Simon Varwell's Blog, page 11

A Gaulling experience

Airports usually look and feel the same to me. Not that I necessarily dislike them. As I often say, I prefer them to railway stations as places to explore and spend time. That may be surprising given I’m more a rail buff than fan of air travel,and yes airports can be easily described as bland, samey, monotonous and filled with a numbed transience of humanity.

But despite that blandness, airports aregenerally comfortable, warm, quiet, easy to navigate, good for people-spotting, and– in the cas...

Uncorked

Thanks to work, I had recent cause to visit Cork, a city in southwest Ireland and the Republic’s second largest settlement. Ireland is not a country I know well, having spent only a week or so there in adventures you can read about in my first book.

However, my trip to Cork was frustratingly short, and in the space of a bitless than 48 hours I saw very little beyond the insides of a few taxis, two restaurants, one hotel and some meeting rooms. And the above photo of Cork’s very pretty riversi...

Armenia

In the autumn of 2015 I was fortunate enough to pay two visits to Armenia, spending time mostly in its capital Yerevan.

It is a curious and compelling country: a tiny slither of territory on the edge of Europe yet withan enormous diaspora, and a country with a long yet utterly tragic history. And while Armenia is a historic nation, Yerevan is a capital barely a century old that somehow effortlessly combines Soviet and Russian influences with a dynamic Europeanfeel and global outlook.

I’ve wr...

Pass of Killiecrankie

One of the most stunning spots on the train line south of Inverness is the Pass of Killiecrankie, lying in betweenBlair Atholl and Pitlochy stations in Perthshire.

It’s also a frustrating spot, however.The pass is a deep gorge along which the train runs, but in between tunnels and trees there’s only the briefest glimpses of the spectacular view. That means most of my attempts to photograph the pass – assuming I’m sitting on the correct side of the train – usually end up as a blurry effort lik...

Rannoch station

The West Highland Line, running from Glasgow to Oban and Mallaig, is rightly and repeatedly held up as one of the most beautiful railway journeys in the world. As I argued in an article last year, however, it’s worth getting off en route on this and other scenic Scottish lines, because the places you would otherwise pass through can have individual charms of their own.

That’s even – perhaps especially – the case where you alight to find that there’s not much to be found except the station its...

Nigg Old Church

Given it’s modern industrial history – of oil fabrication, rig refurbishment and renewable energy – it’s easyto forget that the Easter Ross village of Nigg is brimming with history. Nigg Old Church is a prime example – a fairly modest and unremarkable 18th century church insome ways, but built on a religious site that dates back a millennium more, andwith the curious feature of a poor loft. Anotherhighlight of the churchis a Pictish stone that stood until recently in the church’s cluttered an...

Books on the Horizon – reflections on the first 8

I’ve reached eight titles in my Books on the Horizon – my series of travelogues I’d love to write but probably won’t.

Writing them hasbeen a fascinating exercise. I have a few more ideas up my sleeve, but none are especially well-formed. I’m taking the fact I can’t really drive them to a state of satisfactory completion as asign that I should put a pause on the series.

But instead of leaving things in limbo, I want to offer some thoughts on the process so far.

1.It’s been fun

First up, imag...

The passport that hid the truth

My first passport expired in2004 and was – to me – a joy to behold. During the decade of its existence I travelled through dozens of countries, including many that wouldlaterjoin the European Union.

Europe at that time felt even more of a patchwork than it does now, with real, actual border posts still intact. The sorts you needed to stop and get out and wait at, obtaining a stamp – perhaps after a question or two – from a border guard with a dodgy moustache and dodgier English.

Yet following...

Tracks

This is the eighthinmy occasional series of “Books on the Horizon” – travelogues I dream of researching and writing, though probably never will. My “Books on the Horizon” are an exercise in creativity, idle whimsy and – through any reactions I get – testing the water.

Readmore about theseries in this introductory page, and see the ideathat inspired it–The Impossible Books of Keith Kahn-Harris.

TITLE

Tracks: adventures in the north of Scotland by trail and rail

THE ELEVATOR PITCH

A book about...

Night Rider

This is the sixth inmy occasional series of “Books on the Horizon” – travelogues I dream of researching and writing, though probably never will. My “Books on the Horizon” are an exercise in creativity, idle whimsy and – through any reactions I get – testing the water.

Readmore about theseries in this introductory page, and see the ideathat inspired it–The Impossible Books of Keith Kahn-Harris.

TITLE

Night Rider:A European sleeper train odyssey

THE ELEVATOR PITCH

Trying to find Europe’slongest...