Through a picturesque village, over a canal, down a narrow road, surrounded by green fields and bordered by the River Severn Estuary lies Slimbridge Wetland Centre. Founded by Sir Peter Scott, son of Captain Robert Scott, the Antarctic explorer who, in his dying letter, urged Peter’s mother to “make the…
One of my cherished childhood possessions was a wooden ruler with the English monarchy listed since William the Conqueror. While it was useless for taking precise measurements, it was perfect for sparking a lifelong interest in history and imagining how the other half lived during their reigns. It was probably…
The legend goes like this: Richard La Fort saved William the Conqueror from an arrow with his shield at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Newly crowned King William then endowed lands, a knighthood and a new name on Sir Richard: ‘Fortescue’, meaning ‘strong shield’. How could I – someone…
I’ve lived over here long enough to know when I can get away with calling it soccer. One of those times was not on the day we took the stadium and club tour of Etihad Stadium – the home of Manchester City Football Club – I definitely had to call it…
I envy birds. They have the superpower I would love. Flight. A hands-on experience at Millets Falconry in Oxfordshire was a lovely, heart-filling, birthday surprise. Owls, eagles, buzzards, hawks, caracaras, kestrels, falcons, kites and vultures, with a scattering of ferrets and reptiles for good measure basked in the morning sunshine.…