Posts about Travel and tourism
To Applecross via the Pass of the Cattle
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The winding and bumpy single-track mountain road leading to the hamlet of Applecross, on Scotland’s west coast, is quite a thrill.
Gasterntal, Kandersteg
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After so many years of driving up random little tracks and small roads in the Bernese Oberland, it’s rare to come across somewhere I’ve not been before. So when we decided to take a spontaneous trip out on Sunday, and found a little yellow line on the map leading south into the mountains from Kandersteg,
Glacier 3000
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Glacier 3000 is the name of a tourist destination in the French Swiss region of Les Diablerets; the number in question being the (approximate) height in metres above sea level of the upper part of a sizeable glacier, easily reachable by cable car and snowed-over the whole year round. As well as the usual outdoor
A little effort is worth it
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Never having been a great one for sport and exercise, and having given up long walks around golf courses when I moved to Switzerland, my legs aren’t up to the challenge of big mountain walks. My knees are a bit of a weak point, and a long walk in the mountains often ends in a
A pint with a view
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I’m sometimes asked for tips on places to see and to visit in London. Among other things, visitors want to know where to eat and my usual tip – especially in the summer – is the Tattershall Castle. Although it may sound like the name of a pub, it’s actually a paddle steamer, built in
A picture in ten thousand
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Before I was any good at taking photos, I’d flick through the pages of National Geographic and daydream of trips to new places, where I’d capture wonderfully lit scenes to my heart’s content. Michael Palin’s first travel TV series “Around The World In Eighty Days” was the first series which piqued my interest in travel
The Descent of Christ Into Limbo
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What is it they say? “I don’t know what art I like; but I know it when I see it.” I was captivated by this golden, glowing painting in the Santa Croce church of Florence when we visited in 2011. I don’t know whether it was the depth of detail in the painting, the tremendously
The Old Man of Storr
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The older I get, the more I enjoy walking, so holidays and time off are increasingly filled with plans for hiking and getting out into the fresh air. I made plans for a first serious walk in the UK to celebrate my fortieth birthday last year in the Lake District, when I went as far
On the western edge
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As part of our travels in Britain – in particular since Jo’s parents moved to the northern part of Scotland – I’ve wanted to visit the far extremes of the islands. I’ve decided to make do with the mainland destinations first, as they’re within comparatively easy reach. Jo and I made it to the end
Against the wobble
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Jo commented that the video I shot under windy conditions on Iona was remarkably steady. I did my best to hold the camera as steady as I could whilst filming, but the wind got the better of me and so the original film sequence is quite wobbly. The final version on YouTube, linked in this
Iona: a new favourite place
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When we first began planning a visit to the Isle of Mull, off Scotland’s west coast, we decided to stay in the tiny port of Fionnphort. We chose the Seaview bed and breakfast primarily because we’d planned to visit the island of Staffa, travelling by boat from Fionnphort to see Fingal’s Cave, but also because its
Fyrish Monument
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Looming over Evanton on the Cromarty Firth is Cnoc Fyrish (Fyrish Hill), topped by the strange construction of the Fyrish Monument. The construction was the brainchild of Sir Hector Munro of Novar, who had it built in 1792 to provide work for the unemployed during the time of the Highland Clearances.
More than just wooden stumps
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If you’re heading along the A9 across the Cromarty Bridge in Scotland when the tide is out, you’ll see a number of blackened stumps sticking out of the mud of the estuary just next to the Ardullie roundabout for Dingwall. There is more of a history to them than you might think: they aren’t just random
Beware car rental comparison websites
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As I travel fairly regularly, I am no stranger to renting cars. It’s always a slightly nervy moment for me after having so many unsatisfactory experiences over the years; from awful cars to tricky situations involving deposits. The most recent experience, though, is one that I want to share, as it’s an important lesson from
Jura
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My friends Yannick and Lea made another film last summer of an extended journey around the Jura mountains, on the northern edge of Switzerland and into France. It’s quite delightful and rounded off wonderfully by the music they’ve used, which they composed and produced themselves. I am envious of their talent, it must be said.
London bridge trivia
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In the British Parliament building, the Palace of Westminster, there are two parliamentary houses. The House of Commons is in the northern part of the building, in which ministers sit on green leather benches. In the southern part of the building is the House of Lords; here, incumbents sit on red leather benches. Spanning the
Glen Etive
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Jo and I spent two great weeks in the highlands of Scotland, travelling from the airport up through the Trossach mountains to Rannoch Moor, Glen Etive, Glen Coe and then on to the islands of Mull, Iona and Skye before staying with Jo’s parents near the Cromarty Firth. There were few goals along the way, other
