Photo: Kat Hannon photography  Dark Chester picked up an award last week at the Marketing Cheshire Tourism Awards [pictured above]. My walking tour of Chester was named the winner in the New Tourism Business of the Year category. The ceremony was hosted at Chester Cathedral and Nicola Said, Regional lead for the North West and … The post Dark Chester named winner at the Marketing Cheshire Tourism Award 2024 appeared first on David Atkinson ..read more

My Dark Chester tour resumes this week after a winter break. I’m back with new ideas, fresh takes on Chester folk tales and plenty of fire-and-brimstone dark-tourism heritage from my historic home city. I’m also up for new collaborations and editorial coverage, including being featured in the new Chester guide from travel search engine, Kayak. Look … The post Check out my Dark Chester tour via the new Kayak Chester travel guide appeared first on David Atkinson ..read more

He was a four-time British prime minister and dominant figure of the Victorian era. Clashing regularly in Parliament with his arch-rival Disraeli, he was described by Queen Victoria as a “half-mad firebrand”. But a weekend visit to his ancestral estate in North Wales reveals his lesser-known passions for literature and collecting axes. Away from Parliament, … The post A weekend away at a stately pile fit for a Prime Minister in North Wales appeared first on David Atkinson ..read more

A festive, pre-Christmas break in the heart of the Peak District National Park. I was on assignment for Telegraph Travel to find the real spirit of Christmas away from the tacky gifts and gimmicky light shows. Here’s a taster of the text: Castleton’s tight-knit community grew from the building of Peveril Castle, one of England’s … The post Why a Peak District village is the UK’s best place for the real Christmas spirit appeared first on David Atkinson ..read more

A winter weekend in Wrexham. I was on assignment for the iNewspaper travel section as part of its Winter Weekend series. The North Wales city is an unlikely hot ticket for a UK city break in 2024 — and not just for football fans. Here’s a taster of the text: A former industrial town in … The post How to spent a winter-warmer weekend in Wrexham, North Wales appeared first on David Atkinson ..read more

I spent a weekend in the southerwestern city of Carcassonne [pictured above] earlier this year. I was researching a guide to the city for budget travellers, exploring the attractions of the city split between its Unesco-listed citadel and medieval lower town. Here’s a sample of the text: Storm the ramparts Make the citadel your starting … The post How to spend a weekend in the French city of Carcassonne on a budget appeared first on David Atkinson ..read more

Nottingham is home to some of Britain’s most haunted buildings. I spent an autumnal weekend in the East Midlands city to get a feel for its dark-tourism heritage on a Halloween assignment for the Daily Mail travel section. My feature was published at the weekend and here’s a taster: The whole city, first founded by … The post How to spend a spooky Halloween weekend in haunted Nottingham appeared first on David Atkinson ..read more

  What does the HS2 decision mean for rail-heritage-central Crewe? That’s the question posed by this article, a postcard from East Cheshire for Telegraph Travel. The story went live today but behind the paywall, so here’s my full, unedited draft, including an interview with former railwayman Brian Bailey [pictured above]. Please post your comments below. … The post What the HS2 decision means next for Crewe’s fledgling tourism industry appeared first on David Atkinson ..read more

  It’s official: Dark Chester has been named as a finalist at the Marketing Cheshire Tourism Awards. The dark-tourism walking tour of the heritage city of Chester received the nod as a finalist for Experience of the Year. It picked up a second nomination for New Tourism Business of the Year. The winner will be announced … The post Dark Chester named finalist in the Marketing Cheshire Tourism Awards appeared first on David Atkinson ..read more

    A summer assignment for Wanderlust Magazine took me on a slow-travel odyssey along the North Wales Way. It’s one of three new routes devised by Visit Wales to look afresh at regions most people think they already know. In terms of North Wales, visitors often drive from the North Wales border outside Chester … The post A slow-travel journey along the North Wales Way reveals hidden gems appeared first on David Atkinson ..read more