Scorched earth in Sicily (Oct20)
What a beautiful time of year to come to this island perched on Italy’s toe. We were lucky to have clear blue skies and the trees were turning gold. One of the most striking things about the island is the number of wind turbines on nearly every horizon. I rather like them both visually and […]
I love electric bikes (Jun19)
Sailing through the countryside. Exploring hidden routes. Getting some much needed exercise… It’s wonderful. The strange thing is that when I say that I’ve taken up electric bikes, one of the most common reactions is for people to say that ‘it’s cheating’. It’s as if I was doing something ‘synthetic’ rather than ‘natural’ – […]
Ideas for greener tourism in Myanmar [Relevant to other countries too] (Apr18)
There are over 3,000 temples in Bagan… Aureum Palace Hotel in Bagan claimed that 99% of clients want their sheets changed daily “99% of people like to have their bed linen changed at hotels at least once a day”. Really? I wondered how this assertion could be validated. But, I haven’t been able to respond […]
The olive oil industry survives the cruise ships in Montenegro… (May17)
They are humungous. The cruise ships in Kotor were like vast beasts completely dwarfing the beautiful historic buildings that have been quietly sitting on the shores of the Adriatic for millennia. And, they spit out their tourist cargo onto smaller boats to visit the scenic islands, bell towers and cobbled streets. I was there for […]
Behind the Scenes in Paradise (Feb17)
I’m hoping that my eco-footprint, on our luxury holiday staying at the Six Senses Hotel, Zil Payson, in the Seychelles – is considerably less than other guests! How so? It comes mainly from my aversion to air conditioning. Our residence was one of 30 beautiful villas nestled in the hills and rocks of Felicite Island. We […]
Was our luxury holiday good or bad for the environment? (Feb17)
A friend of mine argues that the impact of long-distance flying to exotic locations outweighs any possible environmental benefit to the places you might visit…. I’m not so sure. We’ve just come back from the Seychelles. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Apart from the world class beaches – […]
Venice is sinking (Mar16)
It felt apocalyptic. Exceptional flood levels. Sandbags. Elevated planks to walk along. St Mark’s Square underwater and a deluge. But I discovered that this was not very unusual. And, it’s not a new phenomenon either. In 1966 there was a huge storm which meant that the Piazza San Marco had a flood over five feet […]
Why aren’t restaurants more sustainable? (Oct11)
Bluefin tuna is one of the most endangered species on the planet but it’s still being served in London restaurants. Monkfish is not very sustainable either – if it’s on the menu, ask the restaurant about their sustainable fish policies The Hive Beach Cafe in Burton Bradstock is one of the first […]
Walking into Slovenia (Jul11)
We walked over the mountains from Italy into Slovenia. At the top the view was blue – we could see mountain ridges into the distance. No-one else was there. We didn’t come across any other walkers all day. The first person we saw was an elderly farmer scything grass in a meadow. The other striking […]
Geo Mission – Environmental Sponsorship (Mar11)
I first met Pen Hadow when we were fellow judges for Morgan Stanley’s Great Britons 2004. Since then Pen has been on a few more polar expeditions and more recently he’s set up Geo Mission – a company promoting environmental sponsorship. I gave an interview for their magazine about why companies should be ‘doing more good, rather than less […]