Why a Pre-Trip Vehicle Inspection is Essential for Stress-Free Travel The excitement and anticipation of planning a road trip often take over, shaping every part of the process. Car travel gives you freedom, the ability to choose your route, and the opportunity to take your time exploring. However, long drives put a lot of stress on the car, especially when it is loaded with luggage and passengers for extended periods. It is a must to be well-prepared for hassle-free trips, t

As we look toward Summer 2026, the travel world is changing. People are moving away from crowded 'tourist traps' in favour of what I’ve always called ‘Real Experiences.’ Whether it’s a luxury windjammer in the Med or a hidden cove in North Devon, this summer is all about finding the soul of a place. Here are my top recommendations from my own notebooks and journeys. The Mediterranean Reimagined: Small Ship Cruising The Vibe: Sailing from Naples to Valletta. If you can afford

Series Overview: A Life in Stories and Travel Adventures in Journalism is an immersive audio series hosted by veteran British journalist and author Martin Hesp. Drawing on decades of experience as a regional and national reporter, Hesp takes listeners beyond the headlines to explore the soul of a destination. The podcast is characterized by its "on-the-road" style, blending evocative soundscapes with intimate interviews. While the series frequently highlights the rural charm

Winter Sun in Gran Canaria: Escaping January in the Canary Islands January can be a grim cold time in the northern hemisphere. I, for one, like heading south if I can, come the end of the month when winter seems to have gone on just too long. Gran Canaria is a place that can be high on the list for winter destinations. Green Gran Canaria: Mountains, Flowers and Hidden Valleys Think green. Think boundless mountainsides covered in flowers. Think running water tinkling through

Continuing this website’s review of last year we move to July, when a trip on the truly amazing Sea Cloud was in the diary. Which meant flying to Naples and spending the night there before embarking on the remarkable sailing ship. Who doesn’t like Naples? It must be one of the most exciting and vibrant cities in Europe. Unfortunately we were hit by a freak rainstorm while there, but it did not spoil our enjoyment of the place. Then it was home to the West Country for some vi

Experiencing authentic eats abroad: a guide for travellers Beyond the bustling streets and picture-perfect restaurants you may be drawn to when visiting a new location, there are neighbourhood cafes, morning markets, and small kitchens delivering delicious dishes that locals enjoy every day. Meals like these reveal the true nature of a destination, and are often shaped by long-standing traditions, rather than current trends. Looking out for them means really getting to know t

Gentle Winter Walks Across the West Country Walking your way to fitness and health after the festivities is one of the most enjoyable and invigorating things you can do during that dreary time of the year otherwise known as the second-half of winter. Some people take post-festive fitness very seriously, signing up for gym regimes and diets that would cause a serious athlete to lose sleep. Inevitably, all to many realise they are living a fantasy. You can only eat raw carrots

We did an awful lot of travelling, exploring and eating for this website during 2025, so we have just pulled together some photos of the first half of the year - with links to the relevant pages on this site. Living inside Exmoor National Park , we always spend time just after New Year wandering around in the moors… These hikes in the middle of the moors often end up in Lynton or Lynmouth where it’s always fun to spot on of the wild goats in the Valley of Rocks . In early 202

Why Post-Christmas Walks Matter Post Christmas walking in England's Southwest… Punch those words into my computer hard discs and I discover that, in the past quarter of a century, I’ve written a couple of dozen articles based on this theme, which is not exactly surprising for a couple of reasons… The first of which is that even busy people tend to have time on their hands during the strange period between Christmas and New Year - added to that they’ve probably been indoors a

A Cornish Hotel Stay Where the Room Is the Attraction There are rooms you pay to stay in and there are reasons why people want or need to temporarily hire a place in which to sleep. Which is an overly simplistic way of describing a vast industry that offers everything from tiny sleeping pods to large luxury suites. If we ignore work-related hotel-stays, then most visits are made by tourists of some sort who have booked a place at some location they want to explore or enjoy.

Festive Days Out in Somerset: Dunster Castle’s Christmas Adventure Thinking of something Christmassy to do? Something that the kids would absolutely love that does not involve going to a giant shopping mall or a theme park? Something traditional, perhaps, with tons of atmosphere, Christmas trees and fairy lights, along with the red suited man himself seated in a private room in a magical castle… Well, the National Trust is staging just such an opportunity at wonderful old Du

Where to Go in the Run-Up to Christmas: London or a Staycation? Where to go in the run-up to Christmas? Shall we head for sunnier climes, drive west to enjoy the region’s seasonally empty beaches, or maybe visit some charming old market town? As I found out in Dartmouth last week, a staycation really can help put you in the mood for the festive season – but there are those who argue that you should go the full hog and head for our capital city. At which point it feels rude no

Bern Christmas Markets: A Winter Wonderland in Switzerland Seasonal crowds are guaranteed in the run up to Christmas at Bern , the Swiss capital – a small but ancient city perched on a steep hill which creates a large U-shaped bend in the River Aare. Bern lends itself to Yuletide magic so much, they stage not one, but nine Christmas markets each year. There’s the Berner Sternenmarkt , right in the middle of town next to the Bundeshaus (Parliament building). This festively dec

Why Dartmouth Remains One of the West Country’s Most Captivating Harbour Towns There is something special about Dartmouth. I have no particular reason for saying it - no axe to grind either way, no friends or family living there, no commercial interests, not even any special memories such as the happy beginning of a long-lost love affair - but say it I do, and I’ve been repeating it for years… A quarter of a century ago I wrote a newspaper series about all the harbour-towns d

Sri Lanka Tourism News and Travel Advice Sri Lanka, one of the loveliest places I’ve ever visited, was recently hit by Cyclone Ditwa and, not surprisingly, it has featured widely across the international news-headlines. Of course, my thoughts go to all the friends and wonderful hosts and others I have met in that most magical of islands. However, it seems that the focus of the 24-hours news machine has not exactly helped… The Sri Lanka economy absolutely relies on tourism and

Rediscovering Bristol’s Harbourside Charm Sipping a pint of beer the other day, the thought struck me that we humans are an odd lot. Many of us will have often made the same observation, but on this occasion it was inspired by both the beer and the lively and interesting view out of the bar’s window. Here I was in the heart of Bristol - a city I know well, but haven’t visited for years - and I was struck by how odd it is that we humans we often tend to ignore the good things

Discover the Algarve’s Hidden Heart Some places have a kind of instant reputation - you hear the name and straight away you think of the things for which they’ve become renowned. In the case of this article, I’m talking about the golf-courses and beach-resorts of Portugal’s Algarve. And if this theory needed any proof, I can tell you that my flight from Bristol last week was filled with golfers and seekers of winter sunshine. Nothing wrong with that. If you’ve got it, flaunt

Discovering One of Cornwall’s Least Touristy Harbours If you had to make a shortlist of the Westcountry’s finest attributes, then the peninsula’s harbour towns and villages would be near the top. You only have to visit our seaside venues at any time of the year nowadays to know that is the case. Some of the prettiest havens are nowadays filled with visitors summer and winter. Which, to many of us, immediately begs the question… Which are the least visited most untouristy com

Autumn Festivals in Portugal’s Algarve Mountains The seasons tend to have their quintessential moments or occasions - winter, of course, has Christmas while summer has village fetes and other outdoor festivals. Apart from the Harvest Festival celebrated by some religions and the overly commercial Halloween, autumn doesn’t have that much to offer when it comes to stand-out celebrations. So imagine my delight when I came across a small, but unique event in the mountains of sout

A Special Sunday Lunchtime in Southwest France Sunday lunchtime can be special. I don’t know why exactly, maybe it’s the way I’ve been brought up but I still regard this special time of the week as a moment to celebrate in some way. Which is why I was more than delighted to find myself heading towards one of the most beautiful villages in France one Sunday morning recently. Monpazier: A Perfectly Preserved Medieval Bastide Monpazier is considered one of the finest “bastides”