Ian is an award winning travel writer and blogger. His travels took him all around the world but his passion lies in Africa. His blog Encircle Africa tells how he traveled the continent Solo and by public transport. With over 30 countries visited he can truly be considered an expert on all things travel and meeting other cultures.
His writing can be found on websites and magazines including Adventure Travel, Southeast Asia Backpacker, Sidetracked, Environment Journal, The Crazy Tourist and The Island Review. He is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers and Travel Writers UK.
This industrial city in eastern-central France isn’t on the map for many tourists. For most of its life Saint-Étienne has been a hotbed of mining and manufacturing, but is now reinventing itself as a hub for the arts: The Manufacture-Plaine-Achille is a whole district of former factories turned over to the creative industries. You can …
Many people may not realize that a quarter of a million people visit Augusta every year, and many of these come to visit the Masters Tournament which is held here every year in April. The famous golf tournament takes place at the Augusta National Golf Club, but if you venture around the city, you will …
For centuries a French naval base, Brest has a colossal natural harbour that couldn’t be better for seafaring had it been designed by man. Unfortunately, almost nothing in the city remains from before the Second World War, save for a few military fortifications like the city’s Château and Arsenal. Instead, what enthrals you about Brest …
Close to where the Maine River enters the Loire, Angers is an impossibly beautiful city awash with renaissance architecture. This opulence was the perk of being the capital of Anjou, a historical province ruled by dukes and counts who wielded serious power in medieval times. The might of these dynasties will be evident when you …
Rennes polls well in lists of France’s most liveable cities, which comes as no shock: The city is flush with green space, conserves its history with care and has the attractions of a big city on a walkable scale. There are 90 historic monuments in the old centre, where imposing 18th-century mansions are side-by-side with …
In the 14th an 15th centuries Dijon was the capital of the Duchy of Burgundy, which controlled a big tranche of eastern France, the Netherlands, Flanders and Luxembourg. The sumptuous home of the Dukes of Burgundy is still in place and is now a superb art museum as well as the city’s Hôtel de Ville. …
On the banks of the Garonne river, Toulouse has the nickname, “la Ville Rose”. That’s because so many of the city’s great buildings are made with a pinkish brick, giving the cityscape a look that you can’t compare with any other city. Much of this architecture was funded by trading the city’s greatest commodity, woad, …
On the Drac and Isère Rivers, Grenoble is a high-tech city of science ringed by mountains in France’s Northern Alps. To the north is the powerful Bastille at the start of Chartreuse mountain range, and threatening the city from the west are the monumental rocks of the Vercors Massif. If you want the great outdoors …
With a massive natural harbour protected by the peninsula of Saint Mandrier and defended from the north by the colossal Mont Faron, Toulon was made to be a port. The French navy has been based at Toulon for more than 500 years, while the Ancient Greeks were the first to realise the value of this …
It’s no mystery that Tours is a favourite base for people discovering the Loire Valley’s exalted châteaux. Villandry, Chenonceau and Amboise are moments by car, and with the help of the Loire à Vélo network you can visit them on two wheels with ease. But you may find that if you delve a little more …