Suzy Pope

Suzy Pope

I'm a freelance travel and food writer based in Edinburgh. I'm the co-author of the DK Eyewitness guidebook to Albania (July 2025) and also specialise in writing about Scotland, Iceland and Japan. My "day job" is reviewing restaurants and covering food and drink for The List magazine in Edinburgh. You can also find my words in The Independent, The Guardian, National Geographic Traveller, Wanderlust and Fodor's. 

Toronto Star •

In Iceland, I skipped the touristy sightseeing bus and explored the landscapes a wilder way: on horseback

“Sálmur, no,” I chide. My small but mighty steed ignores me and noses in the hedgerow for a particularly juicy leaf. In Iceland, tradition dictates that you learn your horse’s name before you ride. It’s just one of many curiosities about this unique breed.I’m at Eldhestar, a countryside hotel and farm that offers horseback riding. There are plenty of farms across Iceland where you can go horse riding, but Eldhestar is only about a 45-minute drive from Reykjavik, the country’s capital, so it’s pe...
The Times •

Stay at one of Monzie Castle’s cottages for a fairytale escape

“When I met David, I had no idea about any of this,” Alexandra Crichton says, gesturing to the oak-panelled hallway of Monzie Castle. We’re on a personal tour of the castle, which is offered to all guests of Monzie’s self-catering accommodation. “He referred to it as a ‘family farm’ in Scotland,” she adds. It wasn’t entirely a lie. Monzie still has a working farm on the estate, alongside a working joinery, hydroelectric station, old schoolhouse and a chapel. “One of his friends gave me the name...
The Times •

Crossbasket Castle review: where the 17th century meets the Roaring Twenties

‘Well, I wasn’t expecting that,” I say to my friend as we retire to bed, ears ringing. Behind its crenellated classic appearance, Crossbasket Castle, which reopened in March after a £20 million facelift, hides a big surprise.Midway between Hamilton and East Kilbride, the building began life as a 15th-century tower, expanding to full baronial-style castle status in the 17th century. A litany of wealthy 18th and 19th-century owners includes Charles Macintosh of raincoat fame.On first inspection, i...
Weather2Travel.com •

7 things to do on a rainy day in Rome

The Italian capital is often called an 'open air museum', where neon-bright spritzes are sipped al fresco in ancient piazzas and the roofless Colosseum and sprawling ruins of the Roman Forum are the highlights of any sightseeing itinerary. Summer might sound like the ideal time to hit the sights of Rome, but the city can be stifling as crowds clog the historic streets and the sun beats down with barely any breeze. If you want to experience Rome in the low season to avoid the crowds and blister...
The Times •

Six of the best restaurants with rooms in Scotland

In the Middle Ages, coaching inns, baronial mansions and castles provided hospitality for the weary traveller. Guests would feast on hearty stews, warm themselves by the open fire, then haul their bones upstairs and hit the hay (sometimes literally). Across Scotland, chefs are reigniting this food-first hospitality. No designated drivers, no rushing home for babysitters, just a full-on gastronomic treat — then roll straight into bed. Here are six of our favourite restaurants with rooms. Northwe...
The Independent •

The Glasshouse, Edinburgh hotel review

Right in the centre of Edinburgh, at the foot of Calton Hill and a stone’s throw from Princes Street. Waverley Station is a five-minute walk away, where mainline LNER trains connect to London in a little over four hours. The hotel also benefits from the new tram extension down to Leith. There’s a tram stop just across the street which whisks you straight to Edinburgh Airport in around 30 minutes. At the top of Calton Hill, there are some of the best views over the city’s rooftops, including a sn...
Wanderlust •

5 must-try dishes in Sapporo, Japan - Wanderlust

Around Sapporo, vegetables are harvested from the rich mountain soil, livestock graze on fresh northern fauna and the fishing grounds of the northern reaches of the Sea of Japan are filled with prized crab, urchins and oysters. Hearty, filling dishes were made to fuel the people of Sapporo through cold winter days and the cuisine here warms the soul. Taste the distinct flavours of Sapporo with these culinary highlights.
The Independent •

13 best hotels in Edinburgh for a Scottish city break

Like Jekyll and Hyde, central Edinburgh has two sides. The Georgian New Town is a realm of leafy boulevards, towering townhouses and charming mews streets, while the medieval Old Town hides myriad closes and snickelways where dark deeds were conducted at nightfall. Edinburgh Castle looms above the city on a craggy outcrop and at the other end of the Royal Mile, stately Holyrood Palace sits in the shadow of an extinct volcano.There’s plenty to explore in the suburbs too. Stockbridge has a village...
Weather2Travel.com •

Best beaches in Albania for holidays to the Albanian Riviera

Closed off to the rest of the world under a Communist dictatorship until the 1990s, Albania* was a country shrouded in mystery for decades. Thanks to a litany of affordable flights and holidays from across the UK, and a 35-minute ferry ride from Corfu Town, people are slowly waking up to everything this southern European destination has to offer, including its pristine shores. The peak summer months see crowds descend on the Albanian Riviera, the southern Ionian Sea stretch of its Mediterranea...
The Independent •

This is the Rome neighbourhood where the locals come to eat

“I hope you’re hungry,” my guide, Dimitri, says. We’re strolling through Rome’s Centro Storico, but in the opposite direction of the Colosseum and Pantheon. I’ve joined a food tour with The Tour Guy, searching for Rome’s best traditional food. For that, Dimitri says we need to cross the Tiber into the city’s first suburb: Trastevere. Like most vibrant hubs of nightlife and dining, Trastevere has deep working-class roots, but not ones embedded in industry and warehouses. This neighbourhood’s his
Weather2Travel.com •

Why Northern Slovenia is best for summer fun in the sun

Why Northern Slovenia is best for summer fun in the sun While temperatures soar in southern Europe, the Slovenian mountains promise plenty of activities and lakeside relaxation under warm sunshine with more bearable conditions. Northern Slovenia* is a world of towering mountains, sparkling lakes and deep green forests. Bordering Alpine Austria, villages are shambles of chalet-style wooden houses with church spires jutting against the mountainscape of the Triglav National Park. Summers here ar
The National •

Lunch in Paris, dinner in Lyon: Taking the train from Edinburgh to France's foodie haven

On May 6, 1994, the Channel Tunnel was inaugurated, forming a direct link between Britain and mainland Europe and connecting the people of Scotland, England and Wales to a seemingly endless web of railways across the continent and beyond. Three decades on, it’s the perfect way to enjoy a multi-culinary journey to Europe, eating breakfast in the Scottish capital before exploring the foodie haven that is France for lunch and dinner. Just before 7am on a Saturday morning, a cluster of people with
The Independent •

Iceland’s Diamond Circle: Escape the crowds to find natural wonders

Iceland has been something of a victim of its own beauty. Every day you’ll spot convoys of minibuses, coaches and hire cars trundling along the Golden Circle, with tourists taking whirlwind trips into the ‘wild’ from Reykjavik. At times, you’re more likely to be poked in the eye with a selfie stick at Reynisfjara Beach than encounter a puffin. Or trip over a tripod at the mighty Stokkur geyser than marvel, wide-eyed at the eruption. Like other tourist favourites – Amsterdam, Bali, Venice and Te
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