No. 7: APRIL 2005
CHINA REVISITED
Freelance travel writer and photographer PETER ELLEGARD returned to China earlier this year, visiting the northern city of Harbin for the annual Ice Lantern Festival, renowned for its snow and ice sculptures, as well as spending time in Beijing and seeing in the Chinese New Year in Shanghai. The trip was a success despite Peter having most of his camera equipment stolen while at the ice festival in Harbin. It gave him the opportunity to see how the local police deal with crimes involving visitors, and he found himself the centre of attention in the police station.
The 12 TV programmes Peter presented during three months filming with a Chinese production company in China at the end of 2003 are now being screened nationwide on CCTV9, the English-language channel of China’s national broadcasting corporation. The programmes are being shown as part of the channel’s Rediscovering China series and cover his travels to Beijing, Guilin, Lijiang, Kunming, Tongli and Jiangsu province, Guangzhou, Qufu, Jingdezhen and Chengdu. He is planning to return to China regularly and hopes to be able to master the language, eventually
Other travels Peter is undertaking during 2005 will take him to New York and several Deep South states, the Czech Republic, Morocco and Argentina among other places. Other than travel writing and photography, Peter also does a lot of writing, editing and photography on golf travel, covering worldwide destinations including China. Projects this year include features editing the annual directory for golf industry tourism association IAGTO and editing a golf guide to North America for a major UK consumer golf publication
You can catch up with Peter’s China adventures and view examples of his work on his website, www.peterellegard.co.uk.
Contact: Email peter@ellegard.co.uk; Telephone 01702 304034 or 07710 270517
YOGA, SNAKES AND SCARED COWS
SARAH DAWSON recently returned from India where she covered a dynamic yoga holiday in Pepper Valley, a tranquil jungle-like environment in South Goa. She learned how to twist herself into some challenging (yet assuredly) beneficial yogic poses while trying not to be distracted by wild buffalo splashing into the river in front of her and (apparently harmless) snakes writhing around the trees. Afterwards, the benefits of the yoga were almost undone on a 24-hour hair-raising rickshaw tour of the southern Goan coast with a driver who had a tendency to crash unceremoniously into people or buildings to avoid hitting any of India's sacred cows
In April, she's off to Lanzarote to interview the owner of a holiday retreat to find out what it takes to set up and run a successful yoga retreat abroad, then to the island of Crete for an eco-friendly holiday to learn about Dr Bach's flower remedies, including how to make the famous Bach Rescue Remedy, an item Sarah wishes she had taken with her on the rickshaw ride to soothe her nerves
Forthcoming trips are back to India to stay at a Detox Retreat where every type of toxin will be strictly banned, including her daily cups of PG Tips tea with shortbread biscuits and, more worryingly, glasses of Pinot Grigio, but in the name of research Sarah is prepared to give it a try! Followed by trips to Australia and New Zealand
Email Sarah at sarahdawson@onetel.com for more information about her trips and commissions
IT'S ALL A LOAD OF BALKANS
After spending the last six months writing two guidebooks to Croatia, TONY KELLY is off to Serbia to try out a new cycling tour in the Morava valley and write it up for The Independent. Tentative plans for the summer include returning to Croatia to go sailing in the Adriatic, and taking the family to Montenegro. Bosnia, anyone
Email tonykellytravelwriter@btopenworld.com
GET ACTIVE AND TAKE ACCESS!
This spring FELICITY MARTIN has again been busy with a Forestry Commission Scotland campaign involving a series of features in regional newspapers. Under the banner Active Woods, she’s been encouraging people to get healthy exercise in the woods and forests of Scotland’s heartland: see < http://www.wonderfulwoods.co.uk/spring> and < http://www.perthshirebigtreecountry.com/spring>
Access is the hot topic in Scotland – the new access legislation went live in February, followed by the Scottish Outdoor Access Festival in the run up to Easter. In response, much of Felicity’s writing has concentrated on celebrating the new rights and responsibilities, as detailed in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. To quote from one of her articles: “We are now in the enviable position of having some of the most liberal access legislation in Europe”
Contact: mail@felicitymartin.co.uk; Telephone: 01764 68445
INDIA ON THE HOOF
JEANNINE WILLIAMSON has been following in the hoofprints of the Raj on a five-day trek through Rajasthan taking in wildlife sanctuaries, temples, volcanic outcrops, old tribal lands and rural villages and staying at hunting lodges and castles. She rode native Marwari horses - famous for their unusual curly ears - and once favoured by Rajput warriors. They became an endangered species before a recent campaign to revive the breed and the best horses are now as prized as they were during the time of the Great Mughal Empire
Riding is a wonderful way to experience the Land of Kings and get off the beaten track and Jeannine has plenty of tales to write about following her recent horseback adventure
Email: jeannine@motcombemedia.demon.co.u
DEAF ON THE NILE
PAUL MANSFIELD has just returned from Egypt, where he was surprised to discover that no fewer than 250 ‘floating hotels’ now ply the waters between Luxor and Aswan, making noise and other pollution a problem in some spots. Still, overall the Nile retains its charm. Before that Paul was in Goa and Mallorca, and will shortly be heading off to Guernsey, Northern Cyprus and Corsica. His big Spring trip will be around Greece, to discover if the country has consolidated on the success of last year’s Olympic games and reinvented itself as a fashionable, must-visit destination. Editors seeking the answer please get in touch
Email: Paulmans1@aol.com; Telephone: ++ (0) 1273 50506
EUROPEAN RIVERS
SUE BRYANT’s latest book, The Sunday Times Guide to Buying a Property in Cyprus, is about to come out, published by Cadogan. Any commissions on Cyprus welcome, whether about property or general tourism; Sue has visited many times and will be on the island at least twice more in the next year or so
With Cyprus finished, Sue is now starting work on The Insight Guide to European River Cruises, which will be the only book of its kind, covering all rivers from the Dnieper to the Douro big enough to carry passenger vessels.
Any snippets from PRs welcome on European rivers, their history, things to see, river cruise vessels, special places to eat and drink or festivals along the rivers.
Email: sue@suebryant.eclipse.co.uk
GETTING EXCITED ABOUT A SHORTCUT
Ask SARAH WOODS what is so great about the home of the world’s greatest shortcut and she is unequivocal, citing wild un-trodden jungle, extraordinary wildlife and a mix of cultures as its heart.
"I've clocked up more than ½-million kms by visiting around 50 counties, but few have been as exhilarating as Panama," she admits. "This skinny squiggle of land tends to be overshadowed by its high-profile neighbours and largely ignored by tourists, but is home to 940 bird species, 1500 islands, 480 rivers, 125 unique species of wildlife and 40 jungle conservation areas, with surrounding off-shore waters rich in marine life."
Panama's vast expanses of wilderness support a biodiversity attributable to its crossroads location, a land bridge linking North and Central America comprising wetlands, grasslands, forests and coastal plains. More fishing records have been broken there than anywhere else on the planet, while Panama’s turtle nesting sites are some of the most important in the world. Festivals, parades and rituals celebrate Panama’s seven indigenous peoples, Spanish heritage and mixed ethnicities with gusto. From masked parades and Congo drumming to carnival floats and puberty rites, a riot of colour, noise and pride. Puma prowl and giant Harpy eagles roost just 45-minutes from the capital’s gleaming financial district.
"I hope the book inspires people from all over the world to discover Panama for themselves," says Sarah. "For although it's a land synonymous with straw hats, dictators, cigars and the Canal (aka the “Big Ditch”) it has much, much more to offer. It's an extraordinary country."
A veteran of volunteering, Sarah worked on turtle conservation projects in the archipelago of Bocas del Toro and spent time with the indigenous Embera Indian tribes of Panama City. Today she actively supports an SOS village for abandoned and orphaned children in the city of David, and writes about her Panama experiences for publishers all over the world.
For more information visit www.sarahwoods.co.uk. Panama by Sarah Woods is available from March 4th in all major bookshops countrywide. It can also be ordered online at www.amazon.com or from the publishers direct at www.bradtguides.com.
Notes: Sarah Woods (37) is British freelance travel writer. She divides much of her time between the UK and The Americas. Sarah is currently working on a documentary on the impact of tourism on Panama's indigenous Indian cultures for programme makers in New York. She is also about to embark on study part-time at Miami University.
Contacts: For more information on Panama or jpeg images contact the author Sarah Woods on T: 01767 600179 or the publisher Bradt Travel Guides on T: 01753 893444
THE BIG APPLE AND HIGH ROLLERS
Canadian travel writer LAURA BYRNE PAQUET has had a somewhat quiet winter, but she's making up for it with plans for a busy spring and summer! She has a number of assignments on the go about the places she knows best: Ontario, Quebec and the U.S. Northeast.
In January, she spent a long weekend in New York City, where among other things she researched a story for the Ottawa Citizen about seeing New York on a budget (number one tip: rent a flat instead of staying in extortionately priced hotels). February and March saw an extended stay in Toronto – anyone looking for stories about Canada's biggest city to coincide with the world premiere of the Lord of the Rings musical in Toronto in February 2006?
Travel plans this spring include a trip to Quebec City in April; an expedition to Saskatoon, in the heart of the Canadian Prairies, in May, and two trips to upstate New York in May and June. And she's rolling the dice on possible trips to Reno (July) and Las Vegas (September).
Contact: laura@cornerstoneword.com.
CHALLENGING WORK
Just days after taking part in a yet-to-be-screened University Challenge programme with three other journalists representing The Lady magazine, to which he contributes regularly, freelance writer and photographer RON TOFT was off to Malta where he gathered words and pictures on subjects as wide-ranging as prehistoric temples, a new lemon-based liqueur and traditional island crafts such as glass-blowing and lace-making. In late April and early May, Ron will be mixing business with family pleasure on Florida’s Gulf Coast where he has major assignments for two UK holiday/lifestyle magazines.
Other upcoming trips include the Shetland Islands (for traditional crafts); Gabon, Africa (to look at that country’s new network of national parks); Languedoc, France (to interview two Brits who run a successful vineyard); Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountains (to interview a former wedding photographer who now runs photographic holidays); and the Greek island of Kalymnos (for the sponge-diving festival in late August).
Editorial and photographic commissions always welcomed.
Email: ron.toft@btinternet.com
MODEST AS EVER (ed)
The only item of news from BRIAN JACKMAN is that he’s ‘…just won another travel writing prize – this time from the Spanish Tourist Office Award – best writer 2004 thanks to a piece I wrote for The Sunday Times Travel Mag about walking in the Picos de Europa.
Prize is a week for two at a Parador of my choice, plus Biz Class flights and a hire car. Estupendo!
Email: brian@spickhatch.freeserve.co.uk
ON THE WRITE (RAIL) TRACKS
Over the next two months TIM LOCKE will be working on the annual updates to the Independent Travellers Guides to Britain and Ireland, and Europe by Rail – both guides aimed at budget travellers using public transport.
I'm always interested in any commissions on the theme of rail travel in Europe.
Contact: Tim Locke ( www.timlocke.co.uk, tim@timlocke.co.uk)
FOLLOW THE CLOUD
Can't ski, won't ski, so why does a snow cloud persist in following CLAIRE BOWEN?
”At the end of January went to Nice for a few days r&r in the sunshine. But arrived to freezing temperatures and a flurry of snow. And this was the week following the snowless Monte Carlo Rally when everyone expects and prays for the fluffy white stuff.
Three weeks later I set off for Prosecco land. My first morning I woke to find the vines blanketed in white and watched television pics of gondolas down the road in Venice also swathed in snow. Hopes of driving the Strada del Vino were dashed.
Back to Italy in May. Wonder will it snow? It did when I went to Sicily for Easter a couple of years ago. Is it me?”
Email: claire.bowen@btconnect.com
HORSING ABOUT?
Horse-riding holiday specialist JOHN RULER is not only expanding into equestrian features generally, but plans to promote his photo library of more than 4,500 worldwide specialist shots. “I had not realised just how many I have. And a lot of them can be used to illustrate general travel features. I have some unique shots, for instance, of riding in Jordan’s Wadi Rum.”
John who has just completed a commissioned feature on horse-riding in Central London, is planning to widen the area for a similar feature on riding within the M25. He is also off to Wales this spring and later to Majorca for a slightly off-beat equestrian adventure – of which more later. He also has high hopes for a guide to riding holidays which has been on the back burner for two years.
Away from horses, his foray into local history sees “A Heritage Walk round Bromley” coming out this month (April) as part of a series for Ottakar’s. Last year he wrote a 25,000 word book on the history of the borough, again for Ottakar’s.
So for horses or history just e-mail rulered@btinternet.com
ON THE MOVE
CHRISTOPHER P BAKER asks “Can you please let everyone know that as of April 5, I'm relocating to Palm Springs while authoring a guidebook (I'm seeking a publisher!):
530 E. Simms Road Palm Springs, CA 92262 Tel. 760-327-9879 Fax 760-327-9884
Email and website remain the same: cpbaker@earthlink.net www.travelguidebooks.com
VISITING SPAS
MARI NOCHOLSON is concentrating on Spas these days, and is happy to take on more commissions as "There is just so much to write about these exotic additions to 5-star properties," she says, “especially as they relate to the surrounding area.”
She has just returned from Portugal where she attended the opening of the new Spa at Vila Sol Golf and Spa Resort in the Algarve, and is off next month to Austria to check out treatments before turning her attention on one or two super-luxury places in the UK.
Prior to this she covered the CHI Spa in the Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai and before that the Deverana Spa in Hua Hin, Thailand. "Someone's got to do it" she says.
Between being pummelled by the masseur and lathered in expensive creams she has visits lined up to Stratford-on-Avon for the Shakespeare Experience, and Warwick Castle. And even though she's been missed off that wedding list, she is still going to Windsor to write about the town and what there is to do there.
Happy to take on commissions on SPAS she has loved, Stratford, Windsor, London ghosts (her latest interest) and Belfast which she visits next week-end.
Contact: Mari Nicholson. Tel: 01983 402163; Email: mari@traveljournalist.co.uk
CRUISING SPEED
Voyaging in a motor caravan is like having a boat on land, allowing travel writer HEIDI FULLER-LOVE to moor up in hidden coves and hove-to in unspoilt places. Last July, par exemple, saw her sharing a cramped berth with Griffon vultures in the Javalembre Sierras. In August she weighed anchor in the heart of cognac country. By September she was sailing through Bulgaria in a sodden downpour and October's sweet winds saw her moseying at a leisurely pace along the pristine Croatian coast.
Grounded in southern France for the past month she's had time to scrub off some of the highway's barnacles. She currently awaits the Spring tides which will float her onward through perfumed heat to meet the Mellahs of southern Morocco.
Email: heidi.fuller-love@wanadoo.fr
BEATRIX NOT HARRY
GILLIAN THORNTON has been in the Lake District on the trail of the world's favourite Potter - not Harry, but Beatrix who's not only big in Britain and the US but is also a national hero in Japan. In the first few weeks of 2005, Gillian toured the southern Lakes and the Suffolk Heritage Coast, spent a tourist weekend in a London apartment, went walking in Jersey and visited Cite de la Mer, the restored transatlantic liner terminal in Cherbourg.
Dorset's Isle of Purbeck and the Jurassic Coast are next on the list for April, before a succession of trips to all corners of France and across to Corsica. June brings bear-watching in Finland and Mallorca is in the diary for August. But there are still gaps to fill and Gillian would love to hear from any PRs able to offer facility trips suitable for a silver wedding anniversary theme. She has three editors interested – a self-catering market, a middle market women's magazine, and an up-market over-50s title. All ideas seriously considered.
Contact: gillian.thorntons@btinternet.com
WILD TIMES SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Snorkeling with sea lions was the highlight of ELIZABETEH HANSEN’s recent trip to Mexico’s Sea of Cortés. “The pups have adorable faces and big brown eyes – kinda like beagles,” the travel writer/photographer says. “We also went over to the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula and got close to gray whale mamas and their babies and saw lots of dolphins.”
In spite of the wildlife, it was the scenery that made the most lasting impression. “The contrast of the vivid blue-green water in the Sea of Cortés and the rugged rust-colored hills all around was very dramatic. Capturing it on film was a real pleasure.”
Hansen, who specializes in Pacific Rim destinations, lives in La Jolla, California. She traveled through the area on a 22-passenger yacht. “The boat was a great platform for photography and it allowed us to experience the area first hand ? in addition to snorkeling, we kayaked, swam, and sailed,” she said.
Elizabeth Hansen is the travel editor of Ranch & Coast, San Diego’s luxury lifestyle magazine (www.ranchandcoast.com). She also freelances articles and sells stock photography with her husband Richard Adams.
Email: EHansen298@aol.com
SOMETHING OF A CHALLENGE
RACHEL F FREEMAN has been flitting between New York and Edinburgh, and is pleased to see the January 2005 publication of the Dorling Kindersley eGuide New York for which she was a main contributor. She updated an online guide about Glasgow for Northstar Media in November and plans to update another online guide to Warsaw in late Spring.
She's scoping out commission possibilities for her trip to France in May, and is beginning a rather unsuccessful attempt at rigorous training for the Scottish-based Caledonian Challenge on June 18/19th – 54 miles of the West Highland Way in 24 hours – in aid of Scottish charities and for the sheer madness/pleasure of the undertaking, and the hopes of writing a good story of the whole process to boot (pun intended?!).
Email: rachelff@aol.com
BACK ON THE GRINGO TRAIL
Latin America convert and adventure travel enthusiast DAVID ATKINSON is currently based out of La Paz, Bolivia, where he's authoring a brand new guidebook to Bolivia for Bradt Travel Guides (www.bradtguides.com).
This research is also fueling a series of commissions for the UK press with articles for Wanderlust and Geographical in the pipeline.
David would like to hear from any operators or PRs with contacts/clients in Bolivia and Latin America generally.
Meanwhile, his new monthly travel column starts in mid April; it will be hosted by Intrepid Travel (see www.intrepidtravel.com/atkinson) and syndicated to other online travel resources.
Read more of David's stories at www.travelintelligence.net/wsd/writers/writ_1163.html, or email him atkinson.david@mac.com.
David Atkinson Calle Melchor Perez #2518 4/F, esquina Rosendo Gutierrez La Paz, Bolivia Tel: 00 591 730 06708
Monthly travel column: www.intrepidtravel.com/atkinson UK representation: www.travelintelligence.net/wsd/writers/writ_1163.html
ISLAND AND MORE...
What is it about islands, asks SOLANGE HANDO? Corsica, Sardinia, Cyprus, Madeira...
Is it the wine? Well, that's just a sideline, I can give you much more.
Now how about the French Alps, Turkey or Morocco, or one of the best theme parks on the Med.? India perhaps? Just back from Rajasthan, Benares and the super erotic temples of Khajuraho. Great slides, too, and by tomorrow I will have mastered the new digital, so images coming up.
Interested? Give me a call, I'm only an email away.
Email: solange.travel@btinternet.com
FROM THE FROZEN NORTH TO THE SUNNY MED
JON SPARKS has just returned from Yllas in Finnish Lapland, where he was greatly relieved to find that his new digital SLR worked perfectly in temperatures down to -20, so he has lots of new pictures of both cross-country and downhill skiing as well as of a short trip on sleds drawn by huskies. He's beginning to count himself something of a Finnish specialist, with five trips to the country behind him – he's even managed to sell some pictures to the Finnish Tourist Board!
In a few weeks Jon will be off on a short cycling trip to Mallorca, where he fervently hopes it will be a little warmer!
Meanwhile Jon has a raft of books all due out very shortly:
Scrambles and Easy Climbs in Snowdonia (with Tom Hutton and Jerry Rawson) for Grey Stone Books. Portrait of Lancaster and Lancashire Moods - both picture books for Halsgrove. 40 Pub Walks & Cycle Rides: The Lake District and Cumbria for AA Publishing
Jon is currently working on Moods of the Lake District Tarns, for Halsgrove again, and hopes to confirm another title in the Scrambles and Easy Climbs series very shortly.
Contact: jsparks@dircon.co.uk
ON THE ROCKY ROAD
ALF ALDERSON is coming to the end of a six week road trip through the Rockies, taking in the ski resorts of Utah, Wyoming and Idaho by RV, then up to Canada to hit Sunshine Village, Kicking Horse ("kicking arse more like – sensational skiing," he says) and finally Red Mountain.
So, anything you want to know about this part of the world, give him a shout. And if you're after summer copy on Wales – or surfing in Oman – he's also yer man.
Email: alf@alfalderson.co.uk
IN THE PICTURE
Photographer GEOFFREY ROY is off with a group of expat friends from Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong in the first week of May to climb Mt Kinabalu and Mt Trusmadi in the Malaysian State of Sabah on the island of Borneo. I'm then following on from that with a trip to a new reserve on the coast called Weston Wetland area at the mouth of the Padas River for a bit of native exploring of the mangrove region to photograph Proboscis monkey.
Also beginning work on photographing British native orchids – mainly the 33 species that occur in Sussex – but I will probably suffer from Orchid Fever and want to do all 57 species (an almost impossible task).
Also developing a series of photographic tours for 2006 with their own dedicated website (www.kaatours.co.uk).On course for going live in the summer.
Email: geoffrey@kaaphoto.demon.co.uk
TO ST HELENA....AND BACK
PETER HUGHES’s recent travels have taken him to Bali, Bhutan, New York City, Rio, Namibia and South Africa. On the way he also got himself to St Helena. He even managed to get off again, an achievement that eluded Napoleon Bonaparte.
"Nothing will make St Helena less remote, but it is becoming more accessible," Hughes says. "Its supply ship is now based in the South Atlantic and is calling much more regularly. As it carries passengers, the island is now a practical add-on to holidays in either South Africa or Namibia."There is talk, too, of an airstrip.
St Helena has spectacular scenery and the house in which Napoleon spent his final days is fascinating, not least, because it is considered French territory and is maintained by France. There are downsides: no beaches, capricious weather and pretty basic accommodation, but for those who collect out-of-the-way places St Helena is something of a trophy.
Email: peter_hughes@liberty6.demon.co.uk
OFF HIS ROCK
Our man in the Canaries, JOE CAWLEY, has been let off the rock and is currently touring different regions of Spain. Words and pics of innumerable angles can be mailed with haste to any editors interested.
Nicaragua, 'the next Costa Rica' is also on the itinerary for Spring.
Interested parties contact writer@joecawley.co.uk. See www.joecawley.co.uk for non-fishy samples.
TEAM WORK
TRISH MANSFIELD-DEVINE is now editor of French-interest website www.frenchentree.com. In the interests of pure research she has been forced to sample local restaurants and beverages, and write, edit and commission articles on a wide range of subjects including property, food, lifestyle and travel. Her article on the Jardins des Renaudies in the Mayenne region has recently been published by Everything France magazine (with pix by Steve) and she has also become editor of a UK website for first-time-buyers, www.firstrungnow.com, where she will be in charge of expanding the site to cover international property markets.
During the dark months of the Normandy winter, STEVE MANSFIELD DEVINE has been beavering away at his corporate work but has also developed a new website, which is now online at: www.diverse-art.com. Diverse Arts is designed to profile the work of artists in any medium and includes his own fine-art and travel photography, and Trish's wearable art scarves. Also included are drawings by Doug Selway and work by award-winning jeweller, Susi Hines. Steve will soon be adding a gallery section to the site to sell work online and more artists in various media are set to join soon.
Emails: trish@webvivant.com steve@webvivant.com
CROCODILES AND CRUISES
British winter. What British winter? Just back from a World Cruise (well....half of one: Southampton to Sydney) and a two-week stay in Australia, ROBIN MEAD and VAL FIELD are sporting enviable suntans and busy unpacking a whole suitcase full of features. If you are planning a Cruising Supplement, or have an interest in nature-based travel articles, then Robin and Val can introduce you to characters ranging from the world's leading expert on paua shell jewellery to the man who saved the saltwater crocodile from extinction in Northern Australia.
Val (valfield@tiscali.co.uk) is also a destination shopping expert, although partner Robin (RobinRMead@aol.com) complains that she practices the art more than writing about it.
Check out their websites; they are:
SOMEBODY'S GOT TO DO IT
JOHN RADFORD - what's happening March-mid June 2005??? w/b 28-Mar-05: off to Burgundy tasting wine and eating lunch at Maison Louis Jadot as well as touring the area w/b 04-Apr-05: gastronomic event at The Waterside Inn, Bray (x2), off to Normandy covering gastronomic events in Montreuil-sur-Mer w/b 11-Apr-05: London-based conference on wines of La Mancha, Rioja tasting for wine glossy, tasting for professional organisation in Croydon w/b 18-Apr-05: off to Rotterdam for wine conference and tourism w/b 25-Apr-05: DECANTER magazine World Wine Awards in London w/b 02-May-05: lectures in Dublin for the wine board. Lots of Guinness w/b 09-May-05: off to Madrid>>Ciudad Real for FENAVIN (national wine fair) including conducting seminar on wine marketing w/b 16-May-05: er... Bugger all w/b 23-May-05: off to Málaga for visits around Granada and Almería w/b 30-May-05: wine symposium in Marbella, including conducting seminar on wines of Málaga w/b 06-Jun-05: a bit quiet (but one-man show at the Hawth, Crawley) w/b 13-Jun-05: off to Alicante for wine-tasting and tourism
It’s a tough old life.
Email: john@johnradford.com
BACK WITH THE BEDU
DI TAYLOR and partner Tony Howard of n.o.m.a.d.s. are currently back with the Bedu in the Middle East. Over in Israel/Palestine they are visiting a group of Bedouin who, having been forced to settle, are trying to survive in a beleaguered land by designing and selling Bedouin crafts of weaving and pottery. Whilst there they are also working on a trekking project for a Palestinian publication, based on their guide to Walks in Palestine. Then they are off to Syria whilst it’s still possible, before heading south to spend time with their Bedouin friends in Wadi Rum, Jordan, where they are involved in a Bedouin project, which originated from their guide to Treks and Climbs in Wadi Rum.
Email: di@nomadstravel.co.uk
Website: www.nomadstravel.co.uk
WAY OUT WEST
MIKE GERRARD recently spent two months in the USA, where he bought a house in Arizona with his wife DONNA DAILEY. In addition to their home in the UK, they now have an American base from which they can cover destinations from LA to New Orleans, and north into the Rocky Mountains. They are also only 20 miles from the Mexico border. During their travels they spent time in Iowa and Nebraska, several days in Denver, and a week in New Mexico. In Denver Donna met with the author Tamora Pierce, whose biography she is writing. While in Santa Fe they booked into the Galisteo Inn, only to find Steven Spielberg’s film crew there, shooting a 12-part TV series, “Into the West”. As well as researching a book, Mike was writing pieces for The Times and The Express. After a 10-day turnaround, Mike and Donna set off for three weeks on Corfu, where they were researching the AA’s new Spiral Corfu guide, and Mike was writing a piece on Corfu Town for The Times.
Email: mail@mikegerrard.com Email: donna@dailey99.freeserve.co.uk
ANYONE FOR POLO?
After nearly freezing to death in Latvia and Istanbul, TINA WALSH’s next trip will be to the warmer climes of Pakistan. Travelling along the Karakorum Highway (built on part of the old silk routes), she will pay a visit to a non-Muslim tribe descended from Alexander the Great and try and get a ticket to the world's highest polo match.
She's also looking for outlets for a possible trip to Agra, India, where a UK charity is helping to re-employ the owners of 'dancing bears' and put the animals in a sanctuary. Apart from that, she has some good ideas for European destinations (particularly France and Turkey) and, on the insistence of her parents who live there, has just spent a week driving round the Yorkshire Moors – not the most exotic of destinations but they take some beating.
Email: walsh_tina2002@yahoo.co.uk
HEADING FOR DARKEST MID WALES
A very busy start to 2005 for photographer NICK JENKINS with two exciting projects getting off the ground. Firstly agreement has been reached with the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority to supply a steady stream of new images of the Park during 2005. These will cover a range of subjects including landscape scenes, rural crafts, people at work, buildings, in fact anything associated with 'Park Life'.
The second project involves Nick disappearing into deepest Mid Wales to provide a portfolio of images of the Heart of Wales Railway Line with and without trains. Trouble is Red Kites keep getting in the way of the shots!
Work with CADW (Welsh Heritage) continues throughout 2005, as Nick photographs battle re-enactments and historical events being faithfully re-created in castles and locations run by CADW. (don't stand in front of the archers, Nick).
A new book, 'Mid Wales Moods', is on target for release later this year. Part of the 'Moods' series published by Halsgrove, the book will show Mid Wales in all its rugged best!
Photography courses/breaks continue apace this year, Nick having joined HF Holidays as a Landscape Photography tutor. The things this boy will do to get paid holidays. Other clients still include Light and Land Photographic Holidays, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority and Coleg Gwent.
And finally............Nick has joined a photo library - www.theimagefile.com - where a huge repository of his very best stock shots is building up. These range from big landscape views (all over the UK and abroad) to close up images of rusty padlocks and barn doors. In other words, if it's a good picture and it's outdoors you'll find it!
Email: nick@freespiritimages.fsnet.co.uk Website: http://www.freespiritimages.com Mobile: 07876 624185
OUT AND ABOUT
ROBIN McKELVIE is currently working on the Dorling Kindersley Top 10 Guide to Dubrovnik and Dalmatia after finishing the Globetrotter Guide to Croatia. His Bradt Ljubljana comes out in April and Bradt Slovenia in May.
Trips this year, apart from a number of visits to Croatia and Slovenia, include out to Amsterdam, Venice, Milan, Lisbon, Dubai, Oslo, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Spain. Writing over 100 articles a year for magazines and newspapers in the UK and US, Robin is also occasionally available for press trips.
Email: robinmckelvie@hotmail.com
AHEAD OF THE RUSH
PETER and LENI GILLMAN have been in Turin, reporting on one of Italy's less appreciated cities for the British press.Turin resembles a construction site right now as the city prepares for the 2006 Winter Olympics, so get ready as the advance publicity machine gets into gear. But you can still detect the charm of a city with piazzas, palaces, courtyards, art galleries, museums and a mélange of architectural styles dating back to Roman times. Plus it has the backdrop of the Dolomites, where the Olympic ski events will be held. It's a great city for foodies too, and the Gillmans bumped into Italian superchef Antonio Carluccio on the way in at Turin airport. The sumptuous Piedmont countryside is another attraction, and the Gillmans took the train out to Asti, a gem of a town with a gem of a restaurant, the Convivio Vina e Cucina. Turin can't quite rival the A list tourist cities such as Venice and Florence, but it has a lot to offer, and editors will be looking out for familiarisation copy as the Olympics approach.
Contact: petergillman@clara.co.uk
DOWN UNDER…AND LOVING IT
TERRY MARSH is currently in Australia with wife, Viv, son Martin, and partner (his, not mine) Amanda. Another two weeks will see the kids winging home, while mum and dad fly to Darwin to begin a 2000-mile drive through the Simpson Desert to Adelaide. Bumming around in Adelaide and/or Kangaroo Island for a week, then finishing this seven-week trip in style on the Indian-Pacific train, from Adelaide to Perth.
Back home, Terry is working on a book for the AA – The Colors of Australia. No, I didn't spell it incorrectly, it’s for the US market.
A week in Hérault follows, then two weeks away in Kent and France in a mobile home, writing for various UK mags. Back at the beginning of June, before heading over to the Isle of Man to organise the annual walking festival there.
Contact: terrymarsh@wpu.org.uk
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