HEIMPLANET MONOLITH

DAYPACK
THIS is three bags in one back-
pack, shoulder bag and brief-
case. It has 22 litres of space, plus
you can clip on a Monolith Volume
pouch, ideal for carrying passports.
It is hardy, made from water-resistant,
tough material and with water-repellent zips.
Great for everything from walks to weekend
trips. It costs 138.99. See surfdome.com.
POSTSNAP
THIS lets you create and send personalised
postcards straight from your phone.
It is packed with features to create collages,
borders, photo effects, written signatures and
doodles. And theres a great range of fonts and colours
so even the pickiest of designers will be happy with the text.
Once youve created the card, you can pay for postage and
printing with PayPal.
Your friends and family will then recieve their cards printed
on high quality paper.
For more info see postsnap.com. It is free to download from
the App Store.
IT TAKES TWO DAYS BUT RAIL TRIP WAS WORTH EVERY MINUTE
GET AN EIFFEL OF THIS . . Anna left Motherwell and got Eurostar to Paris via London
WRITE STUFF . . latest book
COSTA DEL SOLD . . . from Paris it was on to Barcelona before arriving in popular Malaga
JUST for the sheer hell of
it, I was tempted to
bring everything from nail
clippers to fizzy drinks
and spray deodorant.
Heck, why not chuck in some
shaving foam and a bottle of
wine, just because I can.
Oh the joy, not to have to
be searched by security and
tracked by airport staff in case
youve got a tiny handbag
smuggled under your jacket.
Sure, flying is the fastest
way to travel, and once on
board I can live with the
pricey tea bag and fiver for a
gin and tonic.
But Im a frequent traveller,
and the airport security and
baggage restrictions have
turned me into a grump.
(There are people who would
tell you Ive always been like
that but its not true).
As a crime novelist, one
thing I often have is time on
my hands. So I decided to let
the train take the strain as I
head for my favourite haunt
on the Costa del Sol to begin
work on my next thriller.
And so, Motherwell to Malaga
by train became a plan. Yes,
you can actually do this! It
only started last December, but
is already proving popular.
Its a bubble
My sister dropped me at
Motherwell, and in jig time I
was in Edinburghs Waverley
and settled in First Class on
an East Coast train as it cut a
swathe through the meadows,
towns and villages.
Its like being transported in
a comfy, quiet little bubble,
with free wifi so you can dip
into the outside world while
the staff keep you stocked up
on sandwiches and drinks till
London Kings Cross.
In the capital, I stayed in
the Travelodge at Euston,
which had everything I needed
a meal with a glass of wine
for a tenner and the best sleep
in a long time.
The hotel is a five-minute
stroll down to St Pancreas for
the Eurostar in the morning.
The Eurostar check-in and
departure lounge is a revelation
in itself. Unlike airports, there
are no brittle travellers in their
socks, puce with rage that sec-
urity staff have emptied their
bags of anything over 100ml.
You just shove your
bag on the conveyor belt
and off you go into the
tranquility of the lounge
to wait for the train.
This is my first trip
on the Eurostar, and
being a tad claustropho-
bic, I get a twinge in
my gut when we go into the
tunnel. Were 50 metres below
the sea, and, yes I did the cur-
sory check of the ceil-
ing for any drips! But
after 20 minutes were
in France. Magic!
At Paris Gare du
Nord, rather than risk
being swallowed up in
the Metro, I jumped in
a taxi across to Gare
de Lyon to catch the
Barca train. Again, no security,
hassle free. You check the depar-
ture board and head for the
train and the six-hour journey.
This spanking new Spanish
TGV Duplex train to Barce-
lona is an awesome double
decker with spectacular views.
Im totally bowled over with
the splendour of the green
fields of France, the blazing
golden rape pastures, and the
mesmerising, shifting land-
scape. And, lest we forget, in
one small field, a French flag
flutters in a war cemetery,
where rows of white head-
stones remind me of the ulti-
mate sacrifices made so that
people like me could be free
to enjoy days like this.
Its a bright blue sky all the
way to Montpellier and
onwards to Barcelona.
I stayed at the Marriotts AC
Sants, two minutes walk from
the station. Its perfect. I nipped
into the pavement cafe next
door for a bowl of Catalan fish
stew, a couple of glasses of
Rioja and people watched, fol-
lowed by a long bath in one of
the AC Sants junior suites.
Then, next morning its the
AVE fast train to Malaga rail
travel, but not as we know it.
Here, you have movies, ear-
phones and seats you can sink
into while the colours of Andalu-
cia welcome you to Malaga. This
trip takes the guts of two days
and is more pricey than a cheap,
no-frills flight to Malaga.
But, listen, dont go through
your life without doing this. Just
once, dont let time dictate your
life and leave you frazzled when
you reach your destination.
This is travelling the old-fash-
ioned way and I cant wait to
do it again.
ANNA SMITH
GADGET
of the
WEEK
APP
of the
WEEK
JET2HOLIDAYS have some cracking bar-
gains for those looking to grab the last of the
summer sun in Europe.
Go self-catering for seven nights at the 2H
Aphrodite Studios in Laganas, Zante, from
169pp, leaving Glasgow on August 20. Or try
Crete with a week self-catering at the 2H plus Vargas Stu-
dios in Malia from 169pp, leaving Glasgow on August 19.
Both based on three sharing, 22kg baggage allowance
and transfers. See jet2holidays.com or call 0800 408 5594.
Q
IF youre after sun and sea but get bored loafing
around, then this deal might be for you.
Mark Warner has seven nights full-board at the San
Lucianu Beach Resort in Corsica for just 624 on August
30, including BA flights from Heathrow and resort trans-
fers. Sailing and windsurfing with tuition, tennis, mountain
biking, fitness programmes and childcare from two to 17
years is included. See markwarner.co.uk.
AROUNDTHE WORLD
Maximum temperatures
36
o
c
16
o
c
32
o
c
24
o
c
26
o
c
33
o
c
Dalaman
Blackpool
Miami
Cape Verde
Malaga
Bangkok
WED
PLYMOUTH
SOUTHAMPTON
LONDON
NORWICH
BIRMINGHAM
MANCHESTER
LEEDS
NEWCASTLE
EDINBURGH
ABERDEEN
SOUTHAMPTON
LONDON
NORWICH
BIRMINGHAM
BRISTOL BRISTOL
MANCHESTER
LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL
LEEDS
NEWCASTLE
EDINBURGH
GLASGOW GLASGOW
ABERDEEN
BELFAST BELFAST
DUBLIN DUBLIN
PLYMOUTH
CARDIFF CARDIFF
18
17
19
16
16
14
15
14
15
15
13
14
WEATHER with
NAZANEENGHAFFAR
TODAYS WEATHER
14 TUE MON16 15
BETH BAILEY owns and runs the 5H
Kernock Cottages in Pillaton, South-
East Cornwall.
Start the day . . . Grab a great all-day
breakfast at the Louis Tea Rooms in the
Kit Hill Country Park.
See this first . . . Park at Tregantle Fort
and take the cliff path to Whitsand Bay
four miles of sand from the Rame
Peninsula to Portwrinkle. Reward yourself
after the hike with lunch at The View.
Dont miss . . . Cotehele House and
gardens a preserved Tudor home run
by the National Trust. Or try the zipwire at
Adrenalin Quarry, Menheniot.
Must Try . . . Cream tea in picturesque
Edgecumbe, at Cotehele Quay.
Must Buy . . . Tamar View in Carkeel has
a great butcher, fruit-and-veg shop and
van with fresh fish. All family businesses.
Locals do . . . Drink at the Weary Friar
Inn, Pilaton, or Tidefords Rod and Line.
Locals dont . . . Put cream on their
scone before the jam. Thats Devon.
l Kernock Cottages five self-catering
cottages are from 345 for three nights for
four people. See premiercottages.co.uk.
l
FAMILIES are splashing out more on their holidays than
they did last year.
The average family intends to spend 281, 17 per cent
more than they spent in 2013 excluding spending money
according to the study by M&S Bank.
British holidaymakers on average take an 11-day break
and 53 per cent said they were planning to spend more.
Although 32 per cent of those said it was because they
were taking a longer holiday.
As well as the cost of flights and accommodation, families
will also fork out 612 per person mostly on food, drink,
entertainment and excursions.
But even though were aware of these costs 1 in 4 of us
doesnt make a budget.
Paul Stokes, head of travel money at M&S Bank, said:
Our research suggests that many families are planning to
treat themselves by spending a little extra this year.
STAR TURN . . . Anna about to board
Hols for under...
TODAY: Most of Scotland will be windy with sunny
spells and showers. Patchy rain clears to give a
sunnier afternoon. Temperatures below average for
August.
TONIGHT: It will stay windy overnight, with showers
continuing to affect Scotland as well as Irish Sea
and North Sea coastal counties. Other areas will
become largely dry and clear.
OUTLOOK: Tomorrow will see sunny spells but risk
of showers. Strong winds subside. Sunny spells and
showers on Tuesday. Temperatures are still below
average.
100:
Taste the high life with the Blackpool
Tower Eye Champagne Experience for
24.95pp including glass of bubbly and VIP access. See
theblackpooltower.com or call 0871 222 9929 OR Stena
Line Holidays has deals to Ireland that include return ferry
travel for two with your car, two nights in a hotel with
breakfast from 100pppn, based on arrival date of August
22. See stenaline.co.uk/hotel or call 08445 768 768.
250:
Masia Notari in Sitges, Spain, houses 35
in 14 bedrooms and is minutes from the
beach. A week from October 24 to Dec 19 costs 4,644
or 133pp. Flights extra. See spain-holiday.com or call
020 3384 7066 OR four nights full-board at Thorns Hall
in Sedbergh, Yorkshire, is from 182.50pp from
September 20, discounted by 50 per cent. See
hfholidays.co.uk or call 0345 470 7558.
500:
A week all-inclusive in Corfu, at the 4H
Mitsis Roda Beach, Roda, is from 399pp,
leaving Glasgow on September 26. See
barrheadtravel.co.uk or call 0141 222 2223 OR a
two-bedroom lodge in South Meadows Caravan Park,
near Belford in Northumberland is from 500 a week. See
pitchup.com/lodges/.
750:
Seven nights all-inclusive at the 3H Hotel
Kipriotis Hippocrates in Psalidi, Kos is
from 697pp (kids from 575) leaving Edinburgh on
August 27. See firstchoice.co.uk or call 0871 200 7799
OR take the dog to Chapel Cottage in North Devon from
592pw in September sleeps eight. See
helpfulholidays.com or call 01647 434063.
1,000:
Seven nights room-only at the 3V+
The Regent Cha Am Beach Resort in
Cha Am, Thailand, is from 985pp, leaving Glasgow on
September 22. See virginholidays.co.uk or call 0844 557
3870 OR a week all-inclusive with Blue Bay Travel at the
4H Club Barbados is from 999pp, with flights from
Manchester on selected dates in September November.
See caribbeanwarehouse.co.uk or call 08444 999 330.
Bargain
of the
WEEK
52 Sunday, August 17, 2014 1S