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3 weeks ago | 
discoverbritain.com | Ben Lerwill
For a historical landmark, a stream of paying visitors can be a financial lifeblood. From the outside, Oxfordshire’s Blenheim Palace might not seem to share much in common with the Pyramids of Giza, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal, but all are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, all exist on a monumental scale and – no less pertinently – all are now long accustomed to attracting wide-eyed sightseers from around the world.
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3 weeks ago | 
countrylife.co.uk | Ben Lerwill
One hundred years ago, an architect named Clough Williams-Ellis went to view an overgrown private peninsula on a wide estuary near Snowdonia (now Eryri), North Wales. The site had been badly neglected. Staring up and around, he saw a deserted mansion on the shoreline, a weed-choked stable block on the hill and gnarled cliffs poking above the trees. As his eyes met each feature, his heart soared.
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1 month ago | 
nationalgeographic.fr | Ben Lerwill |Naveed Hussain
Les prières du vendredi sont terminées et les rues de Rawalpindi sont chaudes, bruyantes et bondées. Les cyclomoteurs rugissent en se frayant un chemin parmi la foule. Dans la masse, des détails attirent le regard. Des barbes teintes au henné et des hijabs colorés. Un affûteur de couteau noyant les pavés sous les étincelles. Et quatre passagers accompagnés d’une chèvre tassés dans un pousse-pousse. Dans une allée, des garçons jouent au cricket sous un enchevêtrement de lignes électriques.
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1 month ago | 
kirkusreviews.com | Ben Lerwill
A fresh take on the notion that size matters. Cogently noting that the vast majority of the world’s animal species are tiny enough to fit into a reader’s hand, Lerwill introduces over 40 examples both rare and ubiquitous. Dubbing each a “super-small superhero,” the author profiles 20 compact creatures in his main gallery and adds brief cameos for 21 more at the end.
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1 month ago | 
nationalgeographic.com | Ben Lerwill
With almost 900 miles of tropical Indian Ocean shoreline, Tanzania is as much a coastal destination as it is a safari hotspot. The warm islands sitting off the coast of this East African nation are steeped in heritage, lined with sandy beaches and fringed by coral reefs. Often known as the Swahili Coast, the region is a fascinating swirl of Bantu traditions and Islamic influences.
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1 month ago | 
nationalgeographic.com | Ben Lerwill
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Friday prayers have ended, and the streets of Rawalpindi are hot, noisy and rammed. Mopeds growl as they edge through the crowd. In the throng, details catch the eye: henna-dyed beards and candy-striped hijabs; a knife-sharpener showering sparks over the pavement; four passengers and a goat in an auto-rickshaw. Down an alley, boys are playing cricket under a tangle of overhead wires. The heat is thick. Brakes squeak, brows sweat.
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Feb 9, 2025 | 
nationalgeographic.com | Ben Lerwill
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Many come to South Africa to experience the wonder of its Big Five wildlife on a traditional safari – but the country has many more natural phenomena to witness, from the clearest night skies over the Kalahari Desert to the spectacle of the annual sardine run up the east coast. 1. The Sardine Run You don’t need wildebeest for a great migration.
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Nov 27, 2024 | 
theguardian.com | Ben Lerwill
The Christmas market doesn’t know what’s hit it. At 8.30 on a mid-November morning Exeter is a whirl of white, a city half-blinded by tumbling flakes. Four market workers, caught out by this overly authentic addition to the festive decor, are busy shovelling the ground in front of the bao stalls and craft gin chalets. Above them, the cathedral’s medieval towers stand tall and cold in the heaven-filling flurry. Winter has arrived in Devon with bells on. The Guardian’s journalism is independent.
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Nov 7, 2024 | 
nationalgeographic.com | Ben Lerwill
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller(UK). In the 1960s, only a few years after the destruction of the Korean War, South Korea began putting an official classification on its most cherished crafts, customs and celebrations. Known as National Intangible Cultural Heritage, the designation has since been applied to almost 150 practices, from hemp-weaving to masked dances.
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Nov 4, 2024 | 
wanderlustmagazine.com | Ben Lerwill
Rail From Andean highs to coastal lowlands, South America’s railroads cross some of the most dramatic scenery on Earth… Ben Lerwill 05 November 2024 Link copied! Tren a las Nubes (Shutterstock) The train was a boxy grey express that had seen better days, but it pulled out of Oruro on time. I boarded late and breathless, having lost track of the hour in town.
