Rainham Marshes is one of my favourite wild places in the UK. I like it because of it is both wonderful and incongruous, hemmed in by the M25, clearly visible rising over the Queen Elizabeth II bridge over the Thames, by the A13 and the high-speed Eurostar line from London to the Channel Tunnel. And… Continue reading
Browsing Category Travel
The Durrells back on ITV to promote Corfu in 1930s time capsule
The fourth season of The Durrells is underway on ITV1, (Sundays) and is available on catch-up. The programme, set in the late 1930s, follows Louisa Durrell’s attempt to make a new life for herself and her family in Corfu, after her husband died. The series stars Keeley Hawes, Josh O’Connor, Daisy Waterstone, Milo Parker, Callum Woodhouse, Leslie Caron, Yorgos Karamihos, Alexis… Continue reading →
Haydn’s Seven Last Words an eternal Good Friday piece in Cadiz
There are a few pieces of music so fused in the place for which they were commissioned than Joseph Haydn’s Seven Last Words. It was written for use in the Good Friday services at the Oratorio de la Santa Cueva, the Holy Cave, in Cádiz, SW Spain, in 1785. Visit this intimate little Baroque gem,… Continue reading →
Game of Thrones crowns N Ireland locations
The eighth and final Game of Thrones series opens Sunday April 14. We were on a quest to a spooky place, deep in the countryside. Night was closing in. Malign forces were messing with our satnav. Or were we just out of signal? The clammy Northern Ireland mist did not help. Now, what did… Continue reading →
How Prague stays fresh and interesting, despite the crowds
Prague is one of Europe’s elite cities, renowned for its picture postcard views, fine old buildings, a magnificent medieval clock, abundant beer and tasty dumplings. This is a list of my favourite things. 1 Grand design Prague is listed as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities by UNESCO, the UN’s cultural agency. Emperor Charles… Continue reading →
Tolkien’s forgotten years in Leeds
Tolkien, the feature film, follows the author of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, two of the greatest fantasy stories in the English language, from his schooldays in Birmingham, through his days as a student at Exeter College, Oxford, to the First World War, when he served as a soldier. The film was directed… Continue reading →