Even for somebody well-acquainted with the nature of international travel, there’s something remarkable about the fact that a plane can be boarded in the grim satellite that is Stansted Airport, flown for a mere eighty minutes, and disembarked somewhere that feels worlds away.
There’s something to be said about pulling into the port of some far-flung Greek island, and feeling the eyes of locals and tourists alike locking onto the vessel you’re about to disembark; not in disdain, exasperation or resignation at yet another overstuffed cruise ship lumbering into harbour, but with a genuine sense of wonder and, dare I say it, a flash of envy.
MotoGP is a big deal in Portugal, and motorsports fans from the Iberian peninsula and further afield rejoiced in 2024 when a brand new two-year contract was signed for the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Tuscany is a part of the world I felt I was familiar with. I’ve walked the cobbled streets of Siena. I’ve jostled through the overbearing crowds of Florence, craning my neck to take in the wonders of Brunelleschi and his kin while keeping half an eye on…
about a decade ago when I started working in climate, very few economists in governments were actively engaged. Now, I routinely engage with people in important ministries of government that both care and can potentially do something about it, given the right tools.
It’s fair to say that men’s skincare has experienced a period of unprecedented and explosive growth in the past few years. While we can remember the men’s beauty section of even the more well-heeled department stores being little more than the corner of a shelf somewhere near the back, there’s now a hefty plethora of products, serums, creams, treatments, ointments and unguents to choose from.
Well, the new year is well and truly underway, and the calendar’s first opportunity for heartfelt gift-giving is upon us once again.
Whether you’re a seasoned romantic or simply erring on the side of caution (which is, let’s be honest, always sensible when it comes to matters of the heart), Valentine’s Day has long been a chance to demonstrate your affection via the medium of gifting.
The connoisseurs of all things Bourbon-related may undertake their pilgrimages to the dust-strewn distilleries of Kentucky and Tennessee, keen to uncover the heritage and delights of Pappy’s and their kin. Those seeking the (supposed) origins of the whiskies of the British Isles will congregate around Bushmills in County Antrim.
It would be easy to say that the past decade or so has been kind to Lisbon – it’s subtly undergone the kind of glow-up certain other smaller European capitals keep putting on the backburner… and it’s been driven organically by tourism raised high on the shoulders of social media’s more gastronomy-oriented corners.
Paul Lister, the rather eccentric and very present custodian of Alladale Wilderness Reserve – a vast stretch of flawless heathery glen in the Scottish Highlands – defines much of Alladale and his place in it through what it and he is not.
It is perhaps one of the great tragedies of my life that I don’t spend every weekend in a beautifully crafted replica of a Kyoto bathhouse, surrounded on all sides by thirty or more totally naked Norwegians, each glistening with perspiration and a curated array of essential oils. However, my trip to the spectacular Oslo wellness resort The Well ensured – within an hour of arrival, in fact – that my existence would no longer be completely lacking this experience.
Father’s Day was never a big deal in my family. I always assumed that my dad was the kind of man, like many of his generation, who shied from the spotlight of attention and felt uncomfortable with any notion of having a day wherein he could sit back, relax and be showered with gifts.
This clash of blasphemy and gastronomy is interrupted by a flash of the divine. Yet another member of the kitchen team reaches over to present us with a small cylinder of raw A5 Wagyu from the Miyazaki Prefecture, held in a leaf of dried nori with some truffle and hazelnut.
The word ‘classic’ is thrown around a lot, not least within the realm of menswear. Dunhill, with its commitment to excellence and an apologetically English sense of finesse, has consistently celebrated the timeless, the distinctive and the inherent elegance in the understated.
This year, let’s do away with the predictable and the kitsch, and leave the acres of saccharine and heart-hugging bears on the shelves. From the fascinating to the flavoursome, the flirtatious to the finessed, these gifts are sure to set hearts racing this February.
While we’re all familiar with the Submariners, Daytonas and Oyster Perpetuals (to name but a few of the brand’s most iconic references), Stella is a moniker which flits between the established Rolex styles.
In a world in which authenticity, individuality and conscious consumerism are becoming the baseline of public expectations, brands are having to adapt and reposition rapidly, offering new angles and approaches to even the most historic and established of industries.
Let’s elevate the art of gifting for Christmas 2022, and seek out items which encapsulate the essence of finesse for our nearest and dearest. We’re here to celebrate bespoke and small-batch producers. Let’s hear it for the independents, the pioneers, and those crafting the precious, the thoughtful, the unforgettable.
I’ve managed to undertake a whole lot of travelling through the various lockdowns. The problem? Aside from a couple of brief working jaunts to the Baltic states, it’s happened almost entirely within my imagination.
Confrontational, disruptive, yet unmissable, Lincoln Townley’s paintings have placed him firmly at the front and centre of the British contemporary art scene for the past ten years.