Last week, I finished my Dartmoor blog back at the car at Haytor, after a 10.13km round walk taking in Smallacombe Rocks, Becka Brook, Greator, Hound Tor and Saddle Tor, which is where I should have started. So let’s go back to the campsite. I mentioned that it was steep and it was basic. It… More Dartmoor: a warm, windy walking weekend (part 2)
I went to Dartmoor last weekend. I’d expected half the country to be joining me on my drive westwards on a hot September Friday but it seemed there was more traffic heading east and definitely a lot more caravans. Had Devon and Cornwall kicked out all the holidaymakers? I’d set off reasonably early in the… More Dartmoor: a warm windy walking weekend (part 1)
And so to the conclusion! Having left Odense in the last post, I was now on my way to Aalborg, one of, if not the, northernmost cities in Denmark. I’ll spare you the woes of engineering works and rail replacement buses and unexpected extra changes. I won’t spare you spending the last hour watching Mission… More Backpacking Denmark: 48 hours in Aalborg
When I left this story, I was just getting on a train bound for Odense, my second Danish backpacking destination. It runs anywhere between 1 hour 11 minutes and 1 hour, depending on whether it’s the express or a stopping service. Eight years on, I have no idea which one I jumped on. What I… More Backpacking Denmark: 24 hours in Odense
Two years I went to Longleat’s Sky Safari, a day of hot air balloon delight culminating in a night glow, where pilots fired their burners to illuminate the balloons coordinated to music. Actually, I went to the Sky Safari at the weekend but did the Thursday night passholders-only night glow. And it was so great… More Longleat’s Drive-In Night Glow
In front of me, right in the middle of the path was a stag, in full antler, just staring at me. I stopped and stared back. So it was true, the animals had taken Brownsea Island back. I’d gone across for a strictly timed morning of wildness and peace and walking. At the height of… More Dorset Staycation: a day on Brownsea Island
I’ve tried writing about my mini backpacking trip to Copenhagen, Odense & Aalborg before and somehow it just won’t come out right. So I’m going to have another go. Consider this part one of a trilogy covering my 6 day epic adventure. Welcome to Copenhagen. It was 2012 and Her Majesty was having an extra… More Backpacking Denmark: 48 hours in Copenhagen
I’ll never forget my first visit to the Arctic. I’d spent a couple of days in Trondheim and then I was going to fly north and spend a couple of days in Tromsø. Tromsø is now an old friend. I’ve considered moving there for a few months, maybe even a year. But back in 2011,… More The day I fell in love with the Arctic
A few weeks ago, at the height of the first heatwave, I had the bright idea to go to the beach. That’s not such a bright idea in this part of the world – everyone was at the beach and as a local, I should know that. I mentioned my plans to my mum and she… More Dorset Staycation: Fossil hunting at Charmouth
And for the second part of my new Icelandic Guidebook series, I’m going to introduce you to the south west’s most popular day trip: the Golden Circle. The Golden Circle is really the tourist tag for a route that takes in Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss. There are plenty of other stops according to the whim… More The Icelandic Guidebook: The Golden Circle