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2020 Tours - Preview and Take Your Pick...

2020 Tours – Preview and Take Your Pick…

THANK YOU…

Mireia and I have been truly overwhelmed by the response to the ‘creating our own agency’ announcement. Many people have either commented or emailed. We just had no idea what the response might be. It is truly an honour that so many of you are prepared to trust us with your holiday time and money in the future.

We are so excited…

So, based on what you have requested we have put…

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Trading Cows For Magic Beans... 2019

Trading Cows For Magic Beans… 2019

Firstly, thank you; to the many of you who have asked.

And, there have indeed been many questions.

This, in addition to being an expression of real gratitude for the interest you have shown in my ‘disappearance’, is therefore also intended to be an answer to many (most?) of those questions. Let’s see…

YES, I still very much guide. NOPE, not on your nelly for Road Scholar (a long sad story, but w…

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Trading Cows... 2019

Trading Cows… 2019

Firstly, thank you. To the many of you who have asked.

And – there have been many questions.

This, in addition to being an expression of gratitude for the interest you have shown in my ‘disappearance’, is therefore also intended to be an answer to many (most?) of those questions. Let’s see…

YES, I still very much guide. NOPE, not on your nelly for Road Scholar (a long sad story, but whata sorry…

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The Psychology of Failure...

The Psychology of Failure…

Or ‘A Lack of Pilgrims Progress’ Experience is merely the name men give to their mistakes – Oscar Wilde I didn’t make it. Not really close even. My long walk to Rome ended up as a short(ish) walk to Champagne. There, close to tears – of pain to an extent, but mainly disappointment, it all ended in a pharmacy in Châlons-en-Champagne. ‘Can you help?‘ said I, as I limped through its doors. ‘I’ll get…

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Kenavo Lionel, hiraezh am eus dit...

Kenavo Lionel, hiraezh am eus dit…

My good good friend, true Breton and one of the best and certainly most human of guides I have ever met, Lionel died last week. I will miss him terribly. Many of you who kindly subscribe to this site will have met Lionel and probably owe your understanding of the word ‘kenavo‘ (goodbye) and so much more of all things Breton, to him. I met Lionel four years ago in his native Quimper in Brittany…

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As I Walk Out One Midsummer Morning... The Via Francigena to Rome (See you in September)

As I Walk Out One Midsummer Morning… The Via Francigena to Rome (See you in September)

“Well when I write my book, and tell the tale of my adventures – all these little stars that shake out of my cloak – I must save those to use for asterisks!” ― Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac In 1352 a wealthy London merchant paid a man twenty pounds to go on a pilgrimage in his stead. So, complete with a small fortune, off the medieval equivalent, not perhaps of a body, but surely a soul…

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Segovia to Malaga - A Journey Better Travelled Alone... (or The Power of Geography)

Segovia to Malaga – A Journey Better Travelled Alone… (or The Power of Geography)

‘cause my head is filled with questions and I can assure you, no answer to any one of them has ever brought me one iota of happiness, except one… And the answer bloody well isn’t 42, it’s yes; undoubtedly, unequivocally, unabashedly; yes. – Arthur Dent, The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy If I could finally, once and for all describe this ‘pain’ properly, then I’m sure people would understand. If…

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Baseball at Dusk - Farewell Val d'Isere

Baseball at Dusk – Farewell Val d’Isere

Between heaven and earth, between darkness and light, between magic and reality, lies only my heart… As I walked home from work this week, I saw a boy playing with the water of a well. I stopped and stared. Then suddenly, unexpectedly, I was more sad than I remember being in years. I just stood and watched. I let the feeling grow, take over and tears appeared in each of my eyes. The boy had a…

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Tissue of Tears... Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb - A Story

Tissue of Tears… Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb – A Story

In February, finding myself with the combination of couple of cancelled tours and a serendipitous conversation during a walk in West London, I decided to travel to Zagreb to visit the Museum of Broken Relationships (yes, that’s a real place). Here in the cafe, I wrote the following short(ish) story, imagining someone doing just that…  Dedicated to S – who else? When you are sad, don’t go to…

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Christmas Piece

“We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Well, that was some year wasn’t it? Goodness… It felt like my Brexit tears had only just dried – going to sleep on June 23rd in Great Britain and waking up on June 24th in Little England – and then November 8th happened. Usually at this time of year, one…

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Cathar country... (at Arques, Languedoc-Roussillon, France)

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More Than 3 And a Half Hours All For... DNF?!? 'Hot' Copenhagen Marathon 2016

More Than 3 And a Half Hours All For… DNF?!? ‘Hot’ Copenhagen Marathon 2016

First, thank you so much to all who sponsored me. Once again, when that infamous ‘wall’ – bane of all Marathon runners was struck – this time 5 kms after last time at 32 kms, you once again carried me through. Having sponsors means I cannot even contemplate dropping out. Time; 3 hours 41 minutes and 52 seconds (no PB, but my second fastest time) 200 metres to go… Will I ever just once look happy…

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The Monk's Tale (2016) - A Train Journey to Brittany

The Monk’s Tale (2016) – A Train Journey to Brittany

Now listen if you wish to hear. But first I beg you to excuse my ignorance if I do not tell these things in order… but put some before and some behind, as they come now into my memory. – The Monk’s Prologue, Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales In The Canterbury Tales, The Monk’s Tale is a collection of short stories – or exempla, on the theme of tragedy. After recounting seventeen of what he claims to…

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Help! Sober Partner Wanted - Hunting The Green Fairy

Help! Sober Partner Wanted – Hunting The Green Fairy

Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Readers I need your help… Many is the time I have turned to you for advice, help, or even in order to appeal for funds for some sort of run. And each time you have come to my rescue. This time I would like one of you to partner me chasing fairies in Switzerland. This is not quite the lost cause it may initially sound like as firstly, we would be hunting for only one;…

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What a Coincidence - Creating4Change - Finding a 'Cause'

What a Coincidence – Creating4Change – Finding a ‘Cause’

How funny life can be at times and truly what a small world… See that photo in the insert below? The one of thousands of examples of the beautiful street art in Rio de Janeiro; look familiar? Yes? Well, just read on… This is an appeal especially to all my American readers, many of whom I’ve met through my work guiding with Road Scholar and especially to those of you who are present or former…

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When You Have to Shoot, Shoot. Don't Talk...

When You Have to Shoot, Shoot. Don’t Talk…

That morning I packed an overnight bag, not knowing whether come nightfall, I’d be sleeping in Africa. One of the best things about this ‘travel’ thing, which everyone seems to aspire to, love, seek, comment on, ponder, dream about, look forward to, budget for, write about, has to be just how easy it is to do. I am grateful that sometimes people need a gentle hand, some history, assistance or…

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The All Seeing Eye - or 'A Costly Way Home'

The All Seeing Eye – or ‘A Costly Way Home’

This short piece (really a photography essay) is dedicated to all the photographers and would-be photographers that have travelled on my tours this past year; you’ll appreciate this one (I hope)… A camera is a save button for the minds eye – Roger Kingston One afternoon in November on my last tour of 2015 around sunset, with a wonderful group of travellers, I set off for the last bus journey of…

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