Exploiting Climate Change is a Double-Edged Sword

It has been said that Russia's 'Special Military Operation' in Ukraine was the precursor to the UK's energy market heading into a tailspin, exposing a short-sighted eggs-in-one-basket approach that failed to learn from the Kremlin's 'previous' of invading Georgia and in 2014 the Crimea and Donbas. If the West doesn't like Russia's behaviour in Ukraine,…

The Duke of Lancaster ‘fun ship’ -perhaps North Wales’ oddest point of interest.

Ask a sample of the population which sites/sights come to mind that North Wales has to offer most would namecheck Snowdonia, the Clwydian Range, and Llandudno's limestone leviathan Great Orme as some of the region's most notable natural assets. Factor in its numerus fortresses including those dating back to the reign of Edward the First…

North Wales – a coastline of heritage, stunning natural assets, and a microcosm of social upheaval

It is a toss-up between North Wales and Shropshire as to which is my favourite area of the UK. Whilst both share some topographical characteristics and are the seats of wonderful historical buildings (and ruins), the coastline of the former and its varied and eventually steepling hinterland just about gives it the edge over landlocked…

Blackpool FC stand on a precipice as injury crisis and inadequate replacement of star players starts to bite

The transfer window was a painful and protracted experience for Blackpool Football Club. Deals for players with whom they had been linked continually fell at the final hurdle or the mere rumours of certain tie ups alerted rival clubs, who invariably could offer more attractive terms and realistically a greater chance of playing in the…

Did UFO Hunters run its course or get too close?

Notwithstanding the recently released and much anticipated third series of The Curse of Skinwalker Ranch, the glut of UFO-related programmes on UK television has in the main done the rounds several times and are therefore nothing new. Whilst interest in unexplained aerial phenomena persists, one cannot help at times feel that the likes of Alien…

Window Shopping: Football Style. Why it is wrong, who it benefits, and how it can be improved.

The 2022/23 English Football League(EFL) season started as early as the 29th July to accommodate this winter's dubiously located Qatar-based FIFA World Cup, but the transfer window, in which clubs can trade players and bolster their squads for the campaign ahead does not close until 11 pm on the 31st August. This has created significant…

Slovenia and Ryanair: Does the airline simply wish to complete the EU set, or has the previously missing middle ground finally been found?

It has been assumed by many aviation analysts and even those without a professional interest in the industry that Ljubljana's Fraport-owned and operated Brnik Airport held all the cards as to why Slovenia is the only nation within the European Union(EU) where Irish Low Cost Carrier(LCC) Ryanair does not operate. Who though is the puppet…

Lake Bohinj: Dogs, pollution, and being a victim of its own popularity

The northern shores of Slovenia's Lake Bohinj are not only diametrically opposed to its southern flank dominated by an interminably busy road connecting Ribcev Laz with Ukanc and the Vogel cableway, but by contrast affords walkers a fairly rough path only suitable for pedestrians and not bicycles, or any other form of mechanised transportation. This…

Further pictorial musings from Kitzbuehel

This is a rather attractive although some might say cliched Tirolean property. Whilst most things in life are subjective and beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I just say kudos to the owner who has created a floral balcony for their own pleasure as much as for anyone else's: On the outskirts of…

UK planning policy is only fit for an entirely wrong purpose

In 2019 Wyre Borough Council formally adopted its Local Plan(LP), in effect shaping and guiding significant development within the borough retrospectively from 2011, until 2031. Within the LP are the sites allocated for development, primarily for housing, but also for commercial uses. Where sites have been allocated the principal for development is therefore established and…

Kitzbuehel: A little piece of everything that makes Austria special, all under one roof

My previous visit to Kitzbuehel could hardly be regarded as an unqualified success. Opting to stay on the edge of town albeit in an elevated position on the edge of forest sounded to be an idyllic setting, and whilst the aspect from my 'forest view' room afforded some pleasing glimpses of local wildlife, the terrace…

Can Ryanair solve Slovenia’s poor aviation connectivity?

The fact that Ljubljana's Fraport-operated Brnik Airport is still lagging significantly behind its pre-pandemic passenger numbers, and indeed prior to when Adria Airways ceased operations late in 2019, is not because Slovenia is the only country within the European Union(EU) to not receive flights from Low Cost Carrier(LCC) Ryanair, but brokering a deal with the…

Kitzbuehel: The Legend Lives On

A balmy evening on the Vorderstadt, with the yellow and salmon-pink fronted Hotel Tiefenbrunner dominating the background. A boiling hot Sunday, where only escape to the Schwarzsee or the highest reaches of the Kitzbueheler Horn afforded welcome respite. The aforementioned Schwarzsee. A view from the Kitzbueheler Horn towards the settlement of St. Johann, and its…

Abandoned hotels in the Alps: Why, despite their location, they are just as vulnerable to universal human frailties

I am struggling to decide whether it is either extremely difficult to define why empty buildings are so fascinating to those with no prior knowledge of their interiors, or incredibly straightforward. Therein lies the issue: are we drawn to abandoned edifices through what might lie beneath, or because of what we expect to find? Is…

Slovenia: The lack of a flag carrier does not justify poor connectivity

It is not a big surprise that Slovenia will not during its incumbent administration seek to (re)establish a new national flag carrier. Perhaps more surprising is that a country of two million people previously had such an entity but any incredulity does a serious disservice to the much missed Adria Airways. I first used Adria…

Maribor Airport: Flight of fancy or ready for take off?

When is an airport not an airport? I suppose the answer would be when it doesn't facilitate commercial flight movements despite it having the infrastructure, track record, and ability to do so. Two such operations spring to mind - make that three with the impending closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport - namely Blackpool in the…

Should they stay, or should they go? Several big questions to be answered this summer at Blackpool FC

It should not be forgotten that Blackpool's meteoric rise since being brought back from the brink by owner/custodian Simon Sadler has been achieved using a considerable number of players whose respective journeys through the divisions have been equally expeditious, if perhaps more hasty than originally planned. After the dust has settled on what was a…

A Season of Triumphs, Fine Margins, and What Ifs for Blackpool FC

That was the season that was. After a sour end to a campaign which in August threatened to be one of toil and chastening defeats, in the end Blackpool never looked to be in the relegation trouble which most of the pundits and those supposedly 'in the know' suggested would be the outcome of their…

This season the Championship is a paper tiger; will Blackpool F.C. feel they should have done even better?

When Kenny Dougall's two goals at Wembley nine months ago sent Blackpool back to the Championship a lot sooner than Head Coach Neil Critchley and owner Simon Sadler could have anticipated, the reality of (re)joining what has become a Premier League 2.0/Premier League-lite immediately dawned on all with tangerine in their hearts. Dialling back nearly…

Wildschoenau: what I miss, and why I may never return

Wildschoenau: Wild and Beautiful. This Tirolean high valley has much to live up to, and delivers in digger-sized buckets. It is though the use of the aforementioned construction apparatus that is slowly dragging the valley back into the pack, from its once nonpareil position of being perfectly formed and relatively untouched by human intervention. It…