Kensal Green Cemetery, London

Kensal Green Cemetery, London

Visited May 2012

Kensal Green cemetery in north London is one of the original 'Magnificent Seven' cemeteries, and it's my personal favourite. There are a huge number of Egyptian style monuments in this cemeteries, as well as memorials for people as diverse as Royalty (a son of George III is here), tightrope walkers (Charles Blondin) and engineers (Isambard Kingdom Brunel).

Opened in 1833, this cemetery was the first of the Magnificent Seven to open, and is still run by the General Cemetery Company under the original Act of Parliament that set it up almost 200 years ago.

There are wonderfully wild parts of the cemetery, and some which are much more neat (in particular near the crematorium - this area is still in use today). Some parts, such as the Anglican chapel, are shut for restoration work in 2015, but there are still regular tours run by the Friends, and very few people wandering round - visit this place, and I hope you love it as much as I do!

Ancient Nubian Pyramids of Meroë, Sudan

Ancient Nubian Pyramids, Meroë Cemetery, Sudan

Visited November 2007 and January 2009

A bit off the wall, and off the beaten track, this one. I had the opportunity to travel to Sudan with work in 2007 and 2009, and both times I was able to visit the archaeological sites to the north of Khartoum.

The cemetery at Meroë is in the middle of nowhere - there was only one road leading to it when I visited (the main road running from the border with Egypt south to Khartoum), and it's about 200km north of Khartoum. Given the political situation there, I doubt there are more visitors there than when I visited, and both times I had the site to myself (well ok, there was a colleague and a guide each time too).

The pyramids date from circa 280BCE to about 20CE. They look like Egyptian pyramids because the Merotic people were highly influenced by their northern neighbours, ruling over them in the 25th Dynasty. The writing too was based on Egyptian script, although the language hasn't been deciphered.

They're a bit ruined now, but thanks to money pumped in by foreign archaeologists, museums and researchers, and the lack of tourists, the pyramids are in pretty good condition in terms of litter, grafitti etc. Although relying on foreign money and having few visitors is of course not ideal in terms of sustainability or long term preservation. If you ever get the chance to visit then do. Just don't use the toilets on site. Seriously, just don't.