Guidebook updates

Chapter 2: Practical Information

Getting there and away

Purchasers of Edition 7 of our guide to The Azores should be aware that Ryanair’s weekly flight from Manchester to Ponta Delgada now happens on a Friday, rather than a Thursday as stated in the book. (These flights end for the season in October, and no plans have yet been announced for next year’s schedule.)
Airline schedules are always changing, so we would advise that readers always check airline schedules first, before making any accommodation or ongoing inter-island transport arrangements.
So, what does Terceira have to offer? The avid researcher can certainly circumnavigate this rugged volcanic island by bus, but really a car is best for a week’s stay. The landscape is a true highlight, with geothermal activity, much greenery and underground caves to explore.
The town of Praia da Vitoria is close to the airport and has the island’s best beach, but most visitors will base themselves in Angra do Heroismo. This pretty town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a coupled of good museums, and old town tour, pretty gardens and the biggest concentration of quality restaurants and accommodation options. After exploring Angra, you can tour the island in a day or two, but do take time to pull on your boots and take advantage of the superb hiking for which the Azores are justifiably renowned.

Chapter 2: Practical information

Red Tape

[Updated 8/10/18] p. 54: Hand-in-hand with changes to the fast-evolving visa regime come developments on the requirement for visitors to register their temporary address within Belarus. This must still be done within five working days of arriving in the country, but it is no longer necessary to complete the two-part migration form that used to be handed out on your plane, train or bus prior to crossing the border.

If staying at a hotel or hostel the process of registration will be completed for you. It only takes a few minutes. You will be handed a small registration certificate. Guard it as you would your passport, because you will need to hand it in when you leave the country.

If staying with relatives, friends or in a private apartment you will need to attend the local Citizenship & Migration office personally (with your host). Take your passport and medical insurance documents with you. After completing the necessary paperwork and paying a modest fee you will be given your certificate of registration for presentation at the border at the end of your trip.

Chapter 3: Minsk City and Oblast

What to see and do 

[Updated 23/7/19] p. 165:The Museum of Ancient Belarusian Culture is now closed for essential repairs and is not expected to open again until sometime next year. 

Chapter 13: The Okavango Delta – Private Reserves around Moremi 

Mapula and Kadizora (NG12)

Where to stay

p. 348: Mapula Lodge We’re pleased to report that Mapula Lodge has recently come under new ownership, resulting in some very positive changes.  As a result, we can once more recommend the lodge to safari-goers. [Updated 28/4/19]

Chapter 3: Sofia

What to see and do

Ethnographic Museum

[updated 21/09/16] p.93 The Ethnographic Museum’s gift shop, called Craft Shop, has moved location. It’s current address is ul Paris 4, close to Sv Aleksandur Nevski Memorial Church. The shop is open every day, including Saturdays on request and can be contacted by telephone (989 64 16) and email (esperanza@abv.bg).

Slow Travel Cheshire

Chapter 1: Chester & Wirral

Chester Zoo

[Updated 2/10/2018] p.34: The zoo does not feature polar bears in its collection.

Food & drink

[Updated 2/10/2018] p.35: Covino 10 Rufus Ct, CH1 2JW 01244 347727. This relative newcomer, tucked away in a small modern courtyard, may have passed us by but you should make a beeline for its excellent wines, many biodynamic, and delicious small dishes of artisan cured meats and cheeses. The intimate bar is set on the first floor – take a table in the bar, which has an industrial-chic feel with its brick walls and bare light bulbs, or, in good weather, a table on the small terrace.

Birkenhead

[Updated 2/10/2018] p.46–9: While you’re in Birkenhead, call by Birkenhead Priory (Priory St CH41 5JH 0151 666 3537 Apr–Sep 13.00–17.00 Wed–Fri, 10.00–17.00 Sat & Sun, Oct–Mar 12.00–16.00 Wed–Fri, 10.00–16.00 Sat & Sun) to see the remains of this once significant spiritual centre, the Benedictine monks from which ran the Mersey ferry. The town also hosts an art collection that focuses on artists from the region at the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum (Slatey Rd CH43 4UE 0151 666 3537 10.00–17.00 Wed–Sun).

Chapter 2: South Cheshire

Nantwich

Food & drink

[Updated 2/10/2018] p.87: Teresa’s Ice Cream Parlour has closed.

Chapter 3: The Heart of the Plain

Shopping

[Updated 2/10/2018] p.114: Bookshop at Oakmere has closed

Chapter 5: Macclesfield & the Peak District

Macclesfield 

Food & drink

[Updated 8/10/2018] p. 153: 

Flour Water Salt 9 Market Pl, Macclesfield SK10 1EB 01625 260563 flourwatersalt.co.uk 08.30–14.30 Tue–Sat; 10.00-15.00 on Treacle Market Sundays. This well-respected bakery champions Real Bread and has been producing excellent sourdough, ciabatta and rye breads since 2009, selling its wares at the Treacle Market and supplying local restaurants and shops. Now owners Paul and Eva Robinshaw have gone one better, converting an empty amusement arcade in the heart of Macc into their own little café. And very nice it is, too, serving breakfast, brunch and lunch as well as a grand range of breads, cakes and pastries.

The Random Apple Company Shrigley Fold, Swanscoe, Macclesfield SK10 5SZ 07742 678873 swanscoe.co.uk. Got some apple trees laden with fruit? Take any surplus along to The Random Apple Company in Swanscoe, northeast of Macclesfield, where you can swap them for juice and maybe have a go at pressing some fruit yourself. The ‘Applery’ is based in private grounds, so only open to the public on limited days throughout the season; see the website for details. The same family-run venture is behind The Kitchen, a range of home-made jams, jellies and fruit cheeses, and between now and Christmas there’s a pop-up farm stand every Sunday morning (10.00–12.00), selling these and other home-grown goodies. 

Chapter 6: Stockport & the Cheshire Panhandle 

Stockport & around 

Food & drink

[Updated 8/10/2018] p. 153:The Allotment 

Sadly, Stockport’s wonderful vegan restaurant has decamped to neighbouring Manchester. The last meal at the Stockport premises was served at the end of September 2018 and the restaurant reopens on Lloyd Street in central Manchester on 3 November.

Chapter 7: Northeast Cheshire

Cheshire mountaineers 

[Updated 8/10/2018] p. 236: Apologies for the editing error that crept in to the copy about the Mallory memorial window in the box on Cheshire mountaineers. Towards the end of the first column, instead of referring to ‘a memorial window to Archibald Keightley Nicholson’ the text should, of course, read ‘by Archibald Keightley Nicholson’.

Marton, Siddington & Redesmere

Food & drink

[Updated 8/10/2018] p. 250: Chapeau! New management took over in April 2018 and while the café is still there, the next-door food shop has now gone, replaced by a games shop.

Chapter 8: Mersey & northwest Cheshire

Helsby

Food & drink

[Updated 8/10/2018] p. 284: 

Beer Heroes Helsby Train Station WA6 0BX 01928 890440 beerheroes.com 17.00–21.00 Thu; 14.00–21.00 Fri; 13.00–21.00 Sat; 14.00–20.00 Sun. Head for Helsby station and in one of the old railway buildings there you’ll find a shrine to craft beers, with eight on tap and another 300-odd in bottles and cans, for drinking in or taking away. We found out about this little bottle shop and tap room too late to include it in the first edition – curses – but we’re delighted to see that it’s clearly doing well. In summer 2018 owners Carl and Kelly Ball (motto: ‘saving the world from ordinary beer!’) opened a sister venture in Chester (26 Watergate St CH1 2LA 01244 340393 noon–21.00 daily) with a similar offering.

Chapter 9: Accommodation

Macclesfield & the Peak District

Swythamley Chapel 

[Updated 12/06/2018] Sadly, since the book went to press, this property is no longer available for holiday lets.

Chapter 1: Cotswold Gateways

Oxford

[Updated 12/06/2017] p.36. The website address for the tourist information centre in Oxford is www.experienceoxfordshire.org.

East Devon attractions opening on the week of July 6 2020

Exmouth – Stuart Line Cruises (p57)

Killerton House Gardens (p77)

Honiton – Wildwood Escot (p86)

Honiton – Thelma Hulbert Gallery (p90)

Collaton Raleigh – Bicton Park (p131)

Seaton – Seaton Jurassic (p185)

Seaton – Seaton Tramway (p186)

Axminster – Archway bookshop (p210)

Remaining closed for the time being

Exmouth – The World of Country Life (p71)

Sidmouth – The Donkey Sanctuary (p141)

Beer – Pecorama (p176)

The town of Môle-Saint-Nicolas is regularly referred to as the “northeast of Haiti”, for example on p. 48: “At Môle-Saint-Nicolas in the far northeast…” or p. 175: “…the little-visited gem of Môle-Saint-Nicolas in the far northeast…”.

However, Môle-Saint-Nicolas is in the far northwest of Haiti, not the northeast.

Chapter 6: Lake Issyk-Kul South and the Central Tien Shan

Trekking in the Central Tien Shan

Jergalan

[updated 21/09/16] p192–3 The region around Jergalan is an up and coming sports area during both the summer (horseriding and hiking) and winter (skiing, snowboarding and cross-country; nothing mechanised, all natural). A small guest house in the impossibly calm village of Jergalan is brand new, with great beds, super plumbing and good food. It’s run by Emil Ibakov and he can be reached at alakol2009@gmail.com. The road from Karakol is rough and you’d be better off sleeping in Jergalan and starting from there. Cost for a room and 3 meals (per person) is 2500 som (about US$35). If you’re a lover of off-the-beaten-track destinations, this is it. Nowhere else to drive off from here – just hike up. 

Chapter 5: Local Transport

Métro, trams and buses

Métro

[Updated 01/03/2017] p.45 Just when you thought you’d got the hang on the public transport system… Eight stations on the Lille Métro network have been renamed from March 2017.

Métro Line 1:

Previously called                               Now called
CHR-B Calmette                               Eurasanté
CHR Oscar Lambret                         CHU – Centre O. Lambret
Hellemmes                                        Mairie d’Hellemmes
Lezennes                                          Square Flandres

Métro Line 2:

Previously called                               Now called
Les Prés                                           Les Prés – Edgard Pisani
Croix Mairie                                      Mairie de Croix
Gare Jean Lebas                             Gare Jean Lebas Roubaix
Tourcoing Sébastopol                      Gare de Tourcoing

From Sunday March 1 2018 all domestic buses, trams and trains throughout the entire country will be free. You will no longer have to buy a ticket for any journey within Luxembourg – simply board and ride. (Note that if you wish to travel first-class on trains you will still need a valid ticket; second class is, however, free.)

On international services to and from Germany, France and Belgium the portion of the journey within Luxembourg is also now free, and the total ticket price has been reduced accordingly. 

There is more information on it here and here.

Chapter 1: Practical Information

Visas

[Updated 25/04/17] p. 43. The minimum period a visa can be issued for has risen from 10 days to one month. To reflect this, the cost of this basic visa has increased from RO5 to RO20.

Getting there

[Updated 27/2/18] p. 45. From March 20th 2018 the new Terminal at Muscat International Airport will open. All Flights are expected to arrive and depart from there. The terminal is within the existing airport boundary which will mean the broader details of any arrival or departure will remain as before, though details such as adjacency to the main highway will change.

Concurrent with that relocation is an announcement by the entry visa issuing authority, Royal Oman Police, that all visas for Oman should be applied for online here.

Getting around

[Updated 16/06/17] p. 59-60. The bus company Mwasalat have announced a more or less complete relocation of InterCity bus departures – now leaving from their maintenance garage. The new location is in Al Athaiba, Muscat on the main Al Sultan Qaboos St.

There is only one exception – the service number 36 via Qurayyat – which still goes from Ruwi, although this may also change.

Chapter 8: Ash Sharqiyyah

Sur

Where to stay

[Updated 30/03/17] p. 264. Zaki Apartment Hotel (30 apartments) Tel: 25 545924; Zaki is a very well-established local restaurant and the addition of accommodation with Zaki Apartment Hotel makes the combination well worth considering for a family stay. There is a mix of very spacious and well-furnished one- and two-bedroom apartments, all with kitchen, including breakfast and Wifi. A new family restaurant has been added on top of the original Zaki restaurant at the rear, with mainly Indian food, but also grills. $$

The Pierwoall Hotel on Westray is under new management and has been recommended by a guest who tells us that it has been beautifully furnished. (p244)

The St Magnus Way has now been extended: it now begins in Egilsay. (p100)

Chapter 3: Getting there and away

By air

[Updated on 30/03/2016] p54. Qatar Airways, the national airlines of Qatar, have announced plans to resume flights to the Seychelles effective from 12 December 2016, after a lapse of 3 years.

Chapter 3: Practical information

Getting there

By air

[Updated 21/06/2017] Pages 54–5: The island welcomed its historic first passenger flight in early May, when a chartered plane landed at the new airport.  The 60 passengers on board, including both St Helenians and visitors, had been stranded in Cape Town when the RMS St Helena was undergoing repairs. 

[Updated 26/10/17] Pages 54–5: It’s been a long time a-coming, but at long last the first commercial flights to St Helena commenced on 14 October 2017.  The weekly service between Johannesburg and St Helena will be operated by SA Airlink, whose aircraft will refuel in Windhoek, with connecting flights between Cape Town and Windhoek in both directions. The service between Johannesburg and St Helena will take just over six hours, with up to 76 passengers on each flight – 70 in economy class and six in business.

Flights will operate every Saturday, departing from Johannesburg at around 09.00, and arriving in St Helena at 13.15. The return flight will leave St Helena on Saturday afternoon, at 14.30, touching down in Johannesburg at 22.30, or Cape Town at 23.00.  Economy return fares will range from £804 to £1,244, with business-class fares fixed at £1,544. Fares between St Helena and Cape Town will be marginally higher as a result of higher airport taxes: £846–1,286 return in economy, and £1,586 in business class.

On the second Saturday of the month, the flight will continue on from St Helena to Ascension Island, returning to St Helena on the Sunday, from where the flight schedule will match that of the Saturday.   

By sea 

[Updated 07/01/17] Page 55:In anticipation of a delay in establishing regular flights to St Helena, operation of the RMS St Helena between Cape Town, St Helena and Ascension has been extended until February 2018.

Getting around

By taxi 

[Updated 07/01/17] Page 66:A new 24-hour taxi service was launched in August 2016, V2 Taxi Partners (62644, 51284). It also offers a ‘VIP champagne cruise’ for £180 per couple including a three-course meal and drinks.

Chapter 4: Jamestown

Where to stay

[Updated 11/11/17] Page 87: With the advent of flights to St Helena comes the opening of the new hotel at numbers 1, 2 & 3 Main Street:

Mantis St Helena  (22 rooms, 8 suites) Main St; tel: +27 (0)41 404 9300; e sthelena@mantiscollection.com; https://mantissthelena.com.  Opened in time for the first visitors to arrive by air in Oct 2017, St Helena’s newest hotel combines ‘heritage’ suites in the original buildings at this historic address, with smaller, more contemporary rooms in the new extension – which has been designed to incorporate an old well that was discovered in the old garden.  All rooms come with en-suite shower or baths, AC, safes & TVs, with some suitable for families & others for wheelchair users. Aside from the chef, every member of staff is from St Helena. The à la carte restaurant is open to residents & non-residents alike, for breakfast, lunch & dinner.

What to see and do 

[Updated 11/11/17] Page 94: Jamestown/Jacob’s Ladder A new café at the top of Jacob’s Ladder, Rosie’s Place, offers the incentive of a welcome cold drink or cup of coffee after the climb.

Pages 105–6: St Paul’s, Alarm Forest and Longwood/Plantation House Visitors can arrange to visit Plantation House through the tourist office in Jamestown. This is usually on a Tuesday morning, but other times may be possible. There’s now a charge of £10 per person, which includes coffee, and children are welcome if accompanied by an adult. For a further £5, you can have a proper tour of the library as well.

Chapter 7: Visiting Ascension

Getting there and away

By air

From St Helena

[Updated 26/10/17] Page 134: The first scheduled flight between St Helena and Ascension will be on the third Saturday in November, but thereafter flights will depart from St Helena on the second Saturday of the month, returning to St Helena the following day.  For details of flights between South Africa and St Helena, see above.

By sea

[Updated 07/01/17] Page 134-5: As a result of continued uncertainty over regular flights to St Helena, the RMS St Helena will continue in service, linking the two islands with Cape Town, until February 2018. 

Georgetown

Where to eat and drink

[Updated 09/04/16]  Page 143:The Fishtrap Unfortunately the promised restaurant opposite the Ascension Government Building has not materialised, and no further information is available.

Chapter 8: Background information

Health

[Updated 11/09/15] In September 2015, it was announced that, as for St Helena, a yellow fever vaccination will in future be required for all travellers arriving in Tristan da Cunha from countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission. For further health information relating to St Helena, see page 59.

Chapter 1: Chichester Harbour to the Arun

Chichester

[Updated 17/2/17] p. 32 The telephone number for the Novium Museum is 01243 775888.

Chapter 4: North Taiwan

Super up-to-date and comprehensive travel information for Jiufen and Shifen can be found on this blog.

[Updated 2/1/20] Because of changes to the insurance rules for YouBike, the shared public bikes in Greater Taipei, foreign tourists are currently unable to rent the bikes unless they pay a deposit of NTD2,000 per bike through their credit cards.

Chapter 5: Hakka Country

Hsinchu Image Museum

[Updated 10/6/2019] p. 150: Hsinchu Image Museum is closed for renovations until at least the end of June 2019.

Chapter 6: Central Taiwan

Getting around

[Updated 22/6/2020] The daily #6506 bus from Fengyuan to Lishan via Hehuanshan has been cancelled.

Chapter 7: Southwest Taiwan 

Tainan – Where to eat and drink

[Updated 24/5/2019] p. 205: Foodies bound for Tainan might like this guide to 11 street-food hot spots, written by the author of Taiwan: The Bradt Travel Guide. Whether you’re looking for shrimp rolls, roasted sweet potatoes, or sweet treats like Neipu rice cake, this article has all the information you need.

Chapter 8: Kaohsiung and Pingtung

Liangshan Waterfall

[Updated 22/6/2020] Visitors must pay to enter 60/30 (weekdays) and 80/40 (weekends). Parking a car costs 50.

Chapter 9: East Taiwan

Zhiben Hot Springs

[Updated 21/5/2019] p. 299: The stairs up to Jade Waterfall (Baiyu Falls) near Zhiben Hot Springs are currently closed. The little car park at the bottom of the stairs remains open and from it you can see part of the waterfall. From there it’s possible to take a steep and rough in places – but navigable – road towards Yaoshan. This is best done by motorcycle, the road being too narrow for larger vehicles.

Chapter 28: Other Amtrak Trains

The Hoosier State (Chicago–Indianaopolis)

[updated 9/1/2020] This train had its last run on June 30, 2019. 

Chapter 7: Les Herbiers, Clisson and the Vendée Wars

Les Épesses – What to see and do  

Le Puy du Fou: Le Grand Parc

[Updated 14/8/2018] p. 181: Often voted as the world’s best theme park, it’s hard to believe that the Puy du Fou in the Vendée department is in need of further attractions to lure in more visitors.

But amid the stunning historical re-enactments, pageantry, costumed staff and spectacular displays of birds of prey, a slightly more mundane – though bizarre – curiosity is due to appear shortly.

Astonishingly, the park has trained six crows to pick up cigarette ends and rubbish and the birds will shortly be starting work at the Vendée’s biggest tourist site.

The Puy du Fou’s president, Nicolas de Villiers, is quoted as saying:

The goal is not just to clear up, because the visitors are generally careful to keep things clean” but also to show that “nature itself can teach us to take care of the environment.

And while many of the people participating in the park’s night-time show, the incredible Cinéscénie, are volunteers, the crows will not go unpaid: each time they collect some rubbish, they will be rewarded with a morsel of food.

Chapter 7: Lusaka

Where to stay

Budget

[Updated 17/2/17] p.122 Natwange Backpackers really is one of the ‘poshest’ backpackers places you can stay in!! It even has a dressing gown in the wardrobe! It is in the north of Lusaka in quiet Olympia, 1km north of Manda Hill Shopping Centre, so away from the busy city. They have dorms & doubles & is very cosy & friendly. The website is www.natwangebackpackers.com, email is natwangebp@gmail.com, and phone is +260 966 303 816. Owners David & Anita.

Chapter 10: The Luangwa Valley

South Luangwa National Park

Where to stay and eat

[Updated 17/2/17] p.248  Dean’s Hill View Lodge is the only place to stay in Chiptata for overlanders that has real beds. The email address is contact@deanshillviewlodge.com & the manager is Andrea Frattolin. Phone numbers: +260 971 720 686 & +260 216 223 698.

Getting there

[Updated17/2/17] p.269 Travelling from Mfuwe, the route is no longer serviced by minibuses but instead coaches run by Juldan & PPDAZ (Public & Private Drivers’ Association of Zambia). The cost remains 50 kwacha (2.5 hours) with a taxi from Mfuwe to the camps nearby (Marula Lodge, Croc Valley & Track & Trail) a further 10 kwacha (10 mins). Juldan & PPDAZ also run direct from Lusaka to Mfuwe & back every day, taking about 11-12 hours & costing 190 kwacha.

On 21 November, 2019, the government of Zimbabwe resolved to rename several roads and streets across the country. The new names commemorate deceased national heroes and their allies from the liberation struggle of the 1970s, with eight across the country renamed after the sitting president Emmerson Mnangagwa. Their reasoning is that such a drastic and unnecessarily confusing change will foster unity and promote a better sense of patriotic identity. While these new names will take a long time to be accurately reflected in maps and signage across Zimbabwe, we thought it prudent to provide an update as fast as possible for the convenience of visitors to the country who could be left high and dry otherwise. In any case it is going to make navigating the towns and cities into a tongue-twisting riddle as people get used to the new reality.