Gateway to the red dust road - new flights
Western Australia’s dramatic Kimberley region comes within easier reach this summer with the launch of direct flights from Singapore to...
Apr 4, 20242 min read
History lives in Romanesque gem
The Chapelle des Templiers does not lie on a marked route to Santiago de la Compostela, though clear evidence suggests many pilgrims...
Jan 18, 20244 min read
Basque Bites in Bilbao
In Bilbao you never need to sit down for a full blown meal. Grazing is a way of life. Simply saunter from bar to bar, ordering a beer or...
Jan 9, 20244 min read
Erfurt - Star from the Old East
A recent trip to Berlin prompted me to read Anja Hoyer's Beyond the Wall. Her book is a superb eye opener, confirming some of the worst...
Sep 13, 20235 min read
Beware the aroused Hippo
The hippopotamus, if disturbed while mating, is not a happy bunny. Sugar almost learned the hard way, surprising a pair in the act while...
Nov 26, 20225 min read
Massachusetts Fish Fest
Labour Day weekend in the US and Crane Beach, an hour or so north of Boston, is crowded with families and teenage groups enjoying the...
Jan 18, 20222 min read
Crater Crossing - Walk New Zealand
Sometimes you only appreciate your luck with hindsight. Viewed from the rim of the North Crater, Lake Taupo stretched away until its...
Jan 17, 20225 min read
French Short Break - wetland walking
The Marais Audomarois, said a friend who explored it with us, was a landscape he didn’t know existed. Tourists tend to drive straight...
Dec 13, 20212 min read
City Break Antwerp
Antwerp may not leap instantly to mind as a short break destination - but there are few more rewarding choices. Go for the lovely old...
Dec 11, 20214 min read
Asparagus - Germany's White Gold
What’s green in England and white in Germany? The answer, most commonly at least, is asparagus. Both are excellent, enjoyment of them...
Dec 11, 20212 min read
Estonia - Ten Reasons to Go
Tallinn’s historic centre: The upper town (Toompea) and the narrow streets at its feet incorporate some of the best preserved medieval...
Dec 10, 20213 min read
Nightjars and Bluebells - a Surrey Walk
Nightjars come to Hurtwood in spring. They should be there between April and mid-May. You can hear their strange churring call at dusk –...
Dec 10, 20212 min read
Lunch at an Alm and Carry On
It was one of those moments on a hike that lives long in the memory. The morning had dawned grey and wet. The mountains across the valley...
Dec 10, 20212 min read
Alsace - Six Reasons to Go
Alsace, it seems reasonable to assume, is not as familiar to UK tourists as the likes of Normandy, Brittany, Provence or the Dordogne....
Dec 9, 20213 min read
A Chance Walk in France
It’s rarely difficult to find a suitable walk in France. Visit a tourist information office in any French town or village, ask them to...
Dec 7, 20213 min read