Since I’m on the subject of pools, I’m going to carry on and introduce you to the revamped geothermal pool at Húsafell in the west of Iceland. Not that I ever went there pre-revamp so I can’t compare it to what it used to look like but it’s been on my to-do list for years … More Visiting Lindin Húsafell
On Monday, I talked about the best swimming pools in Reykjavik and today I’m going to go over how you actually use a local swimming pool in Iceland. When you arrive, they’ll ask “have you been here before?” and even if you say you have, they’ll still ask “So you know all the rules?”. If … More How to use a swimming pool in Iceland
Why not follow a best pools post with a completely different best pools post? Today I’m in Iceland and I want to talk about the best swimming pools in Reykjavik. I’m not talking about the likes of the Blue Lagoon and the Sky Lagoon, fine as they are. I’m talking about public pools, the kind … More Which is the best public swimming pool in Reykjavik?
Welcome to 2025 and let’s leap straight in with one of my favourite subjects: hot water! Budapest abounds in hot water and I’ve talked about some of the thermal baths but I think it’s time to compare and contrast and decide which is best. I had some of these recommended by a colleague who was … More Which is the best bath in Budapest?
Ah, we’ve come to the time of year when I take a look at my year in travel and in blogging and think about what I’m doing next year. As usual – or at least as often – I’m going to start with travel by numbers. 58 nights away from home 22 different beds 10 … More 2024 in review and plans for 2025
Let’s go back to 2014 and do a “what I got for Christmas haul”! I’m not sure I’ve ever done this but I wanted to do something festive and I don’t think I have enough material from the Reykjavik Christmas market. So let’s take a look at what sort-of travel- and outdoor-related things popped up … More What I got for Christmas
The last Travel Library of the year is a suitably seasonal cold & frosty one – it’s called Frigid Women by Sue & Victoria Riches (affiliate link to bookshop.org, not to Am*zon) and it’s the story of the first all-woman expedition to reach the North Pole. Sue Riches was the speaker at the Trefoil Guild … More Travel Library: Frigid Women by Sue & Victoria Riches
I like a boat trip. I think it’s a great way to get to see a city from a slightly unusual angle. With the Danube so very prominent in Budapest (my mental image of the city will always be the riverboat cruise adverts sprinkled throughout Midsummer Murders), it shouldn’t be so unusual, and my difficulty … More An evening Danube cruise in Budapest
Perhaps you don’t know that Budapest is actually the fusing of two cities? Buda is the half on the west bank of the Danube; Pest the one on the east. Once upon a time the young double-city was called Pest-Buda before everyone presumably realised that a) it rolled off the tongue better the other way … More How to spend a day in Budapest’s Castle Hill district
The “A Daycation in…” series is one I was planning to start in 2025, to showcase some of the best and most interesting places around Dorset and Hampshire, delving into what elevates something from a mere “day out” to a “daycation”. But I got started a bit earlier than planned, because Bournemouth hotel The Nici … More A Daycation at… The Nici, Bournemouth
I Am A Polar Bear 