Let’s give it its full title – this month’s Travel Library comes from The Rhine: Following Europe’s Greatest River from Amsterdam to the Alps by Ben Coates and let’s start by being brutally honest. This was a slog. The fact that I bought it in 2022 and never got beyond the first page until now should … More Travel Library: The Rhine by Ben Coates
I absolutely wasted Sunday and I feel guilty for it, even as I try not to feel guilty. I was very much raised on the idea that you should make the most of your trips, squeeze in as much as possible and probably come home more tired than when you left. But that’s not what … More An authentic Croatian Sunday
I am categorically not a beach person. I don’t go on beach holidays. I don’t sunbathe. I don’t really swim in the sea (unless I’m trying to learn not to hate it sufficiently to become a kayaking instructor). On the water, yes. I like a paddle and I love a short boat trip. But you’re … More Swimming at Copacabana Beach
I said in my last post that I got an interesting and unique perspective on Dubrovnik’s Old Town and here we go. I did a night cruise on a pirate ship! Ok, technically the Karaka is a reproduction of the 14th century merchant ship of the same name. Dubrovnik has a proud history as a … More A night cruise on a tall ship in Dubrovnik
If you’re going to go to Dubrovnik, you’re going to go and explore the Old Town. For me, it was more out of a “this is the done thing” than out of any real desperate desire. I was in Croatia for the joy of being in Croatia and for the sea kayaking which I would … More Dubrovnik Old Town
The other week, I had a bit of a whistlestop trip to Croatia, a country that’s been on my to-do list for a few years and which I finally ticked off because Bristol Airport had direct flights. It turns out Bristol isn’t quite as close as I always imagine it is and the flights weren’t … More Three islands in one day sea kayaking tour
At first, camping on Brownsea Island seems dreamy and idyllic – your very own island, free of tourists for the evening, and more astonishingly, free of Scout camps! But then you realise there’s an infestation of hornets within the campsite and then thunder rumbles over and you realise you’re on an island a mile and … More Camping on Brownsea Island (again)
Iceland has been my mania for a long time. Kayaking has been bubbling up but has been my newest mania for a little while, but particularly right now, as I attempt to enact a plot I actually have no control over whatsoever. Anyway, the moment I discovered that this book existed, via Lee-Anne Fox on … More Travel Library: Iceland by Kayak by Nigel Foster
I feel like an elegant, sophisticated lady. This is an unusual sensation for me, someone who was once described as sounding “…populaire” (Swiss French for “urchin”) next to my “Princess Diana” triplet. But there’s something about Monart Spa that feels expensive and graceful and perfect. I had a voucher to celebrate “more than five years” … More Monart Spa, Poundbury: a review
Remember back in 2020 when we were only allowed outside once a day for one hour for vital exercise? Well, after a few circuits of the local rec, I decided in May 2020 that if I was going to go outside for a walk every day, I might as well make it worth while and … More I’ve walked 2km a day every day for 4 years
I Am A Polar Bear 