Tea Gardens & Tolstoy, at Tuckton in Dorset
Along the river Stour estuary in Dorset, it’s not unusual to see a flurry of activity at any given time. It could be a synchronicity of oars from Christchurch Rowing Club on a Saturday morning, or a chorus of quacks and cackles from a medley of local wildfowl at...
Before the Incas – Chan Chan and the Chimú Kingdom of Peru
Before the Incas, the Moon-worshipping Chimú people ruled the coastal deserts of northern Peru, Read on to learn more about their culture, as we explore the ruins of their spectacular capital city of Chan Chan.
Back to the future: 10 places I have to revisit…and why!
As is customary for most people at this time of year, including travel writers, thoughts turn to the year to come and travel wish lists are drawn up. 12 months ago saw me being oh-so-ambitious about my travel plans, only to have most of them scuppered for one reason...
Memorable Moments from a Round-the-World Trip Bid
The one time I attempted a round-the-world trip, a few years back, I spectacularly failed to complete it. When I say ‘spectacularly failed’, I mean circumstances outside my control forced me to reluctantly head home after just 4 months. And yet, almost every time I...
Food with a View at the Cliffhanger Café in Highcliffe-on-Sea, Dorset
The Cliffhanger Cafe in Dorset has the best dining location in the area and it’s one of my favourite lunch-time eateries. Here’s why I keep coming back…
The Breathtaking Beauty of Bolivia’s Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve
Bolivia is often overlooked in favour of its more accessible neighbours Peru and Chile, but to bypass it is to miss out on one of the most captivating countries on Earth. With Amazonian jungle, Andean plains, colonial cities and the incredible Salar de Uyuni salt...
From Fishermen to Fine Art – A Walk Around Old Stavanger in Norway
It’s an uncommonly warm and sunny September morning in Stavanger, Norway. The locals go about their daily tasks as visitors stroll around the harbour taking in the picture-postcard prettiness of it all. It’s not somewhere I had thought to explore, to be honest. It...
Impressions of India Part 3 – Mumbai and Home
India’s popularity as a tourist destination has increased in leaps and bounds over the past couple of years, but on arranged tours travellers often see only the surface of what this incredible country has to offer. To get right down into the underbelly of a place, you...
Summertime Bees and Blooms – A Wildflower Meadow in Hampshire
This month has been a busy one beyond belief for me, for a hotchpotch of reasons, some good and others not so much. I’ve been industriously buzzing around sorting, organising, planning for everything from a likely house move, through a (not-looked-forward-to)...
Hindu Blessings at London’s Neasden Temple
I’ve been to UK Hindu temples before, those converted community-hall type of temples you find in most urban population centres, where the shrines are modest and the furnishings sometimes a little frayed around the edges. I'd occasionally wondered if all such temples...
