The bike racks all around Covent Garden were full last night as we welcomed lots of cyclists to hear Mike Wells talk about his Cicerone guide Cycling the North Coast 500: A cyclist-friendly guide to Scotland’s NC500.
Continue reading Stanfords Event: ‘Cycling the North Coast 500’ with Mike WellsCategory: Expert Travel Advice
Guest articles and travel tips.
Surprising therapeutic locations, not so far from home.
From the Malverns to Manhatten, from Seoul to Sicily, A Therapeutic Atlas invites you to revel on the tops of mountains, or solitary cliffs, discover elegant cities and encounter some unexpectedly therapeutic locations: airports, hydroelectric stations, meteorite craters and elaborate highways. But these places aren’t just beautiful in themselves – they can also help us deal with the difficulties of being human. Here, The School of Life, give some examples of surprising therapeutic locations, not so far from home.
Antarctic Things
-by Daniella McCahey and Jean de Pomereu, authors of Antarctica: A History in 100 Objects
Courtesy of the United States Navy History and Heritage Command, Washington DC, United States.
The Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center in the United States operates a science outreach program. Teachers can, for free, request a box of rocks from Antarctica to use temporarily in their classes. They fill out a form and within weeks, a box of Antarctic specimens arrive. In general, these rocks are not special or valuable. It is filled with different types of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, along with some fossils and minerals, which are handy in a basic geology lesson. But to be honest, many of these samples are no different than sandstone or granite that they can find in their own yards. What makes these special is that they came from Antarctica. Children can hold a piece of Antarctica in their hands.
Continue reading Antarctic ThingsThe England Coast Path
By Andrew McCloy, author of Great Walks on the England Coast Path
As an island nation we have a special relationship with the sea – historically, culturally and often very personally – and nowhere on the English mainland are you any more than 70 miles or 113km from the nearest coastline. Being beside the seaside is a richly sensual experience and what better way to enjoy it than a bracing coastal walk!
Continue reading The England Coast PathRice and peas recipe from ‘West Winds’ by Riaz Phillips
In West Winds: Recipes, History and Tales from Jamaica , award-winning food writer Riaz Phillips tells countless tales of Jamaica through its dishes, drawing on his memories of growing up in the Caribbean diaspora of London and time living in Jamaica.
With a mix of location and recipe photography by Phillips, West Winds fully immerses readers in the spirit and food of Jamaica. From the “waste not, want not” approach instilled in Riaz by his grandmother, to the Ital food he was introduced to living with the Rastafari community, working at eco-farms as well as reconnecting to his grandfather’s birthplace of downtown Kingston, the 100 plus mouthwatering meals, hearty soups, bakes, and refreshing drinks cover all the different elements of Jamaican cooking.
Recipes rooted in centuries of culture through folktales and anecdotes make West Winds so much more than a cookbook – it is an ode to Jamaica and the diasporas, the people and their heritage, with something for everyone. Here is an extract:
Rice and peas recipe from West Winds: Recipes, History and Tales from Jamaica by Riaz Phillips. Published by DK £25
A is for Atlas by Megan Barford
-by Megan Barford, Curator of Cartography at Royal Museums Greenwich and author of A is for Atlas: Wonders of Maps and Mapping.
As a map curator, I often get asked about my favourite map and it’s terribly difficult to choose. In the collection of Royal Museums Greenwich there are near-pristine sixteenth-century maps illuminated with gold and maps reduced to scraps through use at sea. There are maps that show the involvement of women in the book and print trades in eighteenth-century London, alongside maps that came out of trade union activity during the Second World War. Luckily, in my new book, A is for Atlas, I’ve been able to pick 104 favourites, organised according to alphabetical themes in a treasury of stories about map making and use, and about materials and techniques, from the thirteenth century to the present day. Here, D is for display, E is for Engraving, F is for Fake. Together the themes help us to interrogate maps and mapping in different ways, and understand the rich human stories that can be found throughout the collection of Royal Museums Greenwich.
Continue reading A is for Atlas by Megan BarfordTop Three Stunning Landscapes in South America
By Michael Webster, author of the newly published travel memoir The Condor’s Feather.
For nearly five years I wandered 100,000 kilometers back and forth across the Spanish speaking countries of South America. At the time I loved every single place. But which of those places stirs memories in my waking hours now? Which are the landscapes I wished I’d spent more time in? Which landscapes will I never forget?
I am a naturalist, so for me a memorable landscape should also have memorable wildlife.
Continue reading Top Three Stunning Landscapes in South America5 Favourite Outdoor Swimming Spots in London
Do you live or work in London? In town for a visit? Do you enjoy swimming outdoors and are looking for new places to swim? The new guidebook Outdoor Swimming London takes you on an aquatic tour to bring you 140 best wild swims, lakes and outdoor pools, all in or within easy reach of the capital.
John Weller and Lola Culsán share five of their favourite places to swim on the periphery of London: all accessible by tube, train, boat or bike. Perfect for an adventurous day out.
Continue reading 5 Favourite Outdoor Swimming Spots in LondonEXPLORER: the Quest for Adventure and the Great Unknown by Benedict Allen
– by Benedict Allen
This is the story of an extraordinary quest by a lone explorer, one that ends dramatically, deep in the heart of New Guinea. But it’s also a story about all of us – for we all have dreams and challenges, and we are all explorers of our world.
Continue reading EXPLORER: the Quest for Adventure and the Great Unknown by Benedict AllenTop 3 Birds in South America
My Top Three Birds in South America
by Michael Webster, author of The Condor’s Feather
For five years we followed and filmed birds the length of the continent. We started in Tierra del Fuego and blazed trails in our Toyota Hilux along the length of the Andes all the way to the Caribbean coast of Colombia. We survived dust storms in Patagonia, treacherous floods in the rainforests, slept in sub-zero temperatures with the aid of oxygen masks and finally were inches away from being swept out to sea. It was our love for birds and supporting those protecting them that kept us going. Out of a list of a thousand species seen here are the three species that resonate in my memories.
Continue reading Top 3 Birds in South America