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Imagine a sun-kissed island, where vast sandy beaches are washed by the bluest of seas and the air is so clean that it is intoxicating. If it was anywhere near home, it would practically disappear under the weight of summer visitors, wouldn’t it? But this island is very close: just 28 miles off the coast […]

It is called “The Painkiller”, and as it contains liberal quantities of rum this is a drink that undoubtedly lives up to its name – provided that you do not over-indulge. It is the favourite tipple of residents and visitors alike on the beautiful Caribbean island of Tortola, one of the remarkably unspoiled British Virgin […]

The small, volcanic island of La Gomera, just off the coast of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, is a hard place on which to get about. Precipitous hills are separated from one another by deep valleys that can take an age to cross. If you lived there and wanted to contact your neighbour, in the […]

You usually have to cross the Atlantic to find your own private island, writes Robin Mead. Richard Branson flies 3,000 miles or so to reach his holiday hideaway in the Caribbean. The island of Eriska is somewhat closer to home – and the Atlantic crossing is made by way of a rattly metal bridge just […]

What a shame that American cruise ships continue with their spiteful boycotting of Havana as a cruise port of call, writes Robin Mead. Not only is the Cuban capital a wonderful, friendly city, which seems to be full of music, but the harbour is one of the world’s most beautiful in which to arrive. OK, […]

The most mysterious man in Britain lives on the South Downs in Sussex, just outside Eastbourne, writes Robin Mead. He is a muscular looking fellow, who spends his time standing with his arms spread wide and gazing across the flat green fields that make up the Weald of Sussex. In each hand he grasps a […]

The beautiful blonde lady who was my official guide on a tour of Finland had an idea, writes Robin Mead. “Now,” she said, “we will take off all our clothes and have a sauna.” The Finns often seem like a rather cold and emotionless people. Perhaps that is why they love saunas so much. And […]

The shoulders of the man who bears responsibility for the deaths of millions of people and the enslavement of millions more, are reassuringly narrow. He sits at his desk with his hands gripping the arms of his chair, as if trying to explain himself. Even though he is seated, it cannot hide the fact that, […]

On a headland above St Oistin’s Bay, on Barbados, stands one of the island’s oldest churches, and next to it – as you might expect – there is a cemetery. In the cemetery stands the great stone vault of one of the island’s leading families, the Chase family. It has been hollowed out of solid […]

Commute to work daily? Then spare a thought for Katie, who works in the kitchen of the Strathcarron Hotel, in Wester Ross, north-west Scotland, writes Robin Mead. Katie lives in the remote village of Applecross, about 25 miles from Strathcarron. But between home and job lies the highest road in Britain. One of the snags […]