A long day with our driver travelling across the countryside of Rajasthan to our hotel in Rohet, just outside Jodhpur. What a journey. In the morning stopped to visit the Kumbhalgarth Fort which is a massive 15th century structure set high on remote hills and has been the most impregnable fort in the area. In the afternoon we stopped a the Adinath Temple at Ranak;pur. The 15th century temple complext is one of the 5 great holy places of the Jain faith. Eventually arrived at our hotel at about 7.00 pm to a very warm welcome and great excitement as they were waiting to tell us that we had been allocated the smartest suite in the hotel. It is a great space of a suite with a 10' wide bed, a mezzanine floor with a sitting ... read more

Days 2 and 3 spent sightseeing in Delhi. We saw tombs and mosques and wonderful heritage sites but the lasting impression is not just of the great historical places but the whole experience of being in a city of 16 million people, of traffic and rickshaws and cyclists and people filling the roads and pavements, of shanty towns and crumbling streets where everyone is going about their business, cows on the central reservations, sleeping dogs, sleeping people sometimes, of the colour and chaos and noise of it all. Some of the photos reflect this. Then, in another mood of the city, the grand and glorious Lutyens architecutre: the government buildings and the presidential palace and the whole vision for New Delhi of wide and leafy avenues and order and space.... read more

Last year I set about walking the Shakespeare's Avon Way. This is a long distance walk of 88 miles following the River Avon from its source near to Naseby in Northamptonshire to where it meets the River Severn at Tewkesbury. The walk does not follow the river bank from beginning to end as that would be impossible. The Way does its best to keep as close to the river as it can but every now and again one is diverted away from the Avon and this means the occasional walk along country lanes. Last year I set off from Naseby and got to Evesham in 4 days leaving me to complete the stretch from Evesham to Tewkesbury. Today was set aside to do the 8 mile stretch from Evesham to Pershore. This was a pleasant walk ... read more

What does one do on a cold and very wet Sunday morning in South Devon? A walk on Dartmoor or along the coastal footpath is out of the question in this weather. In South Devon and not too far from Totnes there is a garden which is spiritually uplifting in any weather. It is a delight to walk through and the scenery changes through out the seasons. This is a garden that is open to the public but is not widely publicised. It is not in my interest to reveal this ''secret'' but if you decide to visit Totnes you should not have too many problems discovery its identity. There is a clue. There is a Henry Moore in the garden. As an added bonus there is a pub very close by where our walk was ... read more

Arrived back in Totnes in the early hours of 14th after setting off from Lima on 12th. Iberian flight from Lima to Madrid has ben marked as below average. No small screen on back of seats in front so stuck with the 2 set films. Food pretty dreadful. Lets hope the BA merger sorts this airline out. Then Madrid to London on Iberian with a delay in departure but no explanation or apology offered. Drinks and food charged at silly prices. After Heathrow it was the Rail Air coach to Reading and then the train to Totnes which collected a few young Friday night revellers along the way. Carriage was like a rowdy youth club at times. Arrived in Totnes just after midnight to be met by Lynne who insisted on snapping me on the platform. ... read more