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No Man’s Land

No Man’s Land

The coldness you feel during an Antarctic polar plunge is elemental. It is not something you can brush off or laugh about. Make all the plans for witticisms you like, the moment you hit that sub-zero water, a panicked mammal part of your being takes over and gets you the..
Behind the Mask

Behind the Mask

It begins with a sickening snap. The Mud Men of Pogla emerge to no music, moving like mechanical marionettes: juddering, shuddering, dancing. Their huge heads, like their skin, have been painted deathly white. Theirs is a dreadful spectacle. While some hold spears, others have wicked-looking bamboo talons which they crack..
Old Testament Lessons

Old Testament Lessons

They say the fat, arthritic olive trees in northern Jordan’s Irbit region were planted by the Romans. That would likely make them older than local lad J. Christ, a theory which hasn’t been scientifically tested, but one that’s quite believable in this biblical land of dusty hills, itinerant goats, and..
Once Upon a Time in the West

Once Upon a Time in the West

When the gun goes off, its belligerent noise slams into a vermillion cliff-face, then echoes back over our heads and out into the infinite expanse of central Wyoming. There’s a gentle tinkle as the bullet casing hits the ground. A serpentine smoke trail rises skywards from the barrel of the..
The Scottish Gindustry

The Scottish Gindustry

The morning I set off to trace Scotland’s new gin trail feels like the wettest day in the history of wetness and days, a morning so vengeful that no material, artificial or natural, can really keep a person dry. When I get to the Gin Bothy I’m as grateful for..
Sevillian Days

Sevillian Days

I’m watching a freeloader outside a restaurant on a hot day in Seville. A hot day? It could be almost any day in this town. In summer, the temperatures sail past 40C – past 50C at their worst. What to do on days like that? The freeloader knows. Stay in..
Flying, Fishing

Flying, Fishing

It’s easy to relax at the end of the world. Waist-deep in diamond-clear water, waders hugging my legs, I can feel the sun on the back of my neck, the swooshing of my fly rod the only noise to permeate the silence on Navarino Island at the very bottom of..
Art and Soul

Art and Soul

I like to think I know the world. In a pub quiz, my specialist subject would be geography. I pride myself on identifying flags. Capital cities? No problem. Do you know that the currency of Guatemala is the quetzal, named after an elusive, exotic bird? I do. But for all..
When The Fat Duck Flew Home

When The Fat Duck Flew Home

A couple of hours into my experience at The Fat Duck, I’m brought what looks like bread and butter. “What’s this now?” I ask, a little too eagerly, the wine pairing tickling my edges. “Fish and chips? A reformed mulligatawny soup?” “No, sir,” the waitress says with a patient smile,..
Pure Electricity

Pure Electricity

They are underpowered. They have poor range. They are slow to charge. So who cares if refuelling is cheap and the world is being saved from the endless grind of fossil fuels? Purely electric vehicles aren’t anything more than glorified milk floats. They aren’t convenient, they aren’t cool, and they’ll..