Travel
Choppy waters
The Sunday Telegraph 14 August 2010Strong winds ruled out paddling beneath the Slieve League cliffs, but Louise Tickle was determined not to cancel her kayaking trip.
"If you feel things are getting a bit choppy and you sense yourself going over, grab hold of your 'Jesus Christ Almighty' strap and give it a good yank," said Sean Pierce of Shearwater Sea Kayaking. Read more...
Exploring the rugged beauty of Britain’s only true coastal national path
BBC Countryfile May 2009Striding along the very edges of where the land meets the sea always gives me a delicious sense of teetering on the brink of an adventure.
Not, hopefully, the sort that involves crashing down a sheer cliff-face, but more a feeling that when I reach that cleft in the cliffs just around the next headland, by scrambling down the steep steps to the rocky beach below, I might just discover a dragon lurking in its cave, or a mermaid singing, or a smuggler, um, well, smuggling. Read more...
Cardigan under canvas
The Sunday Telegraph 2 June 2008Can’t camp, won’t camp? Louise Tickle felt much the same until she tried a new campsite in the Teifi gorge in West Wales.
Camping isn’t really my thing. You have to spend at least half a day searching for, then packing your car with the various accoutrements required to ensure the barest minimum of comfort. You will always forget something crucial, and you will then argue about it with your partner. Read more...
The search for Hen Harrier 535
BBC Wildlife July 2007A miracle is taking place in a quiet corner of
Lancashire – one of our rarest raptors, the
hen harrier, is coming back.
Slowly, we crawled uphill in the Land Rover along a rough, stony road that cut between two high fells, listening intently to the irregular pulse of Stephen Murphy’s radio receiver.
Read more...
Rural Retreats
The Guardian 17 January 2007Want to treat a loved one to a night away on February 14? Louise Tickle tips six of the most romantic retreats in the UK.
After an exhilarating hike in the Brecon Beacons, collapsing into the plump cushions of The Drawing Room, in front of a pot of hot tea and some bara brith, is a moment to be savoured.
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Hotel review: Ty Mawr Mansion
The Guardian 4 October 2006Louise Tickle checks in to a Welsh country hotel where pigpen workouts, and later the animals themselves, can be found on the menu
It is not often you go to an idyllic country house hotel and find yourself chasing the owners' pigs. There's a lot that's different about Ty Mawr Mansion, and I wouldn't have missed my morning workout in the pigpen for any number of bacon sarnies.
Read more...
Moreish Morocco
The Guardian 4 May 2006From lamb tagine to pastille of crayfish, Louise Tickle finds foodie heaven amidst the bustling souks of Marrakech
The bike that nearly mowed me down had six woolly sheep's heads threaded along its handlebars. Fresh from the knife with their ragged necks still soggy with blood, the decapitated baa-lambs were headed straight for me as the bicycling butcher wheeled his way carelessly through the crush of the souk.
Read more...
Vintage Cornwall
The Guardian 28 March 2006Louise Tickle hires a classic car and takes a spin back to an era when driving on the open road was made sweeter by the champagne cocktails and cream teas along the way
The throaty purr of a classic sports car as it swishes up the gravel drive of a country house hotel is very hard to beat for sheer, eyelash-batting glamour. Read more...
On yer bike
The Guardian 25 June 2003On a cycling trip through the Jebel Sahro mountains, Louise Tickle witnessed the true wilderness of Morocco's interior. But all she really wanted was a rest.
"Everyone's arse is different," Oliver, our guide, stated pragmatically, "but yours will harden up soon enough - it only takes a couple of days cycling on this kind of track, trust me." He flashed a grin, and swooped off gracefully, his mountain bike closely moulded to a muscled body perfectly in tune with the rocky terrain. Read more...
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