“At one end of the Thames you may picnic over the river on ancient farm bridges garlanded with stonecrop, and watch aerial warfare between monstrous dragonflies; at the other end is the Thames Barrier, reposing in the departing flow like a shining line of walnut shells.” – A Walk Along the Thames Path (Michael Joseph,… Continue reading
Browsing Category Travel
Poirot turns 100: how the Belgian ‘tec met his match in the desert
In October 1920 Agatha Christie introduced Hercule Poirot in her novel, “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”. And the great detective lives on, in Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Death on the Nile, which follows the actor/director’s Murder on the Orient Express. The film is expected to open late in 2020. 1994 I interviewed David Suchet on set during the filming of… Continue reading
Green stay – the hotel that will produce more energy than it uses
As the world seeks ways to reduce its carbon footprint over the next crucial decades, travel will have to do its bit too. There are many areas where action is required, such as reducing the impact of flying, increasing recycling in hotels and making food and drink more sustainable. But as the tourism industry primes… Continue reading
How to walk the stripling Thames – using only public transport to get there
Extinction Rebellion launched its Hourglass newspaper in September 2019. The newspaper has folded in May, a victim of the pandemic. I contributed a series of simple travel articles, under the heading Whistle Stop Walks. I would take a train to a random station, and walk for between six and 12 miles to another station on… Continue reading
Does the Stonehenge tunnel have a place in a post COVID world?
Stop Press. Written statement to Parliament, 16 July 2020 Transport update: construction of new carriageway for A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down in Wiltshire. From: Department for Transport Following notification of a recent archaeological find within the World Heritage Site, the deadline for the decision is to be further extended to 13 November 2020 (an extension… Continue reading
How Danny Boy struck a late night Olympic chord in Turkey
One of my most magical musical moments was at, of all places, Dalaman Airport in Turkey at around 11 pm on the night of Friday, 27 July 2012 – (clue – 2100 BST, UK). Our flight was about to be called, but we were suddenly aware of the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard in an… Continue reading