What are the finest Bucket-List trips you’re longing to give—and take? We pick our favourites, from London to Venice on the Orient-Express to a luxury Alaskan cruise before the glaciers melt. These are dreams that stay with you for life. Here we list the very best. 1. Alaska Cruise The raw, unspoiled beauty of the […]
Nothing in wine is more revealing than a blind tasting, both in professional circles and among friends. At one memorable event, among many distinguished Masters of Wine, I scored the Second Wine of Château Lafite Rothschild higher than the Grand Vin itself. Embarrassment turned to quiet satisfaction when some of my fellow tasters did the […]
Illustrious careers are made and lost in a single afternoon in June on the Epsom Downs, when the finest three-year-old colts in Europe meet to decide which will enter Turf history as pre-eminent in its year. Ian Balding, who trained Mill Reef to win in 1971, reveals what makes it the greatest test of horse […]
The fly-rod is a key to scenes unsurpassed in any other sport. As the hardy spring salmon exponents return to the rivers, marvel again at the hope, the expectation, and, most of all, the fish. Across more than 40 years, Dr William B Currie enriched the game fishing world with his writings on salmon, salmon […]
Any chance to fish the River Spey is exciting, but for me this visit is also a pilgrimage. Memory was stirred. Returning to Spey at such a time of hope felt like a mission of discovery. Were the recent spring and summer improvements merely a flash in the pan, or signs of radical and long […]
The spectacular round of parties and sport which is the English Season naturally includes Henley Royal Regatta—the perennial English river party, an extravaganza of giant young rowers, blue-and-white marquees, gentlemen wearing striped blazers and boaters, and ladies in their summer dresses and flowery hats. The rowing itself perhaps does not interest more than a minority—most […]
People ask me what makes a good polo pony and in response I could point them in the direction of the runners in a major sprint race at Royal Ascot as a pretty good comparison. After all, the polo pony is of a similar make and shape and will often reach very high speeds while […]
Most Guns seek quality in their shooting, and that magic ingredient which makes the day special for themselves and their guests, be they family, friends or clients. But what is true quality, and where is it to be found? How can we measure such an ephemeral ingredient? To quantify an experience and the concept of […]
Whether or not we believe in global warming is irrelevant. The fact is that all political Parties have signed up to this new religion and it will have a material effect on our lives and on the landscape. As the Government, egged on by ‘sustainable fascists’, urges, indeed threatens to force us to make our […]
Few airports weigh the passengers along with their baggage but the one at Nicaragua’s Big Corn is special, even by the standards of those in remote areas. The size of a large garage, it is run by two cheerful, watermelon-eating girls who manhandle the baggage and direct passengers on to a marvellous old Fairbanks Morse […]
How to make the most of a city that seduces with its sublime art and architecture, while escaping the tourist hordes? Matthew Barker, who lived and worked there, reveals his inside knowledge on the secrets of seeing Florence as the Florentines do. For all its ravishing beauty, Florence can be maddeningly crammed at times, especially […]
The chance of a visit to the Tyne is not to be missed. To add extra spice to the prospect, my friend called to say that the word from the lower river was of a good run of early salmon. Being by nature an opportunist, I drove down over a wet and windy Carter Bar, […]
It is interesting to speculate over whether any self-respecting gunmaker has in mind the eventual demise of the product of his labours. In view of the many hundreds of hours spent in building a best gun, I think that nothing of the sort will enter his mind. As with any great creative process, the gunmaker, […]
We are still masters of our nation’s future, if we awaken to our rights in time (not forgetting our responsibilities). The State Opening of Parliament—the mother of parliaments no less. This has been where our laws were passed and our rights upheld. Is this to be continued? Or do gentlemen in Brussels know best? BY […]
I am travelling home. A few months since I moved to Switzerland as a journalist for Reuters, Rome is calling. And for good reason: my grandmother, Stella, is turning 100. As I fly over the Swiss Alps I picture once more the city in which I was born and grew up. Distinctive features make Rome […]
What makes some horses win, and most of them lose? Not always talent, speed or jumping ability. The former champion steeplechase jockey analyses an unknown quantity. BY PETER SCUDAMORE The most courageous horses I have ridden have not necessarily been the most talented. They are the horses which will really battle for you. As with […]
A distinguished officer and foxhunter pays a moving tribute to a paratrooper wounded in action in Afghanistan. He defines, as far as anybody can, the shared qualities that go to making soldiers and sportsmen alike. By Major-General Arthur Denaro CBE I knew he was going to fall three strides out, the young cavalry officer who […]
It is one of those rare early Spring afternoons of pristine skies and eye-dazzling sunshine. The ancient stone of York Minster is shining white on the skyline. The city wall snakes away into the distance, and the white roses of Yorkshire, which decorate the elegant span of Lendal Bridge, are gleaming. York is a pearl […]