Travel

According to our guide, Thomas Becket was set upon by four of King Henry II’s knights in Canterbury Cathedral.

Why visit Lundy Island? Because it’s remote, rugged, and full of natural charm.

“This ship has character.” That’s how one of my fellow passengers onboard Star Clipper summed up our week-long adventure and I couldn’t agree more.

When a friend asked me if I’d like to go to Puglia, I hesitated. Not because I didn’t want to spend time with her (quite the reverse), nor because I had something else planned (other than work of course). No. I procrastinated for all of thirty seconds because I hadn’t got a clue where Puglia was.

Erupting volcanoes, earth-quakes, visits to communities who bury their family next to their doorstep, swimming in a caldera and searching for dragons - hardly the ingredients of a normal holiday.

Article written in 2017 The smile that welcomed me onboard the Aer Lingus flight from Newquay to Cork spread from ear to ear and seemed effortlessly genuine. We all know that boarding a plane can be a grim affair these days, with all the associated hassle of strict security, crowded lounges and seemingly endless hours of waiting. Thankfully that’s not the case in Cornwall’s only airport. I turned up just one hour before departure, checked my suitcase in (the joys of a 20k bag

Choosing a holiday to suit a woman of 25, who just wants to relax in the sun, and her rather more mature mother who loves walking and sightseeing was never going to be easy.

There we were on an eight foot high platform with waves coming at us from either side.  Mum and Dad, both 80, gripped the engine housing whilst I hung onto the outer rails.  There were no seats – just a roof to keep the worst of the rain off (unless it’s horizontal), a driver (who used to be a sign writer and now has one of the most unusual jobs going) and, somewhere below the raging surf, enormous great wheels. As a mode of transport, the Burgh Island sea tractor takes some