By and large, I’m a solo traveller and I think it’s time I started emphasising that a bit more.
Back in the days when I could solo travel, I gravitated towards Iceland, Scandinavia and the Arctic, with occasional visits to places like the Baltic states and eastern Europe but you’ll find plenty of Paris and Switzerland and western Europe here too. Actually, my non-Wessex UK travels are here as well, so come with me to Scotland, London and a few other places around my own country.
I really enjoyed Latvia – more than a couple of other trips I’ve done this year & yet, apart from the Krimulda post (I found Latvian Silent Hill!) I freeze over every time I try to write about it. Why? I don’t know. Specifically, I’m trying to tell you about Rīga Old Town. It’s a… More I can’t write about Latvia
It’s December now so it’s past time to be thinking about winter trips – to Lapland, to the Arctic, to the cold and the snow and the Northern Lights. I like cold places and cold trips and I’ve made a little list of things you might want to take with you. 1) A hat with… More 10 Things to Take to the Arctic
This month’s photoset is Iceland’s Golden Circle – and because I went there in September, I now have autumn pictures to add to my summer and winter ones. By the way, I had a ridiculously perfect snowy pastel-skied winter day and a perfect blue-sky-and-sunshine summer day, whereas my autumn day was damp and drizzly and… More Photoset: The Golden Circle all year round
I’ve talked about my travel origin story before – about the time I went to Italy at fourteen, about that fateful night at Rangers in 2008 that resulted in me going to Helsinki. But I’ve skipped a link in that chain. I’d recently watched Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman’s Long Way Down – their trip… More I forgot why I started travelling
Last week I went to Latvia. I spent most of the time in Rīga but I spent a day in the countryside at Sigulda. You’ll hear about that later. This story takes place during my day in Sigulda. Thirty or so miles east of Rīga lies the Gauja National Park. Sigulda is a small town… More I found Latvian Silent Hill!
If you’re female, in your early-to-mid twenties, have a penchant for solo travel and work with half a dozen Good and Proper Married Women, you’re probably going to hear “you’re so brave!” any time you suggest going anywhere that’s not an all-inclusive family resort in Spain and France. That’s the politest way I can describe… More “You’re so brave!” and how I’m *not*
Backalong, I wrote a post about a canyon on Snæfellsnes called Rauðfeldsgjá. That post has become one of my workhorses – it’s consistently in my top five most-read posts every month, it’s my third most-read post of all time, it’s been linked on Reddit. People have read this post, despite the fact that for some reason… More Rauðfeldsgjá revisited
I’ve been to Snæfellsnes a few times. I’ve definitely done two tour trips there (a summer one and a winter one) and I’ve definitely driven round it myself at least once before but this summer I came across a little gem I’ve never noticed before. Bjarnarfoss is a waterfall. There are thousands of waterfalls in Iceland… More Bjarnarfoss – the overlooked waterfall
Last month I was in Iceland. Mostly it was cold and wet and windy but on the Thursday it cheered up a bit. I spent the day circuiting Snæfellsnes (which, truth be told, is just a bit too much for one day) and rather than drive out to Hverinn where I’d spent the previous night,… More I accidentally saw the Northern Lights!
Iceland was a bit damp and a bit chilly but sometimes that meant it looked good. So without further ado: This statue very obviously felt the same about the rain as I did. Travel bloggers always seem to have photos of themselves from behind. I don’t have anyone to take that kind of picture of… More Photoset: Iceland 2017