Last year we went to Cromford in the Peak District. We liked it so much we decided to return to the area. This year we stayed further north, in Hombridge, just outside the Peak District. On the way to our accommodation, we popped into Cromford. We repeated our short walk along the canal before returning … Continue reading / view photos Cromford, Holmbridge and Buxton
Category: Travel
Ludlow, Shropshire
On the return journey from Presteigne, we stopped in Ludlow, Shropshire. We had not been to Ludlow, despite it being close to Birmingham. The first thing you notice is the large church, St Laurance’s, which I initially thought was a cathedral. Only cities have cathedrals and Ludlow, it turned out, was not a city. Upon … Continue reading / view photos Ludlow, Shropshire
Sidney Nolan in Presteigne
Whilst looking for a place to stay near Wales, we found a beautiful cottage rented out by the Sidney Nolan Trust. We didn’t know who Sidney Nolan was but we learnt a lot whilst we stayed in the cottage. Sidney Nolan was a major Australian artist in the 20th century. He was, we learnt, most … Continue reading / view photos Sidney Nolan in Presteigne
Hay Festival 2025
A couple of weeks ago, we went to Wales for a few days. It reminded me of our trip last year to the annual festival in Hay-on-Wye. We’ve been to the festival before . This time, we went to hear a talk between writers Abdulrazak Gurnah and Elif Shafak. I’ve not read either of their … Continue reading / view photos Hay Festival 2025
Norwegian fjords
In 2007, a friend and I visited West Norway. I’d previously been to Bergen (and Oslo). On this trip, we travelled up the west coast to see the beautiful fjords. Here is the schedule I found recently: The trip started in Bergen — one of the prettiest places you can visit. Less well known is … Continue reading / view photos Norwegian fjords
India 2025 itinerary
My geotagging app says I travelled 14,000km in India and Abu Dhabi. The longer journeys were on domestic flights. India is so vast that train and coach trips can last days, even without delays. My bus trips were local but I took many trains, which are my favourite means of transport (apart from walking!). A … Continue reading / view photos India 2025 itinerary
Seikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Most workers I’ve seen in the UAE are foreigners. So far I’ve spoken to people from Nepal, Pakistan, India, Philippines, and Rwanda. Several of the Uber drivers said to me that they can’t become UAE citizens. They have visas, which have to be renewed every two years. One Uber driver told me that Uber take … Continue reading / view photos Seikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Having arrived in the evening, I couldn’t get a proper look at my surrounding area. It was too dark. When I woke up, I looked out of the window. This was my view. Despite having two nights in Abu Dhabi, I had only one full day to see anything. I narrowed sightseeing down to two … Continue reading / view photos Louvre Abu Dhabi
Leaving India
The homeward journey required going from Bangalore to Kochi and then to Abu Dhabi. In the afternoon, I flew to Kochi. I was back where I landed three months ago. I checked into the same homestay that I stayed at on first landing. I’d got to know the owner, Babu, three months ago. He was … Continue reading / view photos Leaving India
The search for a tuk tuk
I wanted to buy something small to remember my trip. Tuk tuks (autos) are everywhere, buzzing around, getting you quickly to your destination, usually breaking the traffic laws. They are so abundant that it’s easy to forget that they are a symbol of India. Helene suggested buying a toy tuk tuk to bring home. Last … Continue reading / view photos The search for a tuk tuk