A friend had also told us of the mice plagues that will eat tents if hidden food is suspected

A "friend" had also told us of the mice plagues that will eat tents if hidden food is suspected. During the stroll to the trailhead, we tested ourselves on what to do in case of meeting with a hungry beast. For bears, one is supposed to look small and unthreatening, and to talk in a soft voice With cougars, you are meant to look "big and scary". The list of hazards includes rivers to be crossed on slippery logs, muddy or flooded forest paths, ladders that scale steep valley sides, paralytic shellfish poisoning and encounters with man-eating carnivores such a bears, cougars and wolves. We faced 75km of demanding terrain that - if the official West Coast Trail booklet and compulsory induction briefing were to be believed - would test a fully equipped expeditionary force to the limit.

Our small party comprised my friend, Ernie, and our two 15-year-old sons. The words of warning when we set out to hike this world-class trail on Canada's staggeringly beautiful Vancouver Island were not merely ringing in our ears; they were positively deafening. Click here for print edition. A "once-in-a-lifetime experience", it is called - yet the West Coast Trail has the potential to be the last-in-a-lifetime. Nothing has compared with that meal.First thing you do when you arrive somewhere new?Check out the minibar.Dream trip?I want to visit the Himalayas, because I've heard such great things about the region.Where next?To the States for a wedding.Navin Chowdhry stars in 'Sinchronicity' on BBC3, tomorrow at 10pm. It's like a chapati but the size of a towel and there's a real skill involved in making it You dip it into a curry and it was amazing.

I love the Lower East Side and Greenwich Village - it feels like a movie set.Best meal abroad?When I was about 16, my aunt and uncle took me to a little hut in Delhi where they made rumali roti, which is Hindi for "blanket". I could just drive around, stop off and jump in the Med.Favourite city?I'm a really big fan of London. I also like the old part of Barcelona and, although it's a clich?there's just something about New York. The people were lovely but the whole experience wasn't a happy one.Worst hotel? When we were kids, we stayed in Paris in a grotty hotel, but other than that I can't think of any great offenders.Best hotel?The Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi, the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai and the Leela Goa - the hotels in India are lovely.Favourite walk/swim/ride/drive?Driving through the mountains in Corsica and Sardinia was amazing. The pilot told people to sit down wherever they were and people started screaming.

It felt like it lasted for about 20 minutes, although it probably didn't. I was convinced we were going down.Worst holiday?I spent three months in Tunisia for a job. Everything fell out of the kitchen into the aisles and the lights went out. It is idyllic and I've never seen the Mediterranean that colour anywhere else. Otherwise, it would be India, particularly Kashmir - visiting is a life-changing experience.Better to travel or arrive?I hate travelling, especially if it's for work - it's a bore.Worst travel experience?I was flying to LA for a job and there was a lot of turbulence. I enjoy culture, too, but there's so much you can learn about culture without sightseeing.Greatest travel luxury?My iPod.Holiday reading?I like reading when I'm abroad but there's something very beautiful about keeping things simple and just soaking up the surroundings with someone you care about.Where has seduced you?The most beautiful place I've been to in Europe is Corsica. We'll probably go off to Las Vegas for a few days afterwards and I'm really looking forward to spending time with them.Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenalin junkie?I'm not one for sunbathing because of my complexion but I like swimming in the sea.