It began before dawn in London, late October 2025. The leaves were falling, the city half asleep, and the world on edge. There was a ceasefire in Gaza that few believed would hold, the war in Ukraine dragged on, and markets twitched. The dollar...

The road ends in Madrid, the heat rising from the tarmac, and with it comes time to gather what the miles have said. From the rain of the Lake District to Spain’s sun-bleached ridges, the journey has been less about destinations than about patt...

Day Five begins gently enough - coffee in Burgos, a cooler morning, and a table of pilgrims lacing their boots for the Camino de Santiago. Some will sleep rough, some in hotels, and one husband will trail his wife by car - devotion on four whee...

Day Four begins unsteadily in Bordeaux, perched on a high chair like a stork wobbling over breakfast. From this precarious throne comes conversation -  Americans, Canadians, Scots, one Englishman. Politics rises, as politics does, and for ...

Rouen woke me with bowls of coffee, croissants that actually tasted of butter, and the guilty hum of air-conditioning. I had switched it on overnight instead of opening the window. Foolish. Cooling now accounts for about 10% of global electrici...