2025: The year in six photos

December 28, 2025December 28, 2025 / mikeosbornphoto / 2 Comments

It’s almost time to ring in 2026, so it’s time to look back on the year that’s been.

2025 is sharply defined by photographs for me, which bring back places I’ve visited and moments that have created a lasting impact.

I was lucky enough to travel far and wide again, although the summer was marked by a lull with staycations closer to home.

I hope you enjoy exploring those locations. A Happy New Year to you and may 2026 prove healthy and rewarding.

1) North African island

A winter sunshine holiday to the Tunisian island of Djerba outdid expectations. Rarely content with beachside relaxation, I hired a bike to explore the island’s compelling architecture and landscapes, meeting Tunisians along the way. The holiday grew into a fully-fledged trip.

• Explore stunning Djerba here

2) Seaside sunsets

This summer I turned my regular day trips to England’s north-west coast into little staycations. I was rewarded with blazing, rich sunsets on St Annes Beach in Lancashire and went on a 20km hike along the Fylde Coast. Don’t head home, book a hotel.

• Enjoy more Lancashire summer sun here

3) Purpose-built capital

2025’s long distance adventure took me to the vast Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan. It boasts monumental landscapes but the new capital of Astana impressed me the most with its bold, modern architecture. You just have to look up in this city.

• See the riches of Kazakhstan here

4) Memorable stay by the bay

I turned regular day trips to the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe into a short break, staying at Art Deco landmark The Midland Hotel. I captured the bay’s legendary dawns and dusks, with a walk to neighbouring Heysham thrown in. This was so much more rewarding than rushing home to Manchester.

• Enjoy more of Morecambe’s marvels here

5) Far flung mountains

Mighty Kazakhstan was followed by a visit to far smaller, rugged Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. Valleys studded with yurts and a vast lake posing as this landlocked country’s seaside made this a memorable short stay.

• Discover more of Kyrgyzstan here

6) Manchester keeps on growing

The development of Manchester city centre continued at speed in 2025, and I was in the right place to capture it. Square Gardens with its sleek blue towers became a new favourite – a preference likely to change in 2026?

• Explore more of Manchester here

Morecambe: Stay on the bay

October 5, 2025October 5, 2025 / mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

Why settle for a day out when you can stay over?

After my successful break on the Fylde Coast, I decided to repeat the feat for Morecambe Bay, a familiar seaside spot in north Lancashire.

I spent a couple of nights in the town’s landmark Art Deco hotel and witnessed some jaw-dropping dawns and sunsets for the first time.

So I didn’t rush back home to Manchester for once. Was it worth the extra effort? CONTINUE READING BELOW.

Tap/click first image to see gallery

Morecambe’s Midland Hotel, a stylish slab of Art Deco concrete close to the beach, had long been on my list of places to spend a night or two.

The building won my heart with its elegant circular staircase, while I was given Room 101 – a large double room on a curve of the property.

It wasn’t a cheap stay, but I was in the perfect place to witness Morecambe Bay’s legendary sunsets. Ample skies, a scattering of cloud and the still waters providing a perfect mirror – I struck gold.

I also rose around 6am to see the sun rise with scarlet ribbons of colour layering the sky and Cumbria’s fells lining the horizon. The sea front was very quiet, settling my inner peace.

The last of the sunlight reflecting on the water of Morecambe Bay in Lancashire.

Dusk beauty awaits Morecambe visitors

There was plenty of time during my extended stay to take a walk to Heysham, a little seaside village I’ve visited on a previous occasion.

I wandered through Morecambe’s West End on the way, through streets full of historical markers but waiting for a good dose of TLC.

As a regular solo traveller, it was lovely to speak to local people on my walks. They admitted the town needs a boost and whispered that the Midland Hotel has lost a little of its sheen in recent years.

This was a little staycation that proved a success – you can experience so much more if you decide to stay for a night or two. So where’s next?…

Wirral: Spring has sprung

March 30, 2025March 28, 2025 / mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

When the first signs of Spring show, my instinct is to get out of the city and enjoy some fresh air.

A few weeks ago this took me from Manchester to the Wirral Peninsula near Liverpool, a place I’ve visited many times.

The little town of West Kirby on Wirral’s western edge is blessed with water, wide beaches and open skies. Is this a good place to end your winter hibernation? CONTINUE READING BELOW

Tap/click first image to see gallery

The first place I visited in West Kirby was the war memorial, an energetic walk uphill. The site, which offers views across the peninsula and Irish Sea, was bathed in buttery yellow gorse blossom.

One place that I always visit and photograph is the Marine Lake and the walkway that encircles the water. Little figures of walkers and a huge bright sky always create memorable frames.

To the north at the mercy of the tide is Hilbre Island and expanses of sand alongside shifting waters.

I also took my sun-kissed walk around the corner of the peninsula, skirting Hoylake promenade and sands which have been rewilded from beach to greenery.

This is an outing that never fails to energise and lift the mood, especially when it felt like an end to a long winter.

Walkers enjoy an early Spring walk around the Marine Lake path in West Kirby, Wirral.

West Kirby walkers enjoy Spring skies

Inside Manchester’s history

August 25, 2024August 25, 2024 / mikeosbornphoto / 2 Comments

One of my summer highlights was the chance to see inside an iconic Manchester building.

Manchester Central – now an exhibition and conference centre – started life in 1880 as a grand railway station until its closure in 1969.

The building, with its lofty arched roof and station clock, was empty for visitors to marvel at its scale and the prowess of Victorian engineering.

It’s part of a complex which has hosted everything from rock concerts to the Nightingale Hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic and is a Mancunian landmark.

What do you think?

Tap/click first image to view gallery

An interior view of Manchester's former Central Station, a feat of Victorian engineering.

The historic Midland Hotel can be seen through Manchester Central’s vast window

Manchester's ornate Tower of Light rising above the roof of Central Station.

The Tower of Light is a more recent Manchester landmark next to the former rail station

Cumbria: Little island trip

April 28, 2024April 28, 2024 / mikeosbornphoto / Leave a comment

When you have a friend with a car who suggests a last-minute trip to Cumbria’s lesser known islands, you fetch your camera and hop in.

The sun was shining in an early Spring sky blobbed with fluffy white clouds and the two-hour journey from Manchester passed swiftly.

The highlights of the Furness Peninsula include tiny Piel Island, accessible only by ferry boat which had a lot of passengers waiting for a ride. I’d taken this commute back in 2018 on a quieter weekday.

Instead we looped through the industrial town of Barrow to visit Walney Island. Its rock-strewn beach was practically empty and proved a haven for beachcombing and enjoying the seascape. A blissful retreat from the city.

Tap/click first image for gallery view

On a day trip of spontaneity, we decided to make a homeward detour to the pretty little town of Kirkby Lonsdale, just as dusk was beginning to sink in.

There was a much-needed pub pitstop and a swift wander around the honey-coloured houses and charming little shops of a place straddling the Lake District and Yorkshire Moors.

With just time to take a couple of photos, it was clear Kirkby warranted its very own grand day out another time.

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