Imagine receiving a notice to say that you must leave your family home within the next month in order to ‘help the national war effort’. Few would have begrudged the cause in the autumn of 1943, but for the villages of Tyneham in Dorset this would still have been a letter that they hoped they […]
Have you ever stood outside a world famous monument or historic site and questioned whether you can justify spending the money on the entrance ticket? The chances are that you’ve only thought about it briefly before accepting your lot and paying up for the once-in-a-lifetime experience. After all, you’re not likely to return to that part of […]
There’s something magical about travelling by train. Perhaps those who witnessed the demise of steam engines some 40 years ago would have predicted that the romance of rail would been blown away by the hard uncompromising diesel and electric monsters that followed. Yet the last few decades have shown that there is clearly more to […]
If you take a look at any of the promotional material produced by the El Salvador tourism officials, the chances are the pictures that you’ll find are going to focus heavily on La Ruta de las Flores. This small stretch of road in the west of the country has been promoted as a tourism showcase […]
The boxes of white pills were passed around by the curious passengers, who read the home-printed labels with varying levels of interest. Meanwhile, the salesman continued with his monologue. Back ache? Abdominal pains? Infertility? Pregnancy? Depression? Arthritis? Cancer? These pills would cure whatever it is that troubled you, and a packet could be yours for […]
Looking out over the mass of tiled roofs from the famous city walls it’s hard to believe the traumas that the city of Dubrovnik and its residents has been through in the last 20 years. The near perfect uniformity of the earthy red colour hints at a world recently restored, yet the evidence of a […]
Of all the places we were due to visit on our trip to the Balkans, I was most excited at the prospect of finally visiting Sarajevo. Famous for the events that triggered the start of the First World War, for Torvill and Dean (especially in my home city of Nottingham) and for the horrific siege […]
After the Great Fire of London in 1666, Christopher Wren was instructed to design and rebuild 51 churches in the city. He was later knighted and would become the architect who, more than any other, left his mark on the city in a way that has survived more than three centuries. Wren’s most celebrated work […]
Freelance travel writer and photographer. 501 Places is a personal collection of stories and photos from the road, along with random thoughts and opinions.
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