An interesting, possibly landmark interview on the Breakfast programme on BBC 5 Live, on Wednesday, January 29th, 2014. (1 hour 42.08 minutes into the broadcast). Presenter Nicky Campbell talks to UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Mark Walport about a series of talks he is giving around the country on climate change. There was nobody… Continue reading
Away to the Dales, fortified by Ashbourne
This is a piece I wrote earlier. So I apologise if one or two details are out of date. All you need to know to plan a visit is on the official website, http://www.visitpeakdistrict.com —- “We sell the Runny, Scrummy Brie You Can’t Buy Anymore. Nectarismic, Unpasteurised Luxury. Shss. Don’t tell the French.” Emphatically… Continue reading →
100,000 Leafs blown by zero carbon driving’s wind of change
Out on the road I notice all-electric Nissan Leafs, and I can’t help keeping a running total in my mind. What particularly sad obsession is this, you ask. There’s a more positive purpose. I’m keeping up with a story about business and the environment and what is likely to be a radical change to our… Continue reading →
Alternative Yorkshire on the New York Times’ travel list for 2014
Listing the travel destinations of the year is an enjoyable early-January exercise by newspapers and magazines. These choices can be a useful guide to travel trends, drawing on travel agents’ data or cultural and sporting events to come. I have a favorite list, which doesn’t seem to attract so much attention in the UK. That… Continue reading →
Istanbul is top taste in freshly MINTED Turkey
In January 2014 economist Jim O’Neill presented a series on the “MINT” countries – Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey – on BBC Radio 4. It was O’Neill who, in 2001, coined the term “Bric” countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – as potential world powerhouses. Now he has repeated the exercise with four more fresh… Continue reading →
Glamping – outdoor living with added glamour and comfort
Until recently our tourism industry assumed that tents, and most other variants on outdoor living, and for good reason, were for masochists. We British can be as hardy and stoical as the next nation in a crisis, but most of us sensibly shun sleeping under canvas for recreation anywhere north of a French campsite. If… Continue reading →