I have a real weakness for canalside cities – places like Annecy, Bruges, Amsterdam and Venice. But one of my all-time favourite is Strasbourg in France’s Alsace region, a city that’s overflowing with medieval half-timbered buildings and flower-lined canals.…
When I found out my summer travels stateside would take me from New York to Toronto with a couple of days to spare along the way, there was only one place I could really stop off at – Niagara…
Outside the rain’s lashing down, the wind’s blowing a gale and the temperature is well below freezing. So you turn on the TV to be greeted with sunny skies, sandy beaches, palm trees and colourful streets (plus a dead…
New York has to be one of my favourite cities in the world – it’s such a diverse and fast-changing place that every time I visit I have a totally different experience. My first couple of trips focused on…
Christmas Day has been and gone, and I’m pretty sure my body is about 90% prosecco and cheese right now. But I love this part of the year, when you look back at what you achieved last year before…
South West Wales was where I spent my first-ever holidays, all beach days and rockpooling. But I can’t say I really appreciated the area’s foodie side, unless you’re talking about choosing my favourite ice cream flavour. But this part…
A lot of places boast breathtaking scenery, but this was the first time a view really had taken my breath away. As I looked around I could feel my head spin and my knees going weak. It might have…
The bonus side effect of a busy year of travel is a lot of books read, and although I’ll happily tackle most genres, a travel link or an exotic location is always a bonus. So I’m back with the…
It’s an autumnal Sunday morning in France – couples sit on deckchairs in the sunshine drinking coffee while their kids run around, steam rises from an outdoor pool in front of a glass dome, a swan swims across the…
If you’re visiting Prince Edward Island in Canada, then there’s one name you’ll keep seeing – Anne Shirley. Better known as Anne of Green Gables, she might be fictional but has she has a serious fan club which stretches…
I don’t know about you, but when I’m planning a European weekend break, I tend to think of the big cities – Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona. But if you’ve only got a few days, you’ve got no chance of seeing…
With as many rooms as there are days of the year, lavishly decorated interiors, centuries of artworks, quirky collections and acres of parkland, Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha is a palace on a giant scale. So it was the perfect…
It started on the plane over from Toronto, where every other person getting on board seemed to know each other. There were calls across the aisles asking how the meeting or gig had gone, and my driver got some…
