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Welcome to my podcast channel.

In this podcast, we are exploring some ‘what-ifs’ in advance of the US midterm elections. I'm very pleased to be accompanied by my good friend, Norman Baker, the Rt Hon Norman Baker. Since the end of his parliamentary career, he has become a commentator on a number of fronts, and it's not just the royal family. He now comments on a wide range of national and international affairs in the national press and on TV.

Elections Day in the USA is Nov 3, 2026, in just a few days time. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the US Senate are being contested. US Senate elections are staggered over six-year terms. About one third are elected every 2 years.

Norman and I have already touched on some international affairs in a previous podcast entitled ‘USA - Democracy to Dictatorship Under Trump’. This was first recorded in April 2026 just a few months after Trump started a war with Iran. As we all know the effect of Trump's War has had a massive effect on fuel prices with the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continuing and out of his control.

Now Trump's actions on the international stage and the war against Iran are to be tested in the midterm elections in the United States. Will Trump's Republican Party win, with them staying in power in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, or will the Democrats win? It's a big question.

Currently, the Republicans have 53 seats in the Senate, with a majority of 6 seats. In the House of Representatives, they have 218 seats with a majority of 4 seats. There is 1 independent and there are 2 vacancies.

Anything could happen in the world of Trump. For now, sit back and take in this interesting podcast with Norman Baker, giving us an insight into the world of Trump and elections in the US!

Visit my website for more podcasts and articles - a space where the past meets the present, and where I try to use my experience and travels to bring history, places to life. Enjoy my travels by train and bicycle on trips through England, France and beyond. Check out my thoughts on current affairs and climate change, - some serious and some I hope you will find informative. Join me in these conversations across time and place; past and present.

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Welcome to Episode 2 of Adventures with my Brother George in the Swinging Sixties.

In our very first episode, I shared the magical fascination of George’s bold new venture — a transformation that felt, to me, like watching an elegant old Georgian grand hotel come alive again, reborn into with dazzling events set against the backcloth of classic grandeur of another age colliding with the wild, carefree energy of the Swinging Sixties.

If you haven’t yet heard that story, it’s waiting for you on my podcast website.

That spirit of reinvention, of discovery, of why not? — defined the era. The Sixties were buzzing with change and possibility, and this episode carries that same electric energy forward.

Because in that time, and in this story, one thing was certain: anything was possible... and anything goes!

Today, I'm joined by my niece, Dee. She was brought up in Weymouth. She is the first of George and June's talented and interesting girls. Dee has a wealth of knowledge about the history of the family in the Wyke House Hotel and Weymouth, handed down to her from her mum, June, and her aunties, including Liz, Angela, and Anne, as well as Anne's husband, Dennis. All of these people and more, you will find featured in this series.

Enjoy!

Visit my website for more podcasts and articles - a space where the past meets the present, and where I try to use my experience and travels to bring history, places to life. Enjoy my travels by train and bicycle on trips through England, France and beyond. Check out my thoughts on current affairs and climate change, - some serious and some I hope you will find informative. Join me in these conversations across time and place; past and present.

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This podcast takes a light-hearted look at my epic 1000-mile cycle journey through France from the Mediterranean coast to the English Channel at Dieppe. Well, it was great fun even though at times I felt I'd overstretched myself. In this podcast I am assisted by my very good friends Lorna and Robert. Many thanks to them.

On 20th May 2025 I began my attempt to cycle over 900 miles (actually it ended up as 1000 miles) from the South of France to Dieppe and then back to Lewes in Sussex via the ferry. Whilst I was on my ride, I raised funds for medical and other civilian aid to be sent to Ukraine.

June 10th was the last day. I cycled for 20 days in total, plus two days of rest. The distance covered was 1000 miles. The ascent was over 14,276 m, that’s 46,837 ft ! !

It’s been a fascinating trip. I’ve enjoyed meeting people on the way and cycled with other cyclists at times. It has been an epic journey in often stunning scenery.

After getting off the night train from Paris at Nice I cycled a short distance along the Côte d’Azur to the place where Napoléon landed in 1815 after his escape from Elba. Then I followed the Route Napoléon, a 325-kilometer (200-mile) historical route from the French Riviera at Golfe-Juan, near Cannes through the Alpes-Maritime and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to Grenoble. Beautiful crystal clear views of breath-taking scenery and some very steep climbs through the mountains!

From Grenoble I cycled into the Massif Central, but first following the River Isère cycle path and then the River Rhône (Via Rhôna). Then turning up into the hills, firstly on an old railway track, followed by very steep climbs to the source of the River Loire (1,350 m. 4,430 ft) in the Cévennes range at the foot of Mont Gerbier de Jonc. The route then follows the Loire River from a tiny stream to a large river, at Orleans. This River Loire route is a journey of about 603 km (375 miles). The book by Mike Wells ‘River Loire Cycle Route’ was of immense help guiding me through all of the twists and turns at the initial stages of the route. I then joined the EuroVelo 6 (EV6) at Nevers which takes you onto long stretches of canal path and on top of river ‘levees’. I had travelled from beautiful mountainous landscapes and scenery through to alluvial plains.

My route now left the River Loire at Orléans, and I cycled to the cathedral city of Chartres following the River L’Eure valley to the River Seine and up over the hills to Forges-les-Eaux where I joined the Avenue Verte to Dieppe.

I'm immensely pleased to have completed this cycle ride at the age of 78. It spurs me on to do other epic cycle rides! I used an electrically assisted bike.

For more information go to: https://ient.me.uk/2025/04/11/france-south-to-north-cycle-ride-2025/

Visit my website for more podcasts and articles - a space where the past meets the present, and where I try to use my experience and travels to bring history, places to life. Enjoy my travels by train and bicycle on trips through England, France and beyond. Check out my thoughts on current affairs and climate change, - some serious and some I hope you will find informative. Join me in these conversations across time and place; past and present.

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An amazing 1960s adventure across Europe trip

This podcast is dedicated to my great friends Graham Brooks and Pete Jeffries who sadly now passed away. My adventures with them will always live in my memory,

In 1967, three young friends—Pete, Graham, and me, (narrator of this podcast) — set off on an adventurous road trip from England to the Italian Riviera. Graham, mechanically gifted, owned a striking Sunbeam Rapier, cream and red with dual carburettors, which became our chariot across Europe. For me, a working-class lad from Aldershot, such a journey was almost unheard of; foreign holidays were still a luxury reserved for the wealthy or the “jet set.” Our plan, hatched over a few pints in a Guildford pub, was to drive from Dover, through France and Switzerland, across the Alps and into Italy, ending at Alassio on the Italian Riviera.

In the Summer with eager anticipation, we boarded the Dover–Calais ferry and began their trek along France’s straight, tree-lined ‘Routes Nationales’ roads. Our first stop was a small village café thick with smoke and the scent of Gauloises. A ham sandwich, cognac, and a primitive ‘toillette’ behind the back wall of the café set the tone for rustic encounters to come.

Mechanical trouble struck near Dijon when the car’s dynamo failed. Fearing disaster, we were rescued by friendly locals in berets who led us across town to a parts shop which was like an “Aladdin’s cave.” After lunch and pétanque in the square, several smoking mechanics successfully fitted a new dynamo, sending us boys gratefully on our way.

Crossing into Switzerland, we paused on the edge of Lake Geneva where I had the best omelette for breakfast I have ever had sitting outside with a view of the famous Jet d’Eau fountain. Then a picnic in the foothills of the Alps of bread, cheese, and wine—continental flavours new to me. Taking the old Great St Bernard Passup over the mountain rather than the recently opened tunnel, we marvelled at alpine peaks, snow, and perilous hairpin bends before entering Italy.

In the fertile Po Valley, a field of fragrant tomatoes provided an impromptu snack before we wound our way into the Alpi Marittime. A smoky mountain bar introduced us to local farmers who revealed themselves as former WWII partisans—men who had fought Nazis in those very hills. That night, thousands of fireflies lit up the darkness around our parked car, creating a magical memory.

At last we reached Alassio, though I succumbed briefly to sunstroke. Soon recovered, I joined Pete and Graham, who had befriended three beautiful girls from an Italian-speaking canton in Switzerland. With them, we lads enjoyed a midnight swim, seafood feasts on a pier, and a glamorous cliff-top nightclub—though drinks cost a fortune compared to English beer.

Our adventure continued west along the Ligurian coast to Monte Carlo, where belle époque splendour and luxury yachts dazzled us. A chance meeting with an East End chef in a very posh café provided the comic surprise of a “full English breakfast” overlooking the casino. While Pete and Graham tried their luck inside, I swam at the harbour and socialised with the glitterati. The girls were gorgeous!

With money running low, we reluctantly turned homeward. Back in Dover, customs officers meticulously searched Graham’s car for contraband tobacco and alcohol—hidden so ingeniously that nothing was found. We lads returned safely home, richer in memories: camaraderie, landscapes, unexpected kindness, brushes with history, and the thrill of freedom abroad in the 1960s.

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Visit my website for more podcasts and articles - a space where the past meets the present, and where I try to use my experience and travels to bring history, places to life. Enjoy my travels by train and bicycle on trips through England, France and beyond. Check out my thoughts on current affairs and climate change, - some serious and some I hope you will find informative. Join me in these conversations across time and place; past and present.