I have always had a bit of an inferiority complex when it comes to the French. I lived there for almost three years as a student, and looked on in awe at the women with their perfect skin, toned muscles, and their ‘born to wear tight jeans’ bottoms, I tried very hard to keep up but I didn’t ski, couldn’t talk philosophy and didn’t know an aperitif from a digestif. Years later they still manage to seduce me, which is [...]
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Maasai Mara, Kenya
ArticlesDonkey trekking, Mercantour National Park, FranceWednesday, July 29th, 2009Go with the flow, Swimtrek, CroatiaWednesday, July 29th, 2009
The Mission, Vintage Vacations, The Isle of WightWednesday, July 29th, 2009
Click here to read more Natural Retreats in IrelandWednesday, July 29th, 2009
 I love a man who does what I tell him. “You should open a Natural Retreats in Ireland”, I told Ewan Kearney, Director (and partner) of an idyllic collection of sef-catering houses, situated in UK National Parks, which look as if they were lifted off the set of Grand Designs. I stayed at their retreat hidden in the hills of the [...]Rathmullan House Hotel, County Donegal, IrelandWednesday, July 29th, 2009
It had now been over thirty years since we had made that journey together. [...] Spot the green hotelThursday, June 25th, 2009I was invited to stay at a Malaysian eco-hotel earlier this year, as the owners were keen to show off their green credentials to the world. The flight alone was going to munch up every bit of my personal carbon allowance for the year, so I checked it out thoroughly before accepting the offer. Their website showed no responsible tourism policy, no reference to the National Park in which it was situated, and no evidence of local food sourcing. The only real sign of green was on [...] At home on a bikeSaturday, June 13th, 2009 Ireland’s first National Bike Week starts tomorrow (14-21 June), which not only gives us the excuse to dig our bikes out from the back of the shed, but also to see where we can enjoy riding them. At last, the wheels of change are in motion for Irish cyclists, as National Bike Week is part of a new National Cycle Policy Framework, the aim [...]Treeclimbing with Goodleaf, Isle of WightMonday, June 8th, 2009 (first published in the column, My Life in Travel, The Observer, 8 March 2009) Interview with Paul McCathie, recreational tree climber, Goodleaf Tree Climbing Adventures, Isle of Wight Don’t wash your hands of MexicoSaturday, May 30th, 2009“You’re a bit of a fighter”, the Director of the Mexican Tourist Board, Manuel Diaz Cebrian told me at a recent conference. I had been asking too many pushy questions about responsible travel, as usual. He was quick to add, however, “We Mexicans like that, it’s good to challenge people”. The truth is, if anyone was a fighter it was him. Because marketing Mexico at the moment [...] Wwoofers do it for freeFriday, May 22nd, 2009Woofing sounds fantastically illicit, doesn’t it? The first time I came across it, I was staying at one of my favourite eco-friendly spots, The Omagh Hostel in County Tyrone. The owner, Marella Fyffe, showed me to my room saying, “There are a couple of woofers in the next room, but they are very quiet”. I wondered if this was dubious Tyrone [...] |
I look down at my hands pushing through the turquoise water and have a weird realisation.
The founders of the Blackgang Mission on the 
“Ah, life begins in Letterkenny!” my Mum announced, as we passed the town’s welcome signpost, “When I see that sign I know I’ve left my worldly worries behind”.