It begins with a book, a map, then a man swimming to the shore of island. It is the most economical of openings to a film. The book tells us that this is a story of note, one that should automatically command our respect. The map tells us that what we are to witness isRead More
Reggae is island music. It is music that came out of the island of Jamaica, and in its true form could only derive from that place, but its island nature lies deeper. Islands are worlds unto themselves that nevertheless can only be defined by their relation to the worlds that lie beyond. They are proudlyRead More
I met many people during my two weeks on St Helena, but two encounters have stuck with me in particular. The first was with a Saint (as the locals are called), a successful businessman who had been all around the globe and had just returned to the island. He was super-confident about St Helena, itsRead More
I went to St Helena, one of the remotest spots on the planet. I flew thousands miles to get there, travelling down a continent and then across an ocean. When there I met wonderful people, saw entrancing countryside, visited historic locations, scaled heights to enjoy exhilarating views. I spent two weeks in the most exoticRead More
Does the road wind uphill all the way? Yes, to the very end. Will the day’s journey take the whole long way? From morn to night, my friend. Christina Rossetti, ‘Uphill’ When I was on St Helena, I undertook the finest walk that I have ever experienced. This is the story of that walk. ItRead More
None of us entirely likes the stories others tell of us. The pleasure of acknowledgment is countered by the failure of comprehension. No one ever quite gets us right. This is notably true of St Helena. Aside from the misrepresentation of the far-away island by tourists such as myself, with quick opinions based on fleetingRead More
One of the things I was determined to do when visiting St Helena was to see a game of cricket. Though the island has a population of just 4,500, it supports eight teams who take part in a highly competitive league. It is an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council, and in 2012 tookRead More
The founding figures of many societies are lost in myth. Perhaps the Romulus and Remus of Rome, or Moses for the Jewish people, had some grounding in historical figures, but there is no way we will ever know. In any case, the idea of a founding figure is a myth in itself, as if anywhereRead More
If you climb to the top of the Isle of Man’s highest peak, Snaefell (not too arduous – it’s only 2,000 feet and there’s a train that can take you to the summit), on a clear day you can see across the seas to four lands: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. You can alsoRead More
Many years ago I read an article in the Sunday Times magazine about the island of St Helena. It told of a place that to me seemed some sort of paradise. It was the one of the remotest inhabited islands on the planet, a lump of rock in the middle of the south Atlantic, andRead More