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...
Nimes boasts its Roman heritage – Meanderings through France n° 207
By Frédéric de Poligny & Annick Dournes Nimes is a French southern town created in ancient times by the Roman invaders. At only a few miles away from...
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...
Karl’s Chronicles Article 17 Benin -Twelve Kings
A column of grey gunpowder was discharged into the air like the venomous spit of a cobra, but where the defensive attributes of a serpent came silent and cunning,...
Snowdrop time!
Photos by Rob Tysall, Tysall’s Photography Ann Evans is eagerly awaiting the first signs of spring when those snowdrops start peeking through. We know spring is on the...
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...
E-Pace might be the cat’s whiskers for Jaguar Cars
IAIN ROBERTSON While it has taken some time to obtain a test example, Iain Robertson has now managed to put the current Jaguar E-Pace under his intense scrutiny, from...
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...
Walking in the foot path of Salvador Dali, the Spanish Master of Surrealism – World Meanderings (n°77)
By Frederic de Poligny What could be the future of Catalonia, Cadaquès, Figueras and Putbol will forever stay as the Salvador Dali’s country. These three places are...
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...
Motor Shows Galore at Gaydon
Photos courtesy of Rob Tysall and the British Motor Museum If the motoring enthusiast of the family is planning ahead, Ann Evans has a host of events not to...
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...
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,...
Annick’s Favourite of 2019. Winter white paradise in Saint-Gervais – Meanderings through France n° 173
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny After going down in history during the glorious times of the Mont-Blanc’s conquest, Saint-Gervais is today a trendy ski resort....
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...
Steve’s Sojourns: Undersea exploration and luxury cruising!
For all of us who are budding Captain Nemo’s out there Scenic Eclipse has revealed a first look at its exclusive Scenic Neptune submarine as it dives below the...
Favourite Article of the Year. Ranjit Recommends: Stem + Glory
The name of the restaurant illustrates the epitome of the Vegan cuisine; stems from plants and tastes glorious! Indeed, this is the restaurant’s inaugural London branch that is tucked...
Rachel’s Wanderings in Spain What a Busy Year Since My Introduction in April – Me and ‘my’ bit of Spain
I’m very happy to be joining this eclectic group of rambling writers from all around the world. I’m in Spain, but let me start at the beginning and introduce...
Gareth Butterfield’s trip down Memory Lane in the Honda Integra Type-R was one of his most memorable reviews of the year
DAY ONE THE car I’ve been testing this week is something of a personal indulgence. The nice man at Honda asked me if I’d like to try one of...
Frederic’s FAvourite. A visit to Äland, the last ‘Treasure’s Island” – World Meanderings (n°76)
By Frederic de Poligny Lying right in the middle of the Baltic Sea, Äland is the main island of an archipelago of the same name, which consists...
2019, a most extraordinary motoring year!
IAIN ROBERTSON Changes have been weighing-in to alter the UK motoring environment for the future, highlights Iain Robertson, some that upset the industry and the consumer, with others designed...
Lyn’s Favourite Article of 2019. Trafalgar Square; London’s National Heritage Grade 1 Square.
I love exploring in London. I choose an area, then I just walk. This is my article about Trafalgar Square and the area around it from earlier this year....
Mildly refreshed Mazda2 affirms user-pleasing stance
IAIN ROBERTSON If the latest CX-30 is a tad too costly, reports Iain Robertson, yet the idea of living with a Mazda is compelling, perhaps you ought to try...
Karl’s Chronicles Article 16 Long Walk to No Freedom
Ouidah, a small town on Benin’s south coast is synonymous with two powerful entities: one- slavery confined to the crumbling architecture of European Empires and the four-kilometre route from...
Where the US leads, we often follow and pickups are a typical pursuit
IAIN ROBERTSON The growth of the pickup truck market segment is no less strange than that for the ubiquitous SUV, highlights Iain Robertson, and despite various stipulations related to...
Steve’s Sojourns: The Tobago Cays with Star Clippers
To me the real beauty of sailing onboard Star Clippers ships is that the vessels are smaller than conventional cruise ships, they can call into ports untouched by larger...
Peugeot-Citroen and Fiat-Chrysler agree to a merger
IAIN ROBERTSON French carmaker PSA Groupe and troubled US-Italian FCA has made a strategic agreement to join forces, explains Iain Robertson, which will make the new combine the world’s...
My Favourite Mumbai Memoir- In search of freshness, greenery & Duke’s Nose!
The arrival of monsoon in Mumbai is a huge relief from the heat & humidity that is experienced during the summers. Every Mumbai’kar wishes to embrace Mother Nature when...
Tried and tested or tired and tossed aside? Why Gareth Butterfield thinks the Nissan Qashqai is worthy of its place at the top of the crossover sales tree
BELIEVE it or not, the innocuous little Nissan Qashqai deserves a place in history as one of the great automotive trendsetters. Nissan took a punt, back in 2007, on...
Steve’s Sojourns: Birding on St Kilda
The uninhabited Island of St Kilda lies some 41 miles off North Uist in the Western Isles and with over a million birds it is the most important seabird...
GLA completes the ‘compact’ circle for Mercedes-Benz
IAIN ROBERTSON In a new car market now predominated by SUVs, writes Iain Robertson, Mercedes-Benz is well entrenched with models in every relevant class and the latest GLA model...
Christmas’ Magic in French iconic chateaux, part three: Chambord Château – Meanderings through France n° 206
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny Welcome back again to French chateaux festivities! This year for Christmas time we invite you in three different wonderful French chateaux,...
A Place to stay; The Grange Hotel. A racing certainty in York
The Grange Hotel is a Grade II listed, four star hotel, located in the Bootham part of the historic city of York. A racing theme influences the decoration of...
Malta Diary Were space aliens present in Malta – are elongated skulls the proof?
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Malta overflows with myths and mysteries. One theory is that Malta was the ‘nerve control centre’...