He was a giant - 7 feet 2 inches tall, with a bushy white beard and specs resting part of the way down his nose. He wore a long, red robe with gold braid and badges, and a tricorn hat. His name was Martin. We were standing outside the Tourist Information Office in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire in the West Midlands, about nine miles (14 kms) east of the border with Wales. The giant was officially the url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7169195/Pictured-the-worlds-tallest-town-crier-who-stands-7ft-2ins-tall.htmltallest town crier in the world. Today, however, Martin Wood had left his bell at home and was to be our guide on a walking tour of the town. "First of all", he said in his best Hagrid voice*, "let me tell you about the Romans." "They never got here", he added. ... read more

If you're going to visit a stately home's garden, there's no better way to do it than with the Head Gardener. So it was, in March this year, that we attended another special event for English Heritage members at Eltham Palace, the boyhood home of Henry VIII and, in the 1930s, of the wealthy textile magnates Stephen and Virginia Courtauld. You'll find it in the Borough of Greenwich in south-east London, a 15-minute walk from either Eltham or Mottingham railway stations, or off Court Road, London SE9 5QE on your SatNav. If you have a Blue Badge, you get to enter by a special gate and to drive across the moat by the oldest bridge in London. We'd been here before to tour the inside of the house, ably guided on provided headphones by the voice ... read more

Last night, my wife and I attended the unveiling of the largest photobook in the world. This was the result of an "Around the World in 80 Days" contest held by photo processing company PhotoBox that attracted over 30,000 entries. The giant photobook, nicknamed BookZilla, stands 6 metres x 4 metres (19.6 feet x 13ft) and was displayed in one of the high-ceilinged galleries at the Old Truman Brewery in East London. The unveiling was attended by press, photographers and most of the winners and shortlisted runners-up (of which I was one - shortlisted that is, not a winner!). We all enjoyed drinks and snacks from around the world as well as admiring the 450 or so winning and shortlisted pictures. The photobook has been entered for a Guinness World Record. There doesn't appear to be ... read more

Thursday 10 June Tregrehan (pronounced Trgrain), nearby beaches at Polkerris and Porthpean, and Charlestown We reached our rented holiday cottage in Tregrehan Gardens in the late afternoon. The key was in the door, there was milk in the fridge, and tea and coffee in the cupboard. The cottage, reached by an impressive winding driveway through parkland grazed by sheep, is actually part of a converted coach house. The adjoining buildings have huge doors fit for the grandest of horse-drawn carriages. Strangely, this cottage is called Game Keepers. It’s reminiscent of a cottage we’ve rented in the past at Aberglasney Gardens in Wales (see our blog: ). We found it comfortable and very well-equipped, although perhaps in need of a little up-d... read more

Monday 14 June Padstow, Bedruthan Steps, Trerice, St Mawes, St Just-in-Roseland Today, we visited Padstow. Rick Stein wasn't anywhere to be seen. His pub, patisserie, shop, café-cum-bed and breakfast, restaurant, delicatessen, and fish and chip shop certainly were, however! Padstow isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's pretty in parts, disappointing in parts, and full of emmets, of which we were just two. In Devon, we'd have been called 'grockles'. The town still has a small working harbour and fish or seafood seem to be the things to eat - at least, judging by menus outside the cafés, restaurants and pubs that were on every corner. We couldn't leave without being able to say we'd eaten at Rick Stein's, so queued with dozens of others of like... read more