In Pitlochry the locals call the police if their garden gnome has blown over in the wind. Residents also alert the local constabulary if their washing machine breaks down and if the X Factor phone line is constantly engaged. That’s because even the tiniest of problems seem like emergencies when you live somewhere that’s virtually…
The picture-postcard Perthshire village of Kenmore has more than one claim to fame. Tiny in size but big on history, it boasts the oldest inn in Scotland and the oldest tree in Europe and has welcomed both Queen Victoria and the poet Robert Burns. It’s an idyllic, 18th century model village that’s almost an island,…
Nelson the one-eyed grey seal was a familiar sight in Looe harbour for more than 20 years. He was fed by the local fishermen and his company enjoyed by townsfolk and visitors alike, becoming something of a tourist attraction. Sadly, Nelson died in 2003 but five years later he made a miraculous return – in…
It’s ten years since Prince William met his future wife while they were both studying at St Andrews University. Being a romantic sort, I’m sure the heir to the throne will want to celebrate the milestone by whisking Catherine off for a quiet break back where their courtship began. And I’ve found just the place…
Avid readers of these travel pages may recall that my boating holidays are never without incident. There was the time when traffic backed up after someone (me) couldn’t work out how to raise the barriers at the Shirley drawbridge on the Stratford Canal. Then there was the time, near the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, when we…
Here’s something you don’t see every day – a fox taking food from the outstretched hand of a toddler. The fox, and his two pals, are as tame as domestic dogs after being rescued by wildlife ranger Gary Zammit and hand-reared at Feadon Farm in Portreath, Cornwall. The farm is believed to be the only place…
It’s the annual dilemma that has the potential to put the skids under the most stable of marriages – where to go on holiday. He wants to immerse himself in history, she wants to immerse herself in a good book while lazing on the beach. He wants some high-octane thrills to get the adrenalin pumping,…
The helicopter was taking off not 50 metres from the window of our hotel room. Yet, such was the quality of the floor to ceiling triple-glazing, we could hardly hear the whirling of its blades. My wife and I had come to expect nothing less during our weekend at the new Hotel Verta in Battersea,…
You know the scene, it’s Friday afternoon and friends at work start asking what you’ve got planned for the weekend. ‘’I’m off to Basingstoke,’’ I excitedly revealed. Eyebrows were raised. Basingstoke? Really? Why? Was I visiting relatives? Did I have a wedding to attend? Had I simply lost my marbles? The north Hampshire town, I…
We’d stayed in an apartment with a lovely sea view and we’d stayed in an apartment with a cosy log fire. But until recently, my wife and I had never stayed in an apartment built on the orders of the Pope on the very spot where a bona fide miracle had taken place. The apartment,…
Holidaying Hack 