Tim Saunders

Day Out: Exbury Gardens

Spending time with family is the way I enjoy marking a significant birthday. And for this milestone occasion we make our way to Exbury Gardens deep in the New Forest. It has been persistently raining for the past week and it really is risky deciding to spend an entire day out with such questionable weather. The sky continues to be grey and threatening but we are blessed with absolutely no rain whatsoever during our trip.

Motoring: Subaru Outback

“It’s too big, I can’t drive it,” says my wife when she tries to drive the Subaru Outback. True, it is a large vehicle. But if given the chance it exceeds expectations. Because here we have an estate that boasts a massive boot, large enough (once the retractable cover is removed) for all the stuff that the Saunders family regularly travels with: two pushchairs, travel cot, luggage and lots of food. And there’s still room to change my young son’s nappy. But the great thing is that when behind the wheel the driver forgets that it’s an estate car.

Travel - day out - Marwell Zoo

Birds have four types of feathers. I never realised this until I visited Marwell Zoo in Hampshire. Wing feathers help the bird fly, tail feathers help to balance and steer, body feathers give protection as well as streamlining while down feathers keep the bird warm.

Motoring: Peugeot 3008

When I take delivery of the Peugeot 3008 SUV (sports utility vehicle) I have a schedule planned. It is going to Chichester, only 30 minutes from home, down the M27 and after that a more gruelling trip to Cornwall, some 240 miles away. This should give me a good idea of what this vehicle is about. Throw into the mix a trio of trouble: Harriett (6), Heidi (4) and Henry (1).

Isle of Wight and surrounding areas

Motoring: Fiat Tipo Station Wagon

Sidmouth, Devon

On a trip to Sidmouth it becomes apparent that there is a huge amount of bed and breakfast accommodation available. We experience two quite different offerings at Travelodge, Sampford Peverell Service Area, Sampford Peverell, M5 (Junction 27), near Tiverton and at The Barn and Pinn Cottage, near Sidmouth.

Motoring: Volvo V60 D4 Cross Country

I do like this Volvo and feel quite at home behind the wheel.

A vehicle for America

That is my opinion of the fourth generation Lexus RX450h Sport. Why? It’s the type of SUV (sports utility vehicle) the Americans like, ultra luxurious inside, large and its hybrid credentials help the driver feel that they are no depleting the earth’s resources, too much anyway.

Magnificent and a memorable family holiday awaits you at Tehidy

Tehidy is a small village in Cornwall, near Portreath, St Ives and the coast. It is a magnificent part of the world and a memorable family holiday awaits you at Tehidy Holiday Park.

Motoring: Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo

The city of Monte Carlo has had a long association with motorsport, ever since the Monaco Grand Prix was founded in 1929 using the city streets as part of the challenging circuit. A circuit that has seen some of Britain’s finest racing drivers clinching victory such as Graham Hill and more recently Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Volkswagen Trendline

It is necessary to adapt your driving style when behind the wheel of a vehicle that does not have a rear view mirror.

Travelling to Hell and Back

“It’s not a place where travellers first think of staying,” smiles Shige Takezoe, who with his wife Diana, owns Hell Barn Cottages in North Chideock.

Few vehicles raise a smile in the way that a Range Rover does

Few vehicles raise a smile in the way that a Range Rover does when you are behind the wheel, I find. It’s always an absolute privilege to find yourself sitting in the high quality cabin and it is a fantastic experience. Imagine your favourite armchair and then add all the electronic gadgetry that you can conjure up and here is a seat that can be electrically adjusted to your heart’s content providing that ultimate driving position.

VW Passat Estate

This fact becomes blatantly clear when I park the sleek Volkswagen Passat Bluemotion estate on the busy main road outside my house. The previous day I had done this with my own ageing mark 5 Ford Fiesta and had very quickly proceeded to be bibbed and tooted by a series of impatient motorists fed up with queuing to get passed me.

A slower pace of life can be found in Suffolk

This comes as quite a surprise when you think that it is only 80 miles from London. In Suffolk there is great support for local produce and the independent trader. So much so that I am told even a well known supermarket chain has been unable to secure planning permission to build a store in Halesworth.

Motoring: Honda HR-V

When the Honda HR-V arrives on my doorstep (it’s a tough job being a motoring journalist) I am very pleasantly surprised. You see I remember the original HR-V in production from 1999 to 2006, which looked, frankly, strange. It was a quirky vehicle that didn’t really look comfortable in itself and quite boxy, too.

Travel: Wiltshire

Motoring: Fiat 500x

ART NEWS: 1.3 tons of plasticine to be exhibited at Chelsea Flower Show

Over a ton of plasticine would be any child’s delight. But for Cambridge sculptor Edward Waites this is the first step in making a monumental horse head, which he will be exhibiting at the Chelsea Flower Show and Royal Ascot.