ay ary with

From page 24

of temperatures, rainfall and
humidity, along with a few
notes of general advice on
when to go where. Loffman
is, however, hamstrung by
the usual American view of
the world that most things,
including weather, happen at
home.

For example 29. of his 200
listings are for U.S. destina-
tions, some as far apart as
Seatde, Spukane, Whidbey
Island and Portland, while
the whole of China gets two
mentions, Beijing and
Shanghai.

Now, 2 guide is just a
guide, but a traveller heading
for the Orient, for example,
needs to do more research.
Take Thailand, where only
Bangkok is listed in che
Traveller’s Weather Guide. 1
was just noting in the London
Sunday Times travel pages
that Thailand’s Ko Samui has
its wettest weather in
December and January, while
Phuket, on the opposite
coast, has emerged from its
wet season.

In addition, Bangkok’s
sweltering humidity has eased
then. The east coast of

Malaysia, being in line with
monsoon winds, is best
avoided November to
February, but Penang and
Langkawi off the west coast
are fine. January in Bali is
often a washout, as is Hawaii,
except maybe the Big island.

The off-season, for want
of a better term, can offer
good values in European
cities. Air fares and hotels are
cheaper, crowds are less
dense and even muggers and
pickpockets take a break. You
don’t need blazing sunshine
to appreciate Paris, Rome
and Madrid, while London in
winter is superb for theatres,
restaurants and shopping.

Asa friend there says,
that’s when they get their
city back. Nor will it neces-
sarily be wer: London in
February is drier than
Cyprus, Malta, Corfu,
Sorrento, the Algarve,
Monaco, Tunis and Istanbul.

Which leads me to anoth-
er book, Room at the Inn
(CAMRA Books) published
by Britain’s Campaign for
Real Ale, an organization
thar has played a major part
in improving the standard of
beer served in pubs.

Real ale, also known as

new Wea

cask-conditioned or tradi-
tional draught beer, is a top-
fermented beer that under-
goes a natural secondary fer-
mentation in the cask and is
served without yas pressure.
Author Jill Adam also lists
hotels that serve a good pint.
Standards of accommodation
vary, as do the prices, and
most come with the great

inher Guide

British breakfast, and hand-
made as opposed to the buf-
fet-style blandness offered to
tour groups worldwide.
Many of the pubs have

thatch roofs, are nestled in
the country, and coze with
character. I know a few, such
as the Ship Inn at Porlock in
Somerset, which vou can find
in Lorna Doone. The Ship

Sunday, December 15,

dates back to the 13th centu
ry, has stone floors and blaz-
ing log fires, while the can-
dlclit restaurant serves local-
ly-caught fish.

A Scottish cracker is the
Ormidale Hotel in Brodick,
Isie of Arran, where host
Tommy Gilmour pulls a
wonderful pint of McEwan's
heavy. None of the nine
guest bedrooms is ensuite,
but are good value for
money. The rooms are only
available Easter to

1996 — North Shore News — 37

September, but you can
always stay at a bed & break-
fast down the road and sup
at the Ormidale. Tommy will
ste you get home safely.

Room at the Inn is avail-
able from CAMRA Books,
230 Hatfield Road, Sr
Albans, AL] 4LW, UK, price
8£, 99p. For more informa-
tion contact the British
Tourist Authority, 111
Avenue Road, suite 450,
Toronto, M5R 338, 416-
961-8124.

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