Feature

Tripoli, Lebanon As an orthopaedic surgeon who has undertaken more than a dozen ICRC missions to the Middle East, I was horrified to hear the organisation was proposing closure of its reconstructive programme in northern Lebanon. Surely, I thought, they must be joking? Sadly, it appears not. In 2014, ICRC opened its Weapon Traumatology and Training Centre (WTTC) in Tripoli to help the chronically war-wounded. It now admits patients from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and beyond. Its creation was a courageous stroke of genius by the ICRC of that time, as to[...]

Glenridding, Lake District, United Kingdom I have done it, at least they have done it for me. A little while ago I reached the zenith of my skiing career and became a member of the Lake District Ski Club. Moving to Cumbria had been a life decision, swopping London’s pollution for the purity of Lakeland air. The ongoing pandemic persuaded me, as I had no wish to spend a second lockdown period in London.  Yet the last thing I was expecting in Cumbria was a ski tow, clinging out-of-sight to a patch[...]

Setmurthy, Cumbria, United Kingdom I am uncertain why I visited The Lakes Distillery, but I am glad that I did. It is one of those places that has a presence. I should add that I am no drinker, perhaps a cider from time to time. Whisky is alien to me. At least it was until my tour of the distillery. Somewhere near the northern tip of Britain’s Lake District, the country’s largest national park, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a man called Paul Currie had a vision. He had made[...]

Great Langdale Valley, Ambleside, United Kingdom I adore mountains. Always have done, always will do. There is something about a craggy peak that lifts my spirits and makes me feel I want to be out there, savour the peace, breathe clear air, and spend time alone in my otherwise crazy existence. It was why, on a perfect-weather day, I was sat atop the Lake District’s Pike of Stickle, gazing out over a green and welcoming Great Langdale Valley. It was one of those days that makes the National Park a World Heritage[...]

Ambleside, Cumbria, United Kingdom There is a problem with the Lake District, Ambleside especially, despite the region’s beauty and popularity. It is, after all, a World Heritage Site. The snag is that you feel you must be a walker. Around you are 16 lakes, 150 peaks and more than half-a-million acres of national park. With 3203 kilometres of footpath weaving here and there, it is no wonder that so many of the park’s 20 million annual visitors feel they must be clad as professional mountaineers. It is why I was puzzled when[...]

Eyam, Derbyshire, United Kingdom When Covid-19 finishes, if it ever does, my first stop will be the UK’s Peak District. It may have been England’s first National Park, it may have been where freedom to roam was created in 1932, but it was also where the most perfect example of quarantine and self-sacrifice was created. That was more than 350 years ago. The village was Eyam, the year 1665, and a damp bundle of cloth had arrived from London for the local tailor. It was late August, the time for Eyam Wakes[...]