I went to Hong Kong & Macau for the bank holiday weekend, with my friend Steve – of the Vampires of Prague story – which meant that I was expecting at least a few random occurrences. On Sunday, we found ourselves in Macau, which is of course famous for the Macau Grand Prix, to the…
When you ask most people to tell you about Burnley, Lancashire, they might mention the town’s industrial past, its football team, or some of its many famous residents. What they are less likely to mention is the impressive green spaces and architecture of the town. Among these are Towneley Park and Towneley Hall, an impressive…
We found ourselves in North Yorkshire this weekend visiting some friends, and took the opportunity to return to Skipton, and to visit Skipton Castle. It was a relatively easy choice as, as well as being an interesting historical site which is easy to get to and has plenty to see, is suitable for both a…
It’s the 1st March, and whilst those in Wales will be celebrating St David’s Day, Londoners will have something else to be happy about today. London’s first “cat cafe”, Lady Dinah’s, opens today. The café will include eleven cats who will be “working” there, who you might meet if you pay them a visit. The…
Among my various exploits in Australia in 2013 was a trip to the famous Taronga Zoo, and whilst there, I managed to get involved in feeding penguins there. Many people associate penguins only with the colder climates of the world like Antarctica, and of course there are several species of penguins who are native to…
I had the experience this weekend (14th / 15th December 2013) of travelling with Xander, my one year old son, including some short air travel. On the way home, another passenger asked me “is it hard to travel with a young child?”, and it got me thinking about the overall experience. The outward journey could…
I was sad to hear earlier today of the death of the great actor Peter O’Toole, and it reminded me of some time spent in Jordan. Anyone who has seen the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia will remember not just the fantastic acting by Peter O’Toole and his colleagues, but also the story, the score,…
The city of Sydney is surrounded by beautiful beaches, some of which are more famous than others. Among the most famous for those outside Australia is Bondi Beach. The name conjures up images of surfers and golden sands, and there is some truth in that image. The name itself apparently comes from an aboriginal word…
I am currently in Krakow, Poland, which for anyone who has not visited, is both a rather historic and a rather pretty city. It is the second largest city in Poland after Warsaw, and is a former national capital. The city dates back to the seventh century, and the old town is a UNESCO World…
The village of Harmondsworth is overshadowed now by its near neighbour, Heathrow Airport, but there are still interesting places there to visit. You may be most familiar with the place as the name on Penguin books for many years, which carried the information that they were printed in Harmondsworth, Middlesex, or the historic buildings of…
I was part of a group recently looking for something to do in London for an evening, and we came up with the idea of doing a treasure hunt. However, rather than us having to research the trip and putting together a plan for the evening, with someone to oversee it, we used the services…
I have written recently about travelling in Laos, including some time in Luang Prabang and visits to places nearby like the Pak Ou caves. We also travelled to the Kuang Si waterfalls, which are around twenty miles from Luang Prabang. We headed off to find the waterfalls, and found that we were sharing the road…