SPECIALITIES
BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCES
ARTICLES
PICTURES
AWARDS
|
Strange
how life so often turns out right for the wrong reasons. I trained as a
bilingual PA at the Institut Français in London and worked for a variety
of multinational companies whilst writing – and selling - articles as a
hobby.
In 1980, I was unexpectedly made redundant so I took the plunge and went
freelance – if it didn’t work, I could always brush up the French
shorthand – but fortunately I never looked back. I was soon writing
regularly for women’s magazines - general features, celebrity
interviews, parenting articles and occasional travel pieces – as well as
regional publications and various corporate newsletters. In 1989, I
became a regular contributor to a new launch - Writers’ News magazine -
and, 20 years on, I’m still compiling their magazine market
news.
Then in 1998, a couple of chance conversations led me into travel
writing full time, contributing to the My Travel online magazine – now
closed - and to Living France magazine. Now I’m also a regular with
Destination France, The Traveller in France (French Tourist Board),
Voyage (Brittany Ferries), Holiday Villas, Holiday
Cottages, and Yours, as well as selling occasional pieces to a range of
other titles (see Articles).
In 2007, I featured in an episode of the BBC2 series Return to
Lullingstone Castle, interviewing Tom Hart-Dyke, founder of The World
Garden of Plants.
|
SPECIALIST TOPICS
France, the UK, European city breaks, and European islands.
I average a dozen trips to France each year and have travelled
round most of the Hexagon. Areas I know particularly well include
Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Rhône-Alpes, Normandy, Limousin, Auvergne, the
South-West, and Corsica.
Favourite French cities include Lyon, Lille and Montpellier, but
further afield, I’ve also written about city breaks in Helsinki
and Tallinn, Rome and Florence, Reykjavik, Copenhagen, Brussels,
Amsterdam, and Vienna. Island destinations include Tenerife and
Fuerteventura, Mallorca, Skiathos, Corfu, Cyprus, Malta and Gozo.
Closer to home, I’ve travelled from Cornwall to Yorkshire,
Herefordshire to Suffolk, as well as to Eire, the Highlands of
Scotland, and Edinburgh.
^
|
|
BEST
TRAVEL EXPERIENCES
Every trip delivers
something good, but highlights for me include watching brown bears
in the forests of northern Finland, paragliding in the French
Alps, and riding over the lava fields of Iceland on a horse with
five-speed gearbox. I’ve enjoyed luxury hotels and relaxing spas,
but have also spent some of my most enjoyable evenings in
atmospheric B&Bs.
^
|
|
RECENT
ARTICLES
In 2008, I had 54
travel articles published in national magazines, most of them
between 1500 and 2000 words long and illustrated with my own
digital pictures, several of which were used full page and one as
a cover shot for Living France. I also took on compiling the news
pages for Brittany Ferries’ onboard magazine; wrote a brochure for
the Calvados region of Normandy for the British market; and sold a
number of general interest features to My Weekly and Classic
Stitches:
Living France
- Heaven Scent
(walking holiday in
the Luberon)
- Winning by a Rose
(British couple with
rose nursery in Normandy)
- Hérault worship
(the diverse
countryside around Montpellier)
- It’s a Vine Life
(Burgundy wine tours
by British couple)
- Up the Ardennes Path
(forests and
fortified towns of the Ardennes)
- Small Wonder
(Tarn-et-Garonne
dept)
- Spa Out
(grape-based spas in
Burgundy)
- Dizzy heights
(Aveyron dept)
- Good to Go
(Family attractions
and theme parks)
- Love thy Neighbour
(green short break
in Pas de Calais)
- Norman Conquest
(Calvados coastline)
- Champagne
Lifestyle
(Aube-en-Champagne
dept)
- Sister Act
(the Loir Valley)
- Glorious Food
(favourite foodie
stopovers)
- Short but Sweet
(Orleans and the
Loiret dept)
- Jam packed
(British couple
making jam for luxury hotels)
- Good Vibrations
(Ain dept)
- Talking Shop
(shopping break in
Lyon)
Destination France
- 90 Years On
(WWI sites to visit)
- Discovering the
Green Fairy
(the fall and rise
of Absinthe)
- Destination …
Drôme
Holiday Villas
- Island Bites
(produce and cuisine
of Tenerife)
- Wet and Wild
(whale watching in
Tenerife)
- The Best of both
Worlds
(the Mercantour
National Park in France)
- Splash!
(Siam Park, new
water park in Tenerife)
- Going Gozo
(Malta’s little
sister)
Holiday Cottages
- Cooking on the Coast
(Waterford area of
Ireland)
- Spa Start to the
New Year
(spas for days
guests)
- The Man with the
Map
(interview with
Nicholas Crane)
- Ireland’s Package
of Pleasure
(Co Wicklow)
- All Roads lead to
Harrogate
(weekend break)
- Gardens for all
Seasons
(gardens to visit in
Shakespeare Country)
- Moor Magic
(Exmoor coast)
The Traveller in France (French Tourist Office magazine)
- A Breath of Fresh Air
(outdoor activities)
- Northern Soul
(winter breaks in
northern France)
- That Riviera Touch
(Nice as an
off-season getaway)
France Magazine
- Tour of Duty
(WWI sites of Pas de
Calais)
Voyage (Brittany Ferries onboard magazine)
- Green and Pleasant Land
(Asturias, N Spain)
- Missing Manche
(the Cherbourg
peninsula)
- Vienne gets the Vote
(countryside around
Poitiers)
- From High Life to Cave Dweller
(the Loir Valley)
Yours
- Look after yourself in Luxury
(luxury self
catering)
- Celebrate in Style
(special occasion
holidays)
- Summer in the City
(city breaks in the
sunshine)
- Classy venues with views
(houseparty venues)
- Live like a Lady
(castle hotels)
- Messing about on the River
(cruising European
waterways)
Woman’s Weekly
- The French Lake District
(Alpine lake
resorts)
Altitude (Nationwide airlines, South Africa)
- Discover Burgundy
(British couple
running wine tours)
E-motion (South-West Trains)
- Shop by train: Windsor & Eton
- Spotlight on Windsor
Liverpool.com magazine
- Lyon Rampant
(city break in Lyon)
Elegant Traveller
- Family friendly
(luxury destinations
for family holidays)
EXAMPLES OF PUBLISHED WORK
^
|
|
PICTURES
I take high
resolution digital images to accompany my features and also have
an extensive back catalogue of colour slides. Several shots have
been used as double page spreads and cover shots. Pictures
can be provided on disc.
PHOTOGRAPHY SELECTION
^
|
|
AWARDS
In 2004, I was judged Runner-Up in the ABTOF Best French Travel
Article of the year, with an article on Burgundy’s blackcurrant
trail published in Living France, and also shortlisted with a
feature on Corsica, published in Holiday Villas. I am also an
honorary Chevalier de la Commanderie du Saulte Bouchon Champenois–
the Champagne guild of Aube-en-Champagne.
^
|
|
TO CONTACT ME
Contact me by
email or by telephone on 00 44
(0)1582 468771 or – mobile - 00 44 (0)7831 275889.
^
|
. . . . .
|
BY GILLIAN
THORNTON -
EXAMPLES OF PUBLISHED WORK
La
Rochelle - weekend guide
When you’ve had early breakfast in Britain, there’s something
ever-so-slightly decadent about sitting down to a pre-lunch glass of pineau de Charentes on the bustling quayside at La Rochelle.
Sleek white yachts glide in and out of the harbour, picking their way
carefully between the tour boats that cruise to the islands of Ré, Aix
and Oléron. Tiny ferries provide a shuttle service across the harbour
mouth. And nautical folk do what nautical folk do best – just mess about
in boats.
Read full article
...
Tarn-et-Garonne - Small wonder
Linger at a table beneath the red brick arches of Montauban’s glorious
Place Nationale and it’s easy to imagine yourself back in the 17th
century. Look past the 21st century fashions and café furniture, the
discreet electric street lights and ubiquitous TV aerials, and you
realise that very little has changed in almost 400 years.
Read full article
...
Best
of Britain - St Albans
Growing
up on the edge of St Albans, I rather took the local heritage thing for
granted, because whatever we were learning about in class, we could
pretty much find it on the doorstep.
History
lessons were brought to life by our local Roman heritage, atmospheric
Cathedral, and the shadow of a great monastery which would have been
even greater if Henry VIII hadn’t thrown a wobbly in 1539. We had nature
lessons beside the duck-filled lakes of Verulamium Park and enjoyed
geography field trips in the local countryside.
At the time, I didn’t really appreciate how lucky we were.
It was only when I came back to live in the city as a parent that I
really began to appreciate what St Albans has to offer.
Read full article
...
Lingering in the Loir
You can always rely on the Romans to pick a plum site for a settlement and
their urban planners certainly got it right when they chose Aubigné-Racan, an area of flat land on the north bank of the river Loir.
Here in the shelter of wooded hills, they built temples and a forum,
public baths and a theatre, and yet no-one today really knows why. With
no road space and no living quarters, the site seems to have been a
seasonal sanctuary rather than a town.
Today, this important archeological excavation near Le Lude is one of the
unexpected treasures – and enigmas - of the Loir Valley, an enchanting
area dotted with vineyards and chateaux, glorious gardens and historic
small towns.
Read full article
...
Finding Your Feet in
Florence
On a scale of one to
ten, the Duomo in Florence scores a resounding eleven for sheer
in-your-face impact. Turn out of any side street into Piazza del
Duomo and you’re suddenly confronted with this ornate confection
of pink, green and white marble embellished with geometric
carvings, angelic figures, and sculpted foliage.
I first visited Florence as a student, eager to try out my A-level
Italian on the unsuspecting natives ... Now, more than two decades
later, I was making a long overdue return. But would the city live
up to my rose-tinted memories?
Read full article
...
Arras
- Secret History
Think about a city break in Nord Pas de Calais and most people
automatically head for the bright lights of Lille or the historic
old quarter of Boulogne. But if you fancy a town that combines
stunning architecture with great restaurants, fascinating heritage
sites with modern retail therapy, start thinking Arras instead.
Read full article
...
Suffolk
stress-buster
Early afternoon on
Southwold sea front and you can hear a seagull’s feather drop in
the Sailors’ Reading Room. A lady rustles quietly through the
daily papers on the table whilst deep in an armchair, her partner
enjoys a post-prandial snooze, a copy of Warship Technology
abandoned on his knee. Meanwhile, the rhythmical tick of the wall
clock reminds readers that outside at least, time marches steadily
on.
Read full article
...
Walk On The Wild
Side
The long,
steady climb to the rounded summit of Mont Lozère is a popular
route with both hikers and mountain bikers – not just for the 360º
views but also because you don’t have to be super-fit to tackle
it. Highest point of the Mont Lozère ridge is the Sommet de
Finiels, some 1700 metres above sea level and an hour’s
comfortable tramp from the tiny ski resort of Le Bleymard/Mont
Lozère.
You’ll frequently find families following the menhirs up the sandy
trail or pausing for a picnic at the summit, but you may also run
into a very different kind of traveller.
Read full article
...
^ |
|
CONTACT
ME
. . .
EXAMPLES OF
PUBLISHED WORK
. . .
PHOTOGRAPHY
SELECTION
|