Steve’s Sojourns: Murals and Markets in Sardinia.
Sardinia is one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean. Its main delight is you never know what you’re going to find in some of the small villages...
How to review motorcars for a (largely) non-motoring audience
IAIN ROBERTSON There was a time, states Iain Robertson, when you would spot half a dozen shelves packed with motor-related titles, every time you visited your local newsagent, or...
A Place to Stay; Where to Stay in Wales So you want a trip to Wales? Here are two cosy places that may just fit the bill!
Wolfscastle Country Hotel – Situated 15 minutes from Haverfordwest in the Pembrokeshire countryside with 20 en-suite bedrooms which offer a unique blend of rural charm, heritage & contemporary design....
A Stranger in Vegas The Clark County Museum
Halloween is around the corners, and I have been thinking of something exciting to do. It’s been a very long time since I’ve experienced something unusual but at...
Karl’s Chronicles. Article 5 Food for Thought.
Great metal pots, all bubbling away in the backyard as if the place carried a penchants towards sorcery and witchcraft. On the table nearby lay a pile of fresh...
Steve’s Sojourns; Luxury Under Sail
More people want to be environmentally friendly when they take a cruise these days and you can’t get much greener than a sailing ship especially one that has been...
Latest Vauxhall Astra appears unaltered, until you peer beneath its bonnet
IAIN ROBERTSON Definitely not a landmark in Vauxhall’s book, reports Iain Robertson, following his first drive of the new Astra, it is still a safe haven for buyers seeking...
Trevor’s Wildlife Week
RESCUE & RELEASE VIDEO: Logoed Version: Rescuers from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) were called at 11am on 9th September 2019 to a badger...
Gareth Butterfield tests Kia’s latest design highlight, the Proceed
IF Kia had launched its Proceed 10 years ago, the world would have done a collective double-take. Nowadays, it’s just another pretty car that’s been launched by the firm....
Steve’s Soujorns Birding in Aberlady Bay.
Managed by East Lothian Council since 1952 Aberlady Bay is the oldest local nature reserve in Britain. About 12 miles east along the coast from Edinburgh. The site sits on...
To prove that car fans can never get enough of what they want, the ‘new’ Bentley Blower…
IAIN ROBERTSON Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover and a couple of other carmakers have been dabbling in the classic car scene, reports Iain Robertson, by revisiting their pasts and...
Boathouse Bar & Restaurant, Camber Sands Holiday Park.
When we stayed at the Camber Sands Holiday Park, we planned to have our meals in the caravan and to eat out once a day. See my last article;...
Taxi Noir: Starting Out as a London Cab Driver
Cab driving in London is one of the most democratic occupations known to man. How many other occupations allow you to start training with no previous qualifications, then offer...
Wired up smart makes smart much wiser
IAIN ROBERTSON It was in the mid-1970s, when the originator of the smart car (Nicolas Hayek) envisioned his means for future mobility, recalls Iain Robertson, which was always intended...
Karl’s Chronicles, article 4 Varied Shades of Green
Less than 40km, one hour north of Cape Coast in Ghana as the crow flies (3 days if it walks) is Kakum National Park. Exchanging the churning Atlantic for...
Steve’s Sojourns A river cruise down the Rhone with Shearings/ARosa
I like a river cruise! So we tried one with Shearings on the ARosa Stella with only 160 people on board. The ARosa Stella is not as grandiose...
Rachel’s Wanderings in Spain – 9 – Autumn Looms, Almonds Fall and Time Flies By
I expect you know the feeling when days fly by and a week ago seems more like a month ago. That’s my life right now. Organising the Estate Agency...
Trevor’s Wildlife Week
Care Staff at East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) are asking members of the public who find poorly wild birds with ticks on them to seek urgent...
Gareth Butterfield reviews Lexus’s new entry into the small SUV market, the UX
IF you’re in the market for a small SUV – and, let’s face it, the world and his wife seems to be at the moment, then you’ve got a...
Steve’s Sojourns The Bass Rock
The Bass Rock is the largest single island gannet colony in the world and described by Sir David Attenborough as one of Earth’s twelve wildlife wonders. Most people...
Steve’s Sojourns A Place to stay in NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND
Sandwiched between Scotland and England Northumberland has drawn its lifeblood from both. If Scotland were to be described as red and England as yellow then Northumberland would be classified...
A Stranger in Vegas The Bald Las Vegas: ‘Kalvin’
Las Vegas is one of the places where a lot of career opportunities are available. Las Vegas is the hand that leads you through the fast way to make...
SHELLY BEACH SNIPPETS NO. 113 August, 2019.
Patricia Newell-Dunkley photographs by Reginald J. Dunkley Website: Facebook: Pinetree Gallery Patricia Newell-Dunkley Writer/Artist Google : Patricia Newell-Dunkley for all previous Snippets Greetings from down under where the...
Steve’s Soujorns First Time to the fiords?
Cruising give you option of keeping costs down as Norway is so expensive food and drink wise. You can also see the Northern Lights or the Midnight Sun...
Electrified Tarraco SUV makes hay with FR sporting trim
IAIN ROBERTSON Hold your horses! It is another new model not due until 2020 but Iain Robertson has managed to grab a sneak preview of the hottest version of...
Gareth Butterfield spends a week in the all-electric Nissan Leaf
DAY ONE IF electric cars are the future then this, the Nissan Leaf, is a taste of it. I’ve driven lots of electric cars, and they’re often a bit...
Steve’s Sojourns – Allier France
Nine times out of ten if you took a map of France and stuck a pin in what you thought was the exact centre of the country you would...
A Place to Stay. Campement Zmela, Tunisian Sahara.
I recently spent a few days on a trip around Tunisia, visiting some interesting places away from the usual Touristy areas. We climbed into our 4x4s and drove along...
Steve’s Sojourns – A Place to stay The Grande Bretagne Hotel – Athens
What you have here is one of the finest hotels anywhere in the world. It’s no surprise royalty, Hollywood film stars and anyone else who is anybody stays here...
Taxi Noir: The Knowledge (Part 2)
Welcome to Part Two of a run-through of the Knowledge of London, the training that London taxi drivers have to go through to get licensed. The first part is...
Skoda Scala vs. VW Golf, the ‘Trump vs. Obama’ of the automotive scene
Something strange, yet not entirely unexpected has occurred within VW Group and Iain Robertson attempts to unravel the mystery as he tests a mid-range version of Skoda’s latest and ‘long-awaited’ (it...
Karl’s Chronicles Article 3 The Door of No Return
The Castle stood white as skimmed milk on its small rocky ledge. The mood of the Atlantic came in powerful angled waves, slamming against the rocks but having little...
Social media polling may introduce some ‘danger’ that may harbour some home truths
A well-known cherished licence-plates company carried out an online survey recently, reports Iain Robertson, the findings of which could hold some merit for a once-burgeoning UK motor industry that now...
Steve’s Sojourns A cruise taster.
Cruise line Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) is offering the ideal opportunity to try cruising for the first time this Summer on a 2-night mini cruise. The traditional and...
Audi’s blockbuster RS6 is back, in grand Avant style
IAIN ROBERTSON No single motorcar of the past quarter of a century has impressed Iain Robertson as much as the Audi RS6 Avant and the all-new, imperious, ‘master of...
Why Gareth Butterfield thinks the current Range Rover is the best car in the world
AS a motoring journalist I’m frequently asked what I think the best car in the world is. It’s not an easy question to answer. For instance, if I wanted...
Roll in the tanks!
Photos courtesy of Rob Tysall, Tysall’s Photography A family day out that is sure to go with a bang – Ann Evans has earplugs at the ready...
Steve’s Sojourns Birdwatching in Brittany
It is a constant wonder to me that Brittany as a bird watching destination especially for a weekend is so overlooked by British birders. Apart from anything else it’s...
A Place to Stay. Dar Chennoufi, El Kef
El Kef, in Northwest Tunisia near the Algerian border, hosts an annual Jazz Festival which I visited this year. El Kef is a non-touristy city but it’s full of...
A Place to Stay. Steve’s Sojourns, Tinto House Hotel
I’ve just spent a night as a guest of the 3* Tinto House Hotel located in the heart of Southern Lanarkshire near the small town of Biggar. The Borders...