I visited Lichfield Cathedral at the end of June 2025, taking several trains from my home in Bath to get to the small city north of Birmingham. It was a scorching hot day and the shopping centre was busy, but the cathedral was cool and empty, a haven of calm. My kind of happy place!
Lichfield Cathedral is the only medieval cathedral in the United Kingdom to feature three spires, earning it the nickname, ‘the Ladies of the Vale.’ You can easily walk there from the train station.
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Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to live and work on a cruise ship? Is it all glamour and exotic locations, or is there a hidden, more challenging side to life at sea?
How do you cope with being away from family for months at a time, and what strange events unfold on these floating cities? In this episode, former cruise ship entertainer Wendy Nugent talks about her journeys and how they inspired her mystery novels.
If you like episodes about the sea/books, check out episode 1 where I talk about my tallship journey from Fiji to Vanuatu, Sailing around the world with Tom Dymond; Tallship sailing in Galveston, Texas, and Sailing the Pacific with Nadine Slavinski.
Wendy spent a decade as part of an award-winning magic act performing on cruise ships all over the world. She traveled from Alaska to Venezuela, Bermuda to Tahiti, and many exotic ports of call in between. Now, Wendy uses her insider knowledge of cruise ship life to write entertaining cozy mystery books set on cruise ships.
You can find Wendy at WendyNeugent.com.
[Read more…] about Traveling By Cruise Ship With Wendy Neugent
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How can a physical journey trigger profound inner change? What draws a non-religious person to undertake a Catholic pilgrimage? What happens when you encounter both the best and worst versions of yourself on the same path? Bradley Chermside, international best-selling author, entertainer, and host of the El Camino de Santiago Podcast shares his transformative journey.
You can also find my memoir, Pilgrimage, and lots of pilgrimage and Camino resources here.
Bradley Chermside is an international bestselling author, copywriter and multi-award winning singer and entertainer. He’s the host of the El Camino de Santiago Podcast, and today we’re talking about his book,The Only Way is West: A Once in a Lifetime , 500 Mile Adventure Walking Spain’s Camino de Santiago.
You can find Brad at BradleyChermside.com and also on the El Camino de Santiago Pilgrims Podcast.
I was also on Bradley’s Camino podcast talking about my own Camino experience here.
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What does home mean when you are always moving on? What does belonging mean when your address changes every few years? And how do we reconcile our evolving identities with the places we’ve left behind? Catriona Turner talks about her travels from Scotland to France, to Congo and Uganda, and back home again over 14 years, and how she has redefined what she calls home.
For more episodes on home, check out my solo episode on Sanctuary, Retreat, Belonging: The Importance of Home in Difficult Times; and for more on Third Culture Kids, check out the interview on Djibouti with Rachel Pieh Jones. You can also find more about my thoughts on home in my memoir, Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways.
Catriona Turner is the Scottish author of Nest, A Memoir of Home on the Move.
You can find Catriona at CatrionaTurner.com and her book, Nest, on Amazon.
[Read more…] about The Geography of Belonging: Finding Home With Catriona Turner
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Why does Egypt continue to fascinate curious travelers? What hidden chambers might lie beneath the pyramids of Giza? How does the duality of Egyptian mythology influence thriller writing? Join thriller authors J.F. Penn and Luke Richardson for a conversation that weaves together archaeological intrigue, travel insights, and the creative process behind crafting compelling adventures in one of history’s most enigmatic settings.
Luke Richardson is the bestselling author of the Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers and the International Detective Thriller Series.
You can find Luke at LukeRichardsonAuthor.com and his books on Amazon. You can also find his trip notes and pictures at LukeRichardsonAuthor.com/egypt
If you enjoy thrillers inspired by and set in Egypt, check out The Giza Protocol by Luke Richardson and Ark of Blood by J.F. Penn.
[Read more…] about Ancient Mysteries and Modern Travels. Egypt With Luke Richardson
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“The meaning of life is that it stops.” — Franz Kafka
I’ve always felt most grateful to be alive when I walk among the dead. That might sound strange, but bear with me!
Step through a lychgate into a church yard or descend a narrow stone stair into a catacomb or ossuary, and the pace and the noise of the world falls away. In these quiet spaces—graveyards beside ancient churches, sprawling Victorian cemeteries, underground chambers decorated with bones—I consider the shortness of life, memento mori, remember you will die, and it puts life into perspective. I can hear my own heartbeat more clearly, and the stories begin to rise.
In this episode, I’ll take you with me to a handful of places that have shaped some of my stories and travel memoir. If you’ve read my ARKANE thrillers or the Brooke & Daniel series, you’ll recognise many of the names.
But whether you’re here for research, reverence, or simple curiosity, I hope you’ll find something to spark your imagination and, perhaps, shift your perspective on these places that so many stay away from.
[Read more…] about Walking Amongst The Dead: Graveyards, Cemeteries, And Ossuaries With J.F. Penn
