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
Browsing Category Travel Blog
Green stay – the hotel that will produce more energy than it uses
As the world seeks a path to net zero over the next crucial decades, travel must play its part too. There are many areas where action is required, such as reducing the impact of flying and other carbon-based transport, and making accommodation greener and food and drink more sustainable. But as the tourism industry prepares for… Continue reading
Never mind the weather: Patrick Leigh Fermor takes meteorological liberties in A Time of Gifts
Did one of the finest British travel writers of the 20th century start his epic adventure across Europe on a meteorological fib? Patrick Leigh Fermor – “a thousand glistening umbrellas tilted over a thousand bowler hats in Piccadilly”. The Sunday Times – “At Kew it was 33° (1°C). Light falls of snow again occurred locally.” But does it… Continue reading
The great (rail) way west – to Pembrokeshire
The holiday express: in 2021 there were no through trains from Paddington to Tenby and West Wales on summer Saturdays, breaking a link which has endured with only a few gaps since the days of Queen Victoria. “If there be any one train more than another, the sight of which stirs the patriotic pride of an enthusiastic… Continue reading
How the National Theatre’s Under Milk Wood is the perfect post-lockdown play
“The itinerant, ultra-sociable Thomas would have been the last person to be constrained by social distancing, red and amber lists, and isolation. He was a man of the pub. It’s hard to see how he could have survived as a writer without beer-fuelled social interaction.” Dylan Thomas knew Under Milk Wood was good, even in… Continue reading
How Pembrokeshire was shunted into a siding
It’s a long way from London to Pembrokeshire, so if you didn’t have too much to carry, you might fancy a nice through train from Paddington to, say, Tenby, famous old resort. And until 2019 you could do just that. Four and a half hours of Co2-busting ease, bypassing the holiday jams. But not any… Continue reading