Which festival?

Think "festival" and what comes to mind? For most twenty-somethings looking for fun in a field this summer it's probably the big hitters like Glastonbury, Bestival and even Benicassim that have them packing the rucksack and slinging the tent in the car. But there's much more to the festivals calendar than just the big names and yesterday I uncovered a secret stash of fabulous but mostly unknown festivals lurking in one particular corner of the UK. No it's not Cornwall, the true festivals county is one far more likely to be overlooked by staycationers this summer. It's Suffolk.
Suffolk yesterday launched Festivals Suffolk, a national campaign to showcase what Choose Suffolk claim is a fantastic festivals pedigree, and I was there to drink the champagne and hear the speeches. All too often these "initiatives" are something of a cobbled-together collection of mediocre attractions shoehorning themselves into a one-size-fits-all marketing plan, but Suffolk really does have the goods to back up their claim to be the festivals county.
As we tucked into some Suffolk cheese and mountains of sandwiches and cakes, the first festival, High Tide, was already underway downstairs at the Cut community theatre and was attracting a buzzing audience despite it being a Friday lunchtime. The Bury St Edmunds Festival of contemporary and classical music, theatre and film is up next (May 14-30) followed by the multi-disciplinary and unusual-venue-loving PULSE Fringe Festival (May 27-June 12) and the world-renowned classical music Aldeburgh Festival (June 11-27), but most of us were more excited to hear Dom Gomez talk about new kid on the block, Harvest at Jimmy's.
I can only afford one festival this year thanks to the dreaded wedding budget so forget Latitude (also part of Festivals Suffolk but the only event not to bother turning up for the launch), I'm saving myself for Harvest on September 11 and 12. Dom may only be in his second year but he's got the Zutons, the Futureheads and Newton Faulkner lined up and some of my favourite London restaurants (including Wahaca) will be serving proper festival food – no nasty burgers here. Dom says he wanted to create something family friendly that celebrates both great food and great music and even Jo Whiley loves it (she's playing an exclusive set there this year) so it must be good. I'm in, and there are still tickets left so why not join me?

A tale of two cities

Yorkshire is often referred to with somewhat mystical expressions. This much-loved land of rolling hills, warm hospitality and above all, fantastic tea, instills an indomitable sense of pride in its countrymen and a keen desire to return in its visitors. I've always slightly wondered why.

On my most recent visit, I spent my first ever night in Leeds. All I really knew about the city beforehand was that it had a university that lots of my, shall we say fun-loving?, friends had been to - the student union did, after all, have the longest bar in Europe before St Pancras stole the crown.

What I wasn't aware of was its fantastic Victorian architecture. Walking around the city I couldn't stop looking up. Every building seems to have an ornate brick facade, complete with stately arched windows and well-preserved period features such as chimney stacks or domed turrets. The Victoria Quarter may be primarily a cathedral of retail but there's much more here for the architecture enthusiast than just a few traditional shopfronts. The high-end stores which populate this glassed-in arcade network are all a uniform style, with gold-on-black name signs and clear uncluttered windows. It all smacks of rules and regulations somewhat but the overall effect is beautiful and there's surely no better place in Yorkshire for a coffee than the Harvey Nichols cafe in the County Arcade where customers sit at small round tables under the vast domed glass ceiling.

My purpose in the city was to take a cocktail masterclass at The Rock Bar (more to come in the Guardian on this next month) and this gave me a taste for that infamous nightlife I'd heard so much about. The Rock Bar is an Ibiza-inspired chilled out space where drinkers of all ages come to relax under the indoor tree, in the Bedouin tent or on the terrace. I'd have felt just as at home with a coffee as with my mojito here.

Back at my hotel, the City Inn, I had a fabulous fillet steak teriyaki overlooking the city lights from the thirteenth-floor Skylounge. I was really impressed with the standard of this hotel and not just because it wowed me with technology (there were two, two!, iMacs in the room) but also because the service was good, the room very modern without compromising on comfort, and I had great views over the Tower Works. Perfect.

Things went slightly wrong in York, where I stayed at the extremely disappointing Golden Fleece. Service here was offhand and the room more ramshackle than characterful. Fortunately I wasn't here to stay in the room and spent many a happy hour wandering the city's lovely historic centre instead. I was here to encounter some ghosts (again, more on that to come in the Guardian soon) but also found a great restaurant - the Blue Bicycle. This used to be a brothel but instead of playing let's pretend and ignoring its rather colourful history, the Blue Bicycle wears it proudly, even using an image of a topless girl as its logo - something which they acknowledge presents certain marketing problems! Downstairs here are the booths where the girls' business was carried out, today making charming little nooks for romantic dinners. Valentines Day, I'm told, was booked out months in advance.

On this visit, Yorkshire continued to worm its way under my skin. There really is something a bit magical about this part of the UK - and I've never had as many people be jealous of a work trip as when I said the magic word York!

Dartmoor rocks

Having spent many an unhappy childhood holiday doing what I considered to be "trudging" up tors on Dartmoor, I was excited to head back to Devon's moorlands for a visit last week to write a piece on cycling for the Guardian and challenge my perceptions of a place I used to think miserable.

Not generally the most outdoorsy of people I was slightly nervous about the prospect of spending a full blustery February day on the moors with nothing but a bike for company but I needn't have worried - amidst the rolling hills and striking tors are numerous cosy self-catering cottages, luxurious hotels and five-star restaurants to sooth those weary limbs and make the great outdoors a little bit greater.

I stayed in two very different places, both of which were luxurious in very different ways. Old Tavistock Railway Cottages were a revelation. As soon as I saw the website I knew I had to stay there - three five-star luxury self-catering cottages carved out of the old railway station, a listed building which has been lovingly preserved, retaining its original platform canopy and station doors. Everything was very new and all mod cons were in place, but the charm remained and I was really taken with the original fireplaces, restored stained glass windows and beautiful antique furniture. This is a place with true character but that doesn't compromise on modern facilities - I could have cooked a full Sunday roast in the kitchen and the rolltop bath was a heavenly addition to the otherwise very modern wet-room bathroom.

My other accommodation was the Kingston Estate, where I slept in what felt like a stately home with all the red velvet cords removed from the doorways. The fantastically old-school owners Elizabeth and Michael Corfield made me feel thoroughly at home - something which was helped by the fact that I was the only person staying there! No TV in the rooms, all open log fires and a wonderfully traditional attitude to dinner made me actually slow down for once - a refreshing change in pace I was sorry to say goodbye to when I eventually dragged myself away the next morning.

It wasn't just accommodation where Dartmoor impressed me either. The wonderful Two Bridges Inn right in the centre of the moor was serving up fabulous local produce including the freshest of lamb and the local Jail Ale from the brewery down the road in its warm lounge. I sunk a bit too far into the sofa in front of the log fire but sadly didn't have time to stay the night. I did have a peek in the rooms though and found just the right blend of the luxury and the traditional. For those who like a celebrity connection, one was even a favourite of Vivien Leigh's who stayed here a few times.

Of course, the main attraction on Dartmoor is the superlative scenery and I was truly taken aback by its beauty. Clearly as a child I had my eyes shut because I never appreciated it, I just remember a lot of moaning! There was no moaning on this trip though, just lots of pulling up at the roadside, mouth open, to take in the view. It seems there really is a fine line between love and hate and for me, this time, that line was a cycle path. I'll be back.

Packing away the cliches - the other side of Tenerife

Tenerife. The very word unleashes a tidal wave of travel snobbery. The cliches come easily - boozed up "Brits abroad", leather-skinned OAPs seeking winter sun, an endless strip of caffs and bars serving up all-day breakfasts... you know the drill. But the truth is that those tired old cliches are beginning to look distinctly threadbare - and lazy.

I've just spent three nights on the island for the British Guild of Travel Writers' AGM (I know, tough job) and the prospect of sunshine in January had me eager to board that Monarch Airlines plane, but other than that I had no great expectations about what I would find the other end.

Frankly I should have been more excited. What we found was an open-arms welcome, fabulous food and wine and a range of activities to really get stuck into - no time for lying on the beach. My top tip for what to do on the island? Whale watching. Thanks to its volcanic structure, the waters around the island are warm and deep, meaning the resident whale pods can remain just off-shore year-round making Tenerife the perfect place to go whale watching at any time of the year - and particularly friendly to the seasick. We saw dozens of playful pilot whales on our short catamaran trip, many of which teasingly approached the boat and swam within easy camera-snapping distance, setting off a cacophony of whirs and clicks. Even the most cynical of travel journos could appreciate the magic in that.

The food was another surprise. Spanish cuisine has long been a favourite of mine and many of the very best elements appeared in Tenerife in super-fresh form. There was, unsurprisingly, an abundance of fish but bananas were perhaps the most memorable ingredient. Tenerife grows a quite staggering amount of bananas, the crop weighing in second only to grapes, and on our first night we paid homage to this with dinner at a local banana plantation. The plants (the world's biggest herb) loomed large in rows stretching off into the distance each side of us as we munched on canapes with a banana theme, before taking our seats in the surprisingly commodious warehouse/sorting area for delights such as a crispy, cheesy salad with banana vinaigrette and thin pork slices in banana and red mojo sauce. A string quarter accompanied the food, providing an atmosphere of easy elegance despite the industrial surrounds.

There were other great meals (though none so banana-related) throughout the trip but for me the real highlight of it all was the drive over Mount Teide, the island's volcano and Spain's highest point. Tenerife's volcano is not one of those tame long-extinct ones that has barely burped for millenia and looks like nothing more than a humped hillock. Oh no, this is a proper peaked throat which last erupted in 1909 and is described as "unstable". Fear of imminent death aside, it's a spectacular sight and the twisted rock and lava flow scenery in the caldera was somewhere I could have explored for days, seeking out ever-odder shapes to photograph.

So, yes you might have seen it on Spain Uncovered back in the day or heard tell of club 18-30-style shennanigans in bars such as Linekars, but if you're still basing your perceptions of Tenerife on this, it's well past time for a rethink - and a visit.