Postcards from a city by the sea
It is old and new - more old than new maybe but I am not sure. It is also beautiful and ugly at the same time, but this sounds kind of cheesy. More specifically it has an elegant beauty in some places, and a majestic beauty in some others; and some times

A letter, the Clientele and London
Leaning against the windowsill looking at North London skies I remembered all the times the Clientele had made me dream of London. I had pined for moments like the ones described in their songs.

Eight reasons why you should never visit Greece
I am writing to you from a pleasant café by the sea. It would be even more pleasant if one could get a nice cup of proper english tea. All you can get here is tea with fruit in and herbal tea. So I am sitting here drinking frothy coffee, writing to you

Adventures in Wales
Gwynedd as a county can be weird. Gwynedd at twilight with an overweight druid, an over-excited witch and sleeping Japanese tourist can be downright weird.

Come To Norway. It will be fun!
Breathless we reached the top of the hill and found our hostel. It had rained that day and everywhere smelt fresh and new. A mist hung over one mountain and the sky was turning apricot. The horizon was punctuated by brightly coloured houses and I was imme

Come to Norway. It will be fun! (part 2)
The woman behind the checkout explained to us that entry to the museum was to our right where we would find the largest collection of chairs in Norway. Yes you heard me right chairs!

Come to Norway. It will be fun! (part 3)
As the boat pulled out of the harbour I felt my heart swelling. Although signs of human habitation were still visible I don't think I've ever felt quite as free before. We drifted out onto the milky sea, wind whipping our faces. Breathing in the sights of

My Goodness, Poor Grainne...
Duncan McFarlane strode into Glasgow Airport, beaming with pride. He would show them! Everyone had thought he'd miss his plane, but here he was 11.30am on the dot, in the right airport, over two hours before his plane was due to take off, ready for anythi

I promise to go wandering (Part 1)
I cut a sorry sight on New Year’s Day, 2005. Toppled by the sort of flu which made me realize that I’d never had flu before; tanked up with cough syrups, painkillers, aspirin, while working my way through a multi-pack of tissues. I should have been in

I promise to go wandering (part 2)
On an icy Friday morning, Kate and I were up early. She drove us to Haworth, where the Bronte sisters lived. Bit of background here, I've been there twice before, but on both occasions there was some reason why we couldn't go to Top Withins.

I promise to go wandering - Part 3
‘They’re coming on holiday to Wolverhampton?! Have you warned them?’ And I smirk back. I suspect that I could introduce the most hardened, snobbish heart to the magic of my home city, they just have to be prepared to look with me.

I promise to go wandering (part 4)
Whitehall was beautiful. Thousands of votive candles lining the curb right up to Trafalgar Square...

I promise to go wandering (part 5)
Ian had called and suggested that an outing would be very lovely indeed, so I arrived at his home with my little map only partly coloured in. In a way, the delicious anticipation of deciding where we could go was almost as good as the going itself.

I Promise To Go Wandering (Part 6)
The concept of vegetarians hadn't been introduced to him either. Kate had to explain it. When our food eventually came, two hours later, it was patently obvious that the tomatoes had been fried in lard.

I Promise To Go Wandering (Part 7)
The moon had just come out and she just had chance to tell me where the moon was from her view from the fire, when her battery cut out. She didn't think I'd even heard that, but I did and it was crucial information.

I Promise To Go Wandering (Part 8)
I imagine people stumbling across these snapshots and worrying slightly, as they click through them, about where precisely I visited to form an opinion about their county.

I promise to go wandering (part 10)
I've never known the journey to Glastonbury pass so quickly (excepting the time I did it in the middle of the night at 100mph). It was almost a disappointment to reach it, almost, I say, because then the excitement of being in Glastonbury took over.