Drinking
Cruising to the Canaries – Part One
Day One – Saturday As I have made the Baltic level of the P&O Peninsula Club, I have a few perks on this holiday, one of which is an early boarding time. Today I am [more…]
Travel
20th Century
Beautiful Kashmir
Never travel to a country that’s a funny colour on the map, or worse still, described by different coloured diagonal lines. Disputed territory is not only the cartographer’s nightmare, but also that of the traveller. [more…]
Culture
The Last Unwrecked Market Town?
Excuse the provocative title, I know there are a few others left but let me flesh out my view, I have been fortunate to have travelled much of the world on business which has meant [more…]
20th Century
Always Worth Saying’s Railway Review
Apologies for last week’s Railway Review, which was far too populist. An article on a mineral railway in Northern Brazil is exactly the type of thing you might read about in a 1960s edition of [more…]
Arts
Escape Of The Ransomed Princess
You’ll have to take this with a sprinkling of salt — or several fistfuls if you’re the sort who needs receipts for everything. To be frank, I don’t much care if you believe me or [more…]
20th Century
Always Worth Saying’s Railway Review
How I miss Question Time. One hankers after £30,000-an-hour Fiona Bruce pontificating on inequality before a representative audience of progressive liberals who have a relative at the BBC. As our £110,000-a-year elected representatives take a [more…]
21st Century
Always Worth Saying’s Easter Railway Review
Last week’s trip to Albania being too mainstream, this edition of Railway Review (how I yearn for the return of Question Time!) was going to be of an obscure South American mineral line. Observing the [more…]
19th Century
The Uncontacted Shore
Under a waning moon, three furtive figures make their way towards the island’s Constance Bay. Silent, gaunt and burdened, they carry two canvas bags bearing scant rations and a few petty, pilfered provisions — enough [more…]
21st Century
Always Worth Saying’s Railway Review
Boy, how I miss Question Time. The witty repartee, the razor-sharp cut and thrust of debate. George the Poet. The £22 billion black hole. Foodbanks, the statutory tranny, and the obese woman with the purple [more…]