Karl’s Chronicles Article 21 Sao Tome & Principe: Chocolate Before
Tumbling down over cobbled stones in the humid murkiness of dense hillside forest, one could be rightly forgiven for not seeing the wood for the trees. Mesmerized by torpedo...
Steve’s Sojourns: Maiden Voyage of new CMV cruise ship
Traditional British Cruise company Cruise and Maritime Voyages have announced the Maiden Voyage of their latest ship Amy Johnson. Following delivery and a refurbishment programme she will sail from Singapore Thursday...
Trevor’s Wildlife Week. WRAS Rescuers Called Out to check Bat Box After Fallen Tree in Hailsham.
East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) rescuers were called out to check on a Bat Box after the oak tree it was located in fell across the...
With new 3-Series Touring, BMW polishes an untarnished and popular model
IAIN ROBERTSON Popularity counts for a lot in today’s new car scene and the BMW 3-Series Touring, of which over 500,000 examples of the previous iteration found contented homes,...
Gareth Butterfield tests the Toyota Corolla, Toyota’s new British-built stunner
THE Toyota Corolla bears the best-selling badge in the world. We might not have seen a new one pootling around the UK for a long time, but this genuinely...
Steve’s Sojourns: The Azores, Portugal’s Atlantic gem.
Put quite simply the Azores are stunning. I had never visited before and I guess like most people I only knew about them from the weather forecast with the...
No surprises from Mitsubishi, with its latest bargain basement Mirage
IAIN ROBERTSON It is an inescapable fact that some new car buyers just want a cheap motorcar and, suggests Iain Robertson, with Suzuki having withdrawn its ‘not so green’...
Karl’s Chronicles. Article 20 Ghana: House of Three Colours
A plump lizard lay just behind a python, all coiled up like rope down at the harbour. In front walked a contented crocodile, tail in the air with a...
Steve’s Sojourns: Walking in Madeira and the Canary Islands
I have always been a keen if not dedicated walker and cruiser so when I saw the Ramblers Walking Holidays Trip to Madeira and the Canary Islands with Fred...
Driving abroad post-‘Brexit’? There’s nothing to worry about, for the moment.
IAIN ROBERTSON If you were concerned about the impact of the UK departing the EU political construct, while understandable, writes Iain Robertson, mainly due to a distinct information shortfall,...
SHELLY BEACH SNIPPETS No. 118 January, 2020
Patricia Newell-Dunkley Photographs Reginald J. Dunkley Website: Facebook: Patricia Newell-Dunkley Writer/Artist Google: Patricia Newell-Dunkley for all previous Snippets. Greetings and Happy New Year from down-under. Such a...
Steve’s Sojourns. Viking
For those of you who like Viking Ocean Cruises “Which” has revealed that the company has come top of the table in its annual cruise satisfaction survey, making it...
Rachel´s Wanderings in Spain 15 El Caminito del Rey – The King´s Walkway
Once known as the world´s most dangerous walkway, the caminito – which means little walkway – and it was little. The old path was built as a narrow path...
Gareth Butterfield tests the smart new apostrophe-free Kia Ceed
IF you’ve never bought a Kia before, prepare to be surprised. And if you’re already a fan of the marque, prepare to be delighted. The new Ceed is really...
Volkswagen recalls its past more judiciously these days
IAIN ROBERTSON Although the German car-producing giant, Volkswagen, may have been ‘in denial’ for five-and-a-half decades post-WW2, highlights Iain Robertson, at the turn of the New Millennium, it faced...
Taxi Noir: Back 2 Skool
I’ve been trying to get out of the cab game for some time. To this end I’ve been working towards becoming a Health & Safety Adviser. I gained the...
Karl’s Chronicles Article 19 Benin: Four of a Kind Part II
…cont 3) Scorched yellows, rust reds, tobacco browns with splodges of green. The parched landscape looked like a Turner painting left out in the rain. Swathes of savannah embedded...
Toyota’s ‘inner sanctum’ produces rally-bred hot-rod in Mark Two form
IAIN ROBERTSON To an enthusiast, the frisson of excitement surrounding a motorsport developed road car is palpable, as Iain Robertson pulls back the covers on a more refined, more...
‘Mint and boxed’ Matchbox model cars make over £300,000 at auction
IAIN ROBERTSON When you consider that most of one man’s, 3,000-strong model collection had cost less than a few shillings each, highlights Iain Robertson, the desire to root around...
Who is Polestar, what is she? Flagship or frippery?
IAIN ROBERTSON Fearing that his anti-China stance will restrict his access to Volvo’s intriguing offshoot, Iain Robertson having already criticised Polestar’s retail presence takes an askew view of Polestar...
A Stranger in Vegas, Bourbon Street
Las Vegas is money and money is Las Vegas. One night out might cost the income of a whole one or two weeks of hard work or may...
Karl’s Chronicles Article 18 Benin: Four of a Kind. Part I
The Four of a Kind is a two-part article that centres on four different projects in Benin that promote tours and programs that benefit both tourists and local communities...
Living with Vitara – six months of Suzuki experience
IAIN ROBERTSON Had you told Iain Robertson that acquiring and running a crossover motorcar was a rum idea, he might have agreed with you a couple of years...
Gareth Butterfield hangs on for dear life to the fast and furious Renault Megane RS Trophy
THERE’S a certain list of criteria a hot-hatch must meet these days. If a car hasn’t got 300bhp, it doesn’t seem to cut it, and if it doesn’t have...
Steve’s Sojourn’s : Allier France
Cradle of the Bourbon dynasty the department of Allier, in the Massif Central in the most northerly part of the Auvergne, is famous for its landscapes. Its also has...
Ultimate automotive arrogance, or a viable future proposition?
IAIN ROBERTSON As one of the largest vehicle and technology companies in the world, Toyota has an important responsibility to fulfil, highlights Iain Robertson, but he also questions the...
Taxi Noir: Billionaires Row
I occasionally find myself driving my cab along one of London’s most upmarket streets; The Bishops Avenue. Some people say it’s in Hampstead, others Highgate. While it’s close to...
Hyundai wants and needs you to be i10 impressed
IAIN ROBERTSON Like all the best coming-of-age parties, reports Iain Robertson, the innocuous, smaller member of the family blossoms into something worthier and makes you wonder why you had...
Steve’s Sojourns; Costa Rica with Noble Caledonia
I have always been a big supporter of cruising under sail. It’s not difficult to understand this, what with these 5 and six-star luxury vessels, the wind billowing out...
Rachel´s Wanderings in Spain 14 New Year, New Century and Day of the Kings
Happy New Year to you all. Red underwear or not (see previous article Christmas in Spain Then and Now for clarity) we´re into not only a new year but...
Skoda drops a fragrant hint of its Indian intended SUV
IAIN ROBERTSON Many carmakers have invested heavily in the fast-developing Indian subcontinent, as their other markets either stabilise, or experience decline, reports Iain Robertson, and with Skoda empowered to...
Steve’s Sojourns : Victoria Capital of the Seychelles
The Seychelles are thought of by many as the ultimate all year round paradise holiday destination and rightly so. However, they are not as expensive to get to and...
My Year’s Favourite Article. A Stranger in Vegas. The Golden Nugget Hotel Casino
In 1946, project Diana bounces radar waves off the Moon proving that communication between Earth and outer space is possible. In 1946, the current US President Donald Trump was...
My Favourite Article. Recollections of Childhood
by Patricia Dunkley Here is my Favourite Article of all time! The happiest memory I have of childhood was being a flower girl for my sister Peggy when she got...
Jane’s Favourite Article of 2019. Minis, Marvelettes & Mary Quant
My Favourite 2019 Article. An exhibition to honour sustainable fashion Hot-pants and minis, panty hose and PVC… this was the swinging sixties and the age of Mary Quant when...
Gareth Butterfield tests the Toyota Corolla, Toyota’s new British-built stunner
THE Toyota Corolla bears the best-selling badge in the world. We might not have seen a new one pootling around the UK for a long time, but this genuinely...
Favourite Article of 2019; Steve’s Sojourns: The Northern Lights
The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) is one of nature’s most fantastic shows and something that has become a ‘must do’ for so many. A vibrant, dancing display of green,...
Darting about in Devon
Devon is an English county located in the UK’s South West. Within the county, the River Dart is one of the country’s majestic waterways. It starts with the coming...
Taxi Noir: The Truth about Cats & Dogs
I joined the B-C-ing-U team half way through the year. When asked for the favourite article I wrote in 2019, I’d probably go for the light-hearted one about carrying...
My Favourite: Karl’s Chronicles. Where The Wild Beasts Roam.
Whether it is a herd light-footing across the savannah during the fresh hours of early morning or quietly observing a silver-back gorilla on forested lowland slopes, there is something...