Category Archives: French Travel

Spring in Cornwall 2025 – Endless Sun

The sun has shone on England this spring and these photos are from a week of endless sun in Cornwall. The flowers are out in abundance and the coastline is a stunning azure blue. A stunning place to be in this exceptional weather. Please enjoy the photography and my writing.

In Search of Cezanne

 If you were to question me forcefully and make me confess, then I would probably say that if you exclude food and wine then my most favourite facet of the culture and art of France would have to be the paintings of the Impressionists. This is our journey – In seach of Cezanne

Explore Beaune: The Heart of Burgundy Wine Culture

Beaune is quite the centre of Burgundian culture. Having seen the striking tiles on the roofs in Aloxe Corton on our way we were fascinated by the rooftops of the walled town of Beaune, culminating in the magnificent Hôtel-Dieu (Hospices de Beaune). Beaune is a place that revels in its medieval atmosphere and the history contained in the cobbled streets. In many ways it the centre of this wine-producing region and here in Beaune you can indulge in tasting wine from every village and domain of the surrounding countryside.

John Thomas Atherton – Surviving the Tragedy of War

I recall as a child a photo of a man in uniform, enclosed in a plastic art deco frame on the sideboard at my grandparents’ house. It never occurred to me that it was my grandfather, despite seeing it on every visit. Later I assumed it was his brother Alan who we will meet shortly. It was only decades later, after my father died, that I found this photo in my father’s possessions. Studying it with more interest than the young child I was back then, I could discover from the uniform the role my grandfather played in WW2. Let us see.

A NEW French Journey by Photography – Take a tour – BOOK OFFER ON AMAZON

All the photography was taken by myself on our visits to Paris and the French regions. I hope you enjoy them and please look up my stories of our travels on Amazon.

My new book is a tour around France starting in Normandy. I hope you will come with me and be inspired to travel a similar path. I hope it will inspire you to travel to France or at least enjoy it in your imagination from home.

Lavender in Provence – Where to find the best views

I appreciate that there are many people for whom a visit to Provence must be made in the lavender season as it is crucial to their experience of the region. My wife Niamh is one of those people. Our old friend the village of Banon is a good starting point for a lavender tour. Around the village are some magnificent lavender fields and a climb to the church at the top of the village will reveal them in all their stupendous glory. If you briefly go out of the village on the D950 in the direction of Forcalquier you can turn off to go down one of the minor roads on your left, experiencing driving as if through a lavender field. There are some glorious photo opportunities. After that you can then go back through Banon and take the D950 in the opposite direction to Revest du Bion

Provencal Summer – Photography from Lavender Fields

Travellers have their own favourite areas of Provence where they appreciate the vast fields of lavender. For me the finest spot is close to Banon. In fact anywhere around that village whether you head towards Forcalquier, as in this shot, or north of the village back across towards the famous area around Sault, you willContinue reading “Provencal Summer – Photography from Lavender Fields”

Aix en Provence – In Search of Cézanne

If you were to question me forcefully and make me confess, then I would probably say that if you exclude food and wine then my most favourite facet of the culture and art of France would have to be the paintings of the Impressionists. Provence and its landscape are synonymous primarily with Paul Cézanne, ifContinue reading “Aix en Provence – In Search of Cézanne”