At the end of February, Emily and I travelled up to Manchester to hang out with one of my University mates and his soon to be wife. We had the best time because it was a trip packed with some great food, a visit to the Theatre of Dreams and some really overdue catching up and introductions.
The home of football
Continue reading “Theatre of Dreams: Manchester – 25/02/2022 to 27/02/2022”
Absolutely the worst part of the pandemic has been being separated from our other home, family and friends. So, finally, after two years, Emily returning to Colorado to see her family was always going to be extra special. Plenty to catch up on, plenty to see, and plenty to do. And what better way to kick-off than with a rodeo? A stadium packed with cowboys and cowboy boots. More horses and bulls than you could shake a rattlesnake at. One cowboy even got stomped on the head… Awesome! The Americana of course just kept on coming – a local police hero, who had been shot the week before, was brought on to an ovation. A real hallmark moment that ticked all the boxes. It was so American, and such a cool experience. I can’t wait for my next one. I might even join in with the Star-Spangled Banner next time. Seriously.
Ouch!
Continue reading “A Fistful of Corndogs: Colorado – 17/01/2022 to 26/01/2022”
Happy New Year! My sister celebrates her birthday in January, my sister, her husband, her family, our mum and dad, and Emily and I decided to celebrate with a walk around an old family favourite of ours: Magpie (Bedford) Bridge. Somewhere filled with fond memories of summer days long since lost, spent splashing and building dams. The weather was a bit more dreary for this walk though!
Stock image of my memories!
Continue reading “Birthday Walk: Bridges on Dartmoor – 09/01/2022”
National Trust properties up and down the country have special events for Christmas and the festive season. We are very lucky that one of our local houses, Cotehele has its very own Christmas tradition dating back to the 1950s – the Christmas Garland.
Emily eyeing up her future home
Continue reading “Christmas Garland at Cotehele – 04/12/2021”
Making the most of some of the recent September sunshine, Emily and I went out with my sister and her family to Minions in Cornwall. All being busy people, it isn’t too often that we all have calendars that align these days. And there really is nothing better than sharing a family adventure. So spending the free time we do have together is really made all the more special by being able to visit such beautiful places. All the better that they are not too far from our homes.
Beautiful Bodmin Moor
Continue reading “Bananas at Minions: Cornwall – 04/09/2021”
Getting a kitten and ongoing restrictions to international travel has made Emily and I pretty inactive recently. Maybe one day the world will be fully back to normal and a vanity project travel blog will feel a little less of a vanity project, but as it stands at the moment we don’t have too much motivation to post and provide updates. Over the past bank holiday Emily and I did visit one of my favourite hikes on Dartmoor however, and it was the first time she braved the ridge at Leather Tor! Slowly but surely she is catching me up on all of my old haunts. You can read about the full hike here.
Plenty of dramatic views with this hike
I don’t think Emily and I have ever needed a break as much as this recent trip to the New Forest. Working from home without taking any real annual leave since moving into our new house left us needing some well deserved R&R. And with international travel still largely limited, we knew we wanted to explore a different National Park in England. So a trip to Hampshire and the New Forest it was.
To see cuties like this
Continue reading “Oysters and Mushrooms – The New Forest 18/06/2021 to 21/06/2021”
Going up to London is always a treat, especially after it feels like forever since your last visit. And to be fair it almost is. January 2019, on the way back from travelling. It seems a lifetime ago! What I didn’t miss however, was the journey. For Emily and me it was our first time driving up from Plymouth, and taking the A303 on a half term Friday was a mistake we won’t repeat again!
4 hours my ass
Sometimes you find out about places purely by chance and Lukesland Gardens was one of them. Emily and I planned to go to Endsleigh Garden centre in Ivybridge and find a Dartmoor walk that started not too far away to make the best use of our Sunday. While trawling google maps for suitable parking places, points of interest and routes to walk, I stumbled across the Gardens. Intrigued, having never heard of it before, we decided to roll the dice and check it out.
Magical
After a few months off, Emily and I were keen to use our recent (government approved) freedom to get back on the coastal path this Easter weekend. Taking our car on its first longer drive (longer being further than Sainsbury’s!) we headed out early to Hope Cove, planning to arrive before the beach-goers.
The early start paid off with Hope Cove all to ourselves