Neil Ratley

Africa

Deciding that he needed a radical change of scenery, Neil Ratley travelled to Africa in search of adventure - and he sure found it. Here’s a snapshot of his escapes

Out of Africa

Neil Radley takes us on a trek around South Africa

‘Bump bump. Ouch my ass, my balls, my ass, my balls. But ooh wow, what amazing scenery’. This is generally how my journey through South Africa, on pony-back, proceeds. Nonchalantly we wave to fellow musketeers and others whose path we cross, smiling…

Up-Helly-Aa: Norse Code

I'm standing in Lerwick town square, watching the early morning fog whip around the narrow cobbled streets, surrounded by a throng of local islanders and a few hardy tourists. Suddenly, as the steady beat of drums and the drone of bagpipes shatters the…

Splash Down

From deep highland lochs, to bubbling fresh springs, Scotland is a country overflowing with water. The lochs hide the monsters of Scottish superstition, while the spring water is fused together with malted barley to produce the ‘uisge-beatha’ or whisky.