The view from the 69th floor of the Shard in London is stupendous. With a bit of time, and guidance, I am sure you could pick out, on a clear day, two or three surrounding counties, as well as the whole of the metropolis itself. But Visit England, in its 2017 Showcase event there, wanted… Continue reading
Browsing Category Travel Blog
Shopping phenomenon Bicester Village rail station hits 1 million
One year on (November 3rd 2016) since it opened, and 1 million people are said to have used Bicester Village station. That’s quite a figure. And there is more expansion to come, with the completion of the line to Oxford city centre on December 12 (2016). There is a direct service from London’s Marylebone station, fast (49 minutes,… Continue reading →
Glasgow’s Grand Central recalls great days of station hotels
I have experienced several spirit-sapping, early morning departures from UK airports (mainly Luton) recently. This makes me wonder, and not for the first time, whether flying (early, it is always early) with budget airlines was worth the effort. On one occasion, at Luton, we had to leave the car we were travelling in well short… Continue reading →
How good food became Northern Ireland’s big selling point
Wine and Brine, a small restaurant in Northern Ireland, was named as local restaurant of the year in the Waitrose Good Food Guide 2017. Another culinary coup for the province in 2016, which is Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink. —- I was delighted to see Wine and Brine in the small Northern Irish town of Moira… Continue reading →
Rosy future as Covent Garden spills over and extends its day
The first “Covent Garden After Hours” takes place this month (July, 2016) from Wednesdays to Saturdays, with a series of special events every Thursday. It’s a smart way to put a focus on the area, and draw its many component parts together, with late night shop-opening, free gifts and inducements, and street food from local restaurants. ****… Continue reading →
Mallorca’s prime time moments in location shots for Night Manager
The Guardian has blown the Night Manager’s filming locations cover. This elegant BBC production based on the John le Carre novel flitted from sumptuous Alpine setting to smart hotel verandah, from a real Istanbul to a make believe Egypt displaced to somewhere else in North Africa. The location of one pivotal scene, where the Tom… Continue reading →