1. 58 .............................. Sunday, April 26, 2015 1SM
FANCY a quick — and more importantly
cheap — week away soon?
Then On The Beach holidays have some
of the best bargains around.
A week half-board at the 5H Salgados Grande Hotel
in Albufeira in the Algarve is from £364pp with flights
from Prestwick on May 6. Leave a day earlier and head
to Majorca and spend a
week at the 4H Bahia
del Sol Hotel in Santa
Ponsa is from £305pp.
That includes half-
board and flights from
Edinburgh on May 5.
Go to onthebeach.
co.uk or call 0871 474
3000.
bargain
QUINTA do Lago in Portugal
is offering amateur golfers
the chance to learn how to
play like a professional after
launching a range of intensive
new tuition breaks.
Using the resort’s Paul
McGinley Golf Academy, fans
can sign up to the new Three-
Day Golf Schools and spe-
cialist Is Your Short Game
Good Enough clinics.
The programme includes
tuition, a custom-fitting expe-
rience at the resort’s Taylor-
Made Performance Center
and three rounds of golf on
Quinta do Lago’s three
championship courses.
They cost from £680pp (for
a minimum of two players),
with the next school taking
place on May 14-16.
The family resort offers
award-winning sports and
leisure facilities, with tennis,
cycling and watersports as
well as the golf.
To book a Three-Day Golf
School or one-day short
game clinic, call +351 289
394 368 or email
academy@quintadolago.com.
See quintadolago.com.
GET IN SWING ON
GOLF-CLASS HOL
AIR fares to the Middle East,
Asia and Australia have been
slashed by Etihad Airways as
they gear up to daily flights
from Edinburgh in June.
The airline will launch their
service on June 8.
And customers will be able
to use their Abu Dhabi base
to fly on to a variety of exotic
and popular destinations
throughout the Middle East,
Asia and Australia.
Launch prices from Scot-
land start at £373 return from
Edinburgh to Abu Dhabi,
£409 for Bangkok in Thai-
land, £411 for Delhi in India
and £602 for a round-trip
ticket to Perth in Australia.
The deals will be valid from
now until Tuesday, May 5, for
travel between June 8 and
July 15 or between August 11
and December 10.
Go to etihad.com for more
details or telephone 0345
608 1225.
lFRENCH business class
airline La Compagnie is
preparing for the exciting new
route from London, Luton, to
New York, Newark, starting
on April 24.
They are offering DUO
promo fares for return flights
for two passengers travelling
to Newark from Luton for
£1,950 all inclusive.
La Compagnie use rede-
signed Boeing 757-200 air-
craft customised with stylish
interiors and 74 lie-flat seats
in a 2x2 configuration
throughout a spacious, single
aisle cabin.
Tickets must be purchased
before May 31 and travel can
only be booked between the
June 30 and September 3.
See lacompagnie.com or call
0203 481 1575.
ETIHAD PLAY IT
FARE ON FLIGHTS
unday
.............................. Sunday, April 26, 2015
undayundayS
the
l Health l Consumer l Money l Games l Perks l Motors
TUCK INTO A TRIP WITH A DIFFERENCE
Norway
youshould
missfood
heaven
THERE aren’t many rea-
sons why Per Magnus
Værdal moved an entire
42-tonne, 18metre farm-
house eight miles along
narrow, steeply winding
roads — except for the
view from my bedroom.
Perched high on a hill
above the little town of
Straumen, Hustrua Gård-
shotell is a guesthouse set in
a traditional farmstead on a
working farm.
In the stillness of the country-
side, I forgot where I was when I
first opened my bleary eyes,
woken by the inviting smell of
freshly-brewed coffee wafting
from down the ladder-like stairs.
On the walls, the faces of the
Værdal family members who
once lived in the house peered
out from under wedding veils in
black and white photos while
from the window, a church stee-
ple, rolling hills and the inner
Trondheim fjord were mapped
out in the dawn light.
I’d spent most of the night
scanning the skies for the North-
ern Lights from the same win-
dow with mixed success.
The different aurora forecast
apps I’d downloaded on to my
iPhone were whipped into a
frenzy by the solar
activity butactivity but
sadly, the
patchy
clouds
scup-
pered
SOME FIN GOOD . . .
tuck into the foodie
delights at Agot Lian,
make the most of your
break by staying at the
picturesque lodges at
Skistua, left, and check
out the awesome
Nidaros Cathedral
MAKING WAVES . . . Trondheim
is a colourful city with plenty
to get your teeth into on
the food and culture fronts
1SM Sunday, April 26, 2015 .............................. 59
4MORE
PAGES
ul Puzzles l Travel
HOLSFORUNDER...
£100A ONE-night B&B stay at
The Grove, in Narbeth,
Wales, pictured — recently named the
Pride of Britain hotel of the year — is from
£95pp (two sharing) . See prideofbritain-
hotels.com or call 0800 089 3929.
OR Got a flight from London and need
a hotel at Heathrow? Then Holiday Extras
have some great deals from £85 a night
with eight days parking. See holidayex-
tras.co.uk or call 0800 093 5478.
£250SWALLOW Cottage in
Talwrn, Anglesey, sleeps
four and is
close to
Snowdonia
National
Park. Avail-
able for a
week from
May 4 it
costs from
£225.25.
See cot-
tages4you.
co.uk or
call 0345
268 0760.
Property
Reference
HW7756.
OR Seven nights
B&B at the 3H HTOP Molinos Park Hotel
in Salou, on the Costa Dorada, is from
£178pp leaving Edinburgh on May 13.
See lowcostholidays.com or call 0800
1116271.
£500A WEEK self-catering at the
3H Apartments Summer
Dreams in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, is
from £289pp with flights from
Glasgow on June 19. To find out more
ON TOP TOUR OF TRONDHEIM
GO:NORWAY
my chances of seeing the full show
in all its glory. This time, anyway.
I was gearing up for the
breakfast Per had told me so
much about. Most of the
products, including slices of
cured reindeer and wedges of
blue cheese, were either pro-
duced on his farm or sourced
from within a few miles away
on what’s known locally as the
Golden Road, an area dotted
with artisan producers, dairies,
craft brewers and more.
A short drive off the E6, the
“Arctic Highway”, the Golden
Road produces some of the
most sought-after food in the
country. Even Queen Sonja gets
her favourite cheeses supplied by
the local Gangstad Gårdsysteri
dairy, and having eaten some on
freshly-baked farmhouse bread, I
could definitely see the appeal.
A self-confessed foodie, I’d
come to the Trøndelag region
because I’d heard whispers in the
UK of its fierce reputation for
producing the country’s best food
and drink — and enjoying it too.
Produce from here finds its way
on to the plates of Michelin-
starred restaurants in cities
around the world; from Paris to
Tokyo and back again.
“If you like the good life, this is
the place to be,” I’m assured by
Lisbeth, my local guide in the
region’s capital, Trondheim.
Just two hours by train further
south from Straumen, Trondheim
is Norway’s gastronomy city.
A compact university city with
cobbled old town streets lined
with cafés and alternative music
venues and charming multi-col-
oured wharfs on stilts in the river
Nid, it felt very laid-back and
comfortable in
its own skin. Although it gives off
a youthful vibe, history seeps out
of every pore. The city is at the
heart of Norwegian heritage, not
least because of Nidaros Cathe-
dral, said to be the burial place
of the country’s patron saint, Olaf.
The day I travelled to Trond-
heim, I woke up with terrible
man flu. While I’m not one to
complain, it did give me the per-
fect excuse to visit the spa at my
hotel, the Britannia. Entry is just
£9.50, or free for guests in suites.
I opted for the traditional Nor-
dic sauna and relaxed as the
thin, hot woody air worked its
magic. Then I headed out into the
wilderness with Lisbeth.
As the saying goes in Norway,
“There’s no such thing as bad
weather, only bad clothing.”
The great outdoors are a haven
for Norwegians regardless of the
weather and as always in these
parts, there’s a food element.
Just 15 minutes from the centre
by car or public transport lie ski
slopes and fire-lit lodges like
Skistua.
Bundling up against the
cold, Lisbeth and I sledged
on snowy peaks as she told
me about her ideal weekend
of skiing with a picnic back-
pack of furs, glühwein,
cheese and cured meats.
I couldn’t think of anything
better as we devoured tradi-
tional waffles with brown
cheese and cocoa back in
the warmth of the lodge.
I couldn’t leave without
trying some of the famous
seafood, and if Ågot Lian’s
reputation was anything to
go by, it was the restaurant
to visit.
Alternating between a snifter of
akvavit — the Scandinavian spirit
of choice — and regional craft
beers, we set about tucking into
cured whale amuse-bouches, Arc-
tic crab balls and a delicate,
crumbly fillet of Skrei — seasonal
Norwegian cod at its best. Maybe
it’s the akvavit talking but Trond-
heim is definitely a city I could
fall for hook, line and sinker.
DAVID WALSH
ALL WHITE ON THE NIGHT . . .
white-washed Husfrua Gårdshotell,
owned by Per Magnus Værdal,
left, was the perfect base for
the holiday, especially with the
phenomenal view from the window,
far left, in the morning taking in the
rolling hillside and peaceful fjord
NORWEGIAN and SAS fly to Trond-
heim from Edinburgh, via Oslo, from
£45 and £140 return respectively. See
norwegian.com and sas.com.
B&B at Husfrua is £110 per night for
a double room. See husfrua.no.
The Britannia Hotel in Trondheim is
£80 per night for a standard double
room. Visit thonhotels.com for the
latest rates. For more info see
visitnorway.co.uk
What costs what?
Do
Don’t
‘Best breakfast in Norway’
at Restaurant Nidelven: £25
Glass of akvavit: £7
Visit the crypts of Nidaros
Cathedral.
Forget travel insurance with
sports cover.
balkanholidays.co.uk or call 0845 130 1114.
OR Seven nights all-inclusive at the 3H
Canarios Park in Calas De Mallorca,
Majorca, is from £399pp leaving
Glasgow on May 30. See barrhead-
travel.co.uk or call 0141 222 2223.
£750HAVE the Full Fortitude
Experience in Reykjavik
from £509pp and explore and experi-
ence Iceland’s colourful capital. Stay
three nights B&B at the 4H Radisson Blu
Saga Hotel including one dinner with
flights from Edinburgh on May 28. See
super-
break.com
or call 0800
042 0288.
OR A
week all-in-
clusive at
the 4H
Hotel Nana
Beach in
Hersonis-
sos, Crete, is
from £661pp
leaving Glas-
gow on May
12. See first-
choice.co.uk
or call 0871
200 7799.
£1000TWO weeks all-inclusive
at the 3H Tryp Cayo
Coco in Cuba is from £999pp leaving
Glasgow on June 24. See barrhead-
travel.co.uk or call 0141 222 2223.
OR Take to the River Nene in East
Anglia on the Urban Fox narrowboat for a
week from £799 from May 4 or 8. See
waterwaysholidays.com or call 01252
339023.
Seven nights
break.com
or call 0800
042 0288.
week all-in-
clusive at
the 4
Hotel Nana
Beach in
Hersonis-
sos, Crete, is
from £661pp
leaving Glas-
gow on May
12. See first-
choice.co.uk
or call 0871
200 7799.
£1000TWO weeks all-inclusive
white-washed Husfrua Gårdshotell,
owned by Per Magnus Værdal,
the holiday, especially with the
phenomenal view from the window,
far left, in the morning taking in the
rolling hillside and peaceful fjord