What: Notting Hill Carnival Where: Notting Hill When: 25th & 26th August 2024 (Bank holiday weekend) Why: Notting Hill Carnival is bright, bold and bangingly good fun. The Carnival has been going since 1966, filling the streets of Notting Hill with a gregarious celebration of Caribbean culture. Dancers clad in sometimes outrageous but always colourful outfits strut their stuff along a route followed by floats, steel and samba bands with astonishingly loud sound systems. You won’t be able to stop your hips from swaying to the rhythm. The live stages are focal points of Carnival, where you’l ..read more

It’s hard to miss the iconic ruin of Whitby Abbey, the 11th century Benedictine monastery, which dominates the skyline above the port. Indeed Bram Stoker was so impressed that he started writing his Dracula novel here back in 1890. My more modern adventures also begin and end here. I’m going to be hiking and biking in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. Whitby Whitby Cleveland Way Sign A new tourism initiative, Route YC, branding itself as “Yorkshire’s Ultimate road trip” allows you to create your own way of exploring 100 miles of glorious coastline. As well as the clifftop footpaths ..read more

The Guadalquivir is a river that few people know (and few of those can pronounce). The river has a navigable stretch barely 50 miles, a half-day’s travel, and there is only one cruise ship on the Guadalquivir, and that’s MS La Belle de Cadix, part of the fleet of French company CroisiEurope.  The draw is the classical cities Granada and Cordoba within reach on excursions. British company Jules Verne, a leader in small group travel, sells the cruise as a package with flights, transfers and a tour manager who oversees the English group from the airport on the way out until arriving home.&nb ..read more

Situated along the western coast of Sweden, the Bohuslän archipelago is a breathtaking tapestry of over 8,000 islands and islets. This coastal wonderland stretches from Gothenburg to the Norwegian border, offering a blend of serene nature, charming villages, and a rich cultural heritage. Think smooth granite rocks, crystal-clear waters with summer’s clear blues skies contrasting with lush forested greenery. Marstrand Ramsvikslandet Åstol Dyrön I fly into Gothenburg, the gateway to the islands, but also an interesting place to start and finish my trip. It’s Sweden’s second city, an attract ..read more

easyJet has announced a new route to  Cairo, the Egyptian capital, from London Luton due to take off for the first time this winter and operate all year round. This will be the first time the airline will operate to Cairo, one of the largest and most iconic cities in North Africa, and becomes the 157th destination on easyJet’s short-haul network spanning Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Seats are on sale now at easyJet.com and via the mobile app. Departing for the first time on 31st October, flights will operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays all ye ..read more

Step onto the colourful streets of London’s iconic Camden Town on any weekend and you will find yourself buffetted into the sway of the crowds of people on the move. They come to enjoy the vibe of the busy hive of streets that are so chockablock with market stalls and quirky shops that it can be easy to miss the specialist restaurants such as Made in Brazil. Made in Brazil restaurant and bar has been insitu along Inverness Street market for the last two decades and, despite the colourful mural of Rio’s Cristo Redentor seemingly reaching out to the passing public, it’s easy to miss. Loo ..read more

Offering cosy, yet luxurious accommodation, Nxamaseri Island Lodge, is situated on a private island. Its lodges embrace the banks of the Nxamaseri Channel that permanently flows through the Okavango Delta. This inland delta has long been renowned for its wildlife and in particular the birds that flock there at different times of the year. But, in reality, it is so much more. Although sparsely populated this captivating mixture of reed-lined channels and marshes is still home to three tribes, the Hambukushu, the Bayei and the Banoka. Their cattle and donkeys graze on the island and splash throu ..read more

Dusseldorf’s charming old town was basking in the company of more than a few kilted Scots when we arrived, no doubt getting properly used to the local ale before the start of the Euros. I first set eyes on VIVA One as she sat serenely on her Rhine mooring, just a few metres from Dusseldorf’s fancy NRW-Forum Gallery, patiently awaiting her new guests. The Rhine was hurtling along on its way downriver due to the recent flooding in Southern Germany, evidence of how lucky we were that this cruise was still going ahead while other ships were stranded higher upriver. Sailing north instead of south a ..read more

A big thank you to the veritable Colonel Saab aka Colonel Manbeer Choudhary, an Indian Army officer, and his wife Mrs. Binny Choudhary for contributing to my recent culinary enjoyment in what may be one of the best Indian restaurants in London. Since I can’t do it in person, I am happy to pay homage to them by enjoying a cuisine curated by their travels. Artworks at Colonel Saab restaurant in London The couple spent many years meandering around India, picking up recipes and a huge array of artwork along the way. A generation later their son, restaurateur Roop Partap Choudhary, collated and m ..read more

I’ve never seen a real bear up close, let alone a brown Transylvanian one. I’m told they roam the forests of the rolling Romanian hills within the untamed nature of the Bucegi Natural Park. Yet, reassuringly, none of the staff at the Matca Transylvanian Sanctuary had ever seen one either. Just as well, as Matca, which means Queen Bee is designed as a five-star sanctuary, a place of comfort and serenity. It was built in January 2024 by the home-grown Caluianu family, founders of the Albina Carpatina brand comprising Royal jelly, honey, and pollen granules. For a family profoundly attuned to nat ..read more