If you walked around the little village of Flamstead in Hertfordshire this weekend, you may have seen Peppa Pig in a front garden. And some Minions. And Jeremy Corbyn. And the cast of Scooby Doo. All of them trying to … Continue reading The scary way to save a church
Also, what flavour of food do they dislike? These were a couple of the questions to which we heard the answers on a trip to Tiggywinkles, the world’s leading wildlife hospital. Tiggywinkles – named after the Beatrix Potter character – … Continue reading How do you make a hedgehog blue?
The historian Eric Hobsbawm used to refer to “invented traditions”; the peculiar process of swan upping is what he might have called a re-invented tradition. Its origins go back many centuries, perhaps as far as the 12th century when the … Continue reading Down by the river…
There’s something reassuring about Bekonscot, which sits unobtrusive off the main street of Beaconsfield’s new town area. In an age of VR headsets and Skype, Bekonscot’s attractions are solidly old-fashioned. And yet when it was new, it was so new … Continue reading The original model village
Not many people would, probably, put the words “Luton” and “culture” together. Luton has such a bad reputation that it’s even been voted the UK’s worst town. A drive round the centre can be depressing and confusing. Yet some of … Continue reading Teacups and trucks
Slow Travel: The Chilterns and Thames Valley 