CRAIG BROWN: My gossipy, quick-witted ex-editor Sarah Sands on a global hunt for monastic peace

The Interior Silence: 10 Lessons From Monastic Life Sarah Sands                                                                                    Short Books £12.99 Rating: … Read more

Radio 4’s Sarah Sands found peace in the world’s most isolated communities 

SOCIETY  The Interior Silence  By Sarah Sands (Short Books £12.99, 256pp)  Speed and judgment are the characteristics of our time,’ says Sarah Sands.  And as editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme from 2017 to 2020, she found her life was dominated by both. Listeners were divided over Brexit and she describes Today as a lightning … Read more

Sarah Sands explored 10 magical monasteries from Italy to Bulgaria for her book The Interior Silence

Many in isolation are desperate for travel. I, meanwhile, have been travelling in order to find isolation. Inspired by a 13th-century Cistercian wall at the bottom of my garden in Norfolk, a couple of years ago I began visiting some of the great religious houses of Britain and then traced the route of monasticism from … Read more

From Italy to Egypt, Sarah Sands reveals what she found visiting 10 monasteries across the globe

Many in isolation are desperate for travel. I, meanwhile, have been travelling in order to find isolation. Inspired by a 13th-century Cistercian wall at the bottom of my garden in Norfolk, a couple of years ago I began visiting some of the great religious houses of Britain and then traced the route of monasticism from … Read more

SARAH SANDS: Nicola Sturgeon’ salmon plan could lead to disaster

On a remote stretch of the highlands and islands of Scotland is Cour Bay. The water is submarine-deep and it is silent here except for the sound of gulls and terns and the siren noises of the seal colony. On the evening of August 20, the winds picked up from the south and a storm … Read more

Beach chalet with just a corrugated tin roof on blustery Camber Sands hits market for £215,000

A windswept beach chalet on a remote stretch of the south coast has gone on the market for a £215,000. The isolated wooden home on Camber Sands has just 370 sq ft of living space with a reception room, a kitchenette, one bedroom and a shower room. But if it seems cramped inside, there is … Read more

Ex-Today editor Sarah Sands slams seven-figure salaries for stars

‘BBC pay gap is WORSE than at City firms’: Ex-Today editor Sarah Sands slams seven-figure salaries for stars like Gary Lineker while producers work 14-hour days for £30,000 a year Sarah Sands described disparity in pay between some presenters and producers Former editor of Radio 4’s Today show said some producers received £30,000 She went on … Read more

SARAH SANDS says: Never mind Netflix, there’s a vital role the Duke could be playing 

Give them their due, Meghan and Harry appear to have played a blinder with their Netflix deal. We have wondered about the valuation they place on their celebrity: it turns out to be about £100 million, if reports are to be believed. No wonder they bet the £11 million, nine-bedroom, 17-bathroom Californian house on it. … Read more

Apple unveils floating Apple Store next to Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Hotel

For many of us, the local Apple store is a second home – but the tech giant’s newest location is closer to a houseboat. The company is working on its first floating Apple Store, which will be a massive silver orb located near the opulent Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore.  When the sun is … Read more

Writer PHILIPPE SANDS tells the astonishing story of an SS general who murdered his relatives

Early in the morning of May 9, 1945, SS Gruppenführer Otto Wächter awakes near the Austrian city of Graz, with a serious problem to resolve. A few hours earlier, Germany has signed the definitive act of military surrender. The war in Europe is over, the first VE Day was celebrated in London and Washington. Wächter … Read more