I am a perpetual traveller. I have no fixed home and so am accustomed to playing the constant role of visitor in lands which are not mine. With that comes certain moral responsibilities and I try very, very hard not to impose my Western beliefs, ethics and standards... Read More
There has to be a first time for everything and tonight it is being publicly lassoed in the crowd-lined streets of Gallura in Sardinia. My captor is wearing a mask and although his overall aspect is somewhat alarming my local buddies assure me that health and... Read More
One of the sad but inevitable downsides I have found to travelling for so many years is that amazing things stop having quite as much ability to amaze. As I gaze upon a beautiful waterfall somewhere a small voice in my head, unwelcome but audible, says ‘but it... Read More
This evening I am in a forest of giants. I stand with my head tilted far, far back to try and take in the top of Tane Mahuta 51m above me; the biggest tree I have ever seen and one which first sank its roots into the earth around the time of Bronze Age man. The... Read More
Some people travel to eat incredible food, some to experience amazing sights; for others still it is all about the history and architecture, the idyllic beaches or perhaps the chance to do something which would never be possible in their own back yard. All of those... Read More
I am no stranger to the splendor of Venice. I have seen this magnificent city as it has lazed languidly beneath the summer sun, hunched moodily beneath autumn clouds and even flooded, as it regularly is, during the storms of winter. But I had decided it was finally... Read More
Sitting on a pavement in Luang Prabang in Laos I’m wondering if it is the indistinct light of pre-dawn or the ungodly hour of 5 am which is making everything appear a little blurry around the edges. Despite the early start I am not alone but surrounded by many... Read More
Buckingham Palace, Stone Henge, Tower Bridge… The UK has plenty of historic landmarks which are known the world over. It also, however, has an enormous collection of other ancient, beautiful and impressive landmarks which you have probably never heard of. Here... Read More
I am completely under a spell and it is all because of something called cenotes. Before coming to Mexico I had never even heard the word but from my very first descent into one of these secret wonderlands where ancient Mayans once came to commune with their gods I... Read More
The wind in your face, a jaw-dropping vista which stretches for miles and below you hundreds and even thousands of meters of nothingness. This is what awaits at some of the planet’s most sensational viewing platforms. From a suspended glass cube to a giant... Read More
Ever thought about trying your hand at a spot of bog snorkeling? Or chasing a cheese down a ridiculously steep hill? Probably not! Nonetheless, all across the UK every year, Brits gather to do just that. There are heaps of other decidedly strange festivals, events and... Read More
From ancient pyramids rising from parched desert sands to waterfalls plunging dramatically for hundreds of feet, the world is full of sights of the sensational kind. Some are the realization of humankind’s mammoth-sized dreams, others are crafted by Mother... Read More