Ah, there it is … at last I catch the scent of the place.  Peppery, leafy, smoky, fresh, salty, sweet, tangy – yes, tangy and definitely exotic to someone from the north of England.  I am standing on the edge of lush rainforest beside a beautifully twisted, gnarled tree with...

On the 24th June, 1914 a train pulled into a small station in the heart of the Cotswolds.   Gazing out of the window was a young man and his wife on the way to visit their friend, American poet Robert Frost.  Gazing out of the window, Edward Thomas saw...

“How would you like your steak, Madame?”  Now that is not a question you might expect to be asked on a ferry.  But on a recent return trip from Dover to Calais with My Ferry Link I discovered that the French connection goes further than the flag flying proudly from the...

OK, I’d better fess up straight away. I was at the Gala Premiere of  ‘Postman Pat: The Movie’ at the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, in the midst of a horde of tiny tots straining their little necks to get a glimpse of an enormous figure in a (glitzy?) blue uniform...

I picked up the gin bottle and tipped it towards to my glass. A veritable waterfall of Bombay’s finest cascaded into my glass, splashing onto the bar.  Ohhhh …  At home our gin bottle has one of those plastic things that meters the amount that comes out (Spanish Duty Free...

As I slid open the balcony door a loud twittering invaded the bedroom along with hot sunshine and the heady aroma of suntan lotion mixed with seasalt.  Peering over the railing I could see guests lazing next to a bright blue, curvaceous swimming pool and more people toasting gently on...

The Victorian and Edwardian elegance and architecture of Southport is renowned in the north of England. Botanic Gardens – photo www.virtualsouthport.co.uk As one of the area’s most popular seaside resorts it attracts thousands of visitors every year – and rightly so. It has a beautiful Promenade with a miniature railway and ornamental...