you can chill out, walk or enjoy various boat trips too -a perfect mix for a family holiday. Pick the luxury version if you want gorgeous boutique hotels and the classic choice for handpicked charm.

Our Suffolk coast walking holiday enjoys the same lovely overnight stays with the option of alternate days off if that's your pace. There's magnificent variety in the walks and in discovering Suffolk's other gifts.

A heart in the arts

Harry Potter's fictional birthplace of Godric's Hollow was inspired by Lavenham and its magical streets. Benjamin Britten is linked with Aldeburgh where you can visit his house and Snape Maltings where he founded a music venue. Suffolk is synonymous with artists so for a great gallery check out Southwold's Co-op on our Suffolk coast walking holiday.

Stars of food and drink

No Michelin stars in the county, but little gems galore. Try The Unruly Pig in Woodbridge, Orford's artisan Pump Street Bakery, Aldeburgh's fish and chips and the Pinney family's locally reared oysters at The Butlery Orford Oysterage. And of course, Southwold brewed Adnams beer and brewery tours are not to be missed. See our Suffolk seaside jolly.

Quirky buildings

It doesn't get more quirky than the House in the Clouds in the mock Tudor holiday village of Thorpeness. Not far away is one of the unusual Martello Towers built to defend the coast. And the Tidemill in Woodbridge is a rare example of a mill still working today. Spot all these on our Suffolk coast walking holiday and our Suffolk seaside jolly cycling holiday.

Unspoilt coast

Unspoilt it is - an area of outstanding natural beauty where the heaths, woodlands, beaches and estuaries are all protected. Enjoy a river boat foray or paddle a canoe on the Alde, guided walks through reeds and lagoons at RSPB Minsmere or sit in the dunes at Walberswick. Take tea as you sail on a 19th Century rigged barge or love the colours on Dunwich Heath. Enjoy all these on our tours!