The journey north Today began when Bruce’s phone alarm went off at 0444 and mine followed at 0445. (He has a penchant for using non-standard times!) We both knew that
Thailand Contrasts (2022): Days 8-11: At Leisure on Phuket
Our room Our Phuket hotel, where Bruce had arrived on schedule on the first day of the new month, was the Hilton Arcadia Resort & Spa, situated at Karon Beach.
Thailand Contrasts (2022): Days 6-7: An interlude in Leiden, then onwards to Phuket
Leiden Yes, Day 6 and I was still in the Netherlands – but on track to travel this evening! I had my usual Hampton breakfast before showering, packing and checking
Thailand Contrasts (2022): Days 3-5: Last few hours in Amsterdam … or so I thought!
The reason why I’m treating this as a block of three days will become clear soon enough. Today started out well enough and initially ran as planned. After checking out
Thailand Contrasts (2022): Day 2: A full day in Amsterdam
Breakfast, which was included in my hotel deal, consisted of typical continental fare, with the occasional nod to UK tastes that I largely avoided! After eating and showering, I caught
Thailand Contrasts (2022): Day 1: Getting started with a North Sea hop
It was the most unassuming of starts to an intercontinental trip: a short hop to Amsterdam in Economy. Regular readers will know that this is not necessarily unusual for me.
Thailand Contrasts (2022): Introduction
Although the Covid-19 pandemic certainly wasn’t over, 2022 finally brought a significant recovery in long-haul travel. Bruce and I envisaged one joint-venture extended trip this year, based on Thailand. The
May 2022: Walking in the Pentland Hills: 2. Harlaw and Threipmuir Reservoirs
My second venture into the Pentland Hills took place just over four weeks later. This time my walk was circular, starting and ending at the Balerno terminus of Lothian Buses
April 2022: Walking in the Pentland Hills: 1. Torduff and Clubbiedean Reservoirs
This introductory walk – perhaps surprisingly, my first venture into the Pentlands – began at Torphin bus terminus and ended at Currie Kirk. The former was reached at the time
April 2022: Edinburgh: Silverknowes to Cramond Brig
This post illustrates a picturesque walk in North Edinburgh from Silverknowes Golf Course to Cramond Village, then along the right bank of the River Almond to Cramond Brig.
April 2022: Edinburgh: The Queen’s Gallery: Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace
The Queen’s Gallery, Edinburgh is part of the Palace of Holyroodhouse complex. (Ticketing can be either combined or independent.) It is located at the corner of Horse Wynd and Abbey
March 2022: Wonderful Copenhagen (Part 2)
This is the second of two posts about our March 2022 visit to the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen (Danish: København). Royal Palace and Marble Church Amalienborg (1760), home of the
March 2022: Wonderful Copenhagen (Part 1)
Introduction The main part of the title is the name of a Danny Kaye hit from 1953 – that’s before my time, but I remember hearing the song as a
March 2022: (City of) Stirling
Introduction This post’s heading takes a slightly non-standard form as the name ‘Stirling’ applies to one of Scotland’s smaller cities and also to the much larger council area in which
March 2022: Fife: Culross
Culross is a historic coastal village situated in the far west of Fife, close to its boundary with the Clackmannanshire council area. Dating from the 6th century AD, it is
March 2022: Fife: Dunfermline
The day after my trip to Abbotsford, and with the weather continuing to be unusually pleasant for the time of year, I embarked on a two-centre day trip to the
March 2022: Scottish Borders: Abbotsford
Abbotsford (1825) is a country house and estate in the Scottish Borders. Situated a short walk away from Tweedbank, the terminus of the Borders Railway, it makes a convenient day-trip
February 2022: London: St Paul’s Cathedral
Bruce’s ‘winter’ visit to Scotland usually concludes with a joint weekend in London, and 2022 was no exception. On the Friday afternoon, while Bruce was working, I had the opportunity