This blog post is an unashamed excuse to celebrate one of the finest wilderness areas in the world. The Cederberg runs through my veins and I welcome any opportunity to celebrate it. Located a few hours drive north of Cape Town, it’s the place to go to really get away from it all. It's the … Continue reading Mills of the Cederberg
It’s not about bagging bucket-list miles, or even bragging about bagging holiday sights, it’s about stopping and looking for the clues that point to natural and man-made structures - or subtle signs of earlier lives that are integral to a locations ‘sense-of-place’ so often missed in the quest to capture that grand vista, or complete that big trek. The Chilterns … Continue reading I am no longer just passing through this landscape
“The Rose Garden was described by designer Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe as a vegetable form, like a cabbage, with each bed intended to envelop the visitor and draw them deeper into the garden,” explained Cliveden head gardener Andrew Mudge. Much like the entire National Trust estate at Cliveden, drawing you in up the drive as you … Continue reading Inspired Chilterns’ Landscapes at National Trust Cliveden
It’s not very often the men in suits upstage a Roman antiquity. I was invited to the special opening of “Predators and Prey: A Roman mosaic from Lod, Isreal” at the splendid Rothschild mansion of Waddesdon Manor in leafy Buckinghamshire, a short train journey north west of London. The reason we were there was kept under … Continue reading A rallying cry from London’s Mayor: Let’s put the grout back into Britain!
Today is the 25th anniversary of the World Wide Web, an innovation that has fundamentally changed society much as the Industrial Revolution did in the 18th century. The travel and tourism industry is one transformed - indeed is still transforming and keeping we travel and tourism professionals on our toes. No longer in control of … Continue reading 25 years old today: what difference has the World Wide Web really made to #travel?
It's not just about grand vistas and easy to capture statements of beauty, it's in the detail that a landscape's story is told. Full of bold statements and a mind-boggling array of activities, I wasn't sure five night's in a resort would do the Overberg region in the Western Cape any justice. Much visited, advocated … Continue reading Locals are Destinations’ Custodians
A landscape defines a destination. Too many destinations are churning out the same old ‘me too’ messages that fail to excite or intrigue potential visitors because so often it's the detail that is overlooked in the quest to instantly capture the bigger, more visually obvious picture. It’s only when you stop racing through the landscape and look closely, … Continue reading Talking Landscapes
I have lost many friends in the essential early Sunday morning break-for-the-beaches, picnic packed and flask of coffee to hand, essential in avoiding the miles of grinding traffic queuing on the coast approaches. Heading to south coast favourites, Bournemouth and Poole offer seven pebble-free miles of Blue Flag beaches. The sunshine is estimated to be worth … Continue reading Just me and 250,000 at the seaside
Origin: early 21st century: blend of glamorous and camping = glamping.How fickle is the camping consumer? Has glamping really become a leisure habit, or is it a trend heading south?I have done my fair share of mainly conventional camping in the UK and abroad, the sight of a tent peg doesn’t turn me cold, but strangely when … Continue reading Cotton sheets, or sleeping bag? Has glamping really become a leisure habit, or is it a trend heading south?
The High Commission of South Africa in London is the diplomatic and public face of South Africa in the UK and has one of the best addresses in town - right on Trafalgar Square. I have visited many times, and it certainly feels like stepping into a time capsule that takes me back to a … Continue reading Just because the lady loves flowers.
Mary Tebje 