Hi, I'm Alex, a travel writer based in London, I love writing about travel as much as traveling itself. I’m a scrappy researcher, and a hoarder of info, whether it's trivial or mind-blowing. I get a lot of joy doing justice to worthwhile places, and I’m always excited to share the stories behind them.
I have a real affection for Tarragona in Catalonia, from the golden sandy beaches to the mountains. I love Hamburg and its harbour and many waterways, especially in spring. And I'll always be drawn to the rolling countryside in the south of England, especially Wiltshire. I'll go anywhere with a great art museum, and ruins, ancient or medieval.
A seaside resort on the south coast, Worthing officially became a town at the turn of the 19th century after Princess Amelia, daughter of George III holidayed here. Thanks to a lot of post-war construction, Worthing is now in the middle of a continuous band of seafront development, from Littlehampton in the west to Brighton …
In the English Riviera, Paignton is a polished seaside resort that has beaches and big attractions for all-comers. No attraction is bigger than Paignton Zoo, which was one of the first zoos oriented towards animal conservation and welfare. The crime writer Agatha Christie spent four decades at Greenways, a Georgian estate close to Paignton. The …
Now a cosy seaside town, Falmouth was once the second busiest port in the British Empire. From 1668 to 1851 Falmouth was a Royal Mail packet station, handling post and precious shipments from across Europe and the Empire. The location was no coincidence as Falmouth Harbour (Carrick Roads) is the third largest natural harbour on …
At the Suffolk-Norfolk border, Lowestoft is a seaside resort and port town with an interesting story to tell. In the 20th century the port was one of the pillars of the UK’s fishing industry, while the town developed with the expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling in the North Sea in the 1970s. On …
A fishing village-turned tourist resort, Filey is sits on a cinematic five-mile sandy bay. In the south is the chalky Flamborough Head, a key nesting spot for seabirds, and north is Filey Brigg, a moody peninsula in walking distance of the town. Filey became popular in the middle of the 19th century among well-off holidaymakers …
Cornwall’s northernmost town, Bude is a seaside resort at a gap between sandstone cliffs. The Atlantic beaches in Bude are some of the best surf spots in the country, and whereas Newquay down the coast is all about parties and festivals, Bude is a little more mature and laid-back. There are schools for first-time surfers, …
Bedfordshire’s county town is a leafy settlement on the River Great Ouse. That waterway and its Victorian Embankment, gardens and Suspension Bridge all bring sophistication to the town centre. For culture and aviation history, the Higgins Art Gallery & Museum and the Shuttleworth Collection are two top-notch museums in their fields. Bedford has had a …
On the Somerset coast before the Bristol Channel becomes the Atlantic Ocean, Minehead is a traditional seaside town with magnificent inland scenery. Minehead is skirted by the Exmoor National Park, and is the trailhead for the South West Coast Path on its 630-mile route around Devon and Cornwall. There’s a spacious sandy beach, a quaint …
If there is one place name in London that instantly brings to mind the capital’s Afro-Caribbean community its Brixton. Like any working class area in London Brixton once had an edge, but in April 1981 this place earned particular notoriety as the scene of a riot brought about by inequality and unemployment. On the flipside …
The city of Edinburgh is one of the most exciting cities in the United Kingdom. As the captain of Scotland, Edinburgh flies St Andrew’s flag with pride, along with its deep and varied history. Edinburgh is rich in cultural and historical gems. The Old Town, home to the famous Royal Mile, is one of the …