Published in A Maverick Traveller·Nov 19Member-onlyDining out in Hastings, New ZealandMy old hometown is so much more of a café society these days — This post concludes my earlier post, ‘From Te Kurī to Te Mata’. AFTER Napier, I popped into Hastings, the city where I grew up. Somewhat inland, Hastings has long been considered to be a bit more working-class than Napier. It was smashed up in the 1931 earthquake as well, if…Cafe11 min readCafe11 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Nov 11Member-onlyAuckland’s Great Barrier Island (Part 2)Getting away from it all, only 90 km from the big city — This post follows on from Part 1. Some of the material in each part is now in my book The Neglected North Island: New Zealand’s Other Half. Follow the link to find out more and to get to saleslinks. My blog post follows after the cover image! THOUGH handy to…Island Life8 min readIsland Life8 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Oct 7Member-onlyBarra and VatersayThe spectacular southern end of the Outer Hebrides — The following blog post is based on a chapter in my new book, The Scottish Isles: Part 2: Skye and the Outer Hebrides. The first volume, The Scottish Isles: Part 1: Shetlands, Orkneys and Hebrides is currently on sale at a reduced price, US $2.99 for the Kindle and US…Island Life5 min readIsland Life5 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Sep 30Member-onlyBenbecula, South Uist and EriskayThree more lovely and historic isles in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland — The following blog post is based on a chapter in my new book, The Scottish Isles: Part 2: Skye and the Outer Hebrides. The first volume, The Scottish Isles: Part 1: Shetlands, Orkneys and Hebrides is currently on sale at a reduced price, US $2.99 for the Kindle and US…Island Life10 min readIsland Life10 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Sep 23Member-onlyBerneray and North UistSmall islands with lovely beaches — The following blog post is based on a chapter in my new book, The Scottish Isles: Part 2: Skye and the Outer Hebrides. The first volume, The Scottish Isles: Part 1: Shetlands, Orkneys and Hebrides is currently on sale at a reduced price, US $2.99 for the Kindle and US…Beaches8 min readBeaches8 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Sep 16Member-onlyLewis and HarrisThe biggest island in the Hebrides, always spoken of as two islands though it is not — The following blog post is based on a chapter in my new book, The Scottish Isles: Part 2: Skye and the Outer Hebrides. The first volume, The Scottish Isles: Part 1: Shetlands, Orkneys and Hebrides is currently on sale at a reduced price, US $2.99 for the Kindle and US…Scotland11 min readScotland11 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Sep 9Member-onlyThe Romantic Isle of Skye‘Speed, bonny boat, like a bird on the wing … Over the sea to Skye’ — Breaking News: A Maverick Traveller acknowledges the life and service of Queen Elizabeth II, symbolised by a dipped flag against trees in New Zealand, where it is still as yet the rawest days of early spring. This flag is at the end of the present post. The following blog post…Skye14 min readSkye14 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Jul 29Member-onlyInverness, Culloden, and the glorious Glen AffricExploring Britain’s northernmost city, last big battle on home soil, and loveliest glen — AFTER the Cairngorms, I arrived in Inverness, the northernmost city in Scotland and the United Kingdom, about 570 miles or more than 900 kilometres from London by road. Which is a fair old way, about the equivalent of the distance from Auckland to Christchurch. …Scotland9 min readScotland9 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Jul 22Member-onlyThe Snow Roads through the CairngormsThe best way from Dundee to Inverness, through Britain’s largest national park — THE CAIRNGORMS National Park is the largest national park in Great Britain. It lies north of Dundee and south of Inverness, west of Aberdeen and east of the Great Glen, the dead-straight crack in the earth that runs between Inverness and Fort William, and which contains the fabled Loch Ness. …Scotland6 min readScotland6 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Jul 16Member-onlyExciting EdinburghThe most historical city in Scotland — EDINBURGH is a beautiful city, filled with a rich history and colourful characters. It’s quite compact and walkable.Edinburgh9 min readEdinburgh9 min read
