Richard Franks - Travel Writer

Four Seasons in a Day
VisitCairngorms

Braemar Castle was first built in 1628, but did you know it is one of 263 castles in Aberdeenshire alone?

Burnt down in the Jacobite Rising of 1689 and rebuilt, this L-shaped tower house has been the ancestral home of Clan Farquharson of Invercauld since the early 1800s and was open to visitors until 2005, when closure threatened its future.

The small, 500-strong community of Braemar then took over the lease in 2007 to protect said future and have worked tirelessly to raise funds, gradually repairing and restoring the castle to its former glory.

Braemar Castle is currently undergoing a £1.6 million renovation and is due to reopen for visitors in 2024. But for the time being, I think we can all agree that its new lick of paint really pops in its current autumnal setting! 🍂

There’s plenty of Scottish railway holiday inspiration from me in today’s The Telegraph, including iconic trips led by the likes of Byway, Belmond, Ffestiniog Travel & McKinlay Kidd, plus a few DIY routes and a disused railway line walk ending at the Ballater Arms 🚂

VisitScotland / Brightwater Holidays / Great Rail Journeys / ScotRail / Visit Edinburgh / PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW / Crerar Hotels / Ness Walk / British Guild of Travel Writers

With Northern Ireland in the news, I'm reminded of my weekend around Lough Neagh with Lough Neagh's Stories, Belfast Mic Tours, Belfast City Bike Tours & others, for this story in The Independent. One of my favourite trips of the last few years ⬇️

Fisherman’s friend: a nature-infused break at Britain’s largest freshwater lake Northern Ireland’s tranquil fishing lake is a blast of head-clearing fresh air, with delicious eels and blustery hikes on the side, says Richard Franks

Postcards from a ghost town 📸

Yosemite Nation

In The Independent, I wrote about Baltimore's Fells Point neighbourhood: home of seafood, jazz, craft beer and maritime history. It might just be my favourite spot in the States 🇺🇸

Visit Baltimore / Fell's Point Main Street / The Horse You Came In On Saloon / The Sound Garden / E.C. Pops / Max's Taphouse / Blue Moon Cafe And Blue Moon Too / Pitango Bakery + Café / Greedy Reads / Broadway Market Canopy by Hilton Baltimore Harbor Point / Sagamore Pendry Baltimore / Capital Region USA

How to spend a day in Fells Point, Baltimore’s seafood-loving, historic neighbourhood With the oldest saloon in the US, iconic seafood stops and a reimagined 18th-century market, the Maryland ’hood offers the perfect blend of old and new, writes Richard Franks

I'm off to the Mediterranean in the Spring 2023 issue of Postcards Magazine 😎

Back in The Independent discussing how to explore Scotland's Unesco trail responsibly and sustainably ⬇️

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/sustainable-travel/unesco-trail-scotland-orkney-shetland-geopark-b2292234.html

VisitScotland / Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Unesco Biosphere / Nithbank Country Estate - Award Winning 5 Star Country House B&B / SWG3 / Glasgow Music City Tours / Mono Glasgow / The National Piping Centre / Solway Tours / Freelance Ranger / Barrowland Ballroom Glasgow

How to explore the world’s first Unesco trail responsibly and sustainably Scotland’s new route pulls together its 13 Unesco-listed sites, from Orkney geopark to the Southern Ayrshire Biosphere. Richard Franks shares how to get stuck in without taking away

I’m in today’s The i Paper showcasing Scotland’s world-first Unesco trail, featuring New Lanark World Heritage Site, The Whithorn Trust & more 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

VisitScotland / Solway Tours / Selkirk Arms Hotel, Kirkcudbright / Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Unesco Biosphere

When I’ve not been away I’ve been spending most of my time hiding in my office working on the third edition of the Rough Guide to the North Coast 500… and today I finally submitted the book to the publisher 🥳 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

It’s due out in August, so watch this space 👀

Rough Guides / North Coast 500 / VisitScotland / Venture North / Visit Inverness Loch Ness

Read my story on the Flying Scotsman’s 100th anniversary and its celebratory events, in the latest issue of National Geographic Traveller magazine 🚂

VisitScotland / National Railway Museum

Pick up a copy of today's The i Paper to read why I think you should swerve the sights of Hollywood for the sounds of West Hollywood, featuring Rock 'n Walk Tours, Sunset Marquis, Troubadour, Bikes and Hikes LA, Barney's Beanery + much more 🤘🏻

https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/golden-globes-sunset-strip-where-los-angeles-really-interesting-2076169

Visit West Hollywood / Visit California

Enjoyed contributing to this Time Out Travel feature on the best places to visit in the UK in 2013 — tap the link to read my thoughts on Birmingham & Orkney 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Visit Birmingham / orkney.com

The 15 best places to visit in the UK in 2023 These are the parts of the country everyone will be talking about over the next 12 months.

📸 I’m currently in the Scottish Highlands updating the Rough Guides North Coast 500 guidebook, and was blessed with this view of the northern lights last night ✨

Have you ever seen them?