Where Have I Been All This Time?

Newcastle

As summer turns to autumn, readers of this blog may have the impression that I haven’t done much travelling this year. The blog usually features a blend of music, books and travel (or, indeed, ‘time travel,’ as it says on the blog’s strapline.)  It’s true that recent blog posts have been dominated by music reviews (with the occasional gig or book review.) But, if anything, in 2026 I’ve done more travelling than usual – I just haven’t had time to write about! So, for the record, here’s a quick summary of my gallivanting so far this year.

Edinburgh

April saw me make what has now become an annual trip to Newcastle and Edinburgh which centres on the Nonsuch Dulcimer Club’s ‘Spring Fling.’ If you’re a member of this national society for dulcimer players you’ll have read about my adventures ‘up north’ in the autumn edition of Nonsuch News. If you’re not a subscriber to that esteemed publication, you’ll just have to take my word for it that, while in Newcastle, I visited some of the best pubs in Gateshead and,  while in Edinburgh, I got caught up (in the nicest possible way) in Northern Streams – a festival of Nordic and Scottish Music centred around the Scottish Storytelling Centre.

Totnes, Devon

In May, I celebrated a significant birthday in a big way in Cardiff, with the help of lots of friends and family and a host of talented musicians in the form of two bands with whom I have the privilege of playing – dark-folk collective Bullo Pill and the delightful five-piece folk outfit Brandy for the Parson. Later in May, to some extent escaping the heatwave over central England, I headed south-west to the Devon town of Totnes – an idyllic few days in my campervan which involved a little busking with my dulcimer and a nostalgic revisiting of the South Devon Railway. I plan to write a piece based on this trip for a forthcoming issue of Nonsuch News so – once again – apologies to any blog readers who don’t subscribe!

Copenhagen

In June, I fulfilled a long-held ambition to visit Scandinavia, undertaking a seven-day journey with the tour operator Great Rail Journeys (sadly not sponsors of this blog – at least, not yet!) I visited Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen, mostly travelling by train. I’m currently writing a series of pieces on this adventure with a view to publication elsewhere. As no dulcimers were involved, these pieces won’t be published in Nonsuch News!

In July and August, I was back in my campervan in Gloucestershire taking in the Tewkesbury Live Festival and the Three Choirs Festival with a mixture of solo and band gigs, followed by a trip to Dorset for the Purbeck Valley Folk Festival.

Purbeck, Dorset

September has been fairly busy with more gigs and then, before the year is out, I’m planning one more trip away – this time writing and researching a book I’m working on.

In the course of all this travelling I’ve certainly gathered plenty of material for books, short stories, articles and songs. What I haven’t had is much time to let the dust settle, to reflect on my experiences and to put pen to paper. But we have the long winter days and nights for all of that.