Just 25 miles from England the instruction ‘on yer bike’ – or local equivalent – is a form of welcome rather than a variation on ‘get lost’. Cycling in France is an invitation to adventure, and it starts at the portals of the Channel Tunnel. The Nord Pas-de-Calais tourist people have stared wistfully – and… Continue reading
Browsing Category Travel
Tourism Tor hold in wide open county out west
There is more to Somerset than the annual mud fest at Glastonbury. Take the majestic heights of Exmoor, the Quantocks and the Blackdown Hills. Add in the enigma of the Somerset Levels, and the drama of Cheddar and Ebbor Gorges. Top it off with a string of seaside resorts, the tiny cathedral city of Wells, and all that cheese and cider.
Continue reading →Chalk up and walk in the Chilterns
The Government – in fact all three major parties – are committed to building HS2, the high speed rail link from London to Birmingham, then Scotland – through the Chilterns. I spent a day there – arriving and departing, I must admit, by (slower) train.
Continue reading →Nottingham hits tourism target with Robin Hood
Nottingham is basking in the afterglow of the latest tribute to a surly sheriff and the twang of Robin Hood’s bow. The capital of the east Midlands is packed with interest for the weekend visit on the trail of the mythic archer. This don’t-miss list of six includes an awfully old Inn, some very new… Continue reading →
Medieval mosaic of a landscape.
The New Forest became Britain’s smallest national park in 2006. Essentially it is a landscape that has changed little since William the Conqueror set it up in the late 1000s. Today it’s much better looked after that it was in the early days of mass car ownership, when you could virtually park where you liked.
Continue reading →Green Ghent goes vegetarian – weekly
In 2009 the Belgian city of Ghent, famous for its gastronomy, became the first city in the world to become vegetarian at least once a week. Ghent, one of Europe’s 370 “climate cities”, is making every Thursday a meat-free day, encouraging local people to turn to vegetables that day. This was a pioneering first step… Continue reading →