Book Review: Sparkling Wine (Vineyards of England and Wales)
It would be hard to ignore the revolution that has taken place in British winemaking in recent years. Although the Romans planted vineyards in England, winemaking later became a minority interest, mostly confined to monasteries or aristocratic estates. But now there...
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The Gorge of Ponte Alto and its Man-Made Waterfalls
The Gorge of Ponte Alto, near Trento in the far north of Italy, has been a tourist attraction since the 1800s. It is easy to see why: two tall waterfalls cascading noisily through a narrow ravine. The view is spectacular, but it is not entirely a natural phenomenon....
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Book Review: Everest England by Peter Owen Jones
Many people dream of climbing Mount Everest; few are able to achieve it. In Everest England Peter Owen Jones proposes an alternative. Twelve days of walks up English hills, which collectively total a climb of 29,000 feet, the equivalent of Mount Everest. Everest...
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Prior Park Landscape Garden: The Vision of Ralph Allen and Alexander Pope
There are several reasons to visit Prior Park Landscape Garden in Bath. The gardens and the woodland walks, the Palladian buildings, and the views across the city. Prior Park also has an important place in the history of the city, and in the history of garden design....
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Where to Find the Romans in Sofia, Bulgaria
I was aware that Bulgaria was once part of the Roman Empire, and that there were impressive Roman remains in some parts of the country. However I hadn’t expected to find much in Sofia, the capital city. So I was surprised at how much evidence there was of the Romans...
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Travel to Bath – Podcast with Amateur Traveler
I recently participated in an Amateur Traveler podcast about my new hometown of Bath. I've written lots about the UNESCO World Heritage city of Bath already - the Roman baths, the museums, the writers associated with Bath, and much more... But this was my chance to...
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Book Review: Experience Spain from Lonely Planet
Last year I posted a review of Experience Italy, a Lonely Planet guide that explored the country and its culture in depth. Now the second book in the series – Experience Spain – has been published. Again, this is much more than a conventional guidebook; it is a feast...
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