Chris Moss

The guide recommends ten destinations across northern England, including Todmorden, Ouseburn, Stockton-on-Tees, Barnsley, Manchester’s GM Ringway, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Preston, Queen Street Mill, Whitehaven and the Lune Valley. It highlights the region’s pubs, food culture, industrial heritage, public spaces, art, walking routes, coastal scenery and historic sites, while providing event dates and suggested accommodation. The broader argument is that northern towns are undergoing a cultural and civic revival driven by investment, community initiatives and renewed regional confidence.

Chris Moss explores the disputed borders and cultural identity of historic Lancashire, arguing that areas assigned to Cumbria, Cheshire and Merseyside since the 1974 local-government reforms remain deeply connected to Lancashire. His journey takes in industrial heritage, canals, seaside towns, cities including Liverpool and Manchester, and rural landscapes such as the Forest of Bowland and the southern Lake District. He encourages visitors to explore these overlooked boundary regions while highlighting places to stay and travel logistics.

Blackburn’s annual Festival of Making uses performances, exhibitions, workshops and artist-industry collaborations to reconnect the town with its industrial past while developing a more inclusive cultural future. The feature explores East Lancashire’s distinctive textile heritage, landscapes, architecture and working-class movements, arguing that the region is being renewed through locally driven creativity rather than gentrification. It also recommends historical and cultural sites across Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington and the wider area, along with transport and accommodation options for festival visitors.

A new international airport at Chinchero, near Cusco, is scheduled to open in late 2027 after nearly £500 million in investment. Supporters say it will ease severe capacity and access problems at Cusco’s existing airport, attract more visitors and revive tourism, which remains below pre-pandemic levels. Critics fear it will accelerate overtourism, damage traditional communities and markets, strain water, sewage, transport and energy systems, and place further pressure on Machu Picchu and other Sacred Valley sites. With the airport unlikely to be stopped, local experts argue that Peru must expand and coordinate attractions, infrastructure and tourism capacity across the wider region rather than simply funneling more visitors toward Machu Picchu.

The piece argues that fashionable seaside destinations such as Padstow, Salcombe and Margate have been weakened by affluent tourism, property speculation and aggressive lifestyle branding. It recommends overlooked alternatives including Clacton, Jaywick, Redruth, New Brighton, Blackpool and Morecambe, emphasizing their piers, industrial and maritime heritage, local communities, cultural institutions and music scenes. The broader conclusion is that authentic character, natural assets and well-managed traditionalism matter more than rebranding, while the history of the British seaside deserves greater recognition as social and cultural heritage.

Lancashire, particularly the Ribble Valley and West Lancashire, has developed a nationally and internationally recognised food scene rooted in local produce, traditional pubs and ambitious fine dining. New and established venues including Eight at Gazegill, Parkers Arms, Freemasons at Wiswell, Northcote and Moor Hall combine sophisticated cuisine with rural settings and, in some cases, sustainable farming. Chefs say the area’s landscape, producers, warmth and growing reputation now attract diners and talent that might previously have gone to London or Manchester. Michelin recognition, food festivals and improved travel links are strengthening Lancashire’s position as a major culinary destination.

A literary travel essay follows Graham Greene’s traces through Corrientes, Argentina, the setting for The Honorary Consul and an influence on Travels with My Aunt. The writer explores the city’s riverfront, plazas, churches, institutions and food while considering how Greene transformed political tension, religious conflict and personal alienation into fiction. The piece argues that “Greeneland” is not a single generic landscape but a distinctive fusion of place, moral ambiguity and melancholy, and concludes with practical travel information for visiting Corrientes.

São Paulo is portrayed as an energetic, culturally rich city that deserves more attention from international travelers who often favor Brazil’s beaches, Amazon and wildlife destinations. Despite severe traffic, its attractions include striking modernist architecture, major museums, the São Paulo Biennial, street art, acclaimed restaurants and a lively nightlife scene. The city’s scale and intensity are demanding, but its food, art, design and late-night culture make it a compelling urban destination and a strong complement to trips elsewhere in Brazil.

World music is presented as a broad, culturally rooted field extending well beyond its popular association with Paul Simon’s Graceland. The feature recommends festivals, guided music tours and local cultural experiences across West Africa, Cuba, Portugal, the Balkans, India, Jamaica, Australia and the UK, while warning that some celebrated scenes—particularly Buenos Aires tango—can become commercialized for tourists. Specialist operators such as Songlines Music Travel and festivals including WOMAD are highlighted as ways to access authentic performances and local musical traditions.

A growing food culture rooted in local, organic production is presented as a promising way to attract tourists to North West England. Regional food festivals showcase small producers and distinctive products such as Cheshire and Lancashire cheeses, Morecambe Bay seafood, Goosnargh duck and reinvented black pudding, while chefs including James Martin and Simon Rimmer promote local ingredients. The region’s food identity and green landscapes are portrayed as offering a more compelling attraction than its traditional industrial image.