Todmorden
A visit to the West Yorkshire town of Todmorden. I didn’t get abducted by aliens but I did encounter the pinkest microbrewery ever.
Cork’s microbreweries
Following a few visits to Cork, in Ireland, some reflections on the city’s fabulous craft beer scene.
Armenia
A series of posts from three trips to Armenia – a tiny land on the edge of Europe where a tragic and devastating history and a rich, deep cultural heritage all somehow lay the foundation for a dynamic, welcoming and thoroughly engaging country.
A Gaulling experience
Out of curiosity I spurned a night in Paris for a night at Charles de Gaulle airport. It was a surprisingly interesting experience.
Uncorked
Two days in Cork on a work trip left me little time to see this major Irish city. So I was more or less entirely dependent on taxi drivers for my impressions.
The passport that hid the truth
As I get a new passport for a forthcoming overseas trip, I reflect on passports, stamps and disappearing border posts.
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.
Some photos from the south coast of England
A few photos from a short trip to the south coast of England, surviving a massive storm along the way.
Leeds: down south, up north
In which I take a couple of hours out from a work trip to explore the surprising charm of the Yorkshire city of Leeds.
The land of no kangaroos
A report of a long weekend in Austria in 2010: my first proper explore of the country, and among many other things a chance for a behind-the-scenes tour of a beautiful monastery.
Bradford
Sometimes, places can have a great reputation and then disappoint. Just occasionally, though, the opposite is the case. As I found with the surprisingly beautiful city of Bradford, in Yorkshire.
Hello from the Faroes
A wee post from the Faroe Islands, on a football-themed (and surprisingly sunkissed) trip to our northern neighbours in 2007.