Articles

Inside Britain’s most northerly hotel in the Shetland Islands

As featured on The Mail Online. Read the article here

Fast times in Florida

Published in The Daily Mail, 14 February 2024

Keep your eye on Uruguay

Published in The Mail on Sunday, 28 May 2023

Ripping yarns of 8th century Cotswolds wool town

Published in The Mail on Sunday, 14 May 2023

The Secret of the Lakes

Published in The Daily Mail, 6 May 2023

Village that helped put George V on the map

Published in The Mail on Sunday, 25 June 2023

The Wild Side of the Spice Isle

Published in The Daily Mail, 18 February 2023

Portugal’s birds & birdies

Published in The Daily Mail, 19 July 2023

From jet set to train set, it’s all change for the global elite

Published in The Sunday Times, 17 September 2023

Bowled over in Oz

Published in The Daily Mail, 1 July 2023

Thessaloniki for under £100 a night

Published in The Daily Mail, 9 December 2023

Slough is yet to open a tourist office…

Published in the i, 11 October 2023

Rolling into the Rockies

Published in The Mail on Sunday, 17 December 2023

The world is shrinking

Published in The Daily Mail, 20 January 2024

Let’s go to Patagonia

Published in The Daily Mail, 23 September 2023

My epic ocean drive Down Under

Published in The Daily Mail, 8 May 2024

Off season and on song!

Published in The Daily Mail, 18 November 2023

Is this the most spectacular train ride in the world?

Published in The Mail on Sunday, 14 April 2024

Grenoble for under £100 a night!

Published in The Daily Mail, 11 May 2024

You’re in gator country

Published in The Mail on Sunday, 15 October 2023

Wainwright’s World

Published in The Daily Mail, 27 January 2024

Belgrade and the Busby Babes

Published in The Daily Mail, 25 October 2023

Trouble on the tracks

As featured on The New European. Read the article here.

The night train to Europe

As featured on The New European. Read the article here.

Homage to Spain’s railways

As featured on The Guardian. Read the article here

Down (But Not Out) In London, September 2022

As featured on The Orwell Society. Read the article here

Park Life: Europe’s greatest green spaces

Published in The New European, 9-15 September 2021

Homage to Orwell’s Jura

Published in The New European

Eurostar back on track

Published in The New European, 6-12 January 2022

Revolution in Warsaw

Published in The Daily Mail, 16 November 2022

Slow boat through history

Published in The Daily Mail, 24 September 2022

The train in Spain is free

Published in The Daily Mail, 27 August 2022

Explore the Wheel America

Published in The Daily Mail, 6 November 2021

When city life is like a walk in the park

Published in The Daily Mail, 2 November 2022

Wee drams and big dreams

Published in The Daily Mail, 5 March 2022

Return to New York for £303

Published in The Daily Mail, 20 August 2022

Rain won’t stop play

Published in The Daily Mail, 25 June 2022

It’s snow time at last

Published in The Daily Mail, 11 January 2023

Queen of the Castle

Published in The Daily Mail, 18 December 2021

Eat for fun in the land of the Rising Sun

Published in The Daily Mail, 8 October 2022

Isles of Wonder

Published in The Daily Mail, 18 January 2023

The Old Curiosity Town

Published in The Daily Mail, 13 August 2022

Belgrade for under £100 a night

Published in The Daily Mail, 29 January 2022

Swing along to Ireland

Published in The Daily Mail, 14 July 2021

Portugal passes the test

Published in The Irish Daily Mail, 29 May 2021

Off the tourist map

Published in The Daily Mail, 3 April 2021

Hip, hip highway!

Published in The Daily Mail, 15 May 2021

Grenada’s spicy sisters!

Published in The Daily Mail, 24 July 2021

Fairways to heaven

Published in The Irish Mail on Sunday, 4 July 2021

Arrival delayed

Published in The New European, 29 July 2021

A very British love affair

Published in The Daily Mail, 24 July 2021

All back aboard the Trans Europe Express?

Take the slow train

Published in The Critic, April 2021

One-track mind

Published in The Sunday Times, 23 August 2020

Europe’s other Lake District!

Published in The Daily Mail, 13 January 2021

Develop a taste for Tyneside

Published in The Daily Mail, 20 March 2021

Decaying delights

Published in The Critic

Anoraks at half-mast

Published in The Critic, December 2020

Amtrak Joe

Published in The Critic, March 2021

Zurich for under £100

Published in The Daily Mail, 18 May 2019

How to be a travelling tree angel

Published in The Daily Mail, 30 November 2019

Track down the train ride of your life

Published in The Mail on Sunday, 20 October 2019

ABBA proper break Theresa!

Published in The Daily Mail, 20 April 2019

That’s real isolation!

Published in The Daily Mail, 29 April 2020

At last, there is room at the inn!

Published in The Daily Mail, 4 July 2020

All aboard!

Published in The Critic, May 2020

Marseilles for £100 a night

Published in The Daily Mail, 13 April 2019

Malaga for under £100 a night

Published in The Daily Mail, 28 September 2019

Rail tracks

Published in The Critic, June 2020

Storylines

Published in The Critic, July/August 2019

Interrailing for grown-ups

Published in The Daily Mail, 7 August 2019

A wander into Hardy’s Wessex

Published in The Daily Mail, 22 June 2019

Dubrovnik for £100 a night

Published in The Daily Mail, 20 April 2019

Budapest for under £100

Published in The Daily Mail, 25 May 2019

Don Bradman’s hometown will bowl you over

Published in The Daily Mail, 28 August 2019

Berlin for under £100 a night

Published in The Daily Mail, 28 December 2019

Amsterdam for under £100

Published in The Daily Mail, 7 December 2019

Alicante for under £100 a night

Published in The Daily Mail, 2 November 2019

In the Footsteps of Mandela

Published in The Mail on Sunday, 22 July 2018

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

Published in The Daily Mail, 6 April 2019

A meander with treats at every turn

Published in The Daily Mail, 23 February 2019

Venice and Barcelona too crowded? Try these instead

Published in The Times, 28 April 2018

Slovenia for under £100 a night

Published in The Daily Mail, 23 February 2019

Tapas and flamenco dancing in Seville

Published in The Daily Mail, 30 March 2019

Mozart and pretzels in Salzburg

Published in The Daily Mail, 16 March 2019

Pizzas and Maradona in Naples

Published in The Daily Mail, 2 March 2019

Sardines and trams in Lisbon

Published in The Daily Mail, 16 February 2019

Lap up some Arctic skiing

Published in The Mail on Sunday, 13 January 2019

My high-altitude adventure along the Avenue of Volcanoes

Published in The Times, 16 June 2018

Cayman Confidential

Published in The Mail on Sunday, 31 March 2019

The Canaries for Culture Vultures

Published in The Irish Mail, 24 February 2019

Leaning towers and markets in Bologna

Published in the Daily Mail, 23 March 2019

Pedal through a land of ancient castles and beautiful countryside

Published in The Times, 10 February 2018. Click image to view PDF

Foodie Barbados: where the cool crowd eats

Published in The Times, 27 January 2018. Click image to view PDF

A weekend in Gdansk, Poland

Published in The Times, 6 January 2018. Click image to view PDF

A weekend in Orford, Suffolk

Published in The Times, 18 November 2017. Click image to view PDF

Deep in the desert in ancient Sudan

Published in The Times, 26 August 2017. Click image to view PDF

Feeling burnt out? Time for a manly facial

Published in The Times, 14 August 2017. Click image to view PDF

How to see the best of Chile in style

Published in The Times, 29 July 2017. Click image to view PDF

Road trip around Lake Michigan

Published in The Times, 15 July 2017. Click image to view PDF

Working up a thirst for a tipple along the Thames

Published in The Mail on Sunday, 2 July 2017. Click image to view PDF

On the (very fast) road in Las Vegas

Published in The Times, 24 September 2016. Click image to view PDF

Batting for the home team

Published in The Times, 2 July 2016. Click image to view PDF

It’s a volley holiday with Andy

Published in The Mail on Sunday, 26 June 2016. Click image to view PDF

The 11.55 train to Sydney

Published in The Mail on Sunday, 15 May 2016. Click image to view PDF

Brace! Brace! They’re after your seat

Published in The Times, 12 April 2017. Click image to view PDF

How to do the Trans-Siberian Railway for £1,000

Published in The Times, 9 April 2016. Click image to view PDF

Paris on a budget

Published in The Times, 5 March 2016. Click image to view PDF

Nepal: ancient temples, mountains and Bengal tigers too

Published in The Times, 22 April 2017. Click image to view PDF

Discover Ithaca’s golden bays and ancient legends

Published in The Times, 18 March 2017. Click image to view PDF

A weekend in Beer, Devon

Published in The Times, 16 May 2015. Click image to view PDF

Curling and skiing in the Swiss Alps

Published in The Times, 8 April 2017. Click image to view PDF

A weekend in Clyro, Powys, Wales

Published in The Times, 19 March 2016. Click image to view PDF

China: Ancient cities, mountains and a good cup of tea

Published in The Times, 27 August 2016. Click image to view PDF

The great American rail trip: from the Big Apple to the Windy City

Published in The Times, 24 December 2016. Click image to view PDF

Athens on a budget

Published in The Times, 11 March 2017. Click image to view PDF

Guesthouses in paradise – Maldives on the cheap

Tuna fishing boat at dawn in Addu Atoll THERE’S a party atmosphere on the roof of the ferry from Kulhudhuffushi to Malé. The sun is…

Meeting the Salafists on Tahrir Square

‘Flock of crows: on holiday in Tahrir Square’ – by Tom Chesshyre On my first day in Cairo during my journey across North Africa a…

UK and Ireland Hotel Reviews

The Times Cool Hotel Guide 15/11/14 – Oddfellows, Chester 8/11/14 – Sail Lofts, St Ives, Cornwall 1/11/14 – Swain House, Watchet, Somerset 25/10/14 – The…

Chic hotels and modern art in the heart of Africa

An aardvark painted on the side of a home in the village of Kubuneh (more pictures at the end of the article) Walking into Kubuneh…

Cute, cuddly in Peru… and it comes with chips

View at Machu Pichu (more pictures at the end of the article) THE guinea-pig stared at me. I stared at the guinea-pig. Then I took…

The real James Bond in Jamaica

HALFWAY up a mountain on a remote stretch of Jamaican coast – far from the round-the-clock daiquiris of Montego Bay’s all-inclusive resorts – I’m on…

Mandela’s prison island, 20 years on

Mandela’s cell on Robben Island In a grey room with a concrete floor, bars on the windows and fluorescent tube lighting, a group of about…

The quiet side of Puerto Rico

The beach at Playa Navio, where the final scenes of Lord of the Flies were shot in 1963 by Peter Brook (more pictures at the…

On holiday in the “axis of evil” – North Korea

On the train from Beijing to Pyongyang (more pictures below) THE communists were watching intently. One wore a rough, green military uniform with a cut-off…

Hip hop and chili dogs in Washington DC

Drummer outside Washington Wizards stadium (more pictures at end of the article) by Tom Chesshyre MARY Speyer, the owner of a women’s retail chain in…

A DIY safari in Namibia

Namib Naukluft National Park (more pictures at end of the article) I’ve been on the road through the Namib Desert for two hours after picking…

A little bit of France in the Indian Ocean

Dramatic scenery at Cirque de Cilaos (more pictures at end of article) A traveller’s tip for visitors to La Réunion: do not wear sunglasses or…

Take the dusty road to the heart of Africa’s spice island

Driving through countryside close to Matemwe (more pictures at the end of the article) Somewhere near the turning to Stone Town in Tunguu, on a…

My great rail journey through Kosovo

Peja, Kosovo At Pristina station there are gasps. In the distance a cherry-red train is hurtling in our direction, trailing a line of smoke and…

Haiti with no tourists, 2004

Pool at the Hotel Oloffson, Port-au-Prince IN The Comedians, Graham Greene’s novel about the dark days of Haiti’s Tontons Macoute and Papa Doc, his narrator,…

Walking Australia’s Great Ocean Road

Part of the remains of the 12 Apostles, Victoria (more pictures at end of article) On a cliff overlooking the expanse of ocean, with waves…

Vienna: a world where the Third Man lives on

Third Man Museum, Vienna (more pictures at the end of the article) Under a sycamore tree on a corner of a road just south of…

Over ‘ere son, on my head (mind that goat)

EVEN the goats are better than us. We — a group of volunteers in Ghana to help coach youngsters in football — are playing a…

Faeroe Isles: ‘Silence. Isolation. It’s breathtaking’

Puffins on Mykines (more pictures at the end of the article) It’s pouring down, absolutely streaming. Wind lashes across the cliffs above the treacherous Atlantic…

On the long road, from Denver to San Francisco

Lights flashed. The cop car made a u-turn. I looked in the mirror as the siren sounded, then checked our speed: too fast. One day…

Cedar Key, Florida — 80 minutes and a world away from Disney

The Island Hotel, Cedar Key On the way to the bridge to Cedar Key, I swerved to avoid a dead racoon. I was on a…

Colombia: after the druglords, the tourists

View from a San Rafael guest lodge, about 30 miles east of the Spanish colonial town of Santa Marta, close to the Caribbean coastline It’s…

Stuttgart’s Mercedes-Benz museum

Not everyone at the end of the 19th century was convinced by the newfangled “self-propelled cars” being built by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. After…

On the trail of Kate and Wills

William and Kate apparently discussed getting married for the first time in the summer of 2007 in the Seychelles — they like to get out…

Poland’s tooth tourism

Szczecin in Poland is a long way for a trip to the dentist, but Tom Chesshyre still comes up smiling. THIS is not my idea…

Look up in the sky – it’s a twister

FRANK, a systems analyst from New Jersey, looks upset. He orders a Jack Daniels and turns to me. “I just don’t believe this,” he says,…

Top of the hops in Brussels

Next to an evangelical religious centre and opposite a welfare office in a rundown suburb of Brussels near the Eurostar terminal, I am drinking a…

Texas: in the footsteps of Annie Proulx

SOMETHING’S up. “Whoa back there,” hollers Byron, our guide, waving an arm in warning. “We got us a rattler. Throw me dat ‘der pistol won’t…

A heavy price to pay for paradise

The Phi Phi islands in Thailand His eyes dart anxiously behind me, checking if anyone is watching us. “Promise not to use my name,” says…

It’s cheap but why not more cheerful?

MICHAEL O’LEARY is late, just like so many of his aeroplanes. “I’m terribly sorry,” gasps Ryanair’s chief executive, as he rushes in 15 minutes after…

Mail on Sunday articles

Golf at Royal St George in Kent – James Bond style In the footsteps of Withnail and I A visit to WAG-land and Alderley Edge…

Stories from around Britain

Here’s a selection of my “weekend break” contributions in the UK… from Dudley to Falkirk, via the Pennines and the Cotswolds: A weekend in……

Golf & Tennis Articles

The golf school of hard knocks Sometimes golf can be depressing – very depressing. “I’d like to say I’ve seen worse,” says Jeremy Dale, our…

Switzerland’s minimalist ski lodge

They look like giant grey sugar cubes. They’re halfway up a mountain in the middle of Switzerland. And they’re about to put the pretty, little-known…

Try cat skiing: poor man’s heli-skiing

CAT skiing is not for the faint-hearted. It doesn’t take us long to work that out. “Avalanches occur frequently in the alpine terrain . ….

Laid-back skiing in super-cool Courchevel

Le Portetta On the terrace, women in thermal tops with sleeves rolled up were sunbathing, drinking coffee and watching kids bundling down the tiny nursery…

Ski Italy – for the sunnier side of the slopes

The view from the slopes at Courmayeur (more pictures at end of article) Dark clouds billow on the far side of Mont Blanc — a…