(From top): A view of St Ives; the Arra Venton residence; Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant at Padstow

South of England has some of the prettiest landscapes. And so, on a recent holiday to Cornwall, we drive through miles of undulating meadows in Somerset and head towards the southern coastline described in tourist brochures as ?untarnished country?.

The English have a penchant for understatement. We are driving full-throttle but I can make out the wild tors as we get off the highway near St Ives and head towards a lonely cliff that skirts the Atlantic. Arra Venton, where we spend the next 10 days, is an old barn turned into a beautiful residence by the Landmark Trust. There are many similar properties strewn all over England and they make an ideal ?home away from home? for family outings.

My first glimpse of Arra Venton is breathtaking. Against a flaming sunset the barn stands in silhouette. For a long, long time the sky never grows dark; the darkness seems rather to come welling out of the earth like a dye, a changing shape and form filling the twilight with magic. In the distance lies the ocean. The wind has hammered it to a flat mirror that reflects the dying sunlight. September has flung a spray of rooks into the air and dipped them in gold. The light has a strange glow that bathes the boulders with its fading strength. And then, before we know it, we are driving through the gates, in complete awe of the sheer beauty that surrounds us.

If you don?t watch out and just stick to the beaten track, Cornwall can be as predictable and ?touristy? as Rajasthan. We decide to ?chill? and take the days as they come, driving to beaches or just exploring, stopping by for meals at quaint little pubs or indulging in picnics, watching the unending presence of the ocean breathe ceaselessly over the shoulder of many secret cliffs. The landscape is craggy, savage and full of the cry of howling winds and gulls. The waves have pounded out the beaches and on the rugged anvil of Cornish weather the countryside has taken its irregular shape.

Arra Venton, covered in wild grass and yellow gorse, stands three miles out in the hinterland from the small but famous village of Zennor. Many moons ago D.H. Lawrence had arrived there with great hopes for a new life. In fact, some of his finest poems were written during this phase. But the police, who believed that he and his wife were Nazi spies during the Great War, ultimately expelled him. Zennor is our nearest connection with civilisation. And its most romantic spot is Pandour Cove, where, it is believed, on moon-bathed nights, the legendary mermaid comes out to sing for her lover who was the local miller?s son. We try our luck but to no avail and have to be content with seeing her commemorated on a carved pew in the local church.

Some of the well-known towns have about them a predictability we can only blame on mindless tourist traffic. St Ives, for instance, is overdone ? powdered and pretty in a floral linen frock and straw hat, all dressed up and nowhere to go. We are nearer home to devil?s coits, devil?s bellows and devil?s caves in abundance. A visit to Penzance is fun, as we explore the small town that used to be the original home of pirates. Mousehole has a wonderful harbour dotted with pretty fishing boats and St Michael?s Mount was supposed to be a trading port for the Phoenicians.

However, we are in a mood to drive into places less acknowledged in tourist literature. Through open moorland and rocky hills crowned with Druidic temples, past small villages with their huddle of cottages, we speed away to see the dark-faced Atlantic battle the blustering gale and hush, its wheezing bark with gigantic, creaming breakers.

We spend an afternoon on a farm, indulging in the most scrumptious cream tea with dollops of whipped cream and strawberry jam stuffed into hot scones. For lunches, we often try the local pasty with fillings of meats and vegetables.

And we drive where our heart compels without a care. To Bude, where the surfers dot the sea. To the rugged grandeur of Rowena Cade?s legendary Minack Theatre in the wilds of Lamorna, where the lashing sea is the sheer backdrop to many dramatic performances. To Polperro, probably the most famous of Cornwall?s fishing villages. To Bodinnick, a tiny hamlet facing Fowey across the estuary, where Daphne de Maurier had once lived with the ghost of Rebecca in a house first bought by her father.

And finally to Padstow, where our English friends had booked a table months in advance at Rick Stein?s famous Seafood Restaurant. Here we have our fill ? like Lady Diana and her friends who frequented this bistro ? of crab in filo pastry, mussel and leek soup, red mullet with tomato and tarragon dressing, a cassolette of brill, scallops and crabs, all washed down with scintillating local wine.

Photographs by Jayabrato Chatterjee

Route maps

• It will be a busy month for Indian aviation. Not one, but two airlines are waiting at the end of the runway for the word from the control tower. Kingfisher Airlines is scheduled to take to the air in a few days time. That will be followed by Spice Jet, which is also hoping to carve out its own exclusive flightpath in the sky. This is great news for Indian travellers who should watch for special offers that are bound to come their way soon.

• It’s been in the news recently courtesy the latest Karan Johar film Kaal, and if the film has only whetted your appetite for more, grab your binoculars and head for the famous Jim Corbett National Park. You could stay within the forest and soak up the wild beauty of your surroundings, go fishing, rafting or even on a safari through the grasslands. A 3-day/2-night package from WelcomHeritage costs Rs 5,999 per couple (twin-sharing) and includes a stay at Corbett Ramganga Resort, complete with all meals. For more, call WelcomHeritage on 011-26266650-55 or e-mail welcom@ndf.vsnl.net.in

• If a trip abroad is just what the doctor ordered, this one’s for you. Think a high-voltage two-week tour of the best of Europe and two additional days in Singapore (exit Calcutta) or Dubai (exit Mumbai/ Delhi).

The package offered by Thomas Cook India Ltd will cover London, Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany, and includes no hidden costs. Everything from food and sightseeing to stay at 4-star hotels is taken care of. The cost: Rs 1,55,000 per head (exit Delhi/Mumbai) and Rs 1,62,000 (exit Calcutta). For details call: 2282 4711/2.

On the road again

Hit the highway on your two-wheeler for an altogether different trip, says Arundhati Basu

I’m rolling on and on and on/ who knows where I’m goin’,” echoes the carefree biker as he cruises for days on end. Life’s a highway for him and every day a winding road when astride his two-wheeler, he feels the wind blowing through his hair and encounters new sights and sounds. “In a car you’re watching the world like a film, but on a bike you are the film. No mountain, bad road or river can stop a biker in his quest for adventure,” says die-hard biker Srinidhi Raghavendra who’s travelled for 45 long days on his 110cc TVS Victor from Garhwal to Sikkim.

Donning his riding gear of jacket, gloves, boots and helmet and zooming down the open road is an allure that a motorbike traveller just can’t resist.

On Sunday mornings before dawn breaks, Bangalore-based graphic designer Abhijith Rao is off on his Royal Enfield Thunderbird with his group of four bike mates on any road that leads out of the city. Preferably hilly roads. “Straight roads are boring, though you can go up to high speeds of 150kph-160kph. But the challenges of back roads are irresistable where your speed might spiral down to 30kph,” says Rao, a member of the Royal Thunder Motorcycle Club (Bangalore Bullet Club).

Self-sustenance is key when on the road. That means the biker has to know about the basic repairs and maintenance or else “he could get stranded in some remote place or may even get cheated by a crooked mechanic,” warns Raghavendra. And there are remote parts of the country where it’s a long way to the next gas station. A first-aid kit is also a must-carry item.

While negotiating blind curves, says Rao, he has seen his friends fly off the roads and land themselves in bamboo groves as they encountered trucks lumbering down on them. There’s one rule when on the road: if you’re smaller than the other vehicle, get out of their way.

The most basic biker requirements are that the bike should be heavy duty, the tyres should be easily repaired when punctured and it should have a large capacity fuel tank for long rides. Hard saddlebags are a necessity for storing luggage and the seat has to be comfortable to sit on for long hours.

Adventures are not far off when you’re on the bike. While travelling in Jammu and Kashmir with his friends, Raghavendra was suspected to be a militant. “I had a long beard at the time. Even my friends were apprehended. We had to make quite a few calls to get ourselves out of the mess we were in,” he says recalling the trip that he made as a student.

Such instances are not rare. Canadian bikers Grant and Susan Johnson were chased by lions in Malawi while on their round-the-world tour on motorcycles. American motorcyclist Glen Heggstad was kidnapped by the rebel army in Columbia but he escaped and continued to finish his journey to the tip of South America. Rao and his biker mates ran into an elephant with its calf at night while they were climbing a steep curve on their way to Madumalai.

There are biking clubs across the country such as Wolf Pack (all India Bullet Club), InddieThumpers (Bombay Bullet Club), Eastern Bulls (Calcutta), Madras Bulls (Chennai), Wanderers (Hyderabad) and 60 kph (all India Touring Club). Each of these are constantly organising expeditions.

Some bikers travel in groups of three and sometimes even in groups of upto 25. “It’s safer to travel in a larger group especially when you have mechanical problems.

Motorbike travellers have their own favourite roads. “The best ride from Bangalore that offers all kinds of terrain is the 300-km ride to Ooty. On the way you can chug down straight roads through Mysore onto winding roads that lead to the Bandipur forest region and then to Madumalai,” says Rao.

Raghavendra calls the NH 48, the coastal highway from Goa to Mangalore and on till Kanyakumari, the mother of all biker roads. Krishnan says that Ladakh is the best place to bike across. “It’s like a mountain desert. The scenery keeps changing,” he says.

If bikers are a rare breed, women bikers are even rarer, especially so in India. There is, for instance, Sherin Balachandran, an architect who often makes solo trips from Bandra to Mysore. Then there’s Rashna Joshua who is a biker and bike racer to the boot. Says Balachandran, “There’s a perception that to be on the bike you have to be hefty, but it’s a complete misnomer.” Nor is there any hesitation or real fear to be out on the roads alone. “Once you’re out, you just deal with a situation. It’s more in the cities when you’re stranded with a flat that you’re harassed,” she says.

So if you don’t mind spending long dusty days in the saddle and on the roads, or if you’re open to new experiences, to meet interesting people and discover unusual ways of life, biking is a great way to go.

My favourite holiday

Maneka Sorcar
magician

Being a total waterbaby, it comes as no surprise that I love the beach. And of all the beaches I’ve visited, the Fiji Islands rank right up there at the top of my list. The beaches there are quite different from the usual fare as the sand is silver in colour. This combination of ivory sands and aquamarine waters makes the shoreline look simply stunning. The Fiji Islands are made up of coral reefs — so it’s even more spectacular if you go scuba-diving to explore the crystal-clear waters and the marine life below.

My family and I had first gone there six or seven years ago on work. But being such a beautiful place, our visit ended up being a merry mix of business and pleasure. Since then, we’ve returned to the Fiji Islands twice and each time around, we’ve let our hair down and had a ball.

The traditional costume for women there is called a vou which is essentially a bikini top with a wraparound skirt made of straw. And yes, wearing hibiscus flowers in the hair is a must. Every evening after our shows, we’d dress up in these traditional vous and attend the different programmes held for visitors like fire shows and more. It was great fun!

Each of my holidays in the Fiji Islands haven’t lasted more than a week. That’s because I believe that any vacation that stretches on for too long becomes a bit bothersome. Like the others in my family, I’m a workaholic and can’t wait to get back to work after a break. But I also make the most of my short vacations and enjoy those few days of fun and frolic as much as possible. That’s what makes it a precious holiday!