In order to avoid any potential pitfalls or mishaps, it's always advisable to do your homework when travelling in far off lands. As a fairly laid back sort of character I'm usually inclined to go with the flow but will always research the boring necessities - 'can you drink the local tap water'/'what plug sockets do the locals use?' What I'm not in the habit of googling is 'are the locals allowed to take their nippers to the racing?' We began today with a spring in our step f

K11 MUSEA Today was planned around a meet up with an exiled Lancastrian pal, so we enjoyed a relaxed morning of swimming before heading for the subway. On route we popped into K11 MUSEA - a futuristic shopping mall cum art exhibition. Commanding a prime waterfront location, it’s the sort of place that Bond might look to acquire a sleek penthouse bolthole. You can buy everything here - from cookies to Cucinelli and Rolex to rice noodles. Chi Lin Nunnery We exited the subway at

Science Museum Only a short walk from our hotel we decided to start our day with a look around the Science Museum. Courts had read that there were plenty of sensory experiences to keep Luna occupied, but it turned out that the big kids were also well catered for. Reminiscent of school trips to Halifax’s Eureka, we disgraced ourselves in a sit up contest versus motivated young locals and chanced our luck in a realistic typhoon machine, sorry Luna. Kennedy Town Our first taste

After a special couple of months back home in chilly East Lancs, we’re kicking off the new year in much the same fashion as we spent the last one - on the road, laden with suitcases and a growing baby. With the points on our compass set decidedly East, the first leg of our journey see’s us visit the ‘Pearl of the Orient’. I’ll be posting a few highlights daily - so stay tuned over the next week to find out more about Hong Kong and our very own voyage of discovery. Spoonyard H

The scenic route through the Camargue was winding and slow but with wildlife abundant and the landscape ever changing the hours flashed...

After a week arduous drives and gîte hopping we decided that the time was right for our first prolonged stay of the trip. Enter Provence. A region synonymous with lavender carpeted fields, canvas inspiring sunsets and mistral winds. On the road south from Lyon we began to notice our first real change in the landscape. The lush green fields of the Pas-De-Calais and rolling vineyards of Burgundy were no more, with their bucolic charms replaced by an ever widening Rhône and ramp

As a young whipper snapper I was no stranger to a B&B. Along with mum, dad and my brother kieren we’d regularly visit the nearby Lake District and would often stop in one of the many guesthouses on Derwentwater’s shores. With the rise of platforms such as Airbnb these homely stays are sadly fast becoming a thing of the past, or so I thought up until the weekend. Seduced by images of a swimming pool that overlooked wooded slopes and ancient bell towers, I’d eagerly booked us a

On Saturday we spent the day lazily wandering the streets of Dijon. Once home to some of Europe’s most powerful princes ‘The Dukes of Burgundy’ the city still retains much of the architecture of that particular period and has real buzz about it. The market proved to be a real treat, a heartwarming display of community interaction. Traders chatted animatedly with regulars, leaving their apprentices to bag up the mornings catch, whilst other more delicate hands prepared cheese

On Friday we began the day with a leisurely drive through the stunning region that gives its name to a drink loved by some of the worlds most iconic figures - Napoleon, Churchill and Charlie Nicholas, to name but a few. Leather skinned farmers moved between the vines inspecting their harvest in the steamy mid June heat, while green fingered villagers tended to their blossoming rose gardens. Again we passed rows of war graves, with one resting place on the edge of Marfaux app

A missed train at a small provincial station didn’t stop us from venturing into Reims this afternoon, a marvellous city where many of France’s monarchs where once coronated and Hitler’s defeated Nazi’s signed the unconditional surrender in 1945. Parking on the outskirts we jumped on the metro and were soon in the thick of the action. With the sun beating down kids frolicked in the fountains and smartly dressed Rémois couples browsed the boutiques. Now it can’t be easy existin

Up bright and early for our first day in France, I decided to start today with a quick run. Now that’s far from unusual for me but what was a little strange was the noticeable lack of cars. Out there on the flat plains of Northern France, my biggest adversary became the ever so vigilant farmyard dog, with an endless cacophony of howls, barks and roars keeping me firmly on my toes, as I dashed passed rows of neatly planted cabbage. Luckily our wonderful host at ‘La Moole Veld’

Buonanotte! Buenas noches! Gute Nacht! Or as us northern folk plainly put it, night! Just a select few of the various pleasantries we regularly exchange before our heads hit the pillow, a series of reassuring goodbyes until the dawn sleepily reunites us with its lazy golden rays. Tonight in a small countryside gîte somewhere deep in the Pas-De-Calais, bonsoir is the whispered farewell, for a small Lancastrian family is on the road and in the mood for adventure. Since my previ

For those kind souls who are regular readers of my blog, you’ll be well aware of my great admiration for Andalucía. Its white washed...

‘Entrecastillos’, Spanish for between castles, and also the name of a small tapas bar that we visited last week in La Viña, the old...

This afternoon whilst driving around the magical island of Crete I came across the Suda Bay War Cemetery. Nestled on the outskirts of...

It’s often difficult and almost always unfair to judge a place when it’s raining. For that reason and that reason alone, we hopped on the...

There’s an electricity up there, somewhere beyond the clouds, the neon signs, and mahogany ceiling fans. Unseen, but there. Like a...

The Benito Villamarín A two hour train ride from Malaga, itself one of Western Europe’s oldest cities and a fine one at that, followed...