A section of the Thames Path through London is in Lonely Planet’s 1,000 Ultimate Adventures book. The Path, where it runs from Kingston to Greenwich, is described as ‘a London highlights reel’ – passing Kew Gardens, Battersea Power Station, Westminster and Shakespeare’s Globe. ‘Expect surprising contrasts – the leafy emptiness of the riverbank through Richmond… Continue reading
Abu Dhabi, winter holiday destination if you want more than beach and ski
Ipsos MORI polled 18,000 people in 24 countries in 2013, and asked them, among other questions, which world city they wanted to visit. From the answers they drew up what they described as a list of “superbrand” cities. In fourth place on the list, behind some very to be expected cities (London, Paris and New… Continue reading →
Can trains take the tourism strain – when the Chinese influx finally arrives?
I saw something unusual at Euston station last Saturday morning. A large group of Chinese tourists were standing in the concourse. I assume they were preparing to board a train. Where were they going? It doesn’t really matter. They were tourists, heading off to some destination or other in England (likely) or Scotland (less likely)…. Continue reading →
Greener holidays make landfall on Turkey’s tourist coast
I paid my first visit to Turkey during the early years of mass tourism to witness, at first hand, a conspicuous conservation success. Here was a country listening to wise advice from overseas well-wishers, in this case German Green MEPs and pioneer British eco-warrior David Bellamy. They did not want the country to repeat the… Continue reading →
Will Waitrose’s sustainable fish pledge be a catch with customers?
A new Waitrose opened in our local town of August 8, and we shall be going there in future for all our fish. I don’t mean to make light of the efforts the other local supermarkets have put into selling fish from sustainable sources, but Waitrose has made a commitment that, by the end of… Continue reading →
World-beating Brecon Beacons’ view of the stars
Last night (12 August) may have been the best night to watch the Perseid meteor shower, the incredible cosmic lightshow that takes place in August every year. But it’s worth looking out tonight as well (August 12-13), astronomers say, when there should be more good displays of meteors (shooting stars). The best time to watch… Continue reading →