"My Granny rang me - she couldn't really say too much, she was so emotional"

More about the provenance of this particular quote in a moment, but we've probably all had moments like this. You achieve something - say getting picked for the school rugby team- and Nan comes...

It should come as no surprise that New England has a long and fascinating relationship with water. After all, five of the six states that make up the region have some kind of Atlantic coastline. It makes sense then that if you do head over there you take your sea...

It's the final day of the holiday.
You look in your suitcase. Nothing.
You look in the hotel room safe. Nothing.
In desperation you ask the exotic dancer who is doing the lambada in your en-suite bathroom. She knows nothing.
You then wake up, in...

- "Bonjour, Je m'appelle Benjamin. Avez vous un pair of skis which je can attachez to mon chaussures?"

- "Excuse me sir, you do realise you are in Bracknell?"

An easy mistake to make, non?

Particularly if you are promenading down the breezy boulevards that lead to the 'tres...

One of the great things about travelling is how it can also be a learning experience. Or to put it another way, it can shine a 500 mega-watt torchlight on your ignorance. Which is exactly what happened when I was planning my trip to The Azores. AKA the Archipelago of...

In the last week, the UK has just witnessed a significant breakthrough. One that could soon prompt an intriguing rash of conversations in various male bolt-holes across Britain. For example:

-Have you seen Dave recently?
- No
-Well, he seems to be sporting a remarkably luxuriant bouffant.

Former England rugby captain Lewis Moody is in a dark place at the moment. Literally, not mentally.

Whilst the rest of the rugby world is enjoying another Six Nations competition, he is in the north of Canada - where at this time of year daylight is at a premium...

The first time the elegant hoof of the equine world came hurtling into my life was back in 1987. The Grand National was on the BBC and the name 'Maori Venture' caught my attention.

"Mother", I might have said. "Can we hot foot it to our local friendly bookmaker...

I used to be a Cub. Then a Scout. Then a Venture Scout. If Beavers had been around, I'd probably have packed down with them too. I was raised with the three fingers of my right hand firmly aloft. I was prepared.

Summer was wide games (in a forest,...

This weekend, the rugby headlines are likely to be dominated by the final round of the Autumn internationals. The world's leading team New Zealand will be battling on two fronts as they will have both England and stomach upsets to contend with. However, there is world class action elsewhere in...

The first time I went fishing I was about 12. I fondly imagined a day of raw excitement by the river bank, wrestling with gilled beasts as they tried to drag me into the Thames, before ending the day comparing battle wounds with my salty sea dog friends a la...