Bordeaux, an appealing town between vineyards and ocean – Meanderings through France n° 192
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny In less than 25 years Bordeaux has been going through huge works of renovation and innovation, turning this old...
Malta Diary Fancy a loaf of bread that’s 2,120 years old? It may be a trifle hard – but it’s not stale!
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Malta must stand as the longest most colonised country in the world –...
Gourmet trip in Alsace
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny When travelling in Alsace one could think that Alsatians mainly focus on food and drinks. Without being completely true this is not...
Cutesy Fiat 500 receives revived ‘EsseEsse’ model and celebratory elements
IAIN ROBERTSON While it is easy to regard Fiat as stuck in a 500 rut, Iain Robertson reiterates that the company has always been Europe’s ‘small car specialist’ and...
Fiat’s 500X is a great example of how the jacked-up look can be made more attractive than ground-hugging hatches.
WHILE I’ll never understand the collective lure of the “crossover”, a style of car that’s slowly killing off the once mighty hatchback, Fiat’s 500X is a great example of...
Malta Diary Malta and its walls and bastions – “For sheer concentration and majesty quite unmatched”
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Man and walls. They have worked together since the start of recorded history. Some walls...
The “Lot”, a bewitching French department (Part two) – Meanderings through France n° 186
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny After last week discovery of Rocamadour and the L’Ouysse Valley let’s go back to beautiful Lot and wander along...
Chunky, punky Ford Fiesta Active proves to be a praiseworthy package
IAIN ROBERTSON Were it to wear a large safety-pin through its grille, Ford’s growingly popular crossover model could not be less of a disruptive vehicle than it is and...
Highland fling for final page in Volvo’s ’60-Series’, the S60 saloon
IAIN ROBERTSON Launched in T5 front-wheel drive R-Design Edition form, reports Iain Robertson, fresh from an excellent Scottish Highlands driving exercise, Volvo has turned the final page in its...
Malta Diary The lure of the salt and the sea – Malta’s lengthy history in saline culture
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: “Sapore di sale, sapore di mare” is the much loved Italian song by popular...
Midfield Volvo XC40 cannot conceal high-price route to market
IAIN ROBERTSON Understanding the tremendous growth in consumer interest in Volvo demands a cool head and Iain Robertson hopes that by testing its most popular model, in its most...
EASTER FAMILY FUN
Looking for somewhere to take the family over the Easter holiday? Ann Evans has some suggestions. If you’re looking for family activities this Easter, then the...
Ranjit’s Recommendations: Mumbai comes to London
When a restaurant menu says that a little extra time might be taken to cook the food, I have now learnt to accept it for good reason. This is...
Ségala, a land of contrasts – Meanderings through France n° 180
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Set at the foot of the Massif Central in between Rodez and Albi the Ségala has been a tough...
“Pech Merle cave”, an authentic prehistoric treasure – Meanderings through France n° 179
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Pech Merle cave is part of a group of 13 adorned caves in Southwest France in the Lot Valley. 29,000...
Ford cranks up the power for ST versions of its Focus
IAIN ROBERTSON The return of the ST is something in which Ford-lovers can revel, suggests Iain Robertson, especially as the power is up, in a car that is unflawed...
Jaguar applies bespoke Portfolio details to its full-size luxury XJ
IAIN ROBERTSON Competing in the high-end executive sector, the stakes are steep for getting a contender wrong but, as Iain Robertson highlights, adopting an alternative route to market can...
Early spring in Cannes, going beyond the clichés – Meanderings through France n° 176
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny Since 1946 in early May Cannes becomes the world’s film capital for a crazy fortnight. During the Film Festival,...
Trevor’s Wildlife Week for 28th Feb 2019
Rescuers for East Sussex WRAS and Seahaven Wildlife Rescue spent an evening at Eastbourne Railway Station after a call for help just after 7pm. Two rescuers from our hospital...
MALTA DIARY: Malta’s marine landmarks and their place in the history of the sea
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Rather a contrasting headline – linking sea and land as marine landmarks – but...
Great British Morgan needs to check its rear-view mirror for VMW!
IAIN ROBERTSON One of our remaining manufacturers of motorcars, Morgan, has enjoyed a resurgence in 3-wheeled motoring, since it relaunched its ‘trike’, but Iain Robertson reports that an Utah-based...
Wee Scottish campervan company fills go-anywhere niche
IAIN ROBERTSON A small but effective Scottish specialist in the campervan sector has launched an all-new and compact 4×4 model, states Iain Robertson, that addresses a shortage of go-anywhere...
BMW’s i3 is the only true eco-friendly EV
IAIN ROBERTSON ‘Being different’ is a calling-card for most Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturers and ‘built-for-purpose’ is the raison d’etre behind BMW’s intriguing offering that Iain Robertson has now driven...
Only three carmakers, Merc, Jeep and Suzuki, believe in proper 4x4s
IAIN ROBERTSON Since Land Rover deserted the ‘proper’ 4WD market, only three manufacturers have flown a more serious flag in the UK, states Iain Robertson, which underscores the value...
Jaguar’s i-Pace whisks concept to reality in apposite EV style
IAIN ROBERTSON While not the first off-the-blocks, Jaguar’s latest i-Pace is both style-centric and on-the-money inspirational, reports Iain Robertson, having taken his first drive of the newcomer that sets...
Dreadful Unnecessary Waste of Supermarket Food!
If you knew what food waste went into the huge skips behind our Supermarkets, you wouldn’t be able to sleep at night! About 95% of the food is perfectly...
Nat’s Travels – Exploring Fairytale Castles
Have you heard of Neuschwanstein Castle? I hadn’t heard of it until about a year ago and since then it has been high on my list of things to...
Taking the smooth with the rough, 60 years of Mini is worth celebrating
IAIN ROBERTSON In an age prior to The Beatles, before ‘flower power’ took hold and ‘Twiggy’ was tree remnant, recalls Iain Robertson, the original Mini set tongues wagging, with...
‘Peugeot-fication’ strikes Vauxhall’s vans division for the second time
IAIN ROBERTSON Having already lucked onto the ‘Van of the Year’ status with its PSA-Vauxhall Combo, reports Iain Robertson, Vauxhall’s former IBC factory at Luton (all that remains...
MALTA DIARY: Of Malta’s bread and rock as they take their place in the hall of international fame
ALBERT FENECH e/mail – Facebook: My Blog: Bread and limestone rock go back many, many years, in fact, thousands of...
Lamborghini Huracan EVO ensures a tailored fit
IAIN ROBERTSON Prior to German Audi acquiring Italian Lamborghini, Iain Robertson was unable to fit within the marque’s tight cockpits, which is closely akin to him wearing American...
VW’s up-market Arteon gains significant power boost
IAIN ROBERTSON Available in the UK for little more than a year, VW’s up-market Passat-with-a-coupe body is a trendsetter for the German brand, states Iain Robertson, that illustrates the...
BMW tackles next-gen JCW models in comic-book style
IAIN ROBERTSON Entering its 19th year as a staple of the retro-styled new car scene, reports Iain Robertson, the BMW-produced Mini has always been boosted, enhanced and repurposed more...
The brand new Club Med Les Arcs Panorama opens in the French Alps – Meanderings through France n° 170
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny The opening of a new Club Med resort always is a great event in the world of top-level all-inclusive family...
Forget ‘fear’ tactics, Brexit harbours hassle for motorists
IAIN ROBERTSON Our most recent festive period created a number of headlines about ‘refugees’ attempting to gain access to UK shores, recalls Iain Robertson, but, for those of us...
Dogs to have better lives in the UK
By Ann Evans Bulldog lovers in the Hamstead Community of London pull together to save abused dogs in China. Ann Evans tells us more. The recent...
The Fabulous Crufts Show
Introduction and photographs by Rob Tysall, additional words by Ann Evans. One of my favourite things to photograph has to be dogs. Having been a photographer for more...
Gareth’s Favourite Article of 2018; Gareth Butterfield spends a week in the lavish new Land Rover Discovery
DAY ONE THE new Land Rover Discovery has arrived and, crikey, it’s big. It’s actually imposing, rather than simply being dimensionally obscene. It sits high on its air suspension...
Trevor’s Wildlife Week for 27th December 2018
Our new veterinary theatre “The Dave Fox-Dossett Theatre” has been put to good use this week with its first surgical case. Rescuers attended a severely injured hedgehog in Ditchling...
Kodiaq vRS throws caution to the wind, as Skoda’s hottest SUV ever
IAIN ROBERTSON Testing the latest version of a popular Skoda model serves to enhance the Czech brand’s image at its highest ebb, states Iain Robertson, as he got down...