Active Traveller: Hiking through the Samaria Gorge

Hiking through the Samaria Gorge on Crete – one of the great day-long walks; start early in the morning, walk through this great long chasm to the coast, relax on the beach or in a taverna and then catch the boat out to Chora Skafion. Read my account in Active Traveller magazine

http://active-traveller.com/stories/hiking-hidden-crete

 

 

 

 

 

Watch out for the iguanas

Diving, dining, cycling and relaxing on the Cayman Islands. Feature on the Lovetoeattotravel website – swimming with stingrays and cycling around Little Cayman, with it’s idyllic beaches. But watch out for the iguanas, you never know when one may cross your path.

https://www.lovetoeattotravel.com/the-colourful-iguanas-of-the-cayman-islands/

New book tells the life of a renowned Norfolk farmer

Breeding Success: My life as a Norfolk Farmer, records the life of well-known farmer and cattle breeder Gavin Alston Paterson. Breeding_success_paperback_wrap_130415.inddAcross almost 200 pages, beautifully-illustrated with photographs spanning nine decades, Gavin reflects on a fascinating life as his family established one of the finest pedigree cattle herds in the country.

The autobiography is also an historical document, telling the story of how Scottish families came down to East Anglia in the 1920s and 1930s and transformed dairy farming in the region.

For me, it was a real privilege to ghost write Gavin’s book and document how the Paterson family went on to enjoy enormous success at cattle shows – including the Royal Norfolk Show – with their pedigree Friesian (and later Holstein) cattle, over more than 60 years.

However, Breeding Success also details other important elements of Gavin’s life: his role with Young Farmers’ Clubs in Norfolk; work as a local councillor; and the role he played in establishing Worsted Festival and seeing it become one of the most popular summer events of the Norfolk calendar; and his time as a director of Norwich City Football Club from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s and as a life vice-president, is still a regular at home matches.

Breeding Success: My Life as a Norfolk Farmer is available in hardback or paperback from bookshops across East Anglia and will also be on sale at the Worstead Festival at the end of July. It is available online from www.poppyland.co.uk and from Mr Paterson at Church Farm, Smallburgh, Norfolk, tel. 01692 536226.

 

Telegraph: Cruising to the land of the midnight sun

My feature in the Daily Telegraph’s Cruise Style supplement reflected on a memorable journey the length of Norway to the North Cape and the Land of the Midnight Sun. Spectacular scenery along the coast and lovely ports, particularly Stavanger and Flam, on a cruise aboard P&O’s Oriana. Read the full article:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/11330226/Norway-cruise-to-the-land-of-trolls-and-the-midnight-sun.html

Reporting from Afghanistan with 31 Squadron Tornados

Kandahar Airfield is a major base in Afghanistan and has been home for the Tornado squadrons from RAF Marham for the past five years. With British forces preparing to withdraw from Afghanistan, I spent a week with 31 Squadron at Kandahar reporting on operations for the Eastern Daily Press and also getting a first-hand insight into the scale and logistics of the British draw down from Afghanistan.

Video – Mind Blowing Scale of the Operation to Bring Forces Home

Video – RAF Marham Squadron will be the Last Tornado Detachment to Leave Afghanistan

TornadoatKandahar (2)

Travel Mail: Burning more than calories in Arizona fitness resort

The Canyon Ranch resort on the outskirts of Tuscon, Arizona, is a fabulous location. Surrounded by the mountains of Arizona, the health resort and spa can be whatever you desire – chill-out spa, boot camp, or something in between. And there are many other activities to take part in as well, such as the art of making fire in the wild. Read my piece on the Travel Mail website to find out more.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2711981/Unleash-inner-cowboy-horse-riding-fire-making-luxurious-Canyon-Ranch.html

 

Active adventures in the remote Ontario landscape

It is remote and stunningly beautiful with wildlife that includes moose, bears, eagles and mink. In an area that contains a third of the world’s supply of natural water, Ontario is a wonderful outdoor playground of forests, lakes, hiking and biking trails and is a great place to fish. Its remoteness means there are few ways in and few ways out; you can take the rumbling Agawa Canyon train into the Chapleau Wildlife Reserve through an awesome landscape and fly out aboard a seaplane for a bird’s eye view of this part of the world. Whichever way you travel, it will be a memorable and mesmerising experience. My feature in Active Traveller outlines more as part of an “Ontario special.”

http://www.active-traveller.com/stories/northern-ontario-remote-possibilities

 

 

 

Travel Mail: In search of Indonesia’s orang-utans

In the jungle of Kalimantan, formerly Indonesian Borneo, I went off in search of orang-utans by taking a klotok – traditional boat – along the Sekonyer River. Discovering the primates in the rainforests is one of the highlights of Indonesia, a country which also has amazing temples, lively cities and wonderful beaches.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2557908/Indonesia-holidays-In-search-orangutan-jungles-Far-East.html

Travel Mail: Fishing on the remote lakes of Ontario

For peaceful isolation, where the wildlife is black bear, moose, mink and eagles, the remote lakes of Northern Ontario offer the perfect location away from the bright city lights. I spent a week fishing and wildlife watching, staying at Errington’s Wilderness Island Resort on Wabatongushi Lake and at Killarney Mountain Lodge. See my article from the trip on the Travel Mail website:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2541314/Big-skies-endless-lakes-getting-hooked-fishing-Ontarios-great-outdoors.html

EDP series charting Norfolk’s naval and RAF history

Running on the Eastern Daily Press website is my six-part series looking at RAF Marham, the new Lightning-II strike aircraft and Norfolk’s naval history. The new warplane to be based at Marham from 2018 will be flown jointly by RAF and Royal Navy personnel. As a result this series, which also features video footage, looks at Norfolk’s long naval and RAF history and charts how from the earliest days of the navy and the air force, they will come together at RAF Marham

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/norfolk-maritime-history