The Doors of Crickhowell
There is poetry in the old bridges of Wales, England, and Scotland. While castle walls and stately homes draw the … Continue reading The Doors of Crickhowell
Tag: Travel Writing
A Beer at the Horse Shoe Inn
It is late afternoon when we arrive in Llangattock. The sun is streaming down the valley of the River Usk, … Continue reading A Beer at the Horse Shoe Inn
In a Country Churchyard
Hear the cool lapse of hours pass,Until the centuries blend and blur… – Rupert Brooke, The Old Vicarage, Grantchester. Morning … Continue reading In a Country Churchyard
Riding the Silver Lines
In his book Riding the Iron Rooster, the American travel writer Paul Theroux described train travel as “a luxurious form of convalescence.” His travel stories The Great Railway Bazaar, The Happy Isles of Oceania, and Riding the Iron Rooster were inspirational in my becoming a travel writer. And sitting here in the enveloping warmth of the train’s cafe car, surrounded by luxurious food and drink I, too, feel as though I’m convalescing, with nothing but my reflection in the big window for company. Continue reading Riding the Silver Lines
The Hub of Empire
I can feel the palpable weight of history in this place. Here, alone in the heart of London, I am surrounded by the echoes of an empire whose spokes once spread out across the globe. And this statue was the empire’s hub. Continue reading The Hub of Empire
In the Hall of the Railway King
In my imagination, I can see two worlds: the Victorian and the digital rendered at once in black and white and shimmering colour. Digital screens displaying departure times and advertisements flash alongside the 19th-century ironwork and tiling. Amid the 21st-century hustle, echoes of the Victorian era subtly reveal themselves in the characters around me. The man in the smart suit, intently checking his iPhone, could be a Dickensian bookkeeper hurrying to his cellar-room counting house behind a wooden door with a rattle in its throat. Continue reading In the Hall of the Railway King
Jack-in-the-Green
In their song Jack in the Green, Jethro Tull uses the folklore figure of The Green Man to explore the way the natural world holds sway over the artificial urban world. Jack-in-the-Green is a symbol of nature’s enduring spirit, a guardian of the green amid the grey. He’s the slightly mischievous, unseen force who taps his cane upon the ground, awakening life in the most unexpected places. The fox, the ivy, the dandelions, they’re all part of Jack’s work, his quiet rebellion against the urban sprawl. Continue reading Jack-in-the-Green
The Gordian Knot
London is a living entity where new buildings rise, adding to the skyline, yet the historic heart of London remains. The city honours its past while boldly embracing the future, a testament to human endurance and creativity. Continue reading The Gordian Knot
The Elizabeth Line
Our Elizabeth Line train, now at rest, seems to pause and take a breath. Our journey from Heathrow to Paddington has conveyed us from the viridian whispers of London’s periphery to the beating heart of its centre along a seamless conduit through time and space. And here in the Hall of the Railway King, our adventures begin. Continue reading The Elizabeth Line
Sympathy For The Devil
Tuesday morning on Carnaby Street. The early rain has cleared leaving a bright sky draped with torn remnants of cloud. Puddles gleam in the gutters, sending up effervescent vapour as the sun warms the asphalt and concrete. Reflections shimmer in the pools along the sidewalk: shopfronts and buildings bent and moulded into convex shapes and concave contours. Continue reading Sympathy For The Devil
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