The Times has announced the shortlist of its Green Spaces Travel Awards. There are 24 listed places listed from around the world, including activity centres, urban walks and campsites.

The judges are now inspecting each place. The winners will be announced in December.

For the full list and googlemap of locations go to: Times Green Spaces.

Ecocabins at the Centre for Alternative Energy, Wales
Photo: Richard Hammond.

Big chains and bijou boutiques across the world are saving energy without saving on style. Sarah Barrell writes in The Independent on Sunday on a rural idea taking root in the city...

"From the Seychelles to the Mexican coast, the Ecuadorian jungle to the Scottish Highlands, eco-retreats have become part of the modern travel landscape. They are wildly diverse in style and standard, but what most have in common is that they are remote, rural, and far, far away from big cities.

"However, a new generation of urban eco-hotel is bringing the concept of green-minded tourism out of the jungle. Just like their rural counterparts, these hotels vary in their efforts to shrink their carbon footprint, a challenge that seems all the more arduous in a polluting, energy-guzzling city. Yet cities can be better suited to supporting eco-hotels than remote rural settings"...

Read the full article: The Rise of the Urban Eco-Hotel

It sounds like a pilgrim route in the Middle East but "The Holy Mountain to Bethlehem" is the name of a walk through the valleys of mid Wales. The 100-mile Beacons Way crosses the entire Brecon Beacons National Park, stretching from the Skirrid (or Holy Mountain) near Abergavenny to the village of Bethlehem on the Carmarthenshire border...






The B&B and medieval ruin at Llanthony Priory
Photo: Richard Hammond

Although few areas of true wilderness remain in Britain (as highlighted in a visionary programme proposed by the Wilderness Foundation to re-establish wild regions), there are an increasing number of places to stay in relatively remote parts of the country - and many of them are accessible by train and ferry.

According to Stevie Christie of Wilderness Scotland, which runs walking, sailing and adventure holidays, experiencing wilderness is no longer exclusive to a hardy few. "It's not just about camping on the shore of a wild sandy beach or staying in a mountain hostel, there are now comfortable guesthouses and highland lodges in many remote places," he said.
The Knoydart Peninsula, west coast of Scotland
Photo: Richard Hammond

Top Ten Green Places to Stay in Europe
Ten fabulous eco-friendly places to stay that are reachable by train, bus or ferry to Cornwall, Yorkshire, West Wales, Scottish Highlands, Pyrenees, Ibiza, France and Switzerland...


Beaches you can reach without flying
Majorca, Sicily, northern Spain and the islands off the west coast of France are home to some of the best beaches in Europe and are just a train and/or ferry ride away. And don't forget Belgium! There's free 24-hour rail travel to any station in Belgium available when you buy a Eurostar ticket to Brussels...


Tree House Holidays in Europe
Four great treehouse holidays, from a backpacker's mecca on Turkey’s Mediterranean Coast to plush treehouses near Nice on the French Riviera...

Ten of the best fair trade holidays
Featured on the labels of Fairtrade products are some of the world's most exotic destinations - Costa Rica for coffee, Sri Lanka for tea and South Africa for wine. But what if you want to holiday in these countries, and elsewhere in the world, while doing the right thing by the people who live there? Here are 10 holidays that make a difference to the local community...

GreenTraveller's Richard Hammond takes the laid-back route to Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily on a no-fly island-hopping adventure in the sun...

I was standing on the top deck of a ferry looking out across the Strait of Bonifacio that separates Corsica and Sardinia. The sun was shining, the sky was perfect blue and the sea was calm. We soon passed the headland and turned into the protected harbour at Santa Teresa di Gallura. Ferry trips can be one long, stomach-churning pitch-and-roll, but this crossing had taken only 90 minutes and it had been a pleasure: fresh sea air, clear views of Sardinia's historic coastline and near perfect sailing conditions...
On board the ferry from Sardinia to Sicily.
Photo: Richard Hammond.