TAURUS RISING

RUNNING WITH THE BULLS IN PAMPLONA – At someone's nod, I forget whose, we neck our coffees, bin the styrofoam and move as one, picking our way through a whooping, unsteady crowd. We clamber through a barricade intended to keep the underage, the improperly dressed and the obviously wasted off the streets, where the mood is markedly less festive.

WHISKY BUSINESS

BENRIACH DISTILLERY – Writing about booze is a gig that pays twice – in freebies and cash – but the hard stuff can be a ruinous thing to put words to. It can visit infirmities on its scribes that are more disabling than the shakes and slurred speech

PERIOD DRAMA

HORSE-TREKKING WITH THE SVANS IN THE UPPER SVANETI – “Stop trying to lead him. I don’t care if you’ve ridden before. He knows the way – you don’t. If you think you know better, why don’t you carry him?”

AT DAWN WE DRINK

A SMITHFIELD PUB CRAWL – St John Street, Finsbury, 5am. Not first light. Maybe third. The crack of dawn, plus some thigh and midriff. It’s not unlike me to be awake at this time, but it’s rare for me to have been to bed first.

MY FIRST PORT OF CALL

BIG WEEKEND: GENOA – What do you want from an Italian city break? Culture, history, good looks, great food, maybe some sun if it’s in the mood? Well, Genoa has all of those things. But it’s also missing the thing no one wants: crowds. It’s the work of art you don’t have to queue to see.