What are the best stopovers between South Africa and the UK?

Q We’re planning on a three-week trip to South Africa. Given it’s such a long flight, we were thinking of a suitable stopover for a couple of days on the way there or back from London. Where do you recommend?

Nick W

A Breaking your journey to and/or from South Africa is an excellent idea: partly because the non-stop journey between London Heathrow and Cape Town covers 6,000 miles and typically takes 12 hours, but also due to the fact that you will be flying past some compelling locations. I am not counting the big Gulf hubs of Doha and Dubai, because travelling via either involves a long dogleg adding over 2,000 miles to the journey. Even Istanbul – a wonderful stopover city, and the best range of African flights of any airport – is off my list as a journey-easing choice: I calculate that after a four-hour flight you are only 700 miles (roughly 80 minutes) closer to Cape Town than when you left London. So the choice will be solely in Africa.

My list of big African aviation hubs where I can enthusiastically recommend a 48-hour stopover is short. It comprises Casablanca, Cairo and Addis Ababa. Unfortunately the first is not in the running for you because Royal Air Maroc does not currently fly to South Africa. Egyptair connects Cairo with Johannesburg but not Cape Town. Ethiopian Airlines is way ahead of the pack, offering links from its Addis Ababa hub to both Cape Town and Johannesburg (and using Africa’s youngest and best airline fleet into the bargain). The option to make an “open jaw” trip between the two main South African gateways means you can avoid doubling back on a trip taking in, say, the Garden Route, the multicultural joys of Durban and a game reserve in northeastern South Africa.

Addis Ababa will add a rewarding extra dimension to your trip. It is a beautiful and friendly city. The high altitude (almost 8,000 feet) means the Ethiopian capital feels fresh despite its proximity to the Equator (just nine degrees away). The cultural scene includes an excellent National Museum and two impressive cathedrals. You are also guaranteed to eat extremely well: Ethiopian cuisine is my favourite in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Q We are booked to go to Disneyland Paris for six days at the start of April, taking our car over the Channel, but after that we have a week left before our ferry back from Dunkirk to Dover. Our current plan is a road trip after Disney to Luxembourg, possibly the Netherlands and then back through Belgium. But are we missing out on some hidden places?

Graeme

A What an excellent opportunity to discover new parts of “near Europe” in the course of a week – starting around 25 miles east of Paris. During your stay at Disneyland, you might choose to make the very short journey to the cathedral city of Meaux, which sits prettily in a loop of the Marne river. And central Paris is just 40 minutes away on the frequent RER (suburban rail) service from the gates of Disneyland.

Your road trip wishlist looks impressive but personally I would not venture quite as far because there is such a wealth of locations closer to hand. Aim east through Champagne country (pausing for a tasting or two along the way) to Reims, a stylish city with a fine cathedral and also a fascinating Musee de la Reddition – where Nazi Germany surrendered to end the Second World War in Europe.

Luxembourg is possibly a diversion too far, though you could spend a couple of days exploring the nation for free thanks to the radical plan of abolishing fares on the excellent public transport. I would be more inclined to head into the French and Belgian Ardennes, comprising exquisite countryside dotted with lovely towns.

Depending on the remaining time, you can then parallel the Franco-Belgian border to Lille – definitely worth an overnight stop for its architecture and gastronomy – or explore the Belgian trio of Ghent, Bruges and Ostend. Don’t overlook Dunkirk itself: understandably war-damaged but with a fine harbour, a lovely beach extending towards the Belgian border and lots of excellent places to eat, drink and shop ahead of your journey home.

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Q Have you ever been to Montana and would you recommend it? If so, how would you suggest organising a fly-drive trip?

Name supplied

A Montana, the northernmost of the Rocky Mountain states, is a joy: a convergence of rock and snow, forest and flowers beneath a vast sky. It is 18 times the size of Wales but with fewer than 1 million inhabitants. The only skyscrapers are the jagged mountains that fill every horizon. In winter it is a hardcore ski destination but a road trip is far more practical and rewarding in summer. But the “Treasure State” (so named for the gold and silver mined here during the 19th century) is best visited as part of a wider road trip through the northwestern US, taking in several more states.

I would fly from London Heathrow to Salt Lake City; Delta is resuming flights this summer. Pick up a car and aim north – stopping at the welcoming town of Jackson en route to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Then cross into Montana, pausing at Big Sky, and reaching Bozeman. Glance back tens of million years at the world-class Museum of the Rockies, with a fine collection of dinosaur fossils, and perhaps hike in the nearby mountains.

Go northwest through the peaks to Butte, then Missoula, the closest Montana gets to counter-culture – as well as home to the all-American Oxford Saloon and Café, where an interesting night out is guaranteed.

Briefly cut across the Idaho panhandle (which points north to Canada) and cross into Spokane – de facto capital of eastern Washington and a good place to pause. Then wind past canyons and across yet another mountain range before descending to Seattle, a great place to spend 48 hours before your flight home on Virgin Atlantic – partner of Delta, and therefore a sound bet for a decent fare on an “open jaw” trip from and to Heathrow.

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