As you wind your way south from Naples, by road or the Circumvesuviana, the towering peak of Mount Vesuvius looms large ... [more]
Visiting Oxford can be hungry work, but a great range of independent cafes help to refuel you. One, off the main beaten ... [more]
On the Trail of the Nativity
At Christmas time we all have our own narratives of the journey Mary, Joseph, and then J... [more]
Where the Catholics (and many others) claim that the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary at her home, the Greek Orthdox Churc... [more]
Hail, thou that art highly favoured... old-fashioned words from a millennia-old prayer, brought to life in this stunning... [more]
Kids Corner Cafe offers a homely environment for kids to play in safely, with good food too. A simple idea, but a brilli... [more]
Capernaum, a biblical site mentioned by all four Gospels, is perhaps the best-known site at the top of the Sea of Galile... [more]
'Woe to you Chorazin, woe to you Bethsaida' (Luke 10:13). Only the most attentive Bible reader will know and remember Ch... [more]
Tabgha, a corruption of the Greek word 'heptapegon' (seven springs), is the place where seven streams meet. On the edge ... [more]
While shepherds watched their flocks by night... the shepherds, mentioned in the Bible (Luke 2:8-20), had to watch their... [more]
When Mary fled to Egypt to escape Herod, she needed to stop to feed the baby Jesus, and when she did so, milk fell from ... [more]
The highest hill in Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives is historically important and offers some of the most breathtaking vi... [more]
King Herod the Great (there were others), a biblical name to conjure with, founded a palace in the Judaean desert after ... [more]
Animals, tractors, games, water play: they have it all at Odds Farm Park. A great place to spend a day with children who... [more]
Is this where Jesus went to bathe? This is the kind of claim made by the owners for the ancient baths discovered in the ... [more]
Qumran National Park is a magnificent, eery place. You're so low down that even the air feels heavy. The heat and salt ... [more]
Where Jesus was born - the stable, the manger, the wise men, the animals, the innkeeper. We sing about it at Christmas w... [more]
Around church walls across the world are fourteen pictures depicting the final journey of Jesus through Jerusalem, to hi... [more]
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre - site of pilgrimage for Christians from across the world, a place where words fail one... [more]
Tolkien - creator of magical worlds, father, academic, friend... all these elements combine in this magical exhibition. ... [more]
Prague in December is a winter wonderland of Christmas markets and the 'season' of magical musical experiences. One of t... [more]
The largest collection of exciting cars you'll find in the whole of the UK makes the British Motor Museum a must-visit h... [more]
With a reputation for cold crisp sunshine followed by snow, and a rich Catholic heritage Prague is a glorious place to s... [more]
Up on the outskirts of Oxford is a small nature reserve maintained by the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust. It may s... [more]
In the extremely beautiful Prague Old Town you'll find lots of historic gems. One such place is the Residence Green Lobs... [more]
Stationery can be beautiful, particularly in banks, and nowhere does it better than Tokyo's amazing shop Itoya, right in... [more]
The steep hills and sometimes narrow allies with cobbled streets make Prague an interesting place to navigate. Luckily, ... [more]
Prague, an enticing city of high culture, also has a range of unexpected museums around every street corner. Whether you... [more]
The largest UNIQLO in the world, right in Tokyo's Ginza retail heartland, sprawls over eight floors of rails, mirrors an... [more]
Where does our food come from, how does it get to us, and why should we care? A local project in Banbury is helping to a... [more]
Venice, a city of dreams, a city built on stilts, relies on its waterways for transport and leisure needs. Getting aroun... [more]
The Goethe museum takes you through the unusual, fabulous house inhabited by Goethe for childhood and early adult life. ... [more]
The nominal head of Venice, the doge, needed a sumptuous palace to demonstrate the extent of his power, and this palace ... [more]
One man's dream too look after crocodiles became a zoo open to the public in 2011. Rescued and bred crocodiles alike fil... [more]
The most valuable collection of Byzantine silver and gold in the world lies hidden in the side wing treasury at St Mark'... [more]
'Acqu'alta', 'high tide', the last thing anyone in Venice wants to hear, but even more so when you're a book shop openin... [more]
British but American but Irish, this bar lies in the shadow of the impressive Sensoji temple in the Asakusa region of To... [more]
A large community park maintained by Banbury Town Council in Oxfordshire, Spiceball Park offers somewhere to play, to wa... [more]
When spring arrives in Japan, the whole country celebrates, charting the movement of blossom across the islands and gene... [more]
Maidreamin - a place which has to be experienced to be believed, and could only thrive in Japan. In the place that broug... [more]
One whole section of Riga, just outside the old town, is a wealth of art nouveau buildings. One the corner of Alberta St... [more]
Noi e la Giulia, 'The Giulia and Us' is an Italian comedy, where the Giulia is an Alfa Romeo, not a woman. A gentle ... [more]
You think of Goethe in a literary context, but he also had a great love of art, and the collection he amassed is now dis... [more]
Alexandra Palace, Ally Pally, the People's Palace opened in 1873 to celebrate Queen Victoria's 54th birthday, a centre f... [more]
Formed as a volcanic plug, and shaped by glaciers into a crag and tail style, the North Berwick Law (known locally as si... [more]
The Traprain Law stands proudly tall in the lowlands of East Lothian, a site used for burials at least 3500 years ago, a... [more]
One of the oldest stone castles in Scotland, Hailes Castle may not immediately strike you as the most magnificent place ... [more]
Lindisfarne, the Holy Island, an isolated, peaceful spot off the Northumberland coast: this beautiful, atmospheric place... [more]
Off the coast of Northumberland lies the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. Cut off from the mainland at high tide, this small ... [more]
North Berwick is a wonderful place to visit for many reasons, not least because it is home to the national Seabird Centr... [more]
The movement to keep British towns beautiful has been strong right across the UK. In the 1990s, the seaside town of Nort... [more]
For all Seabird lovers, the Bass Rock, a volcanic plug far out in the Firth of Forth, 2km offshore and 5km NE from North... [more]
Versailles is an undeniably awesome palace, yet in the corners of the palace estates lies Le Grand Trianon. Next door to... [more]
What is genius? How would you recognise it? How would you capture its signs and present them for the world?
The Bodle... [more]
Keen lepidopterists will revel in this wonderful butterfly farm, tucked just off the M4 in Wiltshire, outside Swindon. I... [more]
Everyone knows about Stonehenge, but just 20 miles north (25 by the roads), Avebury has its own stone circle as part of ... [more]
Millets Farm Falconry offers you the chance to see, watch fly and even handle over 80 birds of prey. Billed as the large... [more]
The Royal Academy - a home to British art since the Eighteenth Century, its exhibitions and shows have been some of the ... [more]
Rabbit holes and tea parties - the madcap side of Oxford comes to life once a year to celebrate Charles Dodgson's (AKA L... [more]
In the heart of England's smallest county lies a massive nature reserve, Rutland Water. Whether you're keen on cycling r... [more]