Walking
At home in England, walking is a big part of our lives, either in the countryside or by the coast. So of course, as we make our way around the world we love to go trekking. Mountains are there to be conquered, hidden waterfalls need to be found, those ruins need to be experienced. In some more challenging places we may use a guide, for safety and for information. However, we usually walk alone, just us and the map and our sense of direction. There are few feelings better than sinking that rewarding beer at the end of a long day walking thinking back over all that you’ve seen. Quaint villages, fabulous views, village bars, classic buildings, you will see it all, the rewards are endless.
-
Chalki: Less Wind, More Chill
Sophia and her friend, the Greek islands’ answer to Mrs Brown and Winnie McGoogan, are sitting on the steps chatting, as they usually are, as we say our goodbyes and head off to the ferry port. “Always take your key”, she had told us when we arrived, “because I never know what time I sleep”. Such is island life. After the Greece mainland, the large island of Crete, and the pleasant buzz of Karpathos, we are now looking for something more remote, more peaceful, so with our first glimpse of what lays before us as the ferry pulls into the tiny island of Chalki, the smallest inhabited island of the…
-
Towards The End Of Crete
We do like to mix it up a bit when it comes to accommodation on our travels, and aim for a bit of variety. Large hotels with small spaces and big prices aren’t really our thing, but pretty much anything else is fair game. So after apartments in Hania, Thessaloniki and Korinthos, a small family hotel in Delphi, and an “aparthotel” in Agios Nikolaos, we both find ourselves beaming from ear to ear as we drive up the steep unmade road to our next base in the village of Palaiokastro, just a short drive from the eastern coastline of Crete. For the next few days we are based in a…
-
Legends, Myths & Mountains: This Is Delphi
“Welcome to Delphi”, says the taxi driver as we enter the small town, “the centre of the world”. The reason for that comment will become clear, but as we look out of the car window at the unbelievable scenery which has been unfolding for miles, we feel more like we’re on the edge of the world than in its centre. The modern town of Delphi lies just a few hundred yards from the ancient civilisation of the same name, perched precipitously on the steep slopes of Mount Parnassus and looking across the spectacularly deep valley of the dry River Pleistos to the Gulf of Corinth. One first stroll around its…
-
Nostalgia Trip #8: Peak District Weekend
The long drive from Aberaeron to our next destination at Ashford-in-the-Water in the Peak District takes us over the Welsh mountains and around Shrewsbury and Stoke and turns into a fairly tortuous journey with precious few major roads. It’s only 180 miles but it takes five hours. It’s fitting that this prettiest of Derbyshire villages should be our base for the weekend, and even more fitting that our planned walks include a hike through Monsal Dale. Growing up in Mickleover, on the edge of the city of Derby but within easy reach of the Peak, it was a common feature of my childhood to take off for weekend family walks…
-
Nostalgia Trip #7: Leaving Wales
It’s time to leave Wales after our terrific few days here, and head to the Peak District on the final leg of this nostalgia trip. I (Phil) was born and grew up in Derby, so regular hikes in the Peak District were a regular feature of childhood. So far on this trip we have remembered two people who were very special to us and were significant influences on our respective lives, my Dad (Stanley) and Michaela’s Nan (Yvonne), both of whom passed away in 2018. Those two special people met each other just once, at our wedding in 2013, so this photograph itself is particularly special, capturing laughter at their…
-
Nostalgia Trip #6: Llanon Memories
It’s about 50 years since my childhood trips to Mid Wales began, 50 years since my Nan and Grandad first bought a static caravan at Llanon on the Welsh coast. Perched on the cliff, overlooking the Atlantic sea, Cliff Edge Caravan Park holds wonderful memories for me, family holidays, fun and adventure. But more than this, the place for me and my Nan to form a special bond during our times alone there together. This rocky shore was my playground, rocks circling a pool created by monks way back when in order to catch sprats and other delights of the Atlantic. Prawning and picking shellfish off the rocks, cooking and…
You May Also Like
Serifos, And A Rethink
We Have To Mention The War
Absent Karma On The Buddha Train
-
Nostalgia Trip #5: Ceredigion Coast, Wales And Dolphins
Waking on our first morning in Aberaeron is just idyllic. Our window at the Harbourmaster Hotel looks past the boats snuggled in the harbour to the cottages opposite, their multiple pastel shades reminiscent of Ireland and resplendent in the morning sunlight. The sound of mast ropes clinking in the light breeze is the only thing that breaks the silence as Aberaeron wakes slowly from its slumbers. Our first wander around town includes a short amble upstream along the banks of the Aeron which brings its own rewards. As well as the many woodland birds we spot a dipper feeding from the boulders and a vole scuttling across our path. There’s…
-
Nostalgia Trip #4: Elan Valley And On To Aberaeron
To complete our time in Rhayader we take a pleasant pre-breakfast stroll along the banks of the Wye where wildlife is in abundance and the morning sunlight dapples through the trees. Colourful damsel flies flit amongst the foliage and birdsong is everywhere. Wherever you stand in Rhayader you are overlooked by the mighty Cambrian Hills, green and rolling and giving the town a feeling of independence, maybe even isolation, despite the traffic rolling through and negotiating the clock tower awkwardly placed slightly off centre in the main crossroads. We are again struck by what a terrific base for a walking holiday this would be, and again find ourselves discussing a…
-
Nostalgia Trip #3: From Warwick To Rhayader
We have a time commitment to meet today so it’s necessary to take the earliest breakfast we can at the rather excellent Old Fourpenny Shop and head out of town promptly, although first there’s the strange business of fetching the car from its overnight berth. Strange because the arrangements are to park in front of the grandstand within Warwick Racecourse, and as I unlock the large iron gates to let myself in, two policemen sit in their squad car and watch my every move. “Why is that old git in a “Rebel Rebel” T shirt letting himself into the Racecourse?”, I imagine them asking. Heavy rain on the M5 soon…
-
Cornwall: One Last Wild Walk
Although we are regular visitors to Cornwall, this has been a different kind of visit from normal, in several good ways. Our visits are by necessity normally fleeting and out of season, so to have spent 25 days here across two visits over the last few weeks has been a joy. Because our time here is normally brief, we ordinarily restrict ourselves to time around the Camel Estuary, so to have had the time and opportunity to rediscover more of Cornwall has been brilliant. Our last day here arrives accompanied by an amber weather warning for strong winds, and sure enough the cottage is being battered and is creaking like…
