When most people think of Oman, they think of the desert, the wadis and the souqs. And it certainly has all of those. But beyond the gorgeous mosque, friends and family often have very little impression of what the capital city, Muscat, is like. It has a much slower pace of life than it’s ...
A LOCAL’S GUIDE TO WALKING HADRIAN’S WALL
In 122AD, the Roman Emperor Hadrian ordered the construction of an 84 mile defensive wall between the River Tyne on the east coast of England, to the Solway estuary in the west. It took six years to build the wall, and its forts and milecastles were occupied by military forces until the Romans left ...
A LITERARY GUIDE TO OXFORD
From Philip Pullman to CS Lewis, and JRR Tolkien to Colin Dexter and Evelyn Waugh, the city of dreaming spires has such distinguished literary pedigree that this should probably be a whole series rather than just a single guide! This is therefore more a guide to my favourite spots, rather than a ...
IMLIL: TRANQUILLITY AND HIKING IN THE MOUNTAINS OF MOROCCO
I love Morocco – the buzz of Marrakech, the vibrant souks, the beautiful beaches of the south and the peaceful raids. But I rarely think of mountains. And yet the spectacular Atlas Mountains, and the adorable village of Imlil, are only a few hours from Marrakech. If you haven’t heard of ...
THE NEW JAPAN? WAKAN’S APRICOT BLOSSOM
Visiting Japan has long been near the top of my bucket list, including seeing the famous cherry blossom (sakura) season. I really hope to make it there one day, but we have consistently put it off as it we know it will be busy and (very!) expensive. So if blossom is your thing, I have a ...