On Tuesday night we finished our Real Ale Trail cruise and got a t-shirt each, woo-hoo! It all started because a guy that Dee works with is stranded in London thanks to volcanic ash — Ivan, from the Ukraine, who is here with his girlfriend Natalie. We met them after work at a nearby place called …

Six weeks and counting. We’re getting into the “spirit of travel” now I reckon — most of the house packing is done, so I can make a booking with the shipping company with some confidence that we’ll be ready for them, and start concentrating on our backpacks and gear. In the meantime we’re trying to …

It seems the [Norse](Norse.md) god Eyjafjallajokull has brought the British aeronautical travel industry to its knees this weekend, erupting from deep within his glacial palace and spreading ashy vengeance upon the mortals who dare chase through the skies in chariots of aluminium, steel and beige …

Tonight we walked home along the narrow path that follows the Thames, crossing via Tower Bridge rather than our usual route over busy London Bridge. With the evening sun still warm, we stopped at a rickety, ice-filled cart next to the Tower Of London and bought two plastic flutes of sparkling …

I missed it when it was shown on television, but this week my boss (a motorcyclist) lent me “The Long Way Round”: Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor’s motorbike trip from London to New York via Siberia and Alaska. Arguably a mistake on his behalf, as Dee and I sat down this Saturday morning and …

It’s day four of our holiday out of the city, and we’re sitting in the Hawk and Buckle Inn reading historical fiction, sketching architecture and writing weblog posts. It’s been incredibly relaxing. The town we are staying in, Llannefydd, is too small for even a general store. Apart from a handful …