Detour
Stories, ideas and destinations for people who love travelling slow.
Top features
Salt pans, green wine and riverside trains – Portugal’s blend of rural and urban
A growing emphasis on responsible travel means it’s time to look beyond the big destinations. Portugal’s smaller cities offer a beautiful balance between artistic urban centres and dramatic landscapes, allowing you to experience the full breadth of a region’s culture.… Continue reading >
Coastal trails, new rails and overnight trains – fresh ways to see the UK
In 2021, we probably all got to know the UK much better than we’d thought possible. You might have imagined this leading to a bout of cabin fever, but instead we feel a renewed sense of love for our island… Continue reading >
Sleepers, hikers and octopi: flightless France in 2022
With sustainability becoming increasingly woven into the fabric of travel, the love affair between Brits and nearby France is set to blossom in 2022. Our Loire-based expert Nicky has dusted off her little black book of foodies, artists and wine… Continue reading >
Guides
Slow guide to Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is the UK’s only coastal national park, with 58 beaches and 14 harbours along the ragged outcrop of its shores. Many of the beaches have won worldwide awards for their beauty which, along with a flourishing food scene and… Continue reading >
Slow Guide to Cornwall
We know Cornwall so well that we often imagine there’s nothing more to discover, but we’re always delighted to be proved wrong. With a little digging, an open mind and a willingness to push on further down the trails and… Continue reading >
Slow Guide to The New Forest
Wild animals grazing in oil-painting scenery, wetlands alive with ground-nesting birds, grand estates, mighty trees, timeless coastal villages and wonderful things being done with metal, chocolate and bees. We may have wandered outside the strict confines of the National Park… Continue reading >
Slow Guide to Norfolk
If there’s one thing this year has taught us, it’s to appreciate home and what we have around us. We’re quick to hop on a plane, but Norfolk made us realise that what we have here in the UK is… Continue reading >
Inspiration
Returning to France: Alastair Sawday rolls back the years
On his first trip to France for over two years, Alastair Sawday was apprehensive about the state of his first travel love. He shares reflections, revelations and realities on a cycling tour of Brittany’s Voie Verte – a network of converted… Continue reading >
Balance in the Balearics – sustainable innovation in Spain’s islands
In 2016, the Balearic Islands instituted a Sustainable Tourism Tax. Many were sceptical, but since its inception over 170 innovative projects have been initiated. They cover everything from cultural restoration to mapping the ocean floor, but they all have one… Continue reading >
Slow, natural Italy – cycling and hiking in the tranquil countryside
After everything that’s happened in the past couple of years, Italy feels like a place rediscovering itself and rethinking its approach to many things, travel included. Partially due to a government credit scheme encouraging bicycle ownership, there’s been a huge… Continue reading >
Five beautiful and bracing winter walks
Nothing beats those crisp winter days: the sun’s shining, you’re wrapped up warm and there’s a peaceful stillness to the frosty landscape. Whether you’re looking for a short Sunday loop or a post-lunch hike – we’ve got five best winter… Continue reading >
Journeys
Tom Hodgkinson in bohemian London
Tom Hodgkinson is editor of The Idler magazine, a lifelong Londoner and an advocate of a relaxed approach to life and travel. We sent Tom tramping through the backstreets of London to get back in touch with the city’s inveterate,… Continue reading >
Driving La Méridienne in France
Travel writer and huge Francophile Carolyn Boyd managed to fit a French summer road trip among the travel restrictions. Follow her journey through the golden fields of Picardy, the volcanoes of Auvergne and the Grands Causses of the Cévennes, to… Continue reading >
Discover Andalucía: 500 years after Magellan set off around the world
Travel journalist and award-winning writer Sarah Baxter travelled to southwest Andalucía earlier this year in celebration of the Magellan Anniversary – 500 years since Ferdinand Magellan set off from Seville to circumnavigate the world. We follow Sarah as she explores… Continue reading >
Marche: Walking Italy’s less-travelled paths
We sent Nell and Luke, of unique slow travel blog What if We Walked, on a hiking tour of the little-known Marche region of Italy. They trekked limestone ridges to medieval villages, heard local legends, sampled stuffed olive delicacies, and… Continue reading >