This year’s seen some great trips: S. Downs TET, NZ, France & Holland, Kent :0)
but in 4 weeks time, bike, bones and balls will be tested on the Mini Mondo

This summer has been really hot, redolent of ’77, so it was great to chill in the garden of a big old country house in Kent. I’d been invited to an annual gathering of friends and family that’s been happening since 2003, and a jolly, inclusive event it was too.

A few strands recently came together to see an old mate and I visit the continent. It was an unusual trip taking in a French seaside town that could have been twinned with Jaywick.

Shingle Street is an empty wild place where nature takes centre stage and modern life seems a bit puny. That night the stars shone brightly behind Mars and Venus.

After the job had finished, I decided to head up towards Brisbane as the busy tourist trap of the Gold Coast wasn’t really my scene and I wanted to meet a friend with similar plans. I met Thomas about a month ago over a ping pong table in another hostel. We both wanted to travel…

The Gold Coast’s a tourist destination on the eastern edge of Australia, where masses of burned and tanned bodies dressed in vests, flat caps and bikinis, writhe round the ankles of a forest of sky-scrapers.

My Dad, brother and I have a tradition of finding adventures on holiday.  Nick’s planning, stepping off the beaten track and mucking around, make for a good time.

Christchurch’s botanical gardens are beautifully kept, but after a day and a night, and another day of rain we nonetheless decided to go with the flow and head on down to the coast: