Will Greenwood on Rome, climbing Kilimanjaro, and his life in travel

'I'm from Blackburn, so all holidays are good'

Will Greenwood (Getty)

Childhood holidays were spent in my granddad's caravan.

It was cramped and smelly and we'd always go to Grange-over-Sands in Cumbria, where we'd go for walks on the beach, play cards and simply spend time together. It was a big family affair and somehow we managed to squeeze 12 of us into the tiny caravan. There would be people sleeping in all manner of strange nooks and crannies, including under the kitchen table.

I'm from Blackburn; all holidays are good.

I'm very easily pleased and there's nowhere I wouldn't go back to. Luckily, I haven't had any major disasters – no lost luggage or bouts of sickness. One of my first trips abroad was Interrailing around Spain for three weeks when I was 17 years old. It was a huge adventure.

Climbing Kilimanjaro pushed my limits.

I made it to the top in 2014 and helped to raise half a million pounds for charity in the process. It was super-tough, though, particularly summit night. We woke up at midnight and had to walk through the night, going very slowly because it was so steep and battling blizzards. We made it to the top in time for sunrise. It was spectacular.

Take a peak: Greenwood climbed Mt Kilimanjaro (Getty)

I love Norfolk so much I got married there.

My wife, Caroline, and I tied the knot in a village called Thornham, but I love the whole of Norfolk. There are great beaches, seals to admire, and wonderful golf courses, great pubs and not a lot of phone reception. What more could you want?

No city compares to Rome.

My love for the Italian capital started at a young age. I moved there as a child when my dad got a new job and still return regularly to this day. It's a great city to wander around aimlessly. I love venturing into the quiet backstreets and eating in all the old restaurants, some of which I've been going to for years. I don't even know what most of them are called.

Watching my children dance with the Maasai was very special.

We went on a family safari to Kenya and visited five different places, including Suyian Ranch, north of Nairobi. We stumbled across a leopard one day and tracked it for some time, but my favourite memory was meeting the Maasai, who showed us their tradition of jumping up and down. We all joined in.

There's fine food to be had in Britain.

I'm not really much of a foodie, but my most memorable meals have all been here in Blighty: the calamari at The Arts Club on Dover Street in London and Maliks Tandoori in Cookham, Berkshire. I also love The Hinds Head, Heston Blumenthal's pub in Bray. It's very olde-worlde and serves the best scotch eggs on the planet.

South America is a box that needs ticking.

It's a continent I've yet to visit and high up on my list of "must-see" destinations. It's a big place, with so much to see and do, but I'm especially keen on Argentina. I want to learn how to salsa in Buenos Aires and then travel south to the mountains and glaciers of Patagonia. And I suppose I ought to pop into Chile while I'm there.

I escape to Somerset.

One of my all-time favourite hotels is Lucknam Park, just outside Bath. My friend used to run it, so my wife and I have visited a number of times. It's very peaceful, partly because there tend to be no children, so it's nice for a weekend away with someone special. Caroline and I don't go anywhere near Bath, though, because the hotel is just so lovely and the spa is fantastic.

A love of travel came to me late in life.

For most of my life, all my travels were part of rugby tours, so I've only recently started to discover the joys of seeing the world since I stopped playing rugby. I'm determined to make up for lost time.

Former England rugby player Will Greenwood co-founded Legend Holidays & Events (ourlegend.com), which offers trips hosted by professional sports people