Category Archives: Travel

Sacred Fig

Posted on June 2, 2017 by

A recent re-reading of Richard Mabey on the ancient and revered Fortingall Yew in Scotland put me in mind of other trees with a well-documented spiritual connection. Such a tree is the sacred fig (Ficus religiosa) or bodhi tree in … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Minster in The Saints

Posted on April 20, 2017 by

The Saints is a small, loosely defined area of northeast Suffolk just south of the River Waveney and the Norfolk border. Effectively it is a fairly unremarkable patch of arable countryside that contains within it a baker’s dozen of small … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Suffolk, Travel, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Skellig Michael – The Edge of the World

Posted on March 17, 2017 by

Today is St Patrick’s Day and March 17 is the supposed date of the 5th-century missionary’s death. Patrick was the forerunner of many early missionaries who came to Irish shores to preach Christianity, the island more receptive to new ideas … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Islands, Travel, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Memory fields in the city of sock-wearers

Posted on November 22, 2016 by

The small city of Kruševac in south-central Serbia is probably best known for its fortress and 14th-century church, a fine example of the highly decorative Morava school. This was Prince Lazar’s capital in the late 14th century and it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Balkans, Eastern Europe, History, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Lammas Day, Suffolk Coast

Posted on August 8, 2016 by

Lammas Day – the first day of August. School holidays, warm weather, beach visits, perhaps a swim in the sea? Or, on a windy cloudy day, a walk; a beach walk. At low to mid tide it is possible to … Continue reading →

Posted in Suffolk, Travel, Walking, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

In Bear Country

Posted on June 21, 2016 by

This was bear country. No doubt about it. Over breakfast Alfred from the guesthouse had said, “You should make sure that you talk when you go walking there – or maybe sing – that way you won’t take them by … Continue reading →

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San rock art – Drakensberg, South Africa

Posted on April 27, 2016 by

One of the highlights of my recent trip to South Africa was to see some really well-preserved rock art. The cave paintings were made by the San people, the hunter-gatherers who inhabited the Drakensberg mountain region in KwaZulu-Natal province close … Continue reading →

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Kumano Kodō, Japan

Posted on March 9, 2016 by

My feature on walking part of the Kumano Kodō pilgrimage trail in Japan will be published in a few days time in Elsewhere journal. Elsewhere is a Berlin-based print journal, published twice a year, dedicated to writing and visual art that explores the idea of … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Travel, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ghosts of Empire – Park Street Cemetery, Kolkata

Posted on February 25, 2016 by

One way of looking at this evocative, if mildly disturbing, place is as a hidden enclave populated with the ghosts of colonialism. Situated right in the middle of Kolkata, tucked away purdah-like from the mayhem of the city streets, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, History, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Lenins of the world, unite!

Posted on August 11, 2015 by

I don’t quite know what it is but whenever I have come across an old Lenin statue anywhere in the territories of the old Soviet Union I have usually not been able to resist taking a photograph. It may be … Continue reading →

Posted in Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments