What’s New
Welcome back on the Glorious Twelfth
The grouse can relax for another few months. This year, the “Glorious Twelfth” is in April when outdoor drinking, dining and attractions open in England at last.
Discover the taste of Catalonia
Call it Catalogne in France or Catalunya in Spain. Whatever you call it, Catalonia’s complex shared history has produced flavours and traditions unique to this corner of Europe.
Post-pandemic travel: Rediscover England’s wonderful pubs
With the end of lockdowns almost in sight at last, why not plan on breaking the travel ice with a short break not too far from home but just far enough.
Souvenir recipes from world travellers’ kitchens
If you can’t hop on a plane and head for distant places right now, you can still bring the world home to your kitchen with these souvenir recipes collected by travel writers and bloggers.
The secret world of the Chelsea Physic Garden
Within five minutes of entering the Chelsea Physic Garden, I was amazed by the history and miraculous, secret powers of plants. An hour later, after a free guided tour, my head was exploding.
Benedict Arnold – An American patriot in London?
To most people, his name is synonymous with traitor yet Benedict Arnold is memorialised in a lovely London church. What’s going on?
Destinations
Saratoga Springs – A Weekend Escape to the Queen of Spas
The bathwater smelled like rust. It looked like it too. Alone in my private room at the Roosevelt Bathhouse in Saratoga Spa State Park, I hesitated, my naked toes suspended over lightly bubbling, blood-warm mineral soup. Then, like thousands before me, I took the plunge.
Seven great reasons to choose Pas de Calais for le Weekend
Just across the English Channel yet so often overlooked. Discover the pleasures Northern France in Pas de Calais
Dog-friendly short break in Tewkesbury
Lulu the Westie and I, along with some canine and human pals, head for Tewkesbury, where we find everything we need for the perfect dog-friendly break.
Cauterets: a kingdom of water
The sound of rushing water is everywhere, spring and summer in this historic ski resort in the French Pyrénées.
Climbing Snowdon to the top of Wales
The views from the top of Snowdon are among the most spectacular in Europe and you don’t have to be a mountaineer to enjoy them.
A word about COVID 19
As we all shelter in place, worried about the pandemic and wondering when it will end, thoughts of travel go right out the window. How can you think about traveling miles from home when you may not even be able to walk the dog around the corner. I think reading about travel still has a morale building role and I will continue to write travel pieces in hopes they will inspire you to dream. Read my editorial Why write about travel? here.
Travel Tips & Itineraries
How to beat the COVID-19 lockdown blues
Travel has been one of the big casualties of the coronavirus crisis. Most of us haven’t seriously planned travel for nearly a year. Now that the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight, some of us may have forgotten what the freedom of travel is actually like. Dip into some virtual travel here to remind and inspire yourself.
Editorial: Why Write about Travel Now
As we all hunker down to sit out the COVID 19 pandemic what is the point of writing about travel? I look at the role travel writing has played in the past and can play in our future.
25 Perfect Hotel Room Essentials
Tried and tested tips from experienced travellers.
London’s Blue Plaques – A Chelsea Walk
Spend a morning or an afternoon discovering London Blue Plaques on a Chelsea walk. For more than 150 years, blue plaques on London’s buildings scattered around the city have marked the homes and achievements of the famous and infamous. Join us on this free, self-guided tour.
Food & Drink
Miss Virginia’s Shrimp ‘n’ Grits
A classic Southern recipe from a Charleston,S.C, cook that you can make at home.
Pudding, pie or tart – So what’s a Bakewell?
The one thing you can’t get in Bakewell, Derbyshire, is a Bakewell Tart. On the other hand, Bakewell Puddings may be the real deal.
Visit an ancient Roman winery in the South of France
On the Provence/Languedoc border, a family winery produces 2000-year-old vintages for today’s wine drinkers
Ugly vegetables the French way
Maybe France is off your travel agenda this summer but you can still bring a taste of France to your table with easy recipes that every thrifty French home cook knows.
Features & Special Places
Strawberry Hill: London’s Little Suburban Castle
An 18th century dandy’s house is a masterpiece of eccentricity – a mini-castle amid the suburban semis.
The indescribable Snape Maltings slowly comes back to life
How can I begin to describe Snape Maltings? From its strange sounding name to its creative miscellany of art, music, retail and the great outdoors, it defies categorization. You simply have to go to Snape Maltings to experience this destination for yourself.
Tower Bridge’s glass walkways – Part of (not so) hidden London
An almost secret attraction that has been hiding in plain sight
Notre Dame de Reims: Gothic survivor and cathedral of kings
Reims Cathedral, Notre Dame de Reims, is one of the world’s great masterpieces of Gothic architecture. It’s also the centrepiece of a UNESCO World Heritage site and a battle-scarred survivor with more facelifts to its name than Dolly Parton.
