UK Archives - Jim Murty’s TravelTravelTravel

America, Countries, Sport, UK

Paws for thought… let’s have a British mascot hall of fame

27th September 202627th September 2026 funtime65

And on the back of a night at the ice hockey, here’s a paws for thought… let’s have a British mascot hall of fame.

Paws, as I ought to have known, but do now is Edinburgh Capitals’ lion mascot.

In a pride of big cats, the symbols of sporting teams the length and breadth of this island of Britain.

With Edinburgh’s two football teams, Hearts and Hibs adopting Tynie Tiger and Sunshine the Leith Lynx.

And Scotland represented by Roary the Lion.

Whisper it, we probably owe our southern neighbours for kicking it all off.

With their World Cup Willie for their World Cup in 1966.

Cats and mouse game

And yes, behind many of the mascots’ name is a giggling overgrown school kid, although sometimes it’s accidental.

Or because we are separated by a common language.

As we discovered as an Irish party visiting the Los Angeles Angels baseball team in Anaheim.

And our Angels guide proudly announced they like nothing better than getting their Mickeys out.

Which a man will be arrested for in Ireland.

Hall of Famers

All good fun and banter which, of course, drives fans everywhere.

And which our American friends recognise and mark in their Mascot Hall of Fame.

Wild World: With Anaheim Ducks’ Wild Wing

All the brainchild of Philly Phanatic, David Redmond, who held the position and costume from 1978-1993.

Now the Hall of Fame, like much else these days, is an online site.

After a spell between 2018-24 as an interactive children’s’ museum in Indiana.

Now should you or your mascot feel they belong in the Hall of Fame then you need to persuade the committee.

That you have been going for a minimum of ten years.

And that you have impacted your sport and community.

Inspired fans, and consistently given memorable and groundbreaking performances.

Meet the Mascots

You’ll only join a magical mascots membership.

That includes Cosmo, Miles, Goldy, Mrs Met and in the best tradition of these things, yes, Cocky.

We reckon Paws would be a worthy addition.

Not least because we can reveal that’s where Ed Sheeran has been hiding these past few days.

America, Countries, UK

Saturday Night Live… from Chicago

17th September 202617th September 2026 funtime65

As the UK laps up another dose of US improv, here’s why it was really Saturday Night Live… from Chicago.

Comedy fans have long greeted the holler after the opening sketch announcing Saturday Night Live… from New York.

And while the weekly anarchic tilt at the week is shot now in New York, and its UK version in London.

It is Chicago where improv is rooted, and in particular The Second City comedy club.

Which spawned Belushi and Aykroyd, Murray and Gardner, Fey and Poehler and Louis-Dreyfus and Carrell.

The original and best

John Boy: John Belushi, middle back, Second City

The Windy City is rightly proud of its hallowed place in the comedy firmament.

And it is not by accident with Chicagoans showing all the spontaneity and inventiveness.

Which led them to the Mid-West in the first place.

Viola Spolin is credited with being the Godmother of Modern Improv.

And that surely is a stage name given to gags.

And she passed on the funny gene to son Paul Sills who founded the Compass Players which led to the formation of the Second City.

Now what happens in Chicago soon gets taken up in the Big Apple and beyond… think skyscrapers.

And Second City has expanded since its inception in the 50s to spread the word to NY and Toronto and to the virtual ether.

Of course there is nothing quite like the original.

And if you want to discover the next SNL superstars then The Second City Chicago always put on the best show.

Sheer Pandemonium

As a sample Chicago is putting on Pandemonium, Please Hold through Friday.

Which they call The Second City’s 114th MainStage Revue Pandemonium.

A loud fast and gloriously unhinged night of comedic mayhem.

With the six-person cast cranking the amps and stage dives headfirst into the chaos with blistering sketches.

With tickets from $40-$80… and with a card and your own joke to go, In conjunction with The National Comedy Center New York.

And now the punchline

And because you’re you we’re sharing ours with you here for nothing.

Why didn’t the toilet paper cross the road?

Because it got stuck in a crack.

Countries, UK

Ushering in Scotland’s whisky man’s village with no bar

2nd September 20262nd September 2026 funtime65

And we’ll try to unpick this riddle for you after our visit to St Abbs, ushering in Scotland’s whisky man’s village with no bar.

Brewer Andrew Usher (see what we did there) is the man at the heart of the story.

Transforming a Scottish Borders fishing village from Coldingham Shore into the bustling tourist spot it is today.

Usher’s skills in decanting the then-harsh whisky into a product meant Scotland could sell their drink to the world.

Abbs Army

All of which made a pretty penny for Andrew who, proud Borderer that he is, put the money back into St Abbs.

Especially for the harbour and the village with St Abbs having suffered particularly badly.

In the storm of 1881 when 189 fishermen across the Berwickshire coast lost their lives.

With Jill Watson’s statue of women and children Women and Bairns at the head outside the visitor centre.

Capturing the loss poignantly of Black Friday, October 14.

A different world

At this point Victorian Usher considered his career of choice and decided not to have a bar in the village.

Now if you think St Abbs looks familiar you will have outed yourself as a comic books fan.

With St Abbs the template for New Asgard in the Marvel film Avengers: Endgame.

Today’s St Abbs is more a throwback to a gentler time than a futuristic vision.

And the best place to start is at the Visitor Centre where you can learn too of other notable St Abbians.

And 7th-century Northumbrian princess and abbess St Aebbe.

Who established a religious house at Kirk Hill, next to the rocky headland now known as St Abb’s Head.

Fishermen’s friend

And suffragette Isabel Cowe, the youngest of eight children of a fisherman father killed at sea.

And who campaigned and fundraised for St Abbs to have its own lifeboat.

She also took part in the rescue of passengers and crew from the ship Glanmire when it floundered in Coldingham Bay.

Now following the theme of if you want something done ask a busy woman Isabel wasn’t finished there.

Isabel’s pals: Noreen Thompson and Jill Watson in the Isabel Cowe memorial garden near St Abbs

And owned the St Abbs Haven boarding house from 1914 to 1931 and was a popular figure in the village.

While in her spare time she worked with her friend and activist Jane Hay in the Women’s Freedom League.

Cowe was an organiser of the 400-mile Scottish Suffrage March from Edinburgh to Downing Street in 1912.

And is now commemorated in the Isabel Cowe memorial garden near St Abbs.

And St Abbian and Abbianphiles

Centre of attention: St Abbs Visitor Centre

Now it is St Abbs way to mark St Abbian and Abbianphiles along their coastal walks.

All of which you will see for yourself on whichever way you take.

We took the gentle hour-long round-trip Coldingham Beach stroll from Ebbcars Cafe to the Coldingham Beach Cafe.

Stopping and yes taking a seat for a blether as recommended by Bill Gray.

Wherever you choose to go in St Abbs the locals will be glad to have a blether.

In either cafe, at the antiquaries hut, the Visitor Centre and all you meet along the way.

Ushering in a new era

And you’ll be glad, and we imagine Andrew Usher will to, to know that you can imbibe of bottled beer and wine at Ebbcars Cafe.

And before you reluctantly leave the village to return to North Berwick. 30 miles up the road.

Or 48 miles to Edinburgh while in the other direction you’re just 17 miles to the English border and 75 miles to Newcastle.

Perhaps raise a glass, and make sure you don’t flout the drink limits to Scotland’s whisky man.

Countries, UK

Treasure Island a rock in an Edinburgh private garden

1st September 2026 funtime65

Now we love an origins row – the baptism of Christ, surfing’s home, Irish coffee’s creation and now Treasure Island a rock in an Edinburgh private garden.

Now our own stomping ground of North Berwickety, south-east of Edinburgh, has long since claimed Treasure Island for itself.

On account of author Robert Louis Stevenson holidaying to the seaside from Edinburgh as a child.

And looking out on Fidra island.

Only there is a rival story from Edinburgh itself.

Brought to us by adopted Edinburgher Cousin Eddie O, who talks up his front garden.

Everything in the garden is rummy

Or the private Queen Street Gardens where the good people of the uptown New Town get away from it all.

The story goes that Stevenson would look out on Queen Street Gardens.

From his home in Number 17 Queen Street.

And specifically what once was Farmer Wood’s cattlepond.

Which in the imagination of an adventurous young frail boy, brought up by lighthouse people, became Treasure Island.

Now today’s Queen Street Gardens stress that their park is particularly child-friendly.

And parents to keep an eye on them, possibly because of those 15 men on the dead man’s chest.

And the bottle of rum.

Open season

Now you will need to be in the Queen Street Gardens to subscribe, pay the fee and get to see Treasure island.

Unless you use this month’s Edinburgh Doors Open Days.

Or, of course, come to North Berwickety.

With Sula Boat Trips for a £20 evening cruise from the harbour

Caribbean, Countries, Music, UK

Rainy Days and Songdays… five Notting Hill bangers

29th August 202629th August 2026 funtime65

And if like us you reckon that Ronan Keating says it best when he says nothing at all, you’ll join us on the truck for Rainy Days and Songdays… five Notting Hill bangers.

Because you don’t have to go out to the West Indies for the full Caribbean experience.

It’s just that London doesn’t have the natural beaches and palm trees, that’s all.

And so it was in Barbados where I got my first taste of carnival, Grand Kadooment, Foreday Morning and Mas.

Now to warm you up for that and educate you in Caribbean.

We have the annual Notting Hall Carnival, which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

From Junior to the Clash

Police and Thieves: If there’s one anthem that has recognition from Carnivalites and non-Carnivalites alike it’s this anthem from Jamaicans Junior Murvin and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.

The story goes that The Clash’s Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon got on the song for their eponymous debut album.

Because they were involved in a riot as part of the 1976 carnival.

Memorable line: And all the crowd come in, day by day/No one stop it in any way/All the peacemaker turn war officer/Hear what I say.

Jumpin’

Jump: And what would a carnival be without the jumpin’ and the chippin’?

This classic beat from Bajan soca star Rupee (real name Rupert Antonio Clarke) from the turn of the Millennium had us all, well jumpin’.

Memorable line: And the men, selling their craft/And don’t talk about the girls in the costume, yeahIt just does something to me and it makes me wanna/jump around the place.

Take note

If you don’t know me by now: And another which is as well known for its cover as its original.

Philly soul band Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes first had a stab at this plea for forgiveness back in 1972.

Before Simply Red reprised it in 1989, complete with Mick Hucknall flicking his carrot-top tresses around.

Memorable line: Oh, don’t get so excited/When I come home a little late at night/You know, we only act like children/When we argue, fuss and fight.

The OG

Jamming: And, of course, no celebration of the Caribbean would be complete.

Without a nod to the Great Man, Bob Marley.

And nothing is guaranteed to get the crowd going than this classic.

Whistle while you work: But it’s all play

Although you could say that about One Love, Three Little Birds… you name it.

Memorable line: We’re jammin’/To think that jammin’ was a thing of the past/We’re jammin’/And I hope this jam is gonna last.

And Ri-Ri

Man Down: And that’s me every time the Queen of Barbados (they got rid of the other one) trills at me in her velvety voice.

And although the lyrics are challenging, it’s in the spirit of I Shot The Sheriff, and who can’t resist the refrain.

Particularly as it has rum in it and we’ve plenty of experience of chippin’ to the rum truck.

Memorable line: Rum-pum-pum-pum/Rum-pum-pum-pum/Rum-pum-pum-pum/Man down.

Countries, Sustainable Tourism, UK

The Solar Eclipse straight outta Dirleton

12th August 202612th August 2026 funtime65

And as we all reach for the skies today my own little stars will be following the Solar Eclipse straight outta Dirleton.

On our doorstep in East Lothian, south-east of Edinburgh.

Where, whisper it, the villagers have the most sought-after accessory in the country, solar glasses for their Solar Walk.

With donations welcomed in support of Dirleton Primary School.

Of course, the more iconic megalithic sites on this island will be the focus of eclipse-seekers around 6pm today.

And so there will, of course, be tailbacks to Stonehenge and throngs at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

From another stone age

Whereas if you live in the south of England, or are just visiting, then we’d recommend Avebury on the Wiltshire/Berkshire border.

Where we watched, through solar eclipse glasses, the last time the Sun and the Moon did their thang.

No, of course time and tide waits for no one as another famous Scot once said and there have been some amount of moons come and gone.

Since we carried the Daughterie around in a backpack and the Son and Heir ran around our ankles there.

When New Age hippies and those new to their Age gathered around the older and more extensive stones in the village.

See you all in 2083

Flying high: My own little stars in Dirleton

With the next total solar eclipse in 2083 they might with medical advances still be here to see it.

While a generation not yet known may be the ones nipping around their feet.

Now if I manage to steer clear of going full Icarus and looking the sun in the eye I’ll be back later.

And hopefully somewhere where there are only dark skies… and I’d suggest somewhere up a mountain, say Mount Teide in Tenerife.

But remember too to take something warm to wear and not have to rely on a gallant Scot to lend you his jacket and shiver through the experience.

Countries, UK

A surfur’s life for me with roadsurfer

29th July 202629th July 2026 funtime65

And here’s a vantastic offer ahead of International Dog Day next month and it’s a surfur’s life for me with roadsurfer, with the campervan providers waiving their pet fee.

For any future bookings for 48 hours if made on August 26 and 27, the usual fee around £120 per booking, regardless of trip length.

With all of this coming on the back of Booking.com research.

Which shows that half (46%) of us get anxious when leaving our dog behind on holiday.

Dog for hire

Now for us to avail of the offer in truth we’d have to borrow a dog.

Say next door’s Scottie Hamish or their cat Rufus.

We’re glad to say, of course, that the travel world has evolved in the 30 years since.

Our own wee furry fella, Celtic the Cat, made way for Son and Heir and Daughterie.

And campervan will make accommodations for pussycats too, or other pets they say.

So you don’t have to stress about where to leave your Tiddles or how much it will cost you.

Road map for pets

And as experts in the field campervan have put together a road map of tips for your pets.

Pack familiar comforts: Bring your pet’s favourite blanket, bed or toy to help them feel settled in their home on wheels.
Travel at their pace: Take advantage of the flexibility of campervan travel by stopping for walks, water breaks and playtime whenever needed.
Plan pet-friendly stops: Look ahead for dog-friendly campsites, beaches and walking routes to make the most of your adventure.
Prepare a pet travel kit: Pack essentials including food, water, bowls, a lead, poo bags, towels and any medication your pet may need.
Put safety first: Ensure your pet travels securely and never leave them unattended in a warm campervan.

Take a peak inside

Roadsurfer’s modern fleet of campervans range from compact models perfect for couples to spacious, family-friendly campers with extra comfort.

The vans feature cosy beds, indoor heating, kitchens and outdoor seating.

Each booking includes unlimited mileage, a free second driver, and of course, pets are welcome too.

Prices from £55 per night based on September 2026 travel.

Countries, Music, UK

Roll up for Jay and Macca’s Magical Mystery Tour

26th July 202625th July 2026 funtime65

And as recommendations go there’s some beating this… roll up for Jay and Macca’s Magical Mystery Tour.

And we won’t even ask Jay Johnson for a refund for not getting Paul McCartney to wave and greet us.

Like he did to the passengers on his bus on Hope Street in Beatles Town.

With Macca even showing the gasping tour group who he was talking to on his video call… one Ringo Starr.

With a little help from his friends

Now if you think that was just too much of a coincidence then you might be right.

Because MMT boss is only the brother of Holly Johnson, he of Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

And he knows Macca as well as he knows himself after playing him in stage production Two of Us.

A tale of Macca and John Lennon meeting in New York in 1976 in Lennon’s NY flat.

And how they almost got back together.

In my life

New tales to tell his Fab Four fans then on his tour around Liverpool.

Where they were born, strummed their first songs together and the places we all know and love from their songs.

Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields… and the stories behind them.

Now Lennon famously said that while he was born in Liverpool he grew up in Hamburg.

Where then Super Six (OK, our name), including Lennon’s pal Stuart Sutcliffe and Ringo’s predecessor Pete Best honed their act.

Jasterday

All of which you’ll learn in fuller detail in Stefanie Hempel’s Beatles-Tour.

With a ukulele set thrown in from Stef… it was George Harrison’s favourite instrument after all.

Now your Beatles odyssey should, of course, take in Abbey Road in London.

And the Dakota Building and Strawberry Fields tribute in New York.

As well as, of course, Liverpool and the Cavern Club from where you’ll pick up your Magical Mystery Tour Bus.

And insert your own Beatles-related link here.

And we’ll Get Back to you.

America, Countries, UK

Glasgow and Boston now sisters by a different mister

3rd July 20263rd July 2026 funtime65

And where better to mark their new bond than The Haven… Glasgow and Boston now sisters by a different mister.

In this the 250th anniversary of the USA the cradle of the revolution was overrun by familiar old faces.

A friendly invasion by the Tartan Army, the legendary foot soldiers who follow their national team around the world and at this World Cup.

Cone yersel: With Scotland’s biggest fan

And put traffic cones on statues.

In the manner of the iconic one of the Duke of Wellington in the Merchant City back in Scotland’s biggest city.

All of which came to the attention of Michelle Wu, the Mayor of Beantown.

Boston with pride

Cone but not forgotten: With Mum at the Duke of Wellington statue in Glasgow

Mayor Michelle chose Boston’s Scottish pub The Haven, to sign a letter of intent to sister the cities.

To be formalised next April during Tartan Week.

The Sisterhood

And so Boston joins a sisterhood which was kicked off in a spirit of war reconciliation by Nuremberg in Germany in 1985.

Following a student exchange programme in the Fifties.

And closely followed by Rostov-on-Don in Russia, which is currently suspended.

Dalian in China was next up with Havana in Cuba hot on its heels and then Turin joining the party.

Lahore in Pakistan was next with Marseille joining the fun in 2006.

Before Bethlehem, and Mykolaiv in Ukraine got in on the act.

Haverin’ about The Haven

And what of Boston’s Scottish pub, The Haven.

An oasis in an island of Irish Boston bars?

And where was it when I worked for a summer after university in the Black Rose and had The Black Velvet Band whirling round my head?

Well, Jason Waddleton was off doing his own thing in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire.

When this Aberdeen Uni alumnus was off in Boston.

But he got there in the end and opened up his Scottish ‘Cheers’ in 1998, the last time Scotland made the World Cup, in France.

Of course, he was full of beans when Scotland got drawn in his adopted city to play two games and win one, against Haiti.

All of which means The Haven is the pub to go to when you’re in Boston.

It’s where everybody knows your name and your clan.

Countries, Europe, Sport, UK

When the famous Tartan Army met the Teuton Army

2nd July 2026 funtime65

When the famous Tartan Army met the Teuton Army in the Euros in Germany two years ago it changed everything.

With bonds between the 200,000 Scots and their German hosts forged and rekindled.

And promises made to meet up again in two years time in America at the World Cup.

Alas, our paths weren’t to cross in the US with Scotland and Germany being drawn apart and both being knocked out early.

But did last night at a Scottish-German get-together in Edinburgh last night.

Where we raised a Prost and a Sláinte with Harald, Charlotte and unsere alten Freunde.

And parked any Schadenfreude for England’s travails until they squeezed by DR Congo.

Back at kindergarten

Not, in truth, that the Germans have ever bought into the grudge that England feels for them.

With, in fact, it being the Dutch with whom the Germans share a rivalry.

Now while football was to the fore, and the World Cup is poorer for Scotland and Germany being out.

We were in town to celebrate the links between our countries and learn, of course, new things.

Because, after all every day is a kindergarten day.

And didn’t we discover our hosts for the night. Anderson Strathern LLP, boasted a Nuremberg chest heirloom dating back to 1701?

My German footballing odyssey

My own German footballing odyssey involved Nuremberg .

When I took in my first game in Deutschland, a Bavarian derby with Bayern Munchen during my first Oktoberfest.

And not even getting a smack in the nose back outside the Hofbrauhuis.

For trying to split up two footballing frauleins, from one of their boyfriends I’m saying, has put me off my love of football.

Which was cemented on a memorable tour around the Ruhr, the spiritual home of German football, while also visiting the German football museum.

Where they bask in the glory of four World Cups and three European Championships (count them).

Flower of Scotland in Germany

World in our hands: At the German Football Museum

So everything is still rosy in the German garden and also in the Ruhr region which will bring a different tourist over next year for their very special gardening spectacle.

All of which has got me thinking, mibbeees I should present a trip to the Ruhr Valley as a horitcultural holiday to Der Scary One.

And I slide off to Essen, Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen.