A photonic crystal fiber comprising a bulk material having an arrangement of longitudinal holes, the fiber including a cladding region and a guiding core (280), the cladding region having an effective-refractive-index which varies across the fiber's cross section, wherein, in use, the effective-refractive-index variation causes light propagating in the fiber to have a different transverse profile from the profile that it would have if the cladding region were of a substantially uniform effective refractive index.