Escapism
The popularity of treehouses shows no sign of abating, with more magical ones springing up each week. Glamping specialist Canopy & Stars now has a treetop hotel in Norfolk. But in the Dordogne, France, they go one step further – this turreted chateau for two is surely the last word in treehouses. This week, anyway.
• Montbazillac Treehouse from £200 a night, 01275 395447, canopyandstars.co.uk.
What's new?
Destination
Is it time to go back to Zimbabwe? A number of tour operators think so. Cox & Kings (coxandkings.co.uk) says the country has turned a corner since the 2008 elections: the wildlife population is healthy and refurbished camps and lodges are offering good deals. Africa Travel (africatravel.co.uk) has also returned to Zimbabwe after a break of 10 years, as have Voyage Jules Verne (vjv.com) and Expert Africa (expertafrica.com). The Foreign Office does not advise against travel, though it warns that the political situation may change after a referendum later this year and elections next.
Accommodation
The Lonjsko Polje nature park is a huge protected wetland area in central Croatia, home to more than 550 varieties of plant and 250 kinds of bird, plus rare indigenous mammals. Traditional buildings in Plesno, a village on the edge of the park, have been renovated to offer guest rooms and restaurants serving regional food and wine.
• Doubles from £40 B&B, ekoetno-selo-strug.hr
Competition
Paris lost out to London in the race to host the 2012 Olympics, but to prove there are no hard feelings, the tourist board is giving away a luxury trip for two to Paris for every gold medal a British athlete wins. For a chance to win, register at facebook.com/paristourisme.
Don Quixote on wheels in Devon
"Mount your steeds!" came the command. We obeyed, and a fleet of 35 bicycles, each with a cardboard horse's face tied to the handlebars, set off.
This is The Adventures of Don Quixote as imagined by Devon-based outdoor-performance specialist Burn the Curtain. Last Sunday I went along, with husband and two girls, for the ride. The show is a riot, part-game, part-chase, with pauses for exercise (vigorous if you're towing a daughter) as you cycle from one scene to the next.
The hero, as readers of Cervantes' 17th-century Spanish original will know, is a middle-aged romantic who embarks on a quest to revive the art of chivalry, recruiting the farmer Sancho Panza as his squire. Here the lanky and bearded Don leads the audience up the canal towpath on a penny farthing, pausing to engage in such acts of bravery as tilting at the windmill he mistakes for a giant, freeing convicts and travelling to the moon – with the children invited to throw meteors and squirt rain.
The effect is charming, silly and very good-humoured, and the logistics of positioning the scenery must be fiendish. We saw it in Exeter: when it moves to the other side of the county next month there is the prospect, tides permitting, of a finale on Instow beach.
This is an inventive form of theatre, a different kind of bike ride and a great way of introducing youngsters to a classic tale. My family made a special trip: if you're holidaying in the area, even better.
• Next performance: Tarka cycle trail, Fremington Quay, Barnstaple, Devon, August 18-21 (01805 603201, beaford-arts.org.uk, adults £7.50, children £5, 11am-1pm), bike hire available – the audience cycles three miles
Travel trash
We know camping involves a lot of ropes but it's not an activity normally associated with S&M. That hasn't stopped camping website Pitchup.com from jumping on the Fifty Shades of Grey bandwagon, with a press release highlighting "69 Passion Pitches – secluded, adult-only campsites for dirty outdoor weekends". We can't think of anything less sexy.
Weird world
You may have heard of Llanwrtyd Wells thanks to the annual World Bog Snorkelling Championships and the Man v Horse Marathon. For 2012, the town is going a step further with the World Alternative Games, from 17 August to 2 September. Events include worm charming, an office chair slalom, space hopper races, bathtubbing, underwater hockey and more. Every entrant gets a medal.
• worldalternativegames.co.uk
Where's hot now? Jordan: 37C
If you're OK with highs of 40C, there are great offers in Jordan. Western & Oriental has five nights with flights in a four-star Red Sea resort from £655pp – ideal for beach or diving – or two nights on the Dead Sea, one in Petra and two on the Red Sea from £839pp (saving £800 a couple).
• Available until 18 August and 15 September respectively, 020-7666 1211, wandotravel.com
Travel trend
There's no such thing as a free holiday, but sign up to trustedhousesitters.com and you'll come pretty close. Register for £19 (for three months) and you will receive regular updates on properties across Europe searching for reliable house-sitters.
Of the 584 sitting assignments listed in 48 countries, some are long-term, but not all. At the time of going to press listings included a villa with a pool near Bodrum, Turkey, 10 minutes from the beach (available 3-17 August); a garden flat in Cannes; and a rural house in Italy's Marche region, both available in August.
The catch? The majority of owners advertising on the site are looking for sitters who will look after their pets. Each of the above properties comes with cats which need looking after. But (assuming you're not cat-phobic or allergic), it's a small price to pay for a (free) escape to the sun. The site also lists properties in the UK and further afield (Barbados, Aruba, Costa Rica).
