English Countryside: Peak District National Park

The air in the Peak District feels different. It’s softer; thicker even — one friend compared it to ‘butter’ (a good thing, I think) — and certainly cleaner than any air in London. Maybe it was the feeling of freedom: it was the farthest any of us had travelled in months, following months of respective lockdowns in the capital and in Devon (where the air is lighter, and salty). 

We had few expectations. Several people had said that the Peaks couldn’t compare to the Lake District (spoiler alert, they are wrong and have likely never been), several more couldn’t even point them out on a map. But change is afoot and the Peaks look set to become one of the UK’s most popular destinations with the arrival of several new, exciting hotels. Buxton Crescent Hotel (Buxton of bottled water fame) opened last year; The Tawny — a collection of rooms, tree- and boathouses — and Wildhive Callow Hall join it this summer. 

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Walks: Aix-en-Provence – South Of France (4K)

Aix-en-Provence is a university city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southern France. It was the birthplace of Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne. A walking trail links sites including his childhood home, Jas de Bouffan, and his former studio, Atelier Cézanne. The white limestone mountain Sainte-Victoire overlooking the city as well as the surrounding countryside were frequent subjects of his works. 

Village Walks: Admont – Central Austria (4K Video)

Admont is a town in the Austrian state of Styria. It is historically most notable for Admont Abbey, a monastery founded in 1074. Gesäuse National Park, in which Admont lies, is an area of outstanding beauty. The town is situated in the middle of the Ennstal Alps, in the valley of the Enns River. 

Top Drives: Hardknott Pass & Cumbria, England

Hardknott Pass is a hill pass between Eskdale and the Duddon Valley in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria, England. The tarmac-surfaced road, which is the most direct route from the central Lake District to West Cumbria, shares the title of steepest road in England with Rosedale Chimney Bank in North Yorkshire.

Cumbria is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria’s county town is Carlisle, in the north of the county. 

Ocean Views: Portuguese Man O’ War (BBC Earth)

As it floats on the surface of the ocean, the Man O’ War looks beautiful and harmless but packs a killer sting with its deadly tentacles.

The Portuguese man o’ war, also known as the man-of-war, bluebottle, or floating terror is a marine hydrozoan found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. It is considered to be the same species as the Pacific man o’ war, which is found mainly in the Pacific Ocean. 

Montana Views: John Maclean’s Backstory Memoir ‘Home Waters’

John Maclean’s family was the topic of “A River Runs Through It,” the novella that became a hit film. Now, his own new book tells the backstory of the captivating drama. Jeff Glor takes a look at Maclean’s love for Montana’s great outdoors.

Front Cover Views: The Economist – July 24, 2021

360° Hikes: Table Mountain In Alberta, Canada (Video)

Immerse yourself in Alberta’s wide-open spaces in this 360-degree experience as National Geographic Travel Photographer Kahli April hikes to Table Mountain in Castle Provincial Park. Follow her as she takes the trail through lush Aspen forest, up rocky scrambles and past waterfalls. At the summit, the wide flat table-like plateau (from where the mountain gets its name) opens up panoramic views from the vast prairies on one side to the peaks of the Canadian Rockies on the other.

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