From lovely Lisbon, JJ and I hired a car and headed to a countryside surf retreat in the Algarve. Rather than taking the most direct route down to Lagos, we hugged the Portuguese coastline and stopped at some beautiful spots along the way. These are all the places we explored and where we stayed…
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Following 3 weeks of post-pandemic catch ups with family and friends in England last summer (and my solo mini-break in Paris), JJ and I flew to Portugal for a “proper holiday”. Before heading down to the Algarve, we spent 3 nights experiencing the history and culture of Lisbon. Here are my itinerary and tips for a perfect short stay in the Portuguese capital.
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As of last summer, everyone I knew had been to Paris except me. Back when I lived in the UK visiting Paris was so easy, I thought “I can go anytime”. Then after graduating from uni, I moved to Australia, and well…Paris never happened. So in 2022 while I was back in England, since I was staying for longer than usual I figured “Why not finally jump on the Eurostar?”. Here’s my first-timer’s solo in Paris itinerary and tips for 3 amazing days exploring the French capital (without wasting any time in queues).
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Greater London’s 32 boroughs are spread over a huge area and you need plenty of time to see everything. Inner London alone consists of 12 boroughs plus a ceremonial county known as ‘City of London’. This central business district should be top of your list of places to check out if you love history and architecture. Until my most recent UK trip, it had been years since I’d been sightseeing in City, so I decided to revisit and photograph a few of my favourite spots.
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The iconic Tower of London and Tower Bridge are situated just outside City of London, in the borough of Tower Hamlets. It’s fairly easy to visit these two attractions in addition to a few in City on the same day. Easy that is….if you’re not travelling with three jetlagged kids aged 5 and under. My sister Hollie and I decided to take my nieces on a girls’ trip to London and, well, it was a time 😂
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While holidaying in my hometown of St. Albans in Hertfordshire last summer, I took a couple of day trips to London. As a wildlife lover, one place I’d been dying to visit for ages was the WWT Wetland Centre in southwest London. The area covers more than 40 hectares of land which was formerly occupied by several small reservoirs. These Victorian-era reservoirs were converted into a wide range of wetland features and habitats prior to the centre’s opening in 2000. As well as an array of beautiful wildflowers and birds, there are extremely cute otters.
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After my time in Northumberland, I took a train from Alnmouth to Saltburn-by-the-Sea in North Yorkshire to meet up with JJ and his family. The following day JJ and I planned to hire a car and drive to Ilkley in West Yorkshire for my sister’s wedding. We decided on a longer scenic route so we could explore some of the beautiful spots in North York Moors National Park as well as Yorkshire Dales National Park. Here are all the lovely places we stopped between the coast and Ilkley Moor.
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Back in August I made a long-awaited trip to visit my family in the UK. While over there I stayed for a couple of days in Northumberland, one of my fave counties in England. There are so many beautiful places to explore in Northumberland it’s difficult to pick a highlight. However this time, it was undoubtedly a themed tour of Bamburgh Castle. If you’ve ever wanted to follow in the footsteps of Uhtred the Bold of Bebbanburg from Netflix’s ‘The Last Kingdom’, this is the post for you.
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Throughout my childhood, I lived only a short train ride from central London and saw most of the city’s major attractions during that time. It’s been many years since I’ve travelled to England’s capital for any reason other than shopping or meeting up with friends. However, last month while back home, I went sightseeing in some photo-worthy areas of London that weren’t familiar to me. Along the way, I revisited some old faves as well.
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I grew up in the city of St. Albans in Hertfordshire. Whenever I go back to the UK to visit my family I tend to hang around the same old places, drinking tea like it’s going out of fashion and eating all the M&S food. During my most recent stay in St. Albans however, I went on 3 great day trips around the area which were completely new to me and worthwhile sharing.
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