Stratford International is the best-placed gateway to the Olympic Park, but it’s out on a limb. And if you’re travelling there from anywhere north of the park… well, heaven help you. TfL, it’s time to build a bells-and-whistles extension to Leyton and Leytonstone.
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Maidencombe is the best beach in Devon you’ve never been to
Honestly, I still can’t believe how brilliant Maidencombe beach is. Almost completely hidden from view at the top bit of the English Riviera, this sandy little cove has everything from cooked breakfasts to clear-blue waters (with the odd sea caterpillar, granted).
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Leyton FC: The story of an extinct club that strangely still exists… for now
For well over a century, there were two teams in Leyton. One of them may have technically disappeared, but their ground – the pitch, the terraces, pretty much everything – still stands. The players are around too, if you know where to look.
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Credit: Mike Baker
WWII’s forgotten army: The East and West African soldiers who fought in Burma
The Fourteenth is Britain’s forgotten army – its epic WWII campaigns in Burma long overshadowed by events in Europe. Its three African Divisions – which did so much to win back Burma from the Japanese – are the forgotten army’s forgotten formations. This is their story.
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Trying to find the closest sandy beach to London at the glow-in-the-dark Bradwell-on-Sea
Apart from a few cultists and retired nuclear scientists, not many people have heard of Bradwell-on-Sea. But this tiny village, all by itself at the end of the Dengie Peninsula, has what might just be the closest sandy beach to the capital. So I had to go there, didn’t I?
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Credit: Bob Lilliman (with permission from Vince Taylor)
Leytonstone FC at Granleigh Road: Triumphs, tragedies and international friendlies
Once upon a time, a couple of minutes’ walk from my house, stood a grand old football ground that, during its 92-year existence, hosted the Nigerian national side, Tottenham Hotspur, and some semi-famous people from the telly. What happened to it?
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In 2001, I had a close encounter with a puma on my morning paper round
I’m telling this story reluctantly because I’ve endured two decades of ridicule from the people I’m closest to. But it’s true: when I was 15, I saw a big cat darting around a disused railway line in Cheltenham in the wee small hours. Here’s what happened.
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Falling in love with Real Betis Balompié in Barcelona
By sharing a moment with Pepe Mel, Rafael van der Vaart and Ricky van Wolfswinkel in a hotel lobby – which was every bit as exciting as it sounds – I became a proud Betico. The lads may have ended up letting me down, but I still love them.
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I added a pond to my garden and now I want to tell you all about it
‘You’re having tin bath, mate,’ I said to myself when I turned one into a lost-and-lonely pond. So, I thought about plants, structure and solar-powered features and, hey presto, created something far better.
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In my small London courtyard garden, the party’s already started
Monty Don wrote that February “feels like the preparation for a party”. In my small London courtyard garden, where spring always comes early, the guests are already starting to arrive, the music’s cranking up, and the neighbours are starting to wonder what’s going on.
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Getting from Munnar to Madurai (and basically following Rick Stein)
It’s one of the most enjoyable Indian bus journeys you can take – one minute, you’re atop the Western Ghats, surrounded by tea plantations. The next, you’re on the dusty plains of Tamil Nadu, hurtling towards Madurai – a city home to professional nail swallower Sardar Hussain.
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Kerala by public transport: How not to see Cochin, Varkala and Alleppey
Over the course of two extremely confusing days, I somehow managed to navigate – a word that is in no way, shape or form accurate – Kerala’s trains and buses, taking what was essentially the most impractical route imaginable.
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Ooty to Cochin via Coimbatore: Truly a great escape
If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of waking up in a freezing cottage in Ootacamund, then you should absolutely escape – downwards – to Kerala’s more temperate climes. Just don’t do what I did and miss the bus.
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Is Coorg the most beautiful place in India? Yes, it is – and here’s why
Coffee, bananas, lemons, mangoes, cherries, cashew nuts and rice are all cultivated in this corner of Karnataka, so you if you enjoy putting tasty things in your mouth – and gawping at endless greenery – you’ll absolutely love Coorg.
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Hampi’s self-styled Mr Bean and almost getting eaten by black bears
If you happen to find yourself in Hampi, then I implore you to think twice about booking a sunrise tour to the summit of Matunga Hill with the ancient village’s most famous man. Who, it turns out, is really bad at timekeeping.
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North Goa vs South Goa and stumbling across the best beach in India
It’s a bit like comparing Great Yarmouth with the Isles of Scilly – it really depends what you’re into. Jim Davidson routines on the pier? North Goa’s for you. Hidden little coves with no people on them? South Goa it is.
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How to explore the Konkan coast properly (while pretending to be a pirate)
No one really bothers to explore the Konkan coast, situated as it is between the tourist magnets of Mumbai and Goa. And that’s a shame, because here you can sail to real pirate castles, be marooned on tiny islands, and, er, bump into shipbuilders from Rotherham.
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How to explore Mumbai all by yourself (while having a nice time)
It’s probably the most in-your-face city in the world, but Mumbai is a lot of fun – kind of, in a way. The trick is to go there all by yourself, make friends with the right people, and to have your watch upside down at all times.
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A 10-step ascent of Eyjafjallajökull: Iceland’s unpronounceable volcano
A few years ago, no one would have dreamed of climbing Eyjafjallajökull – you know, that volcano in Iceland that famously blew its top. But with this not expected to happen again for another 600 years, I thought I’d make it my next holiday destination.
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What to see and do in Sri Lanka if you’re a cynical traveller like me
When I got made redundant in a way that wasn’t strictly legal, the company that got rid of me were forced to give me some money. I spent it all on this lovely, lovely trip to Sri Lanka, which almost went exactly to plan.
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