Mark Bibby Jackson

Author

Mark Bibby Jackson

Before setting up Travel Begins at 40, Mark was the publisher of AsiaLIFE Cambodia and a freelance travel writer. When he is not packing and unpacking his travelling bag, Mark writes novels, including To Cook A Spider and Peppered Justice. He loves walking, eating, tasting beer, isolation and arthouse movies, as well as talking to strangers on planes, buses and trains whenever possible. Most at home when not at home. Mark is a member and director of communications of the British Guild of Travel Writers (BGTW).
Microbreweries in Derby

Microbreweries in Derby

Hairy Traveller samples a couple of microbreweries in Derby – The Tiny Tap at the Little Brewing Company, and Shiny Brewery and takes on the challenge of whether he can split the G…

4 of the Best Pubs in Derby

4 of the Best Pubs in Derby

Hairy Traveller tries out 4 of the best pubs in Derby. In it he visits the oldest Derby pub, tastes some of the great Derby pub food…

Museum of Making Derby

Museum of Making Derby

Hairy Traveller chats with Alex Rock at the Derby Museum Making which is situated in the Silk Mill and widely regarded as the first factory in the world…

5 Great Dunmow Pubs

5 Great Dunmow Pubs

The Hairy Traveller guides you through five Great Dunmow pubs – the Angel and Harp pub Dunmow, The Boars Head, Saracens Head, The Chequers and the Queen Victoria…

Best Pubs of Shrewsbury

Best Pubs of Shrewsbury

Discover the best pubs in Pubs in Shrewsbury town centre, from historic haunts with real ale to pubs with food…

Best Pubs in Margate, Kent, UK

Best Pubs in Margate, Kent, UK

Hairy Traveller Mark Bibby Jackson discovers the best pubs in Margate Kent, UK. Learn about the oldest pub in Margate as well as the smallest pub in the UK…

Hairy Traveller Launch

Hairy Traveller Launch

Watch Travel Begins at 40 founder and editor Mark Bibby Jackson as he announces the YouTube channel Hairy Traveller launch. This complements the Travel Begins at 40 website…

Muir Hotel Halifax Nova Scotia Review

Muir Hotel Halifax Nova Scotia Review

I first heard of the Muir hotel Halifax Nova Scotia in Canada at a travel convention in London. I was so impressed by the presentation that I put it on…

Ellen Kensington Hotel Review

Ellen Kensington Hotel Review

Mark Bibby Jackson reviews the Ellen Kensington hotel, part of the Montigo Resorts UK Group to discover an authentically Asian hotel in London. It was while staying at the Montigo Resort…

7 Festivals in March 2025 Around the World

7 Festivals in March 2025 Around the World

Travel Begins at 40 rounds up the best festivals in March 2025 across the globe, from Wales to Colombia, with cherry trees, loads of Guinness and even some frozen dead…

The 4 Best Hotels in Le Touquet France

The 4 Best Hotels in Le Touquet France

Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, a chic seaside town on France’s northern coast, has long been a haven for Parisians, and Brits, seeking a weekend retreat. With its sprawling beaches, pine forests and…

Riding the Storm in Pas-de-Calais France

Riding the Storm in Pas-de-Calais France

Mark Bibby Jackson ignores weather warnings to travel to Pas-de-Calais France during Storm Darragh with his mother. Does he live to tell the tale? The plan is to visit the…

9 Festivals in February 2025 Around the World

9 Festivals in February 2025 Around the World

Travel Begins at 40 rounds up the best festivals in February 2025 across the Globe, from Mongolia to Easter Island, so wherever you are you just can’t help celebrating the…

Day Trips from Bratislava Slovakia

Day Trips from Bratislava Slovakia

Looking for day trips from Bratislava Slovakia? Follow Mark Bibby Jackson on his trip into the surrounding countryside. There are times when I realise I never would have cut it…

Esoteric Worldwide Festivals for 2025

Esoteric Worldwide Festivals for 2025

As we enter the new year, Mark Bibby Jackson provides a guide to worldwide festivals for 2025. From voodoo in West Africa to miraculous lords and Hampshire watercress, here is…

48 Hours in Bratislava Slovakia in Winter

48 Hours in Bratislava Slovakia in Winter

Mark Bibby Jackson spends 48 hours in Bratislava Slovakia to see why this underrated European capital is a winter wonderland. My previous visit to the Bratislava Slovakia was in 1994…

NH Wien Belvedere Hotel Vienna Review

NH Wien Belvedere Hotel Vienna Review

On his way from Carinthia Austria to Bratislava in Slovakia, Mark spends a night in Vienna, to review the NH Wien Belvedere hotel, next to the famous Belvedere Palace. A…