UK and Ireland
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A Peak Performance
The Peak District National Park – nestling in Derbyshire, but extending to parts of Staffordshire, Cheshire and South Yorkshire – is teeming with tourists during the summer. Not only are the roads crowded, its most popular spots are such that you may even have to queue to get on a footpath, or at least share…
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It’ll all end in piers
Harbours are often the business end of town, a place where a paint job is more likely to be given to the underside of a boat than to a few railings to make the place look prettier. Southwold is no different, and although it looks underdeveloped and slightly down at heel, this is a working…
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Meet the family
As previously mentioned, the whole of the pub scene in Southwold is tied up by one name. You can’t escape Adnams while you’re here, so I thought I should investigate some more – strictly in the name of research, of course. My original plan was to go on an official brewery tour, which these days…
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Surreal Southwold
After a decade of travel blogging, today feels strange in all kinds of ways. Yes, during the Covid pandemic I’ve been lucky enough to at least get some travel in – notably to Pisa and Tuscany last September. But since then it’s all been about lockdown, or the gradual lifting of lockdown. International travel seems,…
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Taking the air
Despite being just 70 miles apart, a rail journey from Belfast to Derry (Londonderry, but more of that later) takes around two hours. Having frequently experienced similar journey times between Nottingham and Birmingham, it’s clear that the term “expresss train” is at least debatable. However, the link between Northern Ireland’s largest cities is frequent and…
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There Might Be Giants
It isn’t possible to fit in sixty million years of history into a single day, but you can have a pretty good shot at it on the North Antrim coast. Several locations in this area are now enjoying renewed interest from visitors, having been used as the setting for Game of Thrones. Hire cars and…
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Christmas… and a cage
Belfast City Hall knows how to put on a show. Throughout the year it’s beautifully lit up, and at this time of the year even moreseo with a colourful Christmas Market. Many big cities have these nowadays, but the secret of whether it works is in the setting, and the backdrop. When it comes to…
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Linen and Chips
It’s sufficiently gloomy outside, but at least it’s not raining. However, Belfast also offers several free indoor sights, and none quite so quirky and beautiful as the Linen Hall Library. The original building – now Belfast city hall – was founded in 1788 by a group of local people, described in the guide as “worthy…
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Heading north…
It’s late November, and refusing to be put off by my meteorological experience of Ireland in September, I’ve decided to return, partly tempted by a cheap flight and a good hotel deal, and partly on the assumption that the weather couldn’t possibly be any worse. I’m also partly driven by my desire to see more…
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