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
With October rains fast approaching and the last weekend spent driving up and down the motorway in preparation for a house move, Emily and I were keen to make the most of this past weekend’s beautiful weather. Fancying another stretch of the coastal path we rose early to be out to Mothecombe in the crisp morning air shortly after the sun rose. It was cold but glorious, and we had the place almost to ourselves for 20 minutes before setting off along the cliffs to Bigbury-on-Sea.
An empty Mothecombe – as beautiful and as cold and crisp as it looks!
This 7.1 mile stretch of the coastal path is filled with unbelievably gorgeous views into secluded beach coves, boats and small yachts sailing out on the shining seas, and winding steps up and down the coast… so many steps. This was easily the most strenuous section of the coastal path we have done so far. Still, 100% worth it and making a holiday weekend out of two sections of the coastal path has been the absolute best experience with memories made to last a lifetime.
Goodbye Fowey! Hope we meet again someday
Continue reading “Climb your heart out: Polruan to Polperro – 09/08/2020”
An early morning train ride into Cornwall is always something to look forward to as it usually means Emily and I are on a mission. This weekend was no different. Par to Polperro via an overnight stay at Fowey. Disembarking at Par we made a beeline for Par sands and the coastal path; only stopping to pick up some free fresh produce for our journey. Armed with overnight bags we set off, making the most of the sunshine and tramping through sand onto weaving cliffs as we made good time to Polkerris.
The sand was glistening at Par
Continue reading “Parfect Cornwall: Par to Fowey – 08/08/2020”
Browsing the Devon Wildlife Trust website and following their instagram has long been a way for me to find out new nature reserves, trails and places to explore. Recently while being determined to spend more time in the beautiful and on my doorstep Tamar Valley AONB, I discovered that one such nature reserve and trail was just outside of Tamerton Foliot. Warleigh Point Nature Reserve. Armed with the promise of stunning views over the rivers Tamar and Tavy, it gave Emily and I a chance to go out with my parents and blow the working week away without having to do much forward planning. Perfect as we have been house viewing nonstop recently!
Deceptively close to the city
Continue reading “A Different Perspective: Warleigh Point – 11/07/2020”
Now that I am back on that Monday to Friday working life grind the weekends have become a thing of beauty again. Two days of complete freedom for us to spend how we like, and Liam and I the thing we love to do most is to get outside and explore the beautiful areas we are so lucky to be surrounded by. After two weekends of dreary wet weather we finally had a clear day where we could get back out there. We decided to spend the day completing the next stretch of the South West Coastal Path, 9.8 miles from Erme Estuary to Noss Mayo.
Such a great stretch of beach
Continue reading “50 Miles on the SWCP: Erme to Noss Mayo – 20/06/2020”
In these uncertain times, it is going to be the little details that make 2020 bearable for a lot of us. To avoid cabin fever, having spent the past 2 months working hard on acquiring government jobs only to have our start dates pulled out from under our feet, we felt the need to stretch our legs. Isolating for physical health is obviously going to have a long-term impact on mental health for a lot of people, and Emily and I decided to regain some sense of normality by heading out to Wembury (one of our favourite places) and picking out a new hike there. Who says you need to social distance inside anyway?
Rugged isolation
Day 2 of the road trip! Check out Day 1 here. Leaving our farm homestay in the morning, Emily and I headed out to our final new state of the trip – Rhode Island. Smallest state by area, this East Coast state is THE state by the sea. No East Coast road trip would be complete without an early morning stop at Dunkin Donuts. So, once we were fuelled with coffee and sugary goodness we headed straight for our destination of the day: Newport.
Stunning bridge vista from Newport
Continue reading “Seals of Approval: Rhode Island – 11/01/2019 to 12/01/2019”
Hawaii 🌸 Truly one of those places you don’t realise how special it is until you visit. A Pacific island paradise, with every convenience you come to expect in America. The problem is it is so remote. A tiny dot in the Pacific and a daunting prospect for travel if you’re from England. Which is why we chose to visit on this trip; flying Taiwan to Colorado you couldn’t ask for a better layover. Since we only had 5 full days we decided from the outset to spend them all on Oahu as there is so much to see and do there.
Just 5 full days here
Continue reading “A Week in Paradise: Hawaii – 04/12/2019 to 10/12/2019”
The final leg of our time in Taiwan had come. Anja’s birthday was just around the corner and she was able to get a four day weekend off of work to celebrate it! And what better way to see in a new chapter than with an epic road trip? Liam and I, along with Anja and her partner Kevin (who was kind enough to drive us all), piled into his car for what was bound to be an amazing experience filled with wonderful new sites, delicious food and quality time laughing and chatting between friends. First stop? The town of Taitung.
No shortage of scenic roads
Continue reading “Hualien Highlights – 29/11/2019 to 04/12/2019”