"How I Travel" With Australian Cricket Captain Pat Cummins
Ahead of the Ashes kicking off in Perth this month, the Australian cricket captain shares the places – and the coffee – he loves.
Where’s your favourite place in the world?
Harrogate in Yorkshire. It’s where my wife, Becky, is from so I’ve been going there at least once or twice a year for the past 12 years. It’s a very English town – it feels like you go back in time a bit. It’s all stone buildings, manicured lawns, rose gardens and hedges.
What’s the most memorable meal you’ve ever had?
Last year we went to La Folie Douce in Val d’Isère [near the French-Italian border]. I was there for one day between cricket tours and I remember having the cheeseburger and chips on the hill – they cook the burgers almost raw. You’re basically above the clouds and all you can see are snow-capped mountains. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.
The hotel you’d return to in a second?
Cap Estel (above), just outside Monaco. Before we had kids, Becky and I stayed for five or six days in between a World Cup and an Ashes series. It was the best place to go and relax.
The film or TV show that takes you away?
James Bond movies. You can tick off a few continents, normally within one film. And sometimes it’s the opposite – we have a farm in the NSW Southern Highlands, which is a favourite place, so I find myself watching Clarkson’s Farm when I’m away. It reminds me of being back home with my family.
What’s the first thing you pack?
I always take a Kindle, a little grinder and fresh Australian coffee, normally from Skittle Lane (above) in Bondi. And a pair of thongs – we’re always in a hotel so I live in thongs.
