The 4 best 4×4 driving holidays in Europe

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     4x4 driving holidays, Europe, Georgia, greece, multi-activity-holidays, off-road, Pyrenees, Spain, Turkey

Sometimes holidaying by car just doesn’t work, and 4×4 driving holidays are the only way you can get where you want to go. Europe, thanks to its geographical diversity, has just about every terrain you could hope to explore – and the more testing ones need a 4×4.

So, engage low-range and read on; these 4 routes take you off the beaten track and reveal more of what Europe has to offer the adventure traveller.

Photo credit: flickr/indigoprime

Greece and the Agrafa Mountains

On the Greek mainland you’ll find 4×4 driving holidays not only take you out into the rough stuff, they can also get you to one of the country’s most important cultural landmarks. Taking the less travelled routes to the ancient city of Delphi brings you closer to what was once the centre of the Greek world – visiting this town was once considered the nearest man would ever come to heaven! Leaving it via Karpenisi into the Agrafa mountain range, there are mountain top monasteries, stone bridges and scattered settlements to see.

Georgia and the Caucasus

With few significant tourist developments to spoil its deep country regions, Georgia offers some great 4×4 routes. There are volcanic plateaus and spring towns to be found in the Lower Caucasus, and routes up toward the village of Ushguli that pass medieval forts. This is the highest village in Europe, with views to match. The 4×4 vehicles really come into their own in the High Caucasus, as tracks get more testing and views more spectacular.

Turkey’s Taurus Mountains

This chain of mountains tops out at more than 10,000ft and runs through southern Turkey parallel to the Mediterranean coast. Most of the region’s rivers originate here, but first pass over waterfalls and pool in majestic lakes, such as lake Kovoda.

The Koprulu Canyon National Park is a favoured spot for white-water rafting and hiking, and with a 4×4 you’ll be able to reach out farther into the swathes of cedar trees. It’s just a short drive from the tourist hub at Antalya, but use it as the start of a longer journey of discovery into a mountain range created when the European and African plates collided.

Spain’s Pyrenees

The Spanish side of the Pyrenees is known for its unspoilt natural habitats and secluded mountain villages. It’s a place to spot alpine flowers, shepherds and their flocks high in the hills, and rare wildlife. Closer to the French border, you’ll need your 4×4 to get into the valley of Rio Noguera La Pallaresa. From here you can drive on into Andorra and skirt the Spanish/ Andorran border for breathtaking views on one of the  best 4×4 driving holidays in Europe.

Top 10 of Mad World Championships

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Chess Boxing, Freestyle Ironing, hot dog eating, mad sports, maddest sports, mountain biking, Windsurfing, world championships

With the Olympics drawing ever closer and the summer nights lasting longer, people are again taking their sports very seriously – well, some people…

For every regular, popular sporting championship, such as windsurfing or mountain biking, there’s an odd one: a sport that defies sense, logic and sometimes plain good taste – and they often have world championships of their own.

Here are the top 10 mad world championships featuring the ten nuttiest, oddest sports around. Trust me: we are not making this up!

Poohsticks

Held in March this year in South Oxfordshire, this age old game was featured in a children’s book about Winnie the Pooh. Contestants drop sticks off one side of a bridge; the winner is the person whose stick that passes out under the bridge first – extreme!

Bog Snorkelling

Swimmers race through muddied water canals in some of the UK’s dampest and least hospitable areas. Muddy, thick and gibberingly cold, the world championships are held in Wales.

Gurning

Specific to a crab fair in West Cumbria, this is an ugly world championship sport. In fact, the uglier you can make your face by contorting it, the better your chance of a medal.

Photo: flickr/ Space Pirate Queen

Hot Dog Eating

These weiner munchers can put away up to 50 sausages at a time. Now that there’s a separate woman’s event this year in New York, we’ll really see the power and might of the world’s best hot dog munchers.

Chess Boxing

Smart moves and swift hooks meet up in this the oddest hybrid sport. A round of chess followed by a round of boxing. Beaten on the board or battered round the ring, you’ll lose by checkmate or knock out: crazy!

Tiddlywinks

Almost as violent as the chess boxing…this sport traces its history back to 1890 and has similarities to pool, as you need to flip your winks either into a container, or use them to cover your opponent’s.

Freestyle Ironing

A chance for climbers to flex their domestic muscles. Freestyle ironing world championships sees climbers carry their ironing board and a shirt to an extreme part of the rock face and get on with pressing a shirt. There are even several styles: from urban to rocky, to freestyle.

Worm Charming

Charming. To take top prize competitors need to get a set area of land, then use whichever method they prefer to get worms to come to the surface. The charmer with the most worms, wins.

Swamp Soccer

Everyone struggles when the goalmouth gets boggy, although these footy fans seem to love the rain as it guarantees what this sport needs: lots of mud! Finland is home to the real championships; finals last more than 50 minutes and by the end of it everyone is in a right state.

Underwater Rugby

Forget the tactics you’ve learned, this is all about getting the ball into a bucket not over a try line. It’s not even played with the same ball, and it’s underwater. You’ll need to hold your breath, pass on the conversions, and go easy on the tackles (you’re wearing flippers and a mask) or you’ll really end up in the deep end…

Milos becoming must-see destination

Ian K    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, sailingbreaks, Tribe Sailing Blogs     Europe, greece, island hopping, island sailing, mediterranean, milos, plaka, pollonia, Sailing, sailing break, sailing holiday, sailing trip, st constantine, yacht, Yachting

The volcanic island of Milos could be this year’s best-kept secret for those on a sailing holiday in Greece who are keen on taking a short break within the country.

Located around 100 miles south-west of Athens, the horseshoe-shaped island is a quiet destination which is known locally for its array of colourful sand belts.

Photo from Flickr User: !!Ahmed!!

The shades range from serene cream to a more imposing black, with pebbles of almost every colour to be found by beachcombers.

A series of unusual rock formations playing against a backdrop of pale blue-green water also adds to the charm of the Aegean Sea location.

Once on the island, there is plenty for visitors to do – explore the castle ruins to be found at the top of the white-washed Cycladic village of Plaka or drive to the northern towns of Pollonia or St Constantine, where colourful fishermen’s boat garages dot the coastline.

Greece & Turkey top charter venues

Ian K    sailingbreaks, Tribe Sailing Blogs     acropolis, athens, culture, Europe, greece, Istanbul, parthenon, Turkey, Yachting

Sailing enthusiasts considering possible destinations may want to plot a summer course for Greece and Turkey. Those planning a yacht charter in Greece can look forward to beautiful weather, amazing beaches and plenty of culture inland, with a trip to the country’s capital Athens a must for visitors.

Photo from Flickr User: Taras Kalapun

Millions flock to the ancient city’s ruins each year. The Acropolis is an awe-inspiring sight – perched on a hilltop, these ruins include the famous Parthenon and are sure to thrill holidaymakers of all ages.

The same can be said for a bareboat charter in Turkey, which, apart from serene sailing conditions and clear blue seas, offers the opportunity to explore archaeological sites around the coast.

Turkey also represents a great venue for a family holiday and the capital Istanbul has numerous attractions for both young and old, including the Dolphinarium, which regularly puts on live shows featuring walruses, dolphins and belugas.

Yosemite: Free solo climbing in Adams country

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     California, north america, Rock Climbing, skydiving, united states, yosemite

Ansel Adams spent years trekking around Yosemite, and it was here he took some of his most distinctive photographs. Captured in sharply contrasted tones, he once used the ridges and outlines of Half Dome Mountain to create a lunar landscape. Lugging a large format camera with him, he worked hard for his results.

Photo:Mikey Schaefer/National Geographic

Generations of climbers have been taking on the unforgiving granite of Yosemite, but only recently has anyone managed to ascend the face of Half Dome without ropes. That honour went to a 23-year-old from Sacramento, carrying with him little more than a bag of chalk…

Alex Honnold (pictured below) lives on adrenaline, yet can never afford to be at its mercy. Adrenaline quickens the pulse, sharpens the senses and fuels the attack or escape we sometimes still need – but its effects are short-lived. What Alex needs more is courage, experience and a refined mix of concentration and conviction; he’s a ‘free solo climber’, and when you are climbing with no ropes, your life depends on every handhold.

Half Dome looks like a peak chopped in half, a caped fiend: it’s as if the mountain has thrown up a hood, leaving its face in shade. Climbing all 2,130 feet of this sinister granite was the making of Honnold. And it’s on the iconic mountains of Yosemite that other climbers have also forged their reputations.

Photo: Jimmy Chin/National Geographic

In 1994, Lynnie Hill made an ascent of El Capitan – also a favourite of Adams – and raised the bar, not just for female climbers, but also for all climbers. Within this elite world there’s Ron Kauk. At 53, Ron’s here to help troubled kids find direction through his ‘Sacred Rok’ program. At his peak, Ron forged some of the hardest routes in Yosemite, preferring to stay roped. And for good reason: there’s no room for error here, non whatsoever…

Ansel Adams also photographed Half Dome from the valley floor, set back against the snow-dusted splendour of Yosemite National Park. This region is a national treasure, and a focus for mountainbiking holidays and family getaways as much as it is a proving ground for climbers.

In this piece, Mark Jenkins returns to Yosemite’s Camp 4 to discover climbing’s new breed of adventurer: superfit, superfast, and part of a global community, testing itself against the granite gods of Yosemite.

Images that support this feature appear in the May 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine, on newsstands April 26, can be seen in more detail, here.

Photo: National Geographic