Stories behind the stories. By Travel Writer, Amy McPherson
2020 had been quiet, like everywhere else, travel restrictions meant many of us are limited to moving about in our own areas/regions. During this time, many people took up an outdoor hobby – cycling, running, paddle boarding – to keep active and to keep fit. How suitable it was then, that my first big trip …
Is there a secret London many of us don’t know about? I recently read Charles Dickens’ Night Walks and The Uncommercial Traveller, a series of essays based on his walks around London. Known to be an insomniac, he described the London he saw, from Haymarket, which he describes as “the worst kept part of London” (Uncommercial …
When do we begin to fear? As a child, I had very little fear. At least that’s what my aunt told me. Now, I am supposed to be older, wiser, and more experienced in life yet, I have more fear than ever before, and not just a general fear of things but fear for the …
At the top of the ridge at the Quiraing Walk on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, I stopped breathing for a couple of seconds. From where I stood, I could trace the route we took across the valley, which expands all the way to the ocean, where the silvery blue sea met the blue …
So I went to a girl school in the 90s ok? It was almost mandatory that I must have danced to the tunes of Backstreet Boys (or Take That, East17, 98 Degrees, Westlife…), to rock it out with Bon Jovi, watched Clueless and thought it was the coolest movie (like, TOTALLY) and of course, rehearsed …
The Victorians loved their seaside resorts. All along the English coast are reminiscences of Victorian terraces, which were holiday homes for many of the rich and wealthy, business families from the north who would spend the warmer months of the year soaking up some seaside sun. But when you are Queen Victoria, you don’t just …
Isle of where? You ask. The Isle of Man, a small island wedged between the shores of north England and Ireland, is a crown dependency. It means, it is technically a country, with its own parliament, its own laws and government, but is still in the possession of the British Crown and relies on Britain …
I am procrastinating (a fancy word to use when I hit the writer’s block), so I thought I’d use this time to tell you about my life in Surbiton. Surbiton is on the train line to Hampton Court and is officially a suburb of London, but besides the great transport links into the city, it feels as far …
Back to talking about Cornwall! So here’s the thing. Cornwall is filled with nature’s best gifts. Rugged coastline, beautiful little fishing villages with cute little beaches, wildlife and home to the pretty epic Eden Project, so naturally, there is room for an outdoor theatre constructed in perfect symmetry with the curve of the cove creating the …
In Cornwall, you can walk to the end of the world (Lands End) on the South West Coastal Path. You can potentially, walk the entire Cornish Coast The entire Cornish coast is served by the South West Coastal Path, England’s longest marked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. The trail begins all the way back in Somerset, …
Have you seen the seagulls here in Europe? They are massive, the size of a small cat. I am not kidding. We’ve just spent a week in Cornwall, south west of England, on a supposedly ‘summer holiday’. Unfortunately the week was mostly cold, and we were rained on for half of our trip, but that’s …
The garden of Eden is no longer forbidden. It’s in Cornwall, and is celebrating its 15 years birthday this year since being opened to public. Eden Project was our first port of call on our Cornish journey, having got a train to Exeter and picked up a hire car for the trip (not advised, but …
“You are going there voluntarily?” asked a few colleagues. Well, yes. Why wouldn’t I? “You do know what they say about Essex?” Yes, in fact I’ve hear plenty of bad rap about Essex, especially the stereotyped ‘Essex Girls’, known to be, as described by Wikipedia, “as females viewed as promiscuous and unintelligent, characteristics jocularly attributed to …
British beaches beautiful and enjoyable? Believe it or not, there are some stunning beaches around England, especially on the south coast! Some pebble, some sand, and some look like they really should be somewhere along the Mediterranean. If you had told me two year ago that I’d enjoy British beaches, I wouldn’t have believed you, …
A while ago I had a chuckle when I saw this ad on the train to work: That’s one way to get your attention isn’t it? It got mine! And that’s how we found ourselves stepping off the train at Portsmouth last weekend. Portsmouth? That’s no where near Dubai! Ok, don’t scream. It’s not Dubai, …
I am going to take you back to the days when the world was still black and white – at the movies I mean – and have you check out this film: Brief Encounter. A station made famous by Brief Encounter It’s one of those oh-so-sad, oh-so-romantic and oh-so-tragic love stories that probably won’t get much …
Harrogate is posh. Posher than any other northern towns we’ve come across. There are beautifully manicured gardens, expensive tea rooms, royal looking buildings…. there’s definitely something in the water here. Ah. Of course. There IS something in the water – sulfur – and it has been used for therapeutic and medical purposes since the Georgian …
This year is a big year for England’s literature greats. Widely celebrated is Shakespeare400 both in Stratford upon Avon and in London, to commemorate the 400th year after his death on the 23 April. However there is one other literary master who also died on this day 234 years after Shakespeare – William Wordsworth. As …
How beautiful was the weather on the weekend?! I can tell you during our trip up north 2 weeks ago it was a completely different story…. Apparently I was mad when I booked a trip up north at this time of the year. “It’s just going to rain the entire time!” Rain, I can …
I am all for supporting local businesses after events of disaster. The December floods last year devastated north England, including the city of York, so when Visit England called upon everyone to #lovethenorth, we responded with booking a train ticket to York. I have a soft spot for history. Ironically, while history wasn’t my best …
Stayed: 1 night, 25-26 April 2016 Room: 9 Price Paid: £69 through discount site Wowcher, inclusive of dinner and breakfast for two You knew I liked trains right? It was only a couple of months ago that we visited York’s Railway Museum and since then I found out there was a hotel where you can stay …
Whitby, a small seaside town surrounded by the North York Moors National Park, is significant to Australia as a modern nation. It was here that Captain James Cook trained as a seaman, who then took on a voyage to map out new worlds and claimed Australia as one of the British colonies in 1770. We …
On yet another rail journey we left from London Marylebone station, through beautiful country scenes of Warwickshire to arrive at historic town of Stratford upon Avon. Stratford upon Avon is an easy train ride from London Easily reached from London by train, Stratford upon Avon make a great weekend escape for busy Londoners looking for a …
I am, in a railway museum and I love it. I am not a train nerd. I really am not. I don’t know the ins and outs of a train engine, I can’t tell the difference between a R class steam and RC 4 electric, and I certainly do not know the history of train …
