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Wikivoyage administrator
Wikivoyage administrator

Hello, world! I'm ThunderingTyphoons!, or "Jamie", as people in real life tend to call me, when they're being nice. I come from Hampshire in the United Kingdom, with family roots in Liverpool and Cardiff. A graduate of the University of Sheffield, I have been a fully committed francophile for as long as I can remember.

As of 15 January 2023, I have been a Wikivoyager for ten years and I am a bureaucrat on the administrative team.

  • If you need help with anything at all, please leave a message on my talk page.
  • If there's something you need to discuss in private, email me in strictest confidence.

My work on Wikivoyage

Babel user information
en-N This user has a native understanding of English.
fr-3 Cet utilisateur dispose de connaissances avancées en français.
es-2 Este usuario tiene un conocimiento intermedio del español.
cy-1 Mae'r defnyddiwr hwn yn medru'r Gymraeg ar lefel sylfaen.
Users by language

Sandbox

I prefer to work on destination articles related to the United Kingdom and France, though I also patrol recent changes and my watchlist. Many of the weirder Discover facts you read will have been chosen by me. Pages I have created (bold) and / or have contributed extensively to:

Rather annoyingly, my 10,000th edit on Wikivoyage, usually a milestone to celebrate, was undoing vandalism to my own userpage. Ten thousand thundering typhoons!

Thoughts on editing

As an editor, I enjoy:

  • writing in lively style about places I know.
  • finding new facts for Wikivoyage:Discover all over the world's best travel guide.
  • writing article leads.
  • contributing to history, transport and food-related articles and sections.
  • welcoming new users to Wikivoyage.

I think the following aspects of editing are tedious but necessary:

  • adding images
  • adding listings (seriously)
  • copy-editing
  • dealing with problematic edits
  • anything to do with impossible-to-remember but damn useful templates

Things you won't find me doing:

  • doing "technical" things - my programming skills are nonexistent
  • making a static map - see above
  • working on anything related to the United States - we have a large number of fine American editors who are brilliant at what they do, so a destination article for just about anywhere else in the world is much more in need of my time.

Favourite infoboxes of mine

20 August 1944

Two local men were caught stealing a bomb from a munitions factory. As punishment, they were taken by Nazi soldiers and shut in the factory to be blown up with it... Read more

Cream tea wars

Devon and Cornwall are divided not just by the Tamar, but by the proper way to prepare scones... Read more

Culture shock

In some cases, culture shock is unavoidable, but learning to recognise it in yourself is the first step to overcoming it. Contributing factors include... Read more

Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé !

Every third Thursday of November, the new Beaujolais wine arrives at bars and restaurants across France... Read more

Quelle cuisson ?

A common question when ordering meat in Francophone countries (especially steak) is how long you want it cooked for: bleu, à point, or bien cuit? Read more

The girl beneath the Gherkin

In 1995, during construction of the Gherkin skyscraper, the skeleton of a young girl was unearthed... Read more

The Highgate vampire

As 1969 turned to 1970, letters sent to the Hampstead and Highgate Express related frightened locals' alleged encounters with evil... Read more

'Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma' what?

York is popularly known as a place "where the streets are gates, the gates are bars, and the bars are pubs!"... Read more

Barncompasses

The Wikivoyage Barncompass
Next to excellence is the appreciation of it. So here is your medal of appreciation. We need ten thousand thundering typhoons like you! Well done Jamie. Saqib (talk) 14:27, 3 March 2015 (UTC)
The Wikivoyage Barncompass
For being willing and able to change your mind, and for having the courage to say so. Happy and successful communities depend upon people like you. WhatamIdoing (talk) 03:29, 1 November 2017 (UTC)
The Wikivoyage Barncompass
Great work on handling outdated docent notices. ---Selfie City (talk | contributions) 00:29, 23 August 2018 (UTC)
Barnstar of Good Humor
Thank you for making me smile today. Whatamidoing (WMF) (talk) 18:30, 9 April 2020 (UTC)
The Wikivoyage Barncompass
I just read the Stratford-upon-Avon article, and the quotes are a great touch. What a delightful theme for that article. —Granger (talk · contribs) 16:04, 15 August 2020 (UTC)
The Wikivoyage Barncompass
I am giving you this for all your hard work on Wikivoyage, although this is Wikipedia and I am mostly found here. Cupper52 (talk) 17:17, 16 December 2020 (UTC)
The Original Barnstar
Thank you for helping me! I saw that you had a barnstar and thought I'd give you a second one. 82.3.185.12 14:12, 23 December 2020 (UTC)
The Wikivoyage Barncompass
This Barncompass is for helping me creating those new articles. I also saw you were collecting them. 82.3.185.12 14:14, 23 December 2020 (UTC)
The Kiwi Barncompass
For making, maintaining and keeping Oamaru to Dunedin avoiding State Highway 1. Hope I can use that route when I go to New Zealand next year. --08:25, 12 April 2021 (UTC)


The Sysop's Barncompass
This Barncompass is to show appreciation for your great work on being a great admin on Wikivoyage and reverting the Projects guy's harassment and vandalism.--SHB2000 (talk contribs en.wikipedia) 05:47, 21 April 2021 (UTC)

Trips

Upcoming

France

  • January 2024: retour à Paris

Recent

England

France Brittany Normandy

Scotland England

England

Portugal

  • September-October 2022: The Algarve - postponed since 2020

Germany

Wales

Scotland

  • December 2021: Edinburgh, fulfilling a lifelong ambition.

Wales

England

England

  • May 2021: Isle of Wight - it's the era of the hyperlocal staycation!

Trips made earlier than two years ago are stored in my trips archive. Because I'm thoroughly anal like that.

Pointless lists to do with my own travels that I find interesting

Travel records

(table shamelessly stolen from Andrewssi2)

My records Place Figure
Northernmost Scotland The Trossachs 56.24° N
Southernmost Falkland Islands Sea Lion Island 52.26° S
Easternmost New Zealand Taupo 176.06° E
Westernmost Falkland Islands Port Howard 59.50° W
Closest to the equator Singapore Singapore 1.29° N
Highest New Zealand Fox Glacier 3,000 m (9,800 ft) above sea level
Lowest England Channel Tunnel France 115 m (377 ft) below sea level
Furthest inland Poland Kraków 500 km (310 mi) from Baltic Sea
Longest flight Single plane: England RAF Brize Norton (BZZ IATA) — Falkland Islands RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN IATA)
Multiple planes: New Zealand Christchurch (CHC IATA) — England London Heathrow (LHR IATA)
13,000 km (8,100 mi)
19,000 km (12,000 mi)
Longest sea voyage England PlymouthSpain Santander 770 km (480 mi)
Longest rail journey Single train: France Tours (Saint-Pierre-des-Corps) — Strasbourg (Ville)
Multiple trains: England Farnborough (Main) — France Tours (Gare de Tours)
700 km (430 mi)
790 km (490 mi)
Longest road journey England FarnboroughSpain Barcelona 1,600 km (990 mi)
Longest walk England SouthamptonPortsmouth on the Solent Way 40 km (25 mi) / 9 hr
Longest border crossing Croatia Karasovići (Dubrovnik-Neretva) / Montenegro Debeli Brijeg (Herceg Novi) 90 min / 2.2 km (1.4 mi)

Most-memorable travel experiences

Countries I have been to

I have been very lucky so far in my life to have done a lot of travelling. I have set foot in 22 countries around the world, mainly in Europe, though I have also visited Asia and Oceania and done my fair share of Atlantic islands:


Ascension Island

Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bosna i Hercegovina

Croatia / Hrvatska

Falkland Islands

France

Brittany / Breizh / Bertaèyn / Bretagne
Occitania / Occitània / Occitanie

Germany / Deutschland

Greece / Ελλάδα (Crete / Κρήτη)

Hungary / Magyarország

Ireland / Éire

Italy / Italia

Monaco / Múnegu

Montenegro / Crna Gora / Цpнa Гopa

New Zealand / Aotearoa

Poland / Polska

Portugal (including Madeira)

Singapore / Singapura / 新加坡 / சிங்கப்பூர்

Spain / España (including the Balearic Islands / Islas Baleares / Illes Balears and the Canary Islands / Islas Canarias)

Basque Country / Euskadi / País Vasco / Pays Basque
Catalonia / Catalunya / Cataluña

Switzerland / Schweiz / Suisse / Svizzera

Turkey / Türkiye

United Kingdom

England / En-ger-land
Cornwall / Kernow
Scotland / Alba
Wales / Cymru

Cities of the world I have been to

English counties I have set foot in

All counties I have set foot in rather than simply passed through, and not nearly as exciting a list as 'how many U.S. states I've set foot in':

Travel wishlist (no particular order)