Guest writer Margaret Doherty explains why she was really impressed by the array of things to do in Basel, Switzerland. “On the border of three countries – France, Germany and Switzerland – spanning the river Rhine and Switzerland’s only port, Basel has a long history as an affluent and cultured city. Once a vital medieval [...]

If you haven’t been to Strasbourg, you’re missing out. Just off the France/German border, the town is a beautiful and unique mix of influences from each country. As well, it is the seat of many major European councils, the most important being the European Parliament seat it shares with Brussels. Next time you’re there, here [...]

If you’ve visited the towns of Wales that border England such as Brecon, near the Black mountains, you’ll know that this area is fantastic for those who love outdoor activities. You can hire mountain bikes, canoe down the river Wye, go horseriding, climbing and abseiling at one of the numerous outdoor activity centres, not to [...]

Urbis, AKA as @UrbisManchester on Twitter, responded to my call for volunteer guides for the Manchester stop of the Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour by offering to take me on one of their walking tours. However so many of their guided tours sounded really interesting and it was too hard to select only one. Therefore [...]

Tour guide Chris Norwoord (AKA @norwoordchris on Twitter) put together a really interesting “Manchester off the Beaten Track” walking tour for me on the Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour. We set off from my hotel, the Manchester Abode. The first stop was to look at the Brownsfield Mill chimney, the oldest factory chimney in Manchester [...]

I stayed at the Belfast Malmaison for two nights on the Belfast leg of my Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour. The building exudes Victorian grandeur, although constructed as a seed warehouse in the 1860s, the Victorians obviously didn’t go for the bleak, utilitarian style of industrial premises favoured these days. The hotel is in a [...]

Stockholm is a beautiful city situated on a number of islands. But it is still just that.  A city.  And sometimes you need a day trip to remind you of the natural beauty that Sweden has to offer. Luckily, in just about 45 minutes Stockholm public transportation will take you to the gates of a [...]

Chris Norwoord is a Manchester tour guide who offers a wide variety of specialist guided walks in Greater Manchester as well as introductory walks covering the main sites in the City Centre. He designs bespoke walks for citizens and visitors with particular interests. The most commonly requested subject for a walk is Radical Manchester. You [...]

You can satisfy your retro cravings on several fronts with a visit to the Pop Boutique and the Mod Pop Cafe on Oldham Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. The complementary businesses are housed in the same building. I had a look around the Boutique and a coffee at the Cafe on the Manchester stop of [...]

It’s amazing how a bit of spraying and colour can change a once non-descript wall into a local landmark: the Lennon Wall in Prague has been scribbled on since the singer’s death in December 1980 and has, over the years, turned into a landmarks of its own. It began as a memorial for the musical [...]