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...

The pepper pot loomed overhead, a shaft of February sunlight lighting up its whitewashed walls. Across the Furness Peninsula, Morecambe Bay glittered enticingly and the quaint little town of Ulverston bustled away below the hill. I sat on a bench letting a sliver of warmth seep in as one man...

Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular days of the year to propose and here in the UK we have so many gorgeous places to do just that. British weather in February can be a rather miserable but if you’ve found the right person, then it doesn’t matter whether...

The piper walked slowly across the sand, bagpipes clasped under his arm, the sun glinting off the water as the haunting sound of the Skye Boat Song drifted across the bay. New Year’s Day on Dhoon Beach in Dumfries and Galloway. I couldn’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be....

What’s the thing most people talk about in the UK? Well, at the moment it’s possibly Brexit, though it’s banned in our house as I can’t bear to discuss it. However, a safe topic many of us resort to when meeting strangers or having chit-chat, is the weather. It’s part...