Nick Redmayne

inews.co.uk • 23rd January 2023

Why now's the time to visit this fascinating, tropical island after decades of conflict

“Northern Province has been waiting to be discovered, which in a way has been a blessing,” said Jeevan Thiagarajah, the governor. “But we would like to retain [some of] that solitude.”

After civil war and sanctions, the 2004 tsunami, pandemic, political turmoil and economic chaos, it’s possible that Jaffna’s time has come. Instead of making straight for southern beach resorts and hill stations, visitors will find that a whole new aspect of Sri Lanka awaits exploration.

Jaffna lies in Sri Lanka

Geographical • 12th January 2023

After Sri Lanka's chaotic summer

Fleeing politicians, mass demonstrations, 70 per cent inflation and fuel rationing –

Sri Lanka seemed to be on the brink of disaster last summer. Nick Redmayne returns to the island to see how it’s coping after a tumultuous year

In late 2009, I travelled to northern Sri Lanka following the collapse of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s (LTTE) violent 30-year insurgency. The Colombo government’s emphatic, and to some surprising, military victory had come at a cost. President Mahinda Rajapak

BBC • 10th December 2022

Radio 4 - From Our Own Correspondent, 'Everything that is good has been taken'

Early in the Russian invasion, residents of Irpin fled their homes. After Ukraine recaptured the city, people are now returning to face the prospect of how to rebuild their lives.

Russian troops captured Irpin, north-west of Kyiv, early on in the invasion. When the satellite town was liberated, the atrocities of Russian soldiers were laid bare. Nick Redmayne spoke to the residents who returned home about how they are trying to rebuild their lives.

Following the protests which began in mid-Sept

Apple Podcasts • 30th August 2022

‎The Geographical Podcast on Apple Podcasts

This month we return to a country that no longer dominates headlines, but where the reality of war, and its impacts, are still very much felt.

Syrian infrastructure, and its economy, have been devastated by the conflict that began in 2011. Though ISIS has now been largely defeated, and the Assad regime has regained control of much of the country, the conflict still continues and life in Syria is still extremely tough.

In the first half of the podcast, we listen to an article from the August

Geographical • 21st July 2022

Syria: A country crushed by war

Nick Redmayne returns to Syria to find a country crushed by war but unwilling, or unable to talk openly about it

Years ago, while blood soaked the soil of newly liberated Iraq, I spoke with an erudite shopkeeper in the calm of downtown Damascus. ‘We prefer to live with our sorrows rather than accepting the West’s promises of happiness,’ concluded Hassahn, ‘because we never know whether your promise will give us more sorrow.’ He gave a questioning glance to the east and said no more.

Ten years

The Telegraph • 25th April 2021

Don't try this at home: Why I left lockdown for Mogadishu

As a travel writer during a pandemic, I had seen better business. The wider world had become rectangular, odourless, tinged with blue, and characterised by dodgy sound. Zoom meetings, webinars and Teams talks all attempted to spin the idea that travel can be virtual. It can’t. If I had wanted to stay home, watch the world on TV and stay safe, I would have made different career choices. Having previously been to Eritrea, Ethiopia and Yemen, one major piece of the regional jigsaw was missing: Soma

Geographical • 30th March 2023

Ordinary lives in extraordinary times in Ukraine

Nick Redmayne travelled across Ukraine to find out how people are coping at the start of a second year of war

In a bar on Mikhailivska I waited for a bowl of red borscht. An eager young waiter had already delivered a large weissbier. It was that time of day. I was in no hurry. Despite everything, Kyiv has a rhythm. Four women, office workers, occupied a table behind me. They chatted, occasionally laughing, sharing a bottle of sparkling wine. I was about to eat when my phone pinged, along with o

The Telegraph • 5th February 2023

Why you don’t have to ski to enjoy the snow in Switzerland

Switzerland’s reputation for regulation is well known, but it has no laws stating winter visitors have to ski. Not yet, anyway. And as some of us find skiing a chore, I’d decided to find other ways to experience the mountains on a visit to the Alpes Vaudoises. On an overcast morning in the resort of Villars the local tourist office suggested a hike to Lac des Chavonnes. “Stick to the trail,” I was told. “Snowshoes are not required.” After taking the green funicular train to Bretaye at almost 6,0

The Telegraph • 20th July 2022

The new trail that is putting Austria on the summer holiday map

I think that’s what she said. My translation is informed solely by Walter Presents’ German-language crime dramas. On the summit of Staffkogel, one of three hikers pointed to thunderheads over distant peaks. “At four o’clock come storms, lightning, rain,” she warned. Considering the previous days’ downpours, she was probably right. The Saalbach-Hinterglemm municipality lies in Austria’s Salzburgerland, close to the border with Tyrol and not far from Zell am See. Sitting at more than 3,000ft, the

The Independent • 24th May 2017

Melania Trump's home town has named a salami after her

It was 10.30pm and Sevnica was slumbering. The town’s 5,000-strong population had called it a day; the streets were silent. Only one bar remained open. As I headed in, a sozzled customer made a noisy exit, supported by his girlfriend.

The décor was surprising, a retro homage to Gustav Klimt; the beer was brown and gassy. `’You know this ‘First Lady’, she is from here,” said Gregor, the only other customer, as I sat down. “We had a party for the election, but nobody really cares.” He was wrong,