Nov

Is London really the world’s best destination?

Mark Pawlak Category

Adventure Sports, Croatia, Europe, extreme sports, London, Poland, Scuba Diving, Skiing, trekking, united kingdom, world travel awards

Not for adventure sports it’s not! Reading that the UK capital just won the prestigious World Travel Awards Leading Destination 2010 got me thinking: Who exactly is it the best destination for? Just how can you ever have a ‘World’s Leading Destination’?

Photo from Flickr user: Dimitry B

For lovers of history, monarchy or fashion, you could have a world’s most historic, regal or fashionable destination. But you just can’t bulk it together like this and expect it to represent or reflect anything – adventure sports fans in UK love London, but more for its connections than its challenges.

London’s hidden strength is its location, because anywhere in the British Isles is within reach.

But as with every metropolis, there’s rarely any way to get really adventurous without leaving it behind. Think about it: does anyone visit London for its adventure sports? Well, not if they enjoy the great outdoors kind of sports that we specialise in.

Not to worry, just a few hours’ travel and you have the mountains of Wales, the fells and lakes of the Yorkshire Dales, the seriously challenging Cairngorms in Scotland, and the beaches of Dorset and Cornwall within view.

There’s also London’s proximity to other European nations to factor in….

Skiing holidays are just two hours away, the Med is easy to get to, and the blustering northern coast of Spain and the Canaries are always ready to serve up some wind sports.

Even if you decide not to fly, it’s still possible to get around thanks to the continents’ reliable rail connections. Venture further east to find new opportunities: In Poland, there’s great skiing holidays and in Croatia -which is gaining a reputation for its trekking and its scuba diving holidays – there’s even more to do.

London may be the darling of the travel industry and about to host the Olympics, however it’s clearly not the world’s best adventure travel destination.

So we want to know: where is the world’s best adventure travel destination?

About the author

Mark Pawlak wrote 232 articles on this blog.

Editor at Adventure Sports Holidays, Mark's love affair with travel and the challenges of adventure sports continues... "You could save all year for a two-week, all-inclusive, doss by the pool, booze and buffet binge. Or, with a little planning and some good equipment, get off your arse and plan an adventure!"

David November 10, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Think the trouble with “travel destinations” is you tend to think of the big cities, and cities don’t really cater for adventure sports very well. The Swiss Alps maybe?
Janine November 11, 2010 at 10:44 am
I have lived in London and travelled extensively and I agree with the Blog. London is a great city but for adventure lovers it wouldn’t even make it to the top 100.

My nomination would be Chamonix, it is regularly voted one of the top 10 snow sports resorts so you have your skiing and snowboarding all winter and then is a Mecca for mountain biking, trekking, climbing etc in the summer.
mark pawlak November 11, 2010 at 10:49 am
The Rat Race is a good example of how people are interpreting the city and making it an extreme sports destination.

Parkour is another example. There’s lots to do, just without the mountains and lakes. London is well placed mind – if only I could get my bike into the cabin baggage, I’d be off to Florence in no time!
mark pawlak November 11, 2010 at 10:52 am
Check these guys and girls out, they run the Rat Race – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rat-Race-Urban-Adventure/6570104970
Luke November 11, 2010 at 11:01 am
My vote would be Queenstown in New Zealand.

It is the birth place of Bungee Jumping, river surfing and jet boating and also offers a host of other adventure sports like sykdiving, paragliding, luge and rafting. Throughout the winter it is one of the top southern hemisphere destinations for snowboarding and skiing and is the launch pad for some awesome heli skiing opportunities.

In the summer it has amazing trekking, mountain biking, climbing, canyoning and I could just go on and on as it pretty much offers everything! It is on a lake so water sports are available and it is a very beautiful location. Chuck in an excellent night life and I think Queenstown is the worlds number 1 adventure destination.

Is London really the world’s best destination?

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