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Atomic kittens
Smudge, Flo, Alby and that other one who used to cower behind the sofa whose name escapes me - four little bundles of joy gone from my life forever, but never to be forgotten. What the hell am I on...
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An interview with Peter Schmeichel
He's 8' 7", weighs 25 stone and shot to fame while trying to catch fast-moving balls in the 1990s.That's right - it's Denmark's famous honorary Mancunian and ex Premier League superstar goalkeeper...
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George Orwell lives
Almost two months ago, I started a blog by writing: "They say you should never meet your heroes - that they won't live up to expectations, that you'll be disappointed."Well, having met Lee 'Scratch'...
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The Standard Hotel, New York: A review
It's a place where passers-by can watch you defecate to their heart's content, where champagne-glugging models take their clothes off in front of your disbelieving eyes and where floor-to-ceiling views...
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An interview with Michael Palin
What do the North and South Poles, the Sahara Desert and my office have in common? They've all been trodden on by Britain's nicest man, Michael Palin. And while I couldn't make the Poles or the desert,...
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The Amsterdam Cat Museum and other tails
If there's one thing that's defined my 2012, it's cats. There have literally been litter loads of them. So it seemed fitting to cap off the year by heading to Amsterdam - a city that puts up its stray...
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Snow in London: Slightly clichéd photographs
Occasionally, the mercury plummets to such depths that it becomes too cold to snow. Which is, of course, absolutely untrue - the people spouting such myths clearly haven't roamed the snowy wastelands...
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Michael Lee Johnson's on foot to freedom: Walking from Beijing to London
Imagine clambering aboard an aeroplane in London bound for Beijing. In just ten-and-a-half hours, your jet-propelled metal cocoon will have carried you more than 5,000 miles en route to the Chinese...
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Shard: View from the top
At 309m it's the tallest building in Europe (by tallest in Europe I mean western Europe, and by tallest I mean second-tallest after the 324m Eiffel Tower; though that's not technically a building...
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Travis Elborough on London Bridge in America: The Tall Story of a...
I sat down for a chat with the lovely Travis Elborough, author of London Bridge in America: The Tall Story of a Transatlantic Crossing, to talk about one the most bizarre chapters in Anglo-American...
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Robert Macfarlane on walking, writing and judging the 2013 Man Booker Prize
Imagine putting your coat on, opening the front door, closing it behind you and turning the key (you may not have to imagine the last bit if you have a door that locks itself, in which case I deeply...
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A slightly cynical Sri Lanka travel guide
Lonely Planet named it the top country to visit in 2013, Rick Stein told us to "go there because the curries are so good, the beaches are so unspoiled and the countryside will charm you" and, much to...
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London Marathon 2013: The Mad Hatter and other characters
This isn't a nightmare. This is happening. The Mad Hatter is hurtling towards you with the likely intent of your kidnap and subsequent smuggling to Wonderland. Fortunately, you just so happen to have a...
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Kelis, sledging and Iceland's unpronounceable volcano
Clambering aboard a sledge in the middle of June and sliding down an icecap while listening to Kelis: an activity worthy of gracing anyone's bucket list. Apart from Kelis's, perhaps. Or Bjork's....
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I'm going to Cumbum
On Monday evening I’ll be embarking on a voyage of discovery, flying east from London to Mumbai. The plan was to explore the sights of one of the world’s most fascinating countries, but after a few...
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I went to Mumbai and this is what happened...
Day 1When I woke up this morning I didn’t expect to be treated to a display from the Indian Army’s bomb disposal team. Then again, I didn’t actually sleep – I spent most of the evening sitting in...
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I went to the Konkan coast and this is what happened...
Day 5The journey to Murud, a little-known destination on the Maharashtran coast around 150 kilometres south of Mumbai, took approximately six hours - not necessarily because the roads are shite, but...
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I went to Goa and this is what happened...
Days 9-11August 2008: Gordon Brown was fumbling around the prime minister’s office, the English football team were halfway through their four-year hiatus from tournament football, and I was enjoying...
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I went to Hampi and Bangalore and this is what happened...
Thursday 30th JanuaryThe eagle-eyed pedants among you will notice that I’m now using dates rather than days. The reason is simple: I’m so awful at maths that even basic sequential patterns baffle me,...
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I went to Coorg, Kannur, Mysore and Ooty (phew) and this is what happened…
Wednesday 5th - Thursday 6th FebruaryIt’s never a nice feeling when your taxi doesn’t turn up, and by the time I flagged a rickshaw to take me to Bangalore station I wasn’t particularly confident about...
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