About Me

I’ve put a little update below as I was on the television and radio around the world in August on several occasions due to having no work since February and the British government excluding me from any support for the duration of the Coronavirus crisis.

From January until October 23rd my income has been only £490 and yet the government doesn’t care one bit despite the entirely obvious impact this would have.

I’ve been asked by a few people to set up a donation page so that I may not be so reliant on food banks and help pay bills, let alone essential issues like my leaking roof.

If you’d like to help, you have my sincere thanks and gratitude and you can click on the graphic below.

Screenshot 2020-10-23 at 13.53.03

Alternatively you can graciously donate via Paypal and send a payment to stephenliddell@gmail.com horizontal_solution_pp2

I don’t generally get the time to follow any of my interests as much as I would like to particularly as most of them are time-consuming.  I opted out of the conventional world of work in 2013 and started my own travel tours company (Ye Olde England Tours…. see the top level menu) which is now so successful I’m now also an employer!

Most visitors to my blog are here due to my writing and over the years I have written numerous magazine and newspaper articles, TV manuscripts, film reviews, novels and some non-fiction including my recent Amazon #1 section best-seller Secret Gardens of the City of London.

Obviously my blog is still going strong after over 500 posts and I get around 110-120k readers most years.  Blogging has not just introduced me into a wonderful circle of people but also got me lucky breaks in the world of writing, radio and television.  The thought that I might be an expert in anything is quite staggering but there you go.

My oldest love is that of football and particularly the ever underperforming Newcastle United but living hundreds of miles away means I rarely get to see them live.

Following that I enjoy travelling and particularly backpacking a visiting none-touristic places.  I have travelled throughout Eastern Europe, North Africa and parts of the Middle East having crossed the Sahara several times and the Sinai once.  One day I’d like to travel overland along the silk roads to China.

I also enjoy history and historic places both in the U.K and in Europe, Asia and Africa and seeing how different cultures and religions and politics interact and influence each other.  I don’t claim to be an expert on anything except perhaps the Middle East and Central Asia… oh and Star Trek.

I have always enjoyed most sci-fi and particularly Star Trek with the 23rd Century being my particular favourite flavour.  That’s also where my burgeoning autograph collection had its origins.

177 comments

  2. Hi,
    I came across your blog via jenowenby and really like what you write. I am taking freelance writing up after a very long hiatus indeed but am enjoying every minute. Look forward to following you. By the way, I can beat you on under performing teams-I’m a Villa fan…………..

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    1. Hi there!

      thank-you for your kind words, I do enjoy the blog that Jenowenby writes also. I will definitely visit your blog in the morning, some writing and real-life things got in the way of me doing so today.

      I would love to hear any tips you have on taking up freelance writing as I think that is my calling, well one of them.

      You’ll have been an unsurprised as I am that Newcastle lost away to Brighton today on TV. Exactly the same thing happened in the first real FA Cup I can remember back in the early 80’s. Yes we are both perennial losers on the football front!

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  3. what about me, an arsenal fan? on twitter @#wengerout, we are reminded everyday the number of days since the gunners last won a trophy! bleah. looking forward to your future posts! 😉

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  4. Hi. really good stuff in here…an area of interest for me is Palestine and Jerusalem in particular. Would you be interested to write a review on Kingdom of Heaven…
    Will be visiting your site more often…cheers!

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    1. Hi there, thank-you for the kind words. I would certainly write a review of Kingdom of Heaven. It’s a good film with interesting themes that still are relevant today. Thanks again!

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    1. Yes it does seem that apart from technology we are falling apart as a civilisation and our standards and decent ness too. So often if you go to a poorer country you rediscover values and civilities that are forgotten or embarrassing for us and yet they seem happier and more fulfilled than we do.

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  7. I don’t doubt for a moment that less “advanced” peoples are more content than we.

    It’s a crime that the gluttony and hubris of the “western” societies will likely take down everyone else with them.

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    1. I totally agree, it would be really interesting to go 200 years in the future and see what had transpired. The sad thing is we are so far down the road it probably won’t take anything like that long.

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  10. Thank you for liking my post “Meine Mutter”. It has brought me to your blog, which is fascinating. I love your post on maps. I too have always been an aficionado. When we made those road trips when I was a child, I ended up in the front seat as navigator because sitting in the back seat made me carsick. That was the time when I became proficient at map reading and developed a love and appreciation. I’m following your blog.

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    1. I really enjoyed your post. Yes I think I was similar as a child. It is bizarre how children and more likely to get carsick as are people in the back seat and yet we always put children in backseats!

      Road trips are a great way to get into maps both when on the road and before hand when doing all the planning. Thanks for following my blog!

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  11. Check out my posts about the University of Oxford. I was “up” at Worcester College, 1961-63. Just go to the “tag cloud” at the top right of the blog and click on “University of Oxford.”

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  13. Thank you kindly for visiting and complimenting with a like on Shadows.

    I lived in the UK for a bit and left a good bit of my heart there. I shall enjoy reading your work, I imagine.

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  14. First of all thank you for visiting my little ol’ blog NoWheatNoWay!

    It means I have found your blog! Which is amazing! The writing is fantastic, and I am very interested in the Jerusalem stuff. I really want to visit there (Like a St John Ambulance pilgrimage thing) and it’s just fascinating stuff! 🙂

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  16. Thank you for liking my blog, Mr Liddell! Although I have to admit, you were the first one whom I’ve replied to who has liked my blog. It has to do with us seemingly sharing the same interests, I think.

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  17. Thank you for liking my blog (The Writer’s Stuff)! I took a look through a few of your posts and already I see that we have a lot in common! A love of history, writing (my first book, The Price of Freedom [18th C. historical fiction] will be coming out this year, and I may be asking you some advice on things like e-formatting, if I may!), and supporting local businesses (a very important thing in such a small country as Switzerland!!). Whenever we’re in the Alps we buy cheese from the local farmers along the way, then at the next a loaf of bread… that’s all it really takes for a Swiss picnic, with the ever-present Swiss knife of course. 😉

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    1. You’re welcome, I really enjoyed it. Oh good luck with your first historical fiction book. It is a bit of a minefield as is deciding who to publish it through. You can always ask me anything 🙂

      I can’t think of anything nicer than a picnic in Switzerland and some fresh bread and cheese. How do you get any writing done? I guess that is what winters are for 🙂

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  18. Tell me about it… spring is coming! 😉 My writing desk is next to a round window that looks out over our lowland village… puffy clouds floating past, sun-soaked fields (focus!), Swiss flag fluttering in the spring breeze (concentrate!), horses in a distant field enjyoing their first spring roll (STOP looking out the window!!)…
    As far as publishing, I think I’ll go with Amazon; I’ve had great feedback from agents through the traditional routes, but there are a limited number of them in the UK who take historical fiction, and they’ve already got their hands full; being in CH (that’s Switzerland), I have no closer agents who deal with English fiction, and the US seems too far away to pursue any course of action, so… e-publishing I guess it will be!

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  19. I have had a longstanding wish to travel the Silk Route to China. The sense of history about that road would be amazing.

    Also a sci-fi fan, though I prefer Star Wars to Star Trek. Also read Douglas Adams recently; he is simply a genius.

    One of my most favorite Douglas Adams quotes:
    “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”

    More given here: http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Douglas_Adams/

    Looking forward to reading your blog!

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    1. I agree. I wish I could just go there right now.

      I like Star Wars too but not so much the new films. Douglas Adams is a bit of an unsung genius, he wrote in a more respected genre I am sure he would be much more recognised.

      I haven’t heard that quote before but if it is good enough for him, then it is good enough for me.

      Many thanks for your comment and for the link.

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    1. Thank-you I hope you do. Edinburgh is beautiful isn’t it but there isn’t really any part of the UK countryside that isn’t special in one way or the other. So much variety in a relatively small area. Mountains, lakes, forests, moors, rolling hills and valleys, chalky plains, manicured fields and marshy wetlands and all the different coastlines too. About the only thing we miss is desert and with our weather I don’t think we will ever get that!

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  24. Hi, thank you for liking my post Why City Jackdaw?
    I am new to this blogging and still finding my way around-I am not very technical which doesn’t help. But I am a fellow sci-fi fan, though more Doctor Who than Star Trek. (The things we take with us from our youth!)
    Best Wishes.

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    1. Hi there, don’t worry. I’m not very technical either, wordpress is simple to use for the most part though I admit there are still things that baffle me 6 months on.

      New Dr. Who coming up in a week or two. I am especially looking forward to the 50th anniversary show. New Star Trek too in May. I can’t wait, sadly!

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  29. Hey! Thanks for reading my blog. I’m new to blogging but love to write…especially songs. It’s great to meet people from around the world and look forward to reading more from you.

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    1. Thanks James. You’re very welcome. Song writing is not something I have ever done although I often do so in my head when out walking.

      Yes “meeting” people from around the world is one of the joys of blogging.

      I wish you lots of success in your writing and music.

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  32. Hi there, thanks for coming and liking some of my reading – I haven’t managed the Silk Road but still China was very different and yet very much the same too…Look out for Bangalore in July after my June visit – and then I hope to go to Prague later too..

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  34. Thank you very much for liking my post on my blog “Bountiful Grace.” I look forward to reading more of your posts!
    God bless,
    Kim

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  37. Hi, just been having a read of your blog after you liked my post (thanks!). I think it’s a nice easy read and interesting. Feels a bit like reading Wikipedia, but with a little more confidence in the content! Well done on your informative and largely neutral piece on Maggie. Can’t be easy

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    1. Thank-you, that’s such a nice thing to say.

      Yes, it is hard to imagine anything to write on that is more controversial. I liked the challenge and am very happy with the finished artice.

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  42. Hi Stephen. It’s wonderful connecting with you and getting to know about Stephen Liddell 🙂
    Thanks for popping over and liking my post. I will enjoy catching up and reading a bit more of yours later in the week. Maggie

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  43. I’m a total “Trekkie” and love sci-fi. I’m going to take more time to check out your blog. There is so much to see and read. Thank you for coming by today and “liking” my post today. See you around the blog!~E

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    1. Morning E! I hope you will like my blog. I am just about to start writing a Star Trek ebook. Are you excited about the new movie? Just 3 or 4 weeks to go. Phasers to stunning I hope 🙂

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      1. Definitely can’t wait to see the new movie and read your book. I’m writing a supernatural fiction book. I love all the author and writers on blogs. 🙂 It’s too awesome!

        Ready to transport…see you around the blog!~E

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  44. Thank you for your ‘Like’ on my writing ‘Monster’. So glad it gave me the opportunity to find your blog! Going to be doing some ‘reading’ around it :))

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  48. Woooohooooo, a Brit! I love being ‘liked’ and even ‘followed’ but I was beginning to think there were no Brits interested in blogs bar 2. So thanks for stopping by my blog. Cheers.

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    1. Woweee, it’s nice to be so popular. There are plenty of us around, we’re just introverts 🙂 yeah right!

      You have a unique idea and really good blog. Best of luck with that and your journey towards marriage.

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  49. Stephen, Thank you for bringing me to your blog. I look forward to a glass of wine over coming weeks and a chance to get to know your world better !

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