Podworld - Exploring interesting places

It is described by the writer and broadcaster Michael Parkinson in his book Bats in the Pavilion as the finest cricket beach in Yorkshire. He is right and the beach in question in Filey in Yorkshire. Flat, firm with cliffs on one side and the sea the other forming a natural boundary it is simply a wonderful place to play this absorbing game. Five children and four adults would probably agree as aged between seven and 50, the family took it in turns to bat and ball with the seven-year-old adopting the position as captain.   I was probably not much older than my seven-year-old nephew when I made my cricket début on Filey beach. It struck me that a generation on, when the chattering classes think all children sit exclusively behind video consoles, here was a family doing what families had done for years.  I was taken by how enjoyable girls and boys were taken with this game. This is how children should be introduced to cricket. The basics of the game can be explained ...

This was a second attempt to enjoy Madrid after an earlier visit was over shadowed by ordinary weather. So here we were a in March where by the afternoon the temperatures could rise to 20c and Madrid could be enjoyed in all of its glory. The primary purpose of this visit was football and more particularly the city's foremost club Real Madrid. The club has an enduring rivalry with Barcelona and city foes Athletico. Today though it is Sociedad from the Basque city of San Sebastian who provide the opposition. The match and experience lives up to expectation and Real Madrid win 5-1. Day two by comparison shows a darker and altogether more frequent side to this lovely city. We are robbed. It was a classic pick pocket trick of crowded Metro train, a distraction with a "tourist" loudly pretending to be lost and the light fingers getting to work. So at La Latina station en-route to El Rastro we were a wallet down containing credit cards, driving licence but joyfully the p...