If you were brought up on the charming little books of Beatrix Potter, you’ll understand my delight in seeing her original drawings at the National Trust Beatrix Potter Gallery.  It’s in the disarmingly pretty village of Hawkshead, slap bang in the middle of the Lake District World Heritage site. On display this year...

Where can you experience what it was like to be imprisoned in the Victorian era? See intriguing contemporary art and discover some of Wales’ finest craftsmanship? Find a fine example of Carrera Marble sculpture? View the only Prime Ministerial Library in the UK? In North East Wales. Here are five...

As a more ‘mature’ traveller who sometimes travels alone, I’m often asked ‘ “Why do you do it?’ ‘Don’t you get lonely?’. The truth is, I LOVE solo travel and often choose it over group travel. (I’m using the word travel here but applying it equally to going on holiday or any...

Afternoon Tea – photo VisitEngland Visit Stoke on Trent With summer fast approaching, it’s time to make travel plans. And for those of us who love dessert, and think that food and a culture go hand in hand – why not plan a vacation around food? Specifically, where to enjoy...

“Oh this is great! I’ve not felt so liberated since I was a teenager and used to cycle for miles round here. Just look at that view.” Good friend Liz Mcgillivary, retired PR specialist, and I were standing at the top of Birkrigg Common looking out over a misty Morecambe...

The heavenly scent of deep pink roses weaves around me every time I pass the front gate. In the summer months, these small, compact blooms scent the air in a way no other flower can. My mother absolutely loved these beautiful flowers, growing many different varieties and spending hours pruning...

Want to have a look round the site of some of Canada’s TOP-SECRET communications throughout the Cold War? Well, you can, at The Diefenbunker, one of the country’s most unusual and fascinating visitor attractions, just 20 miles outside Ottawa. Last year I stayed in the capital to celebrate Canada’s 150th Birthday. During...

“No offence, but I want to be THERE, not here.” This was the response from Amber, a participant in one of my recent ‘Introduction to Travel Writing’ Workshops. The group had been given a table covered in travel magazines and I was asking them what had made them choose the one...

The Toy Train to Shimla As we clattered along the narrow track, the mountains gradually emerged like shy ballerinas peeking out from behind a curtain of lush green foliage. Glimpsed intermittently at first, the foothills of the mightiest mountain range on earth rose amidst tiny hamlets and towering pine trees....

In this article in the World Travel Blogger series, photographer Angus Matheson describes The North Coast 500, a memorable road trip he did with his wife in the Highlands of Scotland. North Coast 500 – the greatest motoring adventure in the British Isles North Coast 500 In 2015 the North Coast...

With his hands clutching his long, flowing coat tightly around him, Sir William Hillary (1771-1841) stands high above Douglas Harbour, ready to face everything the weather can throw at him.  As founder of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution he was well aware of the changeable  meteorological temperament of his home,...

It looked a lot bigger than I had imagined. It also looked a lot prettier, covered in views of Canada’s splendid scenery. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Once you get on the road, you’ll soon forget its size and be enjoying yourself behind the wheel.” I was at the Cruise Canada pick-up centre...

David Hockney looking at a picture of fellow Yorkshireman Alan Bennett – photo Salts Mill You may have heard of, or even been to see, the new David Hockney exhibition at Tate Britain in London. One of this country’s most loved and respected artists, Hockney was born in Bradford in 1937,...

In our latest ‘World Travel Blogger‘ article, Canadian writer Cindy Baker shares her favourite things to do the beautiful city of Lisbon, capital of Portugal. The clatter of old trams, the smell of sardines on the grill, the haunting melancholy of fado music. In Lisbon, these traditions combine with a...

Rain drifts gently down from a milky grey sky. There’s not a breath of wind and the sound of footsteps is all that can be heard. Ahead loom two huge pillars thrusting upwards through the drizzle. a standing figure gradually comes into focus between the pillars, resting like Samson against...