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 city with two millennia of history to unpack, York has stupendous historical wonders in a quaint Medieval cityscape. The Romans founded York as a fortress in AD 71, and the emperors Hadrian, Septimus and Constantius I all had their British seat in York while on campaigns. Constantine the Great was declared Roman Emperor at …
The definition of an English seaside resort, Great Yarmouth has enticing golden sands in front of a cheerful beachside dubbed the Golden Mile. The resort is endearingly old-fashioned in its Victorian piers, miniature village and amusement parks with vintage wooden roller coasters. Great Yarmouth has the extra appeal of being a port with military, fishing …
While some English seaside towns can feel downtrodden and garish, Eastbourne bucks the trend for the classy Victorian townhouses and hotels that line its seafront. This sophisticated bearing is exemplified by the Bandstand, a Neo-Grec building, clad with faience and hosting a prom and fireworks display every Wednesday in summer. Eastbourne is on the eastern …
At 0° longitude, where the Eastern and Western Hemispheres meet, Greenwich has astronomy and seafaring in its soul. This corner of southeast London also has a royal past, as Henry VIII resided here in the 16th century, while a line of monarchs spent time at the Queen’s House, still standing in front of Wren’s Old …
The Roman author Pliny the Elder wrote about the town of Colchester in the 1st Century AD. Camulodunum, as it was then known, was once the capital of Roman Britain and is the UK’s oldest town. The place to dip into Camulodunum’s history is an extraordinary monument in its own right: Colchester Castle is a …
Embraced by a loop on the River Severn, Shrewsbury is a market town that wins people over with its Tudor houses, Medieval castle and idyllic riverside park. The watery barrier of the Severn has helped Shrewsbury hang onto more than 600 historic buildings, as well as its “Shuts”, which are sequestered little passageways. Charles Darwin …
A historic inland port on the River Severn, Gloucester is at the entrance to England’s West Country on the cusp of the Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean. Originally this was the Roman fort of Glevum, defending a crossing on the Severn, and gained its town charter under Henry II in 1155. Gloucester’s cathedral has …
On the second largest natural harbour in the world, Poole is a port town and tourist resort with beaches, cultured gardens and lots of inspiration for days out. In the 1700s Poole was one of England’s most active ports, then played a part in the D-Day landings in 1944 and maintains a cross-Channel ferry terminal …
Embedded in the rolling chalk hills of the South Downs, Winchester is an ancient cathedral city and former royal capital. Your first stop in Winchester should be the longest Gothic cathedral in the world, a Norman and Gothic masterpiece. Some of the country’s oldest institutions can be found in Winchester. You can call in on …
In the 13th century the whole city of Salisbury moved from its ancient hilltop two miles down the road to the floodplain of three rivers. New Sarum, as Salisbury’s new settlement was once called, has an amazing Gothic cathedral with the tallest spire in the country and housing one of the oldest working clocks in …