Stepping on to Piel Island is to take a trip back in time in the most unexpected way. This tiny speck off the coast of Barrow-in-Furness in south Cumbria, is a microcosm of all that is special about Morecambe Bay. It’s got ancient history, abundant bird-life, friendly people, great views...

The soft whiffle of horse’s breath ruffles my hair but I don’t open my eyes. I’m too relaxed, too chilled, too blissed-out to do more than vaguely register that a 3/4 ton Clydesdale horse is towering over me, his gentle, protective energy calming and soothing. I’m on a Full Circle...

‘Twas brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe’ has got to be one of the quirkiest openings to any piece of literature in the history of writing … Jabberwocky, penned by Lewis Carroll, first saw the light of day in 1871 when Through the Looking...

Peering over the edge of the cliff, the drop didn’t seem that impressive; difficult to imagine it piled high with buffalo carcasses … At the quirkily-named, does-what-it-says-on-the-tin Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump I was trying to picture a scene of carnage described on the information board. The drop was originally more than 60 feet...

Dolphin Fresco from Knossos – photo Armagnac “To the Greeks, Crete seems the most authentically Greek of all the islands, because of the length of its history and its relative remoteness from the ancient centres of war and diplomacy.” So wrote Grecophile Lawrence Durell, renowned author and brother of naturalist...

Britain is spring is truly breathtaking. The whole country seems to explode into floral colour, there’s more daylight and the weather is not nearly as dreary as it was in winter. I love both springtime and autumn in the UK, though Britain in winter also holds its own special appeal....

‘Oh what a beautiful morning …’ came singing into my mind as I gazed out across Windermere, England’s longest lake, towards the stupendous Lakeland Fells. I was standing on the balcony in my suite at the Winander Club, latest addition to luxury accommodation at Low Wood Bay Resort and Spa...