Rent-a-desk at The Vicky in Cockermouth
Published on 7th August 2019
Blog posts about England
Moods of Seaton
One has to wonder what happened in the Devon seaside town of Seaton to bring it from a self-touted “artisanal haven” to its current dilapidated state.
Published on 16th June 2019
Scafell Pike from Wasdale
Oh, did I forget to mention? Jo and I walked up the biggest mountain in England in 2017.
Published on 5th May 2019
Sandbanks peninsula, Dorset
A small community on the British coast, near Poole in Dorset, is a prime piece of land. Measuring just eighty-eight metres at its narrowest point, the peninsula is amongst the most expensive pieces of real estate in the world, after…
Published on 17th May 2018
The Jurassic Coast
Mattia Bicchi smashes it out of the park again with this wonderful time-lapse video of the Jurassic Coast in the south of England.
Published on 21st March 2018
Christmas with an iPhone
We spent the Christmas and New Year period travelling to Scotland and back by road again.
Published on 6th January 2018
Pounding London’s streets
Photos from a wet night-time walk from Tate Modern to Southwark, via London Bridge and Tower Bridge, in 2014. Millennium Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral London Bridge Tower Bridge Tower Bridge Straddling the centre gap of Tower Bridge Thames South…
Published on 2nd July 2017
My England
My England is green and pleasant. In my mind’s eye, the countryside is green and rolling, with occasional villages surrounding leafy, oaked cricket pitches or busy duck ponds. The lanes of my youth lead past scattering pheasants and floral hedgerows…
Published on 17th June 2017
Sixteen years in London; a response
Dear Konstantin, I was born in London and spent a lot of time there during my twenties, as you know. I was still in my twenties when I moved away – far away, as you did – before I found…
Published on 5th April 2017
On Hound Tor
Your author as a mysterious fictional character.
Published on 7th March 2017
The St. Ives light
The fishing village of St. Ives is no longer a village. Its character changed in the second half of the nineteenth century, when fishing declined and the new railway brought the first artists. These days, the town is mobbed by tourists and most…
Published on 15th February 2017
St. Michael’s Mount, Marazion
The small tidal island off the coast of southern Cornwall called St. Michael’s Mount has been home to the St. Aubyn family since the middle of the sixteenth century. The island, which is connected to the nearby mainland by a man-made…
Published on 15th February 2017
Christmas lights in London
Another compilation of time-lapse sequences in London by Mattia Bicchi, which (as usual) makes me miss the city and encourage me to try and fit in a weekend there.
Published on 16th January 2017
Ullswater, at last
Perfect photographic conditions on the shores of Ullswater in the Cumbrian Lake District last week.
Published on 12th January 2017
Land’s End
Our holiday to the south of England this summer took us to the most south-westerly point of the British mainland.
Published on 13th December 2016
Hotel tip for central London
Save your money for fun stuff and stay at a Premier Inn when you're in London. Chain hotels, but excellent locations, high standards and free wifi.
Published on 8th November 2016
Smugglers’ Island
Burgh Island, off the coast of Devon, was re-christened by Agatha Christie in 1941 for her famous Hercule Poirot novel “Evil Under The Sun”.
Published on 13th August 2016
Lizard Point, Cornwall
As time goes on, we’re getting to see more and more new parts of the U.K. One goal we’ve set ourselves is to visit all of the most remote corners of the British “mainland”, as well as more remote spots…
Published on 3rd August 2016
Tintagel Not-Castle
I was a little disappointed that the “castle” at Tintagel was little more than a few bits of wall at the coast. (I suppose I have been spoiled by the castle ruins at Dunnotar and Tantallon.) Our walk…
Published on 14th July 2016
Trebarwith Strand
We recently spent a lovely couple of weeks on holiday, touring the south of England and spending a full week in Cornwall. On arrival at the self-catering cottage we’d booked, we chose to make things easy for ourselves and head to…
Published on 13th July 2016
Camera Obscura
The “camera obscura” was the precursor to the modern camera.
Published on 23rd April 2016
Photo sharing via Google Maps
Photos shared with geographic coordinates in Google Maps are viewed many, many more times than those in other photo sharing services.
Published on 22nd April 2016
Floodlit as in olden days
A reminiscent photo of St. Paul's Cathedral, which I only took because of a fortuitous London downpour.
Published on 5th April 2016
“Life of a Mountain: Blencathra” trailer
I enjoyed Terry Abraham’s earlier film “Life of a Mountain: Scafell Pike” a great deal, so when I saw that Terry was making a new film featuring Blencathra, I jumped at the chance to contribute through a Kickstarter campaign. I can’t wait…
Published on 26th February 2016
Hiking in Edale
Hiking on Kinder Scout; the highest hill in the Peak District, which we ascended from the picturesque village of Edale.
Published on 8th December 2015
Bamford Edge, Derbyshire
I visited the English Peak District for the first time this autumn and was much impressed. After many years of visiting the dramatic Lake District, a little further north, I’d been worried that the landscape would be tame in comparison,…
Published on 4th November 2015
Latrigg viewpoint, Keswick
I follow a couple of photographers and film-makers who post images and sequences from the English Lake District to their social media channels. Jason Chambers’ landscape photos are terrific and make me want to visit the region even more often,…
Published on 3rd November 2015
G is for Golf
Before photography and the internet, golf was the major hobby in my life for many years, in all its forms.
Published on 3rd September 2015
Aerial sequence of Brighton’s West Pier
Filmed by Sam Moore of Visual Air, these are touching sequences of a structure which can't be much longer for this world.
Published on 26th August 2015
Terry Abraham’s wonderful outdoor films
Terry's videos make me want to turn off my computer and head for the British hills immediately: whether to a well-known place like the Lake District or to places which will be new to me.
Published on 23rd July 2015
Helvellyn with Mark Richards
Helvellyn – the third highest peak in the English Lake District and therefore the third highest in England – has long been a goal of mine. The peak draws me much more than the higher Scafells, with a famous ascent…
Published on 26th April 2015
Welcome to London
A wonderful, high-resolution hyperlapse video of London by Italian photographer Mattia Bicchi.
Published on 8th April 2015
Race The Tube
Visitors to London may expect that travelling by Tube is quicker than going on foot. It’s certainly quicker than travelling through London by taxi or by car. But is the train actually quicker than this athlete?…
Published on 12th November 2014
Great Gable from Honister Pass
A terrific hike and a personal achievement in the central-western Lake District on our anniversary.
Published on 11th October 2014
Loughrigg Fell
A shorter hike up one of the Lakeland fells, at Ambleside.
Published on 10th October 2014
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
I'm not especially knowledgeable about aircraft but there's something about plane flypasts which give me goosebumps.
Published on 21st September 2014
Cornwall Summer
Beautiful time-lapse films from the south west of England by Italian photographer Mattia Bicchi.
Published on 12th August 2014
Farnborough Air Show
The Red Arrows perform at the 2014 Farnborough Air Show.
Published on 21st July 2014
One New Change
When scouting destinations and views prior to my recent trip to London, I came across an potentially interesting-looking rooftop amongst some shots which photographer Ben Roberts, who I follow on Instagram, had shared on social media platforms. A quick question…
Published on 19th May 2014
St. Dunstan-in-the-East
St. Dunstan-in-the-East was a church in the City of London, built in 1100, extended in the fourteenth century and repaired just over thirty years before the Great Fire of London, after which a large steeple to…
Published on 30th April 2014
