I can personally vouch for benefits of holidaying in Cornwall in the depth of winter; I once boarded a train at London’s Paddington Station in the snow – and arrived a few hours later in St. Austell, to the sight of sunshine and daffodils, at the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Cornwall as a summer destination […]

Do you love getting into the outdoors, cooking on an open fire and sleeping under the stars? If you’d asked me that very question just a few years ago I would have answered firmly in the negative; as I didn’t understand just how amazing a camping break can be. These days my feelings about camping […]

If you’re looking for staycation ideas here in the UK you’re probably picturing yourself enjoying a leisurely weekend away in a quintessentially English market town, perhaps one blessed with some gorgeous scenery and top notch local sightseeing. You know the kind of weekend I mean: strolling through cobbled streets eating pub lunches, spying half-timbered buildings […]

I blog about lots of travel experiences here, like delicious foodie weekends away in the UK or chilled out sunny holidays in the Balearics, but one thing I’ve never really talked about online is actually one of the single most defining travel experiences of my life: falling in love with camping while living in British […]

One of the things I banged on about endlessly while based on the West Coast of Canada was the sheer variety of travel experiences on offer back in the UK – especially the variety of cities we can visit, often within a couple of hours drive of our homes. Canada is epic, obviously, but those […]

I go to Glasgow for 48 hours. It’s no exaggeration to say that all I do during that time is eat – as well as learn just why Glasgow is an urban paradise for foodies. But judging by the reactions of people who hear about my Glasgow foodie weekend, it seems that generally speaking, expectations […]

Weekend Shortcuts are complete guides to weekends away, written to help you enjoy a perfect short break without needing to do any additional research.  If a weekend in Wales isn’t for you, gorge yourself on my weekend guide to Devon for foodies or slope off to read Cortina, Italy for non-skiers – or simply scroll down for a in-depth weekend guide […]

Weekend Shortcuts are complete guides to weekends away, written specifically to help you enjoy a perfect mini break without needing to do any additional research. This weekend shortcut tells you EVERYTHING you need to know to plan a perfect weekend in the town they call the Queen of the Dolomites; Cortina d’Ampezzo, in Northern Italy. Despite being best known as […]