In this time of lockdown, quarantine, restricted travel and isolatoin from people and places, many of us are exploring what’s on our doorstep. We’re also resorting to armchair travel to escape to our dream destinations. I’m rereading some of my favourite travel writers and searching out travel poetry that takes...

The spotlight’s shining on Canada more these days and it’s easy to see why. It’s got everything going for it; vibrant cities, lively cultural scene, superb food and drink, stunning landscape, impressive wildlife, fascinating history, friendly people and relaxed lifestyle. In other words, Canada’s a country that satisfies your Mind,...

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...

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...

Art is In Cafe menu The smell of freshly baked bread mingled seductively with caramelized onions, thai curry, toasted cheese and clam chowder. A buzz of chatter hummed round the industrial-chic cafe as customers tucked into wholesome, tasty food in one of the most popular, and off-the-beaten trail cafes in...

Carriage horses on Church Street The children squeal with delight as a piglet clambers over the back of its brother to get a better place in the sun.  A huge sow slowly rolls over in the gloopy mud, grunts and flops back into contented slumber. A tussle breaks out as...

Haunting sounds evocative of another continent drifted around the busy streets, bringing a touch of the Orient to Canada’s capital city.  Strumming a curious-looking stringed instrument, the woman in the Japanese kimono seemed oblivious to the people scurrying past. She sums up Ottawa; a colourful mash-up of diverse sights and...