Specialty Travel & Tours

A tour of one of the world's greatest mega mansions and one of the most impregnable.

A mega mansion that's now a museum.

The only royal palace in America that had its share of a game of thrones.

The story of one of history's most mysterious and heartbreaking mansions.

In Beverly Hills, a mega mansion of the 1% with an astronomical price tag

In Windermere, FL, a mega mansion of the 1% fit for the 'Queen of Versailles.'

In Hillsboro Beach, FL, a mega mansion of the 1% with a beach for a backyard.

In my last page on Manor Park Cemetery I showed the neater side of the grounds. However, you don't have to go far to see the wilderness. The cemetery administration was taken to task recently however, when a woman came to pay her respects to her father and found a wilderness where she expected order

Back to Epping Forest - a continuation of the bridle path that crosses the road to High Beech and follows the contours close to the Epping New Road. If you like an exhilarating walk - or cycle ride - this is for you! With gradients aplenty, you'll need a sit-down and cuppa by the time you finish!

It can be a leisurely walk, and it can be a hike - it's your choice. What it is without quibble is scenic. Woodland in plentiful supply, some climbing, a river walk there and back along the Swale. And there are watering places both in Richmond and en route. What more can you ask for?

Let me take you on a wander through the seasons in a part of Epping Forest I've criss-crossed over the years, on bridle paths, deer tracks, through thickly forested areas and open spaces with views across the Lea Valley. It can be bracing, exhilarating, romantic, trying at times. Always interesting

You've been to York any number of times, you've seen it all... Have you? Maybe. I'd be willing to bet there's some parts you haven't been to or seen and they're right under your nose. Chances are you 'earmarked' them for another time and never got round to a closer look

The Road trips with the family are always enjoyable, for me. And, if the destination is an abode of the wild cats, wild animals and birds, staring at you with curiosity, it adds to the thrill and excitement. A short account of my recent visit to the Sariska National Park, Alwar, Rajasthan in India.

Summer is finally here and all you can think is a family trip to the beach. Here is a list of tips to help you get organized and have a great time.

This article highlights some success stories of various members of indigenous tribes who lived unspeakable lives when they were young, but have excelled in various fields despite the obstacles.

Saffron in Abruzzo a short history.

The south-western corner of Epping Forest in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, boating lake, walking, running, picnic areas and car parking. Bounded by roads, the area still feels like countryside

Here we go on a tour of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, highway 101 loop

The Woods Church

Murudeshwara in Karnataka is a new attraction for tourists. It has a lovely beach and world's second largest statue of Lord Shiva attracting travelers. It is on the beautiful Konkan coast. Read more

A leisurely walk over eight miles - 13 km - through the valley of the South Tyne centred on Lambley and its handsome railway viaduct. Follow the South Tyne Trail around Lambley, where the railway ran

This time we look around the links to ironstone mine workings that dotted the landscape around late 19th-early 20th Century Guisborough, a quiet old market town that was an unlikely industrial hub.

Here we look at the stations, as they were and as they are now, whatever's left of them - where they are and how they fit in. We also look at other features of the permanent way and the lineside

Kozhikode or Calicut is not only beautiful but also peaceful. The city has large fans for football, music and a great place for good food. Kozhikode, a district of Kerala is a place all love well.

If you are ever in downtown Wichita, Kansas, walk by and enjoy the sculptures that are everywhere as you walk.

A Handy guide to Game of Thrones fans who wish to visit the various lands of their beloved Westeros. Here is a complete guide to all filming locations around the world used in the series thus far.

Goenka Vipassana Meditation. Second and final part of my personal experience during the 10-day course of self-discovery of the intricacies of mind and body. A mind-boggling ordeal well spent.

Goenka Vipassana Meditation. Part 1 of my personal experience during the 10-day course of self-discovery of the intricacies of mind and body. A mind-boggling ordeal well spent.

The Lyke Wake Walk, an infamously arduous route between Osmotherley on the western edge of the North Yorkshire Moors and Ravenscar (Peak) on the North Sea coast... Would you be up to it?

Walk or cycle in England's most peaceful beauty spot by Kielder Water, the largest man-made lake in northern Northumberland. Watch out for red squirrels by day, go star-gazing at night.

Stand on the Roman Wall, look over the northern hills, a view beheld by foederati from as far off as Asia Minor. Walk Steel Rigg to Housesteads on paths trodden by home-sick, shivering legionaries!

Walk the coast from Hinderwell to Port Mulgrave, Staithes and Runswick Bay with a brief history of the area and past industry. High cliffs, small fishing harbours and an early mediaeval miracle.

A Rockford, Illinois company maintains and services many features on the International Space Station (ISS). Besides that excitement and its growing jobs, the Rock River Valley is a beautiful place to visit during Autumn or any other season.

Stride the fields between Towton and Saxton, where Yorkist met Lancastrian on Palm Sunday, 1461. Although outnumbered, Edward IV's army won the day. Henry VI fled with his queen to Scotland.

An easy four and a half mile walk along the River Nidd at Knaresborough, via mediaeval soothsayer Ursula Southill's (Mother Shipton's) Cave, with a stroll below the castle opposite.

Remember that lovable rogue 'Compo' Simmonite, his friends 'Cleggy' and 'Foggy'? Walk the byways around Holmfirth, take in the smell of late August's new-mown hay, sheep bleating in the Dales...

Everyone loves a family beach vacation, but what should you bring? I laid out some helpful tips for things to bring on your next family outing to the beach so you are better prepared. Enjoy, and feel free to comment. Going to the beach is always a...

Visit Middleham Castle in Wensleydale, amid racing stables and the grey stone buildings of the small town of Middleham. Welcoming inns, tearooms, historic structures, race-horse gallops...

In Verona, Italy there s an arena built by the Romans that's almost as old as the Coliseum but in better shape. During the summer, grand opera is held on what is the world's biggest stage and is nothing short of spectacular!

Another moorland walk, starting and ending in Commondale near Kildale. Pass war memorials to local heroes. Climb to 'Hob on the Hill' and 'Hob Cross' , Bronze Age tumuli and ancient boundary stones.

From historic Kildale, take in the moorland air to north and north-west. Return another way by footpaths and a minor road. Take care on sharp bends for oncoming traffic, hidden until the last moment.

Look into 'Head of Steam', Darlington's North Road museum with its long railway history. At nearby Shildon combine a visit to NRM's 'Locomotion' exhibition with the Hackworth Museum and Soho Works.

Overlooking the seaside for much of the way, the walk combines countryside and coast with attractive scenery. History is there, too, with recent mining and a railway connection to the Pease family.

Two more restored railway routes in North Yorkshire, another in County Durham to the north, (closed again due to lack of funding). Potted histories, route descriptions and images to inspire a visit!

Leisurely walk for environment and ecology students along the Tees, its erstwhile and extant industries. End your walk at the sturdy South Gare breakwater with its beacon and fishermen's huts.

Cleveland's traditional industries deserve an airing, only the more recent of which - Potash - being the best known. Alum working, jet and ironstone have been in the region since pre-historic times.