William Shakespeare, the bard of Avon, was born in the Warwickshire market town of Stratford in 1564, and died there 400 years ago, in 1616. Shakespeare’s Way, 235 km or 146 miles long, inaugurated in 2006, runs from his birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire to Shakespeare’s Globe (close to where the original Globe Theatre stood), alongside… 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 →
British company turns off-road cyclist into good food Forager
I once owned one of the original Moulton small-wheeled folding bikes. It was the only new bike I’ve ever had; all the others were second-hand – less likely to be stolen. I rode my Moulton to work in Leeds for several years and it never disappointed me. I can imagine the owners of the Sven Cycles… Continue reading →
Six things you must do in Nashville
This is my piece on Nashville, published in the Mail on Sunday. —– Music City was chosen by Lonely Planet and Rough Guides as one of their top ten cities to visit in 2016. As well as round the clock performance, there are legendary concert halls, recording studios and museums celebrating the titans. And a full-size… Continue reading →
La Rochelle – green city of the sea, and Inspector’s Maigret’s Simenon
La Rochelle strives to be different. Facing the world on the Atlantic coast, it has always stood apart from the rest of France, one of the great seafaring cities. With typically French poetic verve, one of La Rochelle’s unofficial names is “Daughter of the Sea.” The English crown ruled it, between 1154 and 1224. It… Continue reading →
Touring Northern Ireland in a motorhome
Tourist boards will have us believe the places they promote are blessed with unending sunshine. Think, when did you last see an umbrella in a travel brochure? I’m sure Ireland wouldn’t stoop to such meteorological subterfuge. What’s the point pretending they bask under skies of cerulean perfection, when we know the rain they had this morning… Continue reading →