As we really get into winter, I’m starting a three-part mini series on my first trip to Iceland, back in 2011, the one that had me sitting in a hotel breakfast buffet, starting to plan to move to Iceland. Spoiler: that never happened but it might as well have done for the amount of time … More My first (winter) Golden Circle
The other day, I wrote the post about the 10 things I always pack, which includes my prescription polarised sunglasses and now I’m going to expand on that with all the other prescription eyewear that exists that I didn’t know about until my 20s or 30s. About a year and a half ago, a post … More Prescription eyewear for travel that you might not know about
Because late August into… well, halfway into October, really, was incredibly busy, I began to fantasise about taking a weekend away from it all. Glamping with a hot tub, maybe. A cottage in the countryside. Somewhere cosy where I could have long lazy mornings, do some writing, not think about work or Guiding. But glamping … More A Halloween weekend in Purbeck
While I’m catching up on old trips, it seemed a good time to talk a bit about my October 2012 trip to Iceland. I don’t tend to go to Iceland in autumn; summer is infinitely better for camping my way around and winter is infinitely better for magical winter wonderland scenery and autumn in Iceland … More Iceland’s Golden Circle in autumn colours
I should have more to say about Tromsø itself but as I don’t, not really, I’m going to jump straight from How I spent 2 days in Trondheim in 2011 to seeing the Midnight Sun. Tromsø is a very pleasant city; it’s got a relatively spectacularly huge bridge linking the city on the island to … More I saw the Midnight Sun in Tromsø
I went to Norway for the first time in 2011 and to make the most of it, I had a couple of days in Trondheim before flying up to Tromsø for a couple of days. That pre-dates this blog but for the sake of completion, for the sake of filling in gaps in my Norway … More How I spent two days in Trondheim in 2011
Ok, full disclosure: I have never and probably will never master the art of packing light but I’m beginning to get the hang of what I need to take without staring wildly round the house like I’ve never been outside before. There are a few things that always, but always come with me. These are … More The 8 things I never travel without
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the Northern Lights. To be honest, I don’t have a great track record. I was in Iceland in December 2024 and February 2023 but on one trip, it was too cloudy and I was too tired and I expected the hunt to be cancelled, and on the other, … More Tromsø seems to be a good place to see the Northern Lights
One thing that I “pack” whenever I go away is a watch. I don’t actually pack it, obviously, I strap it to my wrist, because it’s always but always useful to be able to know what the time is. I know watches are a lot less popular than they used to be, but I’ve worn … More My favourite travel watch is my 12-year-old self’s dream
I’m a member of an Iceland trip planning Facebook group and it’s starting to drive me into very strong opinions that I was completely neutral on a year ago. “You don’t even know what hiking is”, “no on has the ability to google anything anymore” and “you’re tourising in Iceland in June, you’re not climbing … More Why you’re wrong to like the Sky Lagoon over the Blue Lagoon