Romance 'minus the men'

SINGLES HOLIDAYS: WOMEN TRAVELLING solo are a major market in tourism

SINGLES HOLIDAYS:WOMEN TRAVELLING solo are a major market in tourism. And as exciting as going it alone may be, sometimes you wouldn't mind having a few other women along to share the pleasure.

Former restaurateur Margaret Scully has set up a new business bringing groups of unattached women abroad.

“Even though I have travelled all over the world alone and know how rewarding it is – I compare it to the adrenalin buzz of a bungee jump – I also know that sometimes it’s more fun to go in company,” she says.

She has created a week-long yoga and adventure tour of southwest Turkey, co-hosted by yoga teacher and RTÉ Health Squadpresenter Karen Ward.

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As well as daily yoga practice, the group of 12 women will participate in the annual predawn rose harvest at Isparta, plucking petals from organic flowers and helping distil them into the rose oil for which the region is famous. “It’s all about romance, without the men,” says Scully.

Also on the schedule is a stop at the Ephesian town of Selcuk, site of the former temple of Artemis, goddess of wilderness and fertility, plus a few days’ pampering by the sea in a retreat with a marble hammam, sauna and pool.

The seven-day tour costs €799, excluding flights. There are no single supplements. “I just couldn’t do that to a fellow solo traveller,” says Scully.

www.misssushi.com, 085-1655575

Sandra O'Connell

Sandra O'Connell

Sandra O'Connell is a contributor to The Irish Times