Local travel around the Wessex Area. I’m a Wessex Girl through and through (we’re more into wellies and cider than white stilettos and cocktails) and these are my posts about travel, adventure and holidays around Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Devon and Somerset.
Are you looking for a holiday around Bournemouth? Got you. What’s good to do on the Isle of Wight? Got you! Christmas on a heritage railway? Oh yes, got that too. Plenty of seaside, camping and family days out here, so take a look and see what catches your eye.
Welcome to the Polar Bear Winter Festival! I’ve written two posts a week for years and now, to celebrate winter because I am, after all, a polar bear, I’m doing an extra post every week until Christmas on the joys of the cold, the snow, the ice, some freezing northerly places I’ve been – and yes,… More 20 things to do in Dorset this Christmas
Welcome, come on in! This is Pip and Pip’s Cabin, my home for the weekend on the border of Devon and Cornwall. The place is actually called Spring Park and it has eight quirky little places to stay scattered around in their own private gardens. Duke, Duchess and Ragnarr are restored wagons, Hercules is a… More A tour of Pip and Pip’s Cabin | Glamping at Launceston 2021
Dartmoor is 70! Well, it will be the day after tomorrow, October 30th. And by 70, I mean it’s 70 years since it was designated England and Wales’ fourth National Park. The other three weren’t far ahead, all designated in 1951 too. The Peak District came first, in April, followed by the Lake District in… More Happy 70th birthday to Dartmoor! | Glamping at Launceston 2021
With half of Devon and Cornwall to choose from for my first day out on my Cornwall/Devon weekend away, I dithered over the guidebook for all of breakfast. There’s just so much to see and do and none of it quite on my doorstep, except Launceston (which I did last time I was in the area)… More Port Isaac and Port Quin | Glamping at Launceston 2021
Because I’m Doing A Badge, i stopped off at Roadford Lake on my way to my steamroller living van on the Cornwall/Devon border for a spot of paddleboarding. And because you never know what the traffic will be like, I left plenty of time. In fact, I reached the lakeside two and half hours before… More At Roadford Lake | Glamping at Launceston 2021
I’ve been kayaking before. I’ve been kayaking on the sea before – in fact, I’ve only ever been kayaking on the sea. But this post is about learning to kayak on a closed cockpit sea kayak with a spraydeck. The reason is there’s a thing I wanted to do but it’s only available to groups… More Learning to paddle a sea kayak
The other weekend I went for my first ever Moonlight Swim at Shepton Mallet lido. It’s an event they put on during the summer at the full moon and it features a two-hour outdoor swim by moonlight, firelight and fairy lights and a free hot chocolate to warm up afterwards. It’s a heated pool, heated… More Moonlight Swim at Shepton Mallet lido
I didn’t know I was going to Tintagel or I’d have 1) booked tickets to the castle 2) read my guidebook about the village 3) taken the Once and Future King with me. But I thought I was having a weekend walking on Dartmoor so I didn’t do any of that! It was my birthday… More An unexpected day at Tintagel | Camping on Dartmoor July 2021
In mid-June and late July, I went camping just off the edge of Dartmoor. It was supposed to be two weekends in June but the campsite was booked out and so I had to change my dates (and got a free night thrown in). I’d like to talk about the campsite but I have such… More Oaktree Lane Dartmoor campsite review | Camping on Dartmoor July 2021
Last week I went back to Brownsea Island for another two nights camping in a tree tent. I learned some lessons from the first time round and I want to tell you about five things I did differently the second time. 1) I didn’t take a sleeping bag You have to carry everything a mile… More Tree camping: 5 things I did differently | Tree Camping July 2021