‘Herefordshire is just as lovely as the Dordogne’
For author John Lewis-Stempel, winner of the Wainwright prize for nature writing, Herefordshire is heaven on Earth
The Istanbul Research Institute … a lot more interesting than it sounds
Right by the city’s retail-heavy İstiklal Caddesi is an elegant space offering tranquillity, free exhibitions and fascinating insights into old Istanbul
Maudie’s Nova Scotia: exploring the landscapes that inspired Maud Lewis
With the Canadian artist’s joyful work celebrated in a new film, Maudie, a road trip around dramatic coast and picturesque villages reveals the area she loved to paint
20 Greek islands … you may not have heard of
The dazzling colours and great food of Greece’s famous islands extend to these lesser-known sand-fringed destinations, which boast wonderful places to stay – especially for late- or out-of-season breaks
10 of the best things to do in Pisa
A €30m cultural redevelopment has funded the revamp of many of this walkable Italian city’s main attractions – including its tower – and there are great bars, restaurants and hotels to relax in after the sightseeing
A Canterbury trail: exploring the city’s medieval streets on foot
With its extraordinary history and ecclesiastical grandeur, Kent’s murder mystery capital has much for the walker to savour on a day’s stroll
Bring on Valhalla: on the Viking trail in Denmark
West Jutland is bringing old Norse culture to life with interactive attractions alongside historic sites and nature trails. Mother and daughter immerse themselves in a land of legend
Victoria Hislop: ‘Patra represents the extremes of Greece – sublime and mundane’
It took the novelist a while, but she learned to love the chaos and joy of Greece’s third-largest city
Take the kids to … Kynren, County Durham
A cast of 1,500 reenacts 2,000 years of history in just 90 minutes in a show of Olympic-opening-ceremony proportions dubbed ‘an epic tale of England’
New Moomin museum opens in Finland
Tove Jansson never took her family of fairytale characters too seriously, but they now have their own museum in Tampere, attracting Moomins fans from around the world
Fez’s medina gets new riads, restaurants and restored monuments
Things are looking up in Morocco’s medieval cultural capital, with thousands of old buildings, including probably the world’s oldest library, being restored and reopened
Gorgeous Georgia: walking in the Svaneti’s mountains
New flights from the UK have opened up the country’s unspoilt north west, an area of mighty peaks, flower meadows and fantastic hiking country
Southend-on-Sea: the arty way is Essex
Paul O’Grady obviously hasn’t visited Southend for a while … The resort where the East End still goes for old-fashioned seaside fun now has a thriving arts scene, too
‘The longest walk I’ve ever had was in New York’: author Anna Pitoniak
The novelist’s 32-mile stroll around Manhattan, in a day, provided a vivid portrait of NYC but it’s the Upper East Side’s low-key highlights that excite her most
Flea to France: shopping at Europe’s largest vintage market
The Provencal village of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue has the largest concentration of vintage stores outside Paris and also hosts a giant open-air flea market. The next is in August – so get ready for a bric-a-brac bargain