Categories Archives: Fun stuff

Rubbing shoulders with royalty

A walk along the riverside in Richmond upon Thames, south-west London, is always a treat and I feel privileged to pass this pretty waterfront every day on my commute to and from the Travel PR offices in St Margaret’s.     Amongst the myriad attractions to enjoy at the moment is no less than the [...]

Why do I want to visit Corniglia?

I have always been interested in the why of travel: why people want to visit a particular destination, and how that desire comes about. Often it comes from the media, of course, and that is where Travel PR and our rivals come in, working with the press.  But equally often, I think, there are other [...]

Nafplion old town, Greece – and a shop selling Komboloi (worry beads)

In Greece, you often see men sitting over a coffee or an ouzo, fiddling with their Komboloi (worry beads). It seems an exclusively male pursuit, as I have never seen a woman even sitting in a cafe, let alone playing with worry beads – but perhaps local women sit at home and worry instead? It [...]

The Devil’s property portfolio

An unlikely property mogul, the Devil nevertheless boasts an extensive portfolio including a mountain, a set of cascading waterfalls, several pools and a sinkhole. Prince of Darkness, Lord of the Underworld, Beelzebub’s BFF, Old Nick; whatever you want to call him, the Devil’s one of Earth’s most long-standing property developers, only lagging a couple of [...]

The Nemean Games – run the 100m in an original Greek stadium

When did you last have the opportunity to run the 100m in one of the original Greek stadia dating back to 300 BC, your name being announced as you emerge, blinking and barefoot, from the dark of an ancient tunnel into the bright sunshine of the stadium, having just changed into a white tunic in the [...]

26-mile charity walk – the training begins!

Helena and I have started our training regime for the one-day, 26-mile London Stadia Trekathon, taking in the sites of the 2012 Olympics, that the two of us are undertaking on 13 May. We are treating it seriously – investing in incredibly comfortable (but not at all stylish) footwear and a pedometer, and setting off [...]

As dead as a dodo… or is it?

Fine white-sand beaches. Clear warm water. Tropical fish. These were all things I had expected on a recent trip to Mauritius. The dodo, however, was not on the list. Thinking about it now, of course I knew the dodo was Mauritian but, before I arrived, I hadn’t put two and two together – and therefore [...]

Learning about red kites on a girlie weekend

Five best girlfriends, an introduction to red kites and a boutique hotel in the bucolic Chilterns. What more could you want for a good old weekend away?! We arrived in our gladrags to a puzzled reception.  ”Are you the walking group?” enquired the hotel manager, sounding sceptical.  “Hmm – well, we’ve booked a short-break package that [...]

Promoting St Margaret’s on Pinterest

There can be no doubt which social-media platform is trending right now. (Photo of a sleepy local lane) Pinterest has, in the last two months, surged in popularity and public profile in a way I can only ever remember the social-media daddies – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube – doing previously.  In December, I asked a fairly [...]

The Artistic Doors of Funchal, Madeira

Guest blog by Oliver Broad, Chairman of AITO Specialist Travel Agents. Oliver recently travelled to the Portuguese island of Madeira to finalise plans for the AITO and AITO Agents combined overseas conference, being held on the island from 14-17 June 2012. During his trip, he was particularly fascinated by what local artists have done to doors in Madeira’s [...]