Ben Wiskin Centre

Do punters give a toss about responsible tourism?

Saturday, January 28th, 2012
 
Maasai villagers reading about their achievements in The Observer Photo: Tribal Voice Communications

‘Responsible tourism? Ha! Does that mean not dropping your litter as you walk through the rainforest?’ was the scathing reaction of a friend when I told her that I was taking on an Msc in Responsible Tourism Management six years ago. I tried somewhat pathetically to defend my tiny corner. Then, “I am so tired [...]

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Canopy and (five) stars

Friday, September 23rd, 2011
 
The Gypsy Camp lower res

You know that feeling when you first open a box of Green and Black’s chocolates? Butterscotch is better than…Ok, let’s not go there. Well, when I first went on Canopy and Stars website, it had the same impact really. Each web page unwrapped a delicious, quirky place to stay,and  the choice almost overwhelming. Which is [...]

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The Old Milking Parlour, County Wicklow

Thursday, May 26th, 2011
 

  Serendipity is sometimes a life saver. About ten years ago, at one of those crucial life turning points, when I didn’t know which road to take, I got a phone call from a friend, asking me to mind his cottage in the Wicklow Mountains for a few months. Within a week I, my husband [...]

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From ferry to Fforest

Saturday, July 17th, 2010
 

A campsite where there are just a few tents in a luscious meadow, no cars, a breakfast buffet, and a shebeen onsite is a rare thing. Even rarer, it does not involve an overnight ferry crossing, just a two hour crossing from Rosslare to Fishguard (stenaline.ie). From here, a thirty kilometres drive, taxi or indeed cycle, will take you through the gates of Fforest, one of the UK’s coolest campsites. It is just outside the village of Cilgerran, in the heart of Wales’ beach and beauty-filled Pembrokeshire.

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Natural Retreats in Ireland

Wednesday, 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 [...]

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At home on a bike

Saturday, 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 [...]

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Food and tourism

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
 

 “All this pasta is no good for keeping me regular”, an Irish colleague once told me on a work trip to Rome. We had to spend an afternoon looking for an Irish pub, just so that he could rebalance his digestive system with some ‘real’ food – a pint. Some people just aren’t meant to [...]

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