Hiraeth

Getting there Getting to Sarlat from the UK is relatively easy, especially now the line to Bordeaux has reopened (unfortunately it was closed when I travelled in 2020).  For simplicity's sake I booked through Eurostar to a nearby town called Brive-la-Gaillarde where I was then picked up by the family I was staying with. If you do not have family conveniently located at your holiday destination then you could spend the night in Brive and travel on to Sarlat the following day.  However, now that the Sarlat station has reopened (it was closed for improvements) I would travel via Bordeaux or Perigueux as they both have direct lines to Sarlat. Bear in mind you may want or need to have a ‘layover’, particularly if you travel via Perigueux, due to time tables.  Travelling from London St Pancras International with a quick change in Paris where you can grab lunch. I chose to walk across town from Paris Gare Du Nord to Paris Austerlitz as I had a two hour window to chan...

At this point, it is cliche to say that the Scilly Isles is perhaps the UK’s worst kept secret when it comes to holiday destinations. The explosion of articles praising them as the “ultimate” staycation destination written due to covid enforced travel restrictions in 2020 really was the final nail in the coffin. Their reputation for clear seas and white sand beaches is thoroughly earned, however. Set 28 miles off the Cornish coast in the far southwest of England. (45 km for those of you who use a measurement system not invented by a drunk mathematician). The Scilly Isles are strictly speaking on a longitude that classifies them as subtropical, and the giant palm trees really help to sell the image.  A splattering of islands, ranging from rocky outcrops to lush green fields fringed with white sand beaches. 5 of which are inhabited (by humans, if you’re counting the bird population I imagine that number would be considerably higher). They're easily accessible by plane and helicopter,...

England’s Night Rivera Train Hi All (two of you actually reading this (Hi mum and dad!))  Sorry for going AWOL on you for a while. Life got a little crazy and with new lockdowns being announced in London in December I had to scrap and rearrange several travel plans I had in the works. Now that everything is easing up a bit hopefully I’ll actually have some stuff worth writing about. And I’ve now submitted most of my coursework for uni, just have to do my dissertation it’s fiiiinnnneeee (credit  KC Green) Due to all the aforementioned life events the second it seemed that the second the UK would actually begin reopening in April I booked myself on the first train to the Scilly Isles. A full write-up of that will be coming soon.  The London Paddington to Penzance Night Riviera train is one of two sleepers trains in the UK. Personally, I feel that the cabins are a reasonable price from what you get, but if you’re on a budget you may want to consider sleeping in a c...

While this is a little delayed due to a laundry traffic jam (3 other housemates, 1 washer it's like the 100 meter sprint everytime it stops). Anyway I have finally managed to get my act together to write up this post to show what I took to Bath with me in October.  This trip was only two days (one night), where I stayed in a private room in a hostel. To be honest this is roughly what and how I would pack for any overnight stay or my dopp kit for a looooong travel day so I can have a quick change to feel a bit more human.  The absolute most important thing when travelling light is to pack versatile clothes. For me that means 2/3 items I have from Encircled, a Canadian brand that designs clothes meant for female travellers who want to avoid the "I have artistically tied a blanket around me in 6 different ways"-look. I love most of their designs but I hesitate to recommend them because: 1) I am based in the UK, shipping and import fees are very high on top of the costs of th...

Despite the best efforts of the World to end I have managed to fit in not one but TWO mini breaks since Covid became the defining feature in all of our lives (look out for the upcoming blog post on going to France soon).   Having just returned from a weekend in Bath I'd thought I'd share my views and continue to spoil the UK's worst kept secret.  Bath is a beautiful little city (it's more of a town really!) in the South West of England and well worth *at least* day trip if you're based in London. Easy to get there and you can, if you want to extend your stay in the West Country, go onto both Bristol and Stonehenge with little fuss.  Also the local accent is great! If anyone kinda sounds like a pirate that really is how they speak, they're not just messing with you! How to get there: I'm going to assume that if you're an international tourist (a rare breed these pandemic riddled days) that you'll be based in London.  In that case you have two main opt...