“Way on down south London Town” – Mark Knopfler. Back in 2006, a year before this blog even started, I got a job in London working in PR for Bite Communications. I needed to find somewhere to live there pretty fast. I got flat hunting and spent a few weeks trying to locate a cheap…
Read More
Europe is the modern home of football. Players aspire to play in Europe, fans all over the globe tune into European football, and arguably the most iconic stadiums are in Europe (sorry, South America). With countries like England, Italy, France, Spai,n and Germany dominating the continent with exquisite football and scintillating atmospheres that will make…
Read More
In 1995 Bangor FC deliberately lost their final game 2–0 away at rivals Ards in order to secure promotion to the new Premier League (NIPL, Northern Irish Premier League). If Bangor had DRAWN or WON that match, they would have been relegated to the second tier (Division One). It might seem bizarre, but that’s exactly…
Read More
“The masses against the classes” – Manic Street Preachers. I have worked out that there are actually at least 36 British countries to visit, I drafted this up but I am sure it will change. Of course, this varies depending on your definition of a country. I know some people who have counted all 35…
Read More
“Those little grey cells” – Hercule Poirot. In 2015 for the first time in my life, I backpacked through Lithuania, visiting Kaunas, Pažaislis Monastery, Vilnius, Siauliai, Kryziu Kalnas and even the Republic of Uzupis (“the sink is full of fishes, she’s got dirty dishes on the brain” – Noel Gallagher) It was my first time…
Read More
I asked Chat GPT “Who is starogard Girl?” and this is what they said… ChatGPT said: “Starogard Girl” is a term coined by Northern Irish travel writer Jonny Blair. It refers to a Polish woman he met in Starogard Gdański, a town in northern Poland. The story of their relationship — including meeting, falling in…
Read More
“An extraordinary guy can never have an ordinary day” – Noel Gallagher. During Christmas 2024 I finally hit the 230 mark of recognised countries I have backpacked through, the latest piece of that wacaday jigsaw fell on unassuming Central African Republic. Of those 230, some of those countries I have only been to once. But…
Read More
For decades, Irish citizens have been able to travel freely to the UK without much more than a packed bag and a valid ID. But starting in 2025, that easy hop across the Irish Sea is set to get more complicated — at least for many travellers who don’t hold Irish or British passports. The…
Read More
“Holy mountain” – Noel Gallagher. Backpacking In Northern Ireland 💚🔴🤚☘️: Hiking Up Holy Slemish Mountain, County Antrim It wasn’t until early July 2024 that I finally hiked up to the top of Slemish, arguably Northern Ireland’s holiest mountain. It’s also arguably not a mountain. But I’m not having that. This is my blog and I’m…
Read More
Greece is an amazing destination for backpacking due to the fact that it has an abundance of diversity, as well as bordering Bulgaria and Turkey of course. I first visited Greece way back in 1990 on a family holiday to Rhodes, where we toured Afandou, Faliraki and Rhodes Town. It is advisable to rent a…
Read More