2022

When I got back people asked me for impressions.  But it was so hard to sum up. Some of them assumed I had gone off to find myself. To me ...

As he boarded the longboat to be rowed ashore to St Helena, Napoleon said (in French ofc) ‘To the water, it is time.’ Which to an English ear sounds like ...

Lens, 20 minutes north of Arras where I was staying for my final night of the trip. My gourmand friend Nigel had recommended Arras so I knew it would be ...

At breakfast a text from Brendon. ‘Just woken up in the UK, three prime ministers later.’ He said he was having the full English with black pudding.  We both agreed ...

Up with Eos and out into a magnificent day of clear sunshine. I left my bags with Leo the concierge and strode out to the Place de la Concorde. As ...

Another beautiful day, but now too cold to have the windows down. I had been so lucky with the weather. How long could it last? Oops now I’ve gorn and ...

Before I left Orange, and not knowing when I’d be back, Pedders and I went for a hack around the town.  I’d had a fantastic night of sleep. Cold outside ...

Oh what a night! And I don’t mean in a Frankie Valli way. The Hotel room was the smallest – and one – of the most expensive of the trip ...

The final ferry. Number 10. I’d roughly added up the total and it came to 78hrs of sea travel in all. This one, the Mega Express Two (inspiration clearly lacking ...

It hadn’t rained overnight but the streets were very wet. Sea fog I guessed. There was a delicious smell of ozone and seaweed. Got Peds out of the menage and ...