Fochabers no more
I went to Fochabers. And I can’t believe that this in itself is not tempting enough to make you read on. Well, if you insist on more it has a fantastic museum.
Trouble brewing
In the light of the recent refusal of planning permission for a brewery in my home Inverness, I ask what wet weather options the city actually has. Very few, it seems. Yet things could be so much better…
Ding, ding!
In which I have a go on the long-awaited and controversial Edinburgh tram network. I mean tram line…
Ghost town
In which I visit the “Granite City” of Aberdeen on an extra specially grey and misty day. I manage to avoid any reference to shades of grey, which you’ll be relieved to hear.
A few photos from Glasgow
In which I spend a few days in the east end of Glasgow, and take a few photos. Not many, just a few.
Cruises and murals
A wee look around the fading Highland town of Invergordon – where two trends appear to be attempting to change the place. For better or worse…
The road to Skye
In which I drive to Skye and back and, for once, stop off en route to take lots of photos. It still doesn’t scratch the surface of this incredible route for a road trip.
A quick trip to Shetland
A trip to Shetland – my first time in five years – is an opportunity to remind myself of the islands’ beauty, liveliness and inherent paradoxes.
Wanderlust article
I’ve had an article published on the Wanderlust website. Here’s a bit about it, plus a link to read it for yourself.
Walking out of Inverness
A rare free weekend allows for a walk along one of Inverness’s few walkable routes out of town, but a trusted favourite – the start of the Great Glen Way.
Applecross
A few words and pictures from a spectacular day trip to Applecross – surely one of the best places on the west coast of the Highlands.
I still don’t like flying
In which I reflect on the large number of flights I’ve taken this year. And yes, I still prefer the train.
The secret bits of the BBC
A reflection on the different perspective you got on the BBC website when you head to a foreign country.
Returning
When revisiting a place, it’s always good to see it through different eyes. On a repeat visit to the French city of Toulouse recently, I had the chance to do just that – using very different eyes indeed.
Nothing to report
Recent trips to Edinburgh and London have made me realise I saw nothing of the two places. Catching up with friends in the evenings is great, but just occasionally I think I’m going to go wandering by myself to see what interesting thing lurk waiting to be discovered.
The European overland adventure
A series of posts from a five-country, three-week overland trip through (mostly) France and Austria, taking in lots of castles, trains and wine.
2001 travels
A collection of occasional reminiscences on my three month post-university journey from Frankfurt to Cairo in 2001.
A work trip to Bucharest
Here are a couple of posts I wrote following a 2012 work trip to Bucharest, Romania; in which I reflect on the artificial reality of a large hotel that could be anywhere, and the surprising awareness among the locals I spoke to of goings-on in Scotland.
Luxembourg, by train
Find all my posts from our 2012 long weekend in Luxembourg here, including an introduction to our trip, the sights of Luxembourg City’s upper and lower parts, the obscure Luxembourgish language, the highlights of the country’s food and drink, and our stops en route home in Brussels and London.
2013 in review
As I reported at the tail end of last year, 2012 was a big year for travel – I visited eight foreign countries in total, the most since 2001. My prediction that 2013 would be quieter on the travel front was correct, but only to an extent. Yes there was no overseas travel, but I…