Notes on…
The great art of country houses is still getting better
Last year 114,000 people flocked to Houghton Hall in north Norfolk for a once-in-a lifetime opportunity. Part of the great…
A perfect haven of peace in north Devon
It was late September. My wife and I were feeling overworked and overstressed — our mental states not helped by…
The Marche
When I first visited the Marche a dozen years ago, folk who knew about such things tapped their noses and…
Valentine’s Day
One of the many things I love about my wife is that she doesn’t make me do anything for Valentine’s…
South-west Ireland
Of course one feels free on a holiday: that’s what holidays are for. But I have rarely felt freer than…
Golf in the Algarve
My second tee shot soared high and straight, then hurtled down towards the lake; a repeat of my first. I…
Amsterdam
‘What are people in your country saying about Holland these days?’ one Dutch friend recently asked me. I hadn’t the…
Gardens for all seasons
Winter garden visiting is a solitary pastime, lending itself to the misanthrope, and is highly recommended. When it’s so cold…
The pleasures of the Dordogne
Call me a trencherman or worse, but I tend to think of the Dordogne as a giant restaurant-cum-farm shop, set…
Music in Vienna
There is no finer city in which to hear music than Vienna. Or, to put it more felicitously, there is…
