Travel Books

Scotland’s Highlands & Islands: Toolkit

A travel guidebook chapter for Lonely Planet, August 2025

"When venturing out of the big cities and into the more remote corners of the Highlands and islands, expect prices to rise significantly. Especially for essentials like petrol and groceries..."

Scotland’s Highlands & Islands: Plan A Trip

A travel guidebook chapter for Lonely Planet, August 2025

"Now I go every year. Because that’s the thing about the Highlands and islands: they aren’t somewhere you visit just once. This is a region that seizes your soul and refuses to let go..."

England: Hadrian’s Wall and the Northeast

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, August 2025

"England's Northeast has wide-open spaces, curiously charming fishing towns and villages, and ancient abbeys and castles that are all the more romantic for their often-ruinous state..."

England: Canterbury and the Southeast

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, August 2025

"Surrey, Kent, and Sussex form the breadbasket of England, where bucolic farmland stretches as far as the eye can see, dotted only with great historic castles and beautiful stately homes..."

Great Britain: Sporting Britain

A guidebook article for Lonely Planet, July 2025

"During the 18th and 19th centuries, Britons codified major sports including tennis, cricket, golf, field hockey, billiards, bowls, netball, water polo, baseball, horse racing, squash and boxing..."

Great Britain: A Divided Kingdom?

A guidebook article for Lonely Planet, July 2025

"Two historical referendums, one on Scottish independence (result: remain) and another on Brexit (result: leave), have revealed deep divisions between Britain's three member nations..."

Great Britain: Meet the British

A guidebook article for Lonely Planet, July 2025

"For many Britons, their identity is specific to their country, their region or even their city. For me, it’s more general than that. The conclusion I've come to is this: I am British, not English..."

Scotland: Southern Scotland

A travel guidebook chapter for Lonely Planet, June 2025

"Romantic history is found everywhere in southern Scotland’s lowlands - helping bring to life its wellspring of ruined abbeys, stately mansions, heathery hills and salmon-stocked rivers..."

Scotland: Glasgow

A travel guidebook chapter for Lonely Planet, June 2025

"The best way to sum up Glasgow? Just look at the equestrian sculpture in front of the city's Gallery of Modern Art. It’s a statue of the Duke of Wellington with a traffic cone on his head..."

Scotland: Edinburgh

A travel guidebook chapter for Lonely Planet, June 2025

"It all began with fire and rock. The rugged, rangy landscape of modern-day Edinburgh was formed by three great volcanoes, which rose together here around 350 million years ago..."

Scotland: Orkney and Shetland Islands

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, September 2024

"Scandinavian heritage gives the 170 islets that make up Orkney and Shetland a history and an atmosphere different from that of any other Scottish region. They're bleak but beautiful..."

Scotland: Inverness and Around the Great Glen

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, September 2024

"The Great Glen is world-famous for its hill walking, with some of the best routes around Glen Nevis, Glencoe and Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain. Look out for golden eagles..."

Essential Europe: Hungary

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, August 2024

"Budapest, an old-world city with a throbbing urban pulse, is a must-stop on any trip to Central Europe, while Szentendre and Eger offer up majestic hilltop castles and cobblestone streets..."

Essential Europe: Czech Republic

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, August 2024

"Even in tourist-heavy Prague, the sense of history - stretching back through centuries of wars, empires, and monuments to everyday life - remains unspoiled by the trappings of modernity..."

By Foot: Hiking the Rheinsteig, Germany

An article for Unforgettable Journeys Europe: A DK Eyewitness Book, March 2023

"Explore some of Germany’s most appealing landscapes on this epic hike. The north-to-south trail leads through forest-blanketed hills, sun-soaked vineyards and chocolate-box villages..."

By Rail: Luxembourg City to Troisvierges

An article for Unforgettable Journeys Europe: A DK Eyewitness Book, March 2023

"The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg may fit into France over 200 times, but it packs in an awful lot. Take a (free) train from its pretty capital to explore its forest-covered hills and rich history..."

By Bike: The Moselle, Luxembourg-Germany

An article for Unforgettable Journeys Europe: A DK Eyewitness Book, March 2023

"This cycling trail begins in Schengen, a little-known border village with a world-famous name. Head north on the riverside path - and through charming villages backed by lush vineyards..."

By Road: The Hanseatic League Cities, Germany

An article for Unforgettable Journeys Europe: A DK Eyewitness Book, March 2023

"Long before the EU, there was the Hanseatic League. This medieval alliance of trading guilds began with a handful of north German market towns. This driving tour links the best of them..."

Riga, Latvia: An Alternative to Prague

An article for Go Here Instead: A DK Eyewitness Book, October 2022

"What’s remarkable about this capital isn't just its collection of medieval, Gothic and Baroque buildings, but its turn-of-the-20th-century ones - Riga is a hub of Art Nouveau architecture..."

Montenegro’s Islands

An article for Go Here Instead: A DK Eyewitness Book, October 2022

"From lushly forested islets fringed by gorgeous sweeps of sand to a human-made mound of rock topped with a 17th century church, each Montenegrin island offers something different..."

Church of St Sava in Belgrade, Serbia

An article for Go Here Instead: A DK Eyewitness Book, October 2022

"With its enormous size, cross-shaped floorplan and commanding dome, Belgrade's Church of Saint Sava was clearly modelled on Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia. But there is so much more to it..."

The Walls of Ston, Croatia

An article for Go Here Instead: A DK Eyewitness Book, October 2022

"Tying up the northeastern edge of Croatia’s Peljesac peninsula like an unbreakable bow, the stunning Walls of Ston ('Europe’s Great Wall') is the world's second-longest defensive barrier..."

DK Eyewitness Prague

A travel guidebook (extract) for DK Eyewitness, September 2022

"A long and rich history has bequeathed Prague a wealth of unique artistic treasures, from Gothic sculpture and Baroque painting to interwar design and contemporary installations..."

Europe by Foot: Carpathian Mountains

An article for Unforgettable Journeys: A DK Eyewitness Book, October 2020

"Emerald forests, medieval castles and wildflower-dusted mountains - explore the continent’s last great wilderness on a four-day hike through Romania’s incredible Carpathian Mountains..."

Europe by Water: Island Hopping in Croatia

An article for Unforgettable Journeys: A DK Eyewitness Book, October 2020

"Scattered all around Croatia’s sun-drenched coastline are more than 1,000 idyllic islands and islets. Take to the water on this laid-back voyage to explore five of the prettiest by sail boat..."

Europe by Foot: Julian Alps Peak Walk

An article for Unforgettable Journeys: A DK Eyewitness Book, October 2020

"This alpine amble through Slovenia's spectacular Triglav National Park guarantees sweeping mountain scenery, ancient fir-tree forests, glistening glacial pools and enchanting waterfalls..."

Europe by Bike: Transylvania

An article for Unforgettable Journeys: A DK Eyewitness Book, October 2020

"Transylvania isn’t all about Dracula; this in-the-saddle adventure bypasses the mythology and explores the reality of this remarkable Romanian region and its beautiful, time-worn villages..."

Europe by Foot: Tatra Mountains

An article for Unforgettable Journeys: A DK Eyewitness Book, October 2020

"Skirting the mountainous border between Poland and Slovakia, this circular hike to and from Kuznice takes in the park's most spectacular scenery, from its craggy cliffs to its thick forests..."