[nggallery id=81 template="sliderview"] Exploring Shakespeare Country Quite rightly, Stratford lures visitors through its links with the Bard, who was born and brought up in the Warwickshire town. But beyond its literary connections, the area has much more to offer. For starters, there is the Butterfly Farm, which promotes itself as the “UK’s largest tropical butterfly paradise”. [...]
My recent visit to Nottinghamshire was memorable for many reasons, not least because it introduced me to the world of Segways! For the uninitiated, they’re two-wheeled, self-balancing, battery-powered electric vehicles and great fun. After the all-important tuition from the tutors at Go Ape! – the outdoor adventure company which operates at numerous sites around the [...]
I’ll be honest and admit that my memories of Staffordshire before a recent visit weren’t the best. I’m a regular visitor to the Lake District which means travelling up the dreaded M6 and the area around the Stafford junctions always seemed to claim first prize for worst traffic hotspot during our six-hour journey. So when [...]
Having visited Brighton only once before – and that was years ago – I enjoyed arriving with my family free of any preconceived views and opinions on what to expect or what we could achieve during our short break. Our excursion to this Sussex resort, granted city status by the Queen in 2000, was a [...]
Although Madeira, save Funchal during the rush-hour, is an oasis of calm and tranquillity, there is a little spot on the southern coastline which is, believe it or not, even more peaceful and relaxing – and that’s Faja dos Padres. It’s no wonder that this place is so tranquil because it can only be reached [...]
Madeira has been attracting British holidaymakers for decades and it’s easy to see why. Take the weather: after one of the UK’s worst summers on record, I was in need of some reliable sunshine – and I got that during my few days on the island, dubbed the “Floating Garden in the Atlantic”, thanks to [...]
Lying submerged up to your neck in a tub of hot sand seems a bizarre way to start a holiday on the sunny isle of Porto Santo, but as sweat trickled from every pore, the benefits of my spa treatment kicked in. Research shows that the island’s golden sand contains therapeutic properties. Rich in minerals, [...]
We’d only just arrived in Montenegro and here we were sitting in a garishly-coloured motorboat heading for Hawaii! As Jovan, a rosy-faced sailor, steered his pride and joy across the short stretch of emerald water, he pointed excitedly and in pidgin English, enthused, “There’s paradise, Hawaii next-stop.” (c) Richard Webber We’d left [...]
If you’ve ever wondered what happened to Britain’s fleet of 1960s buses, visit Malta where myriad Bedfords and Leylands ply their trade on the island’s bumpy roads. The garishly-painted relic creeping up the hill in front of me was on its last legs. But instead of becoming impatient, everyone in the lengthening queue seemed [...]
“The volcano’s erupting!” screamed a little boy beside me as a towering plume of steam shot out of the earth. As the spectacle subsided in the heart of Lanzarote’s Timanfaya National Park, the grinning guide, who prompted the display by pouring water into a deep hole, told his attentive audience that there is no cause [...]
