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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What to See and Do in Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is often overlooked by the tourists who flock to the nearby city of Bath. Which is a pity: like Bath, it has an enviable location in the Avon Valley and, unlike Bath, it is a medieval town with lots of older buildings. Whether you visit for a few...
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Can the New Venice Tourist Tax Combat Overtourism?
At the end of 2018 the Venice city council announced that it would be introducing a new entry fee, a tax on every tourist entering the city. This is partly a response to overtourism, and partly a way of bringing in much needed revenue. But what precisely is the...
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Visiting the Queen’s Horses at the Royal Mews, London
I was hardly aware of the existence of the Royal Mews: they were not on my “to do” list for London. In fact, they do not seem to be high on the tourist radar at all. I found them by accident, when I saw the mile long queue snaking around Buckingham Palace, and hastily...
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Where to Find Jane Austen in Bath
Even if you’ve never read any of her novels, the chances are that you associate Jane Austen with Bath. As for most people of her time and social class, Bath was an important part of Jane Austen’s world, and she mentioned it in all of her novels. Two of the books –...
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In the Footprints of Great Writers: Discover Literary Bath
For many people literary Bath is synonymous with Jane Austen, a frequent visitor and sometime resident of the city. But during Bath’s heyday in the 18th and 19th centuries many fashionable authors visited the city, and featured it in their writing. I have rounded up...
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