Author: nickpotter

Part of the ancient silk road between China and Europe. The ‘stans are somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for a while and there’s still a few others to explore. Many Persian cities took advantage of the commerce between East and West as the Silk Road developed and in Uzbekistan Bukhara and Samarkand eventually became extremely wealthy cities. In 327 BC Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great conquered the region, followed by 7th century conquests by the Araba who brought Islam to Uzbekistan. In the 13th century Genghis Kahn invaded and the region changed with culture…

Wanting to get away for a Christmas break we drove to West Ireland and travelled down part of the Wild Atlantic Way to Killarney. From here there's a great drive called the Ring of Kerry which passes through some stunning scenery. We did the whole ring in one (very long) day, but I'd recommend doing it over a couple of days and taking your time to explore the landscape!

After being stuck at home due to the Covid pandemic, this long weekend getaway from Dublin to County Donegal was very welcome. The scenery there is stunning – from large coastal cliffs to the beautiful Glenveagh National Park. Although I only had a short time there its definitely somewhere I want to return to and spend a little longer exploring!

I’ve wanted to visit Sweden for along time. Strangely despite my travels, Scandinavia is one area I’d not really got to. So I was more than please to spend a long weekend visiting Stockholm. I loved the city and will definitely be back, but also want to explore the region further. Just need to find the time now!

Sudan, a country with more pyramids than Egypt but which few people travel to. The country is full of amazingly well-preserved sandstone temples, tombs engraved with images of the pharaohs and pyramids, including the stunning Royal Necropolis of Meroe. At times this trip felt like you were a Victorian era explorer, cresting a dune to find a temple complex in-front of you and feeling like you were the first to discover it!