DURHAM, County Durham Travel Notes Last visit – May 2018 Time spent – three years, on and off, plus almost annual pilgrimage since Method of arrival – usually by rail (from all corners… Continue reading
The Shetland islands are the northernmost archipelago of the British Isles; and although several villages lie further to the north, Lerwick is by far the largest settlement. As such, it is home to the a lot of northernmost facilities in the U.K.: from department stores to industrial estates, from bus stations to Chinese restaurants. It does make touring the unremarkable bits of town all that more interesting. If anything, it’s nice to be able to brag.
Just the word “Aberystwyth” conjures up the image of Celtic mystery. Nobody knows how to pronounce the name; nobody know where the town is situated. Perhaps the only “town” deserving of this epithet in mid-Wales, it’s at least a three hour drive from anywhere resembling a major city: if travelling from London, it’s generally quicker to reach the Mediterranean. By rail, it’s the terminus of a single spur, spitting off from the already little-trafficked Cambrian Coast line. It’s very much end of the journey, and worthy for that alone.
There I was, as per usual, hitting the (rail)road last bank holiday weekend. My journey took me to East Anglia. Norfolk, to be exact. I had planned to spend the bulk of the… Continue reading
I soldier on in the Orkneys. Today, for a couple of history lesson. The Harbour at St. Margaret’s Hope, South Ronaldsay //embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js I arrived on South Ronaldsay by bus, it being the southernmost… Continue reading
Orkney: an island group about 10 miles north of the Top End of Scotland. With its treasures and histories shrouded in mystery and (routinely) rain and stormy clouds, it is quite literally a… Continue reading
It took about 10 minutes to walk between Bedford’s railway and bus station, winding through some typically suburban lanes. En-route, there was a modernist Italian church, with the Italian tricolour and the EU flag flapping on the buntings outside; a West Indian social club, draped with handbills for a Jamaican independence day bash; a Polish club, with Euro-pop emanating from the attached bar; and a mosque, dome almost like a Russian Orthodox Church, with taxis parked outside. Middle England.
What a miserable day! What an enjoyable time. Journeying on, Bristol in the January Rain. The morning dawned under the typical West Country drizzle, with no signs of cessation in the horizon. Angling… Continue reading
When: the rainiest weekend of the nascent 2018
Where: Under Brunel’s magnificent arch, Temple Meads station
And there I was, staring at the map whilst sheltering from the downpour, trying to navigate my way to town.
Since I have a penchant for writing about my ‘adventures’, I’m often asked to recommend places. A classic one is ‘let’s go to your favourite cafe’ “Sure, but it’s 45 minutes on the train”… Continue reading
