Travel in county Little River

If there’s a better place for seafood in California than the Mendocino Coast, I haven’t found it. And right about now is high season for Mendo’s crown jewel: Dungeness crab.

Start in the Christmas-card-perfect Clifton village, with its boutique shops and cafes, then venture to the observatory, where Brunel’s suspension bridge lies before you. Follow the contours of the gorge for more precipitous views, spotting climbers, peregrine falcons and goats along the way. Continue to the sea wall and you will be rewarded with sunset views over distant Wales. Follow the winding road back across the broad and beautiful Downs, sunset at your back.Helen

I don’t know when I started using the word exotic to describe the Welsh uplands. The more commonly used adjectives are lonely, barren, windswept. But today, so close to the summer solstice, after weeks of constant sunshine, this Cambrian Mountain scene is almost African, reminding me of the uplands of Kenya. The little River Elan, far below, is fringed with blazing trails where algae has dried hard on the rocks turning salt white. The slopes are tan and umber. The line of the horizon shifts and undulates in a heat haze. Replace the ubiquitous sheep with antelopes and you’d believe you were far away from here.  

Hike forest-covered mountains with breathtaking views, tackle whitewater rapids in a kayak, relax on sugar-white beaches and swim with sea turtles. From the swathes of stunning sands along the Gulf of Mexico to the raw beauty of its inland wilderness, Alabama has a whole lot of gorgeous scenery up its sleeve – perfect for outdoor adventure.

A region rich in history and culture, natural beauty, southern hospitality, gorgeous white-sand beaches, forest-smothered mountains and NASA’s first moon rockets – Alabama is full of surprises.