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.
There may not be a prettier sight in England than the cottages and cobblestones of Gold Hill against the rambling North Dorset countryside. This view was immortalised by Ridley Scott in his Hovis ad of 1973. Shaftesbury and the Blackmore Vale is also Thomas Hardy country, appearing in novels like Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891). …
In heart-melting scenery at the southern end of the Yorkshire Dales, Settle is a lovable stone-built town on the River Ribble. The National Park will always be in your plans here in Settle, as you venture to waterfalls, cliffs, limestone gorges, far-flung caves and peaks over 700 metres. You don’t need to become a mountaineer …
A quaint old seaside resort on the Isle of Wight’s north-east coast, Ryde looks back to Portsmouth across the Solent. The town started attracting affluent tourists in the early 19th century, and has lots of palatial late-Georgian and Victorian architecture on streets sloping down to the waterfront Esplanade. Ryde’s beaches are long, clean and sandy, …
Now within Greater Manchester, Rochdale has been around since at least the 11th century when it was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The town rose to prominence through the woollen trade in the 18th century and then went into overdrive as a textile manufacturing mill town in the 19th century. A striking monument to the …
Across the River Irwell from Manchester, the City of Salford has its own tale to tell. After being granted a charter in 1230, Salford had a thriving economy, and was more successful than its famous neighbour. During the textile boom in the 18th and 19th centuries Salford became a key inland port on the Manchester …
A fast growing town on the Severn Estuary near Bristol, Portishead is an old fishing and deep-water port that has gone through a big transformation since the 2000s. The deep-water port and accompanying industry has disappeared, to be replaced by a swish residential development at the Portishead Marina. Whopping container ships now pass Portishead by …
A seaside resort amid brooding coastal scenery, Perranporth is home to one of the best beaches, not just in Cornwall but the entire country. Perranporth Beach is swarmed by surfers, but there’s ample room for everyone on these golden sands that seem limitless when the tide goes out. The South West Coast Path beckons you …
Just five miles from the Welsh border, Oswestry is an amiable market town in beautiful countryside. In Medieval times the Welsh Marches were fortified with hundreds of castles in what was then a bloody region prone to raids and rebellion. From that period, Chirk Castle and Whittington Castle are within striking distance of Oswestry, while …
At the northern boundary of Dartmoor, Okehampton is an agreeable town built from the local granite and defended by a once mighty castle. The ruins of Okehampton Castle may be 500 years old, but still hold the allure that attracted painters like J. M. W. Turner in the early 19th century. The arrival of the …
The county town for Rutland, England’s smallest county, is appropriately dinky, but has plenty for visitors to get stuck into. Take for instance the great hall of Oakham Castle, which looks a lot like it did when it was built in the 12th century. The parish church next door is a Medieval wonder, with rare …