The ferry Glansteffan began regular services across the Towy Estuary, from Ferryside to Llansteffan in Carmarthenshire in August 2018. For years Llansteffan has been a tantalising prospect for people in Ferryside and the many tourists who pass through on the railway that hugs the coast. So close, with a line of prettily coloured waterside houses… Continue reading
The Girl on the Train arrives on schedule in the West End
The stage version of The Girl on the Train, adapted from the novel by Paula Hawkins, has just arrived at the Duke of York’s theatre in the West End. No waiting at faulty signals, or delays by the wrong type of leaves on the line for this play. It travelled directly from the West Yorkshire… Continue reading
England and New Zealand – the greatest cricket game ever?
So, was Sunday’s World Cup final at Lords the greatest cricket match ever? Some are certainly calling it that. Others stop short with “the greatest ODI final ever.” Sky commentator Ashley Giles slipped in a qualifying ” one of the”, but the Sky website (after all, they were the broadcaster) called it the greatest… Continue reading
How the looming battle over Oxford to Cambridge Expressway might be won
Could the purposed Expressway be the next big road battle in the UK? And is it winnable? Until last month (June 2019), few opponents would have held out much hope of resisting the combined forces of the Highways Agency, which first advanced the £1.5 bn project, and the Westminster government, which almost without fail wins… Continue reading
How BeaconLit was built – creating a book festival in an English village
BeaconLit, a literary festival in Buckinghamshire, was launched in 2013. This year (July 13, 2019) is the seventh festival. People keep coming back, to be inspired, informed and to enjoy the beautiful mystery of what happens when you turn a page (in books both physical and virtual). http://www.beaconlit.co.uk Authors and moderators this summer include Quentin Bates, a… Continue reading
Festivals in fields – how WOMAD catches the spirit of Woodstock
As final preparations proceed for the 2019 music, books and ideas festival season, I’m republishing an account I wrote earlier on one of the most international, cheerful and animated jamborees that break out in random, rural corners of Britain, regardless of the weather, throughout the summer. 50 years on, Woodstock cannot be matched. But WOMAD, with or without the mud,… Continue reading