As a Northerner in my early 30s, the word ‘Blackpool’ conjures flashbacks to childhood day trips along with a torrent of other images. Trams, large candy dummies, fish and chips, tooth-assaulting rock, Mick Hucknall on a rollercoaster and the illuminated faces of Coronation Street characters floating past painfully slowly through the sunroof of a 1980s Astra Estate. It’s safe to say …
Although Manchester’s arts scene thrives all year-round, there comes a transition between spring and summer when the laziness of the darker months dissipates. It’s at this point that Manchester art events, previews and socials start to sprout like mushrooms. Thursday 27th April was an evening working in overdrive. I didn’t have just one or two, …
If Japan’s neon lights, bustling noodle bars and late-night karaoke haunts have left you craving tranquility, head to the East of Kyushu to unravel the mystery of the Usuki buddhas. The Mystery of the Usuki Buddhas For a corner of Japan less worn on the map than the manicured gardens of Nara or the bustling temples of …
Looking for Kyoto’s best-kept secret? Forget geisha-hunting in Gion. Instead, head for Kanga-an, a temple with the most unlikely of features. My first time in Kyoto was not wholly successful. I’d heard too much about how it was impossible not to love this history-drenched, wooden-housed cultural capital of Japan – the hub of all tradition and a …
Sometimes the lives of a city and a character are inextricably intertwined. As travellers on a mission to get under the skin of our destinations, a little knowledge of a person’s life, their impact and legacy can be instrumental in understanding the places we explore. During a trip to Buenos Aires in December 2014, I was struck by …
The Curse of Lokrum Island In the shadows of Lokrum Island’s trees at nightfall, a monk stood waiting. In his ears rang the last mass he would ever attend on his beloved home, just off the coast of Ragusan, or Dubrovnik as it is known today. With a heart full of sorrow and anger, he pulled his hood over …
Fonts Around Ludlow It is a truth universally acknowledged that New Years’ Eve in Manchester involves three things – partying, drinking and socialising. In a bid to try something different, I accepted a kind offer from a good friend to stay with her and some other folks at a picture-postcard cottage in Ludlow, Shropshire. New Years’ Eve …
Lyon is a city that wears its artistic identity on its sleeve. There is so much to appreciate and take in in France’s third most populous city, but one thing that really stands out it its signage and fonts. In a place where old meets new, where the old town rubs shoulders with the slowly gentrifying Croix-Rousse …
During an October 2016 trip to Lyon, we stayed at Away Hostel and Coffee Shop. Hostel review – Away Hostel and Coffee Shop, Lyon Away has been been open for four months, so everything was extra new and clean, well-modernised and designed with travellers’ practicalities in mind. Safety and Noise Despite being located on a …