An Exmoor Adventure

Had my first adventure of the Summer in Conan, my trustee VW Transporter. I decided to have a look around the North Devon coast. And I have to say, what I discovered absolutely blew me away. Dartmoor was pretty, but Exmoor was simply spectacular. I stayed the night in Selworthy, a secret hidden road just by Minehead. Bizarrely, I drove past a man on his own, playing the bagpipes.

The next morning, I went further into Exmoor. And there were so many fantastic things to see... However, my personal favourite was the Valley of the Rocks (which is a fantastic name in itself). It is, without a doubt, the most beautiful place I've ever seen in England. And, there's a car park... where you can stay overnight for just £5 or £16 for the WHOLE week. That's where my next holiday's going to be!

Here are some photos. They do not do any of the places I've seen justice.

Pictures from Scotland

Click on the pictures to enlarge each photo.

A Scottish Adventure

Just got back from my tour of Scotland and what an excellent time I had. 5,000 kilometres in seven days and it was simply magnificent. On my way up to Scotland, I decided to have a look at the Lake District, which was very pretty. But nothing in comparison to the beauty of Scotland.

I started off at Loch Lomond, which was very pretty indeed. Drove across to Oban and up to Fort William, taking in Ben Nevis on the way. I took in the snow-capped mountains at Glencoe, which were simply staggering. Then across to Loch Ness. Had a look around the Cairngorm mountains, and then took the magnificent road from Fort Augustus to Skye.

At this point, half my exhaust fell off, but Rudy was still driving well (allbeit now sounding rather disconcertedly like a Vauxhall Nova). Had a look around Skye, then took the Wester Ross trail from Lochcarron to Applecross, which was simply stunning. I carried on along the West Highland coast til I picked up the wonderfully fantastic John O'Groats coastal road. Then down the east coast to Inverness, followed by some random zig zagging, to make sure I hadn't missed anything.

Finally, decided to take the scenic route home rather than the motorway, so I came home through Northumberland and the Yorkshire Dales, which were both covered in snow.

A truly fantastic holiday, quite simply the most beautiful place I've ever seen. The southern highlands have got the most beautiful mountains, lochs and trees. The Western highlands are barren and yet awe-inspiring. The north is greener, with beautiful coastlines and beaches. The east is a bit like Cornwall, big seas and green coastlines.

And there was hardly anyone there. A lot of the roads are single track roads, although very well maintained and quite often, I wouldn't see another car for hours. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I thought I was lucky living in Devon with Cornwall on my doorstep, but the Scottish Highlands are simply magnificent. I will certainly be going back as soon as I can. Photos and videos to follow!

Time for an Adventure

I'm off to the Scottish Highlands for a week in my new van. No time to post properly, but I hope to post some pictures when I get back. See you all in a week!

Trip down Memory Lane

And when I got back from Kynance Cove, I drove up to Sheringham to spend a few days with my family on holiday. When I was a kid, this was where we always went on holiday. It was great to see the old places, although it was a lot smaller than I remember. Particularly Beeston Bump, which was like a mountain when I was small. Now it's not so much a mountain as a molehill. It has been partly eroded by the sea, but it's mainly wagon wheel syndrome - things seem much bigger when you're young.

My dad's family were all from here and it's one of the few places where I feel like I have some real roots. We saw where my Gran used to live and the gates that my great granddad made. It really felt good to be back where there are so many memories. I've moved around so much, I sometimes feel a bit like a nomad. Going to Sheringham was pretty grounding.

And I had a great time with my nephews, sister and her husband and my mum. We went crabbing on the beach and found the weirdest crab I've ever seen. Bit like a cross between a crab and a spider. All in all, it was a great holiday as the pics show!

The boys

Sheringham Beach

Me

Me & my sister

My nephew

The weird crab / spider

Back, back and bigger than ever!

Sorry haven't posted for a while - I've been away! Spent the Bank Holiday weekend in Cornwall at Kynance Cove, which is down by the Lizard. And what a beautiful place! It was another Freddie adventure and we stayed at a campsite this time - didn't fancy getting moved on at 1 in the morning. Cornwall really is the most beautiful place. Two days at Kynance Cove, then onto St Ives for the day. Here are some pictures.

Time well spent in the company of Cretans

Just back from a week on Crete with my friend, Carrie, hence the silence on the blog front. And yes, of the six days we were there, it rained for 4 of them. Which was a bit of an arse, all things being considered, especially as the weather was probably better back home. But nevertheless, we had a great time. Only once did we get cabin fever, laughing hysterically for over an hour over a couple of quick one-liners. But Bali - where we stayed - proved to have many hidden treasures, not least the charming and quirky people we met out there. I would heartily recommend it to anyone.

But now I am back and feeling mightily refreshed. Here is a picture of the indefatigable and irrepressible Carrie - great company, despite her occasional tendency to spontaneously lactate, as the photo shows.

The Saltmills Angels

Here is a pic of my friend Anna hard at work with her friends Lina & Vanessa. In the background, you can just see the sign 'Friday is Pieday', and indeed it is. Every Friday, they make the best pies I've had in ages. As well as ice cream smoothies, oh yes, that's certainly something I'll be trying when I get home.














And it's my last full day today, I'm flying home tomorrow. Where did the time go? But I've thoroughly enjoyed it, it's been great to catch up with Anna again and make sure she's alright. And she looks happier than I've seen her in ages, which is fabulous. I can report back home that everything is ok and she's got some great friends out here. It's a great life out here. You walk into any bar and you're guaranteed to see someone you know.

I've been snorkelling, kayaking and sailing. I've practiced tai chi on a moonlit beach. I've walked about 50 miles these last 2 weeks. I've been swimming with a turtle, I've seen pelicans, a couple of storks, 2 hummingbirds (which bizarrely look like flying seahorses), 2 sharks and a million lizards. I've met some great people and I've been bumped and ground by the local girls. But most of all, I've had a deeply relaxing holiday and am feeling full of beans. I just hope it's not too cold when I get back.

3 Days to Go...

Yup. It's gone mega quick, but I only have three days left out here. I'm sure someone nicked a week while I wasn't looking. But at least the weather has returned to being brilliant. Today I went snorkelling for the first time and swam with a turtle, although sadly it wasn't one of the teenage ninja variety. But still pretty damn brilliant. It's going to be hard coming back, I can tell you.

Thoughts of the Day (& Night)

Today I saw a hummingbird. And surprisingly enough, they do actually hum when they fly. And hooray! The clouds have gone and it was bastard hot today, about 90. I spent a rather fab day walking up and down the beach, wading in the sea, and had a lunch of fish tea in a little beachside bar. Well, it was called Fish Tea, but was more like fish soup, really. I was quite disappointed, so may have to experiment with PG Tips and various fish when I get home.

Last night around midnight, Anna had gone to bed and I was wide awake. So I went down the beach, which is only about 50 yards from Anna's house. It was full moon and so bright, I could have taken a book with me. I stayed on the beach for a couple of hours, doing a bit of tai chi, as the waves crashed around me. Pretty amazing, I will almost certainly be doing it again tonight!

Oh, and I've stopped smoking too. So all in all, life is pretty good right now!

Inside the Triangle

Apparently, I'm currently inside the Bermuda Triangle, and we're the only place that's actually inside it. How's about that? I didn't even know. I'll keep a look out on the flight home for UFOs and suchlike.

Oh, and I saw two sharks yesterday. And a moth the size of a pigeon.

Bugger. It's Cloudy.

Which reminds me of a radio ad they're playing here to raise AIDS awareness, called 'Ouch! It hurts!'. Which is in my opinion a rather bizarre name for an AIDS awareness campaign. Perhaps 'Arse! I'm dying!' might be slightly more fitting. But I digress.

Yes, we've had two (two!) cloudy days now, and the sun isn't shining. And so far my tan has progressed from blue to white, but I was hoping to at least reach salmon before I got back. But it's not all bad, it's given me an opportunity to practice my tai chi.

I am now able to part a wild horse's mane, spread a white crane's wings and do a Brezhnian Press (really called a Brush Knee & Press, but I prefer the Russian alternative). Although I may get deported for the first two if I try them outside. But you have no idea how thrilled I am at having been able to learn how to do these. Just goes to show that I do still have a memory of sorts and I will soon be able to fulfil a lifetime ambition of mine, of doing tai chi by the water, like Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse. If I carry on like this, I'll be repulsing monkeys before I know it.

Another Day in Paradise...

So yesterday, it was so cold I had to put on a T shirt. Not that I'm expecting any sympathy from any of you, particularly those of you in the UK where it's brass monkey. But today it's another glorious day in Paradise, so I thought I'd let you know what I've been up to.

I've learnt that chilled marmite on a mosquito bite stops it itching immediately. Although it doesn't make you very popular with the expats, who think it's sacrilege. Being away from home makes you do and think strange things.

I've learnt that the local girls are a lot more, ahem, forward than the girls back home. Whilst dancing at a local bar, they have a habit of coming up to you, shoving their not insubstantial booties in your groin and then basically simulating sex to the music. I mean, it's just not British, is it? And as much as I fancied being stripped of everything I possess (and not in a good way), I politely declined their requests for me to take them home. Despite the fact that some of them are quite stunning.

I won $180 in a quiz night, which would have been a great victory for the British if the majority of the other participants weren't also British.

I've been sailing, I've been sunbathing (and have miraculously managed to not get sunburn), I've been swimming. The food is quite fantastic (with one notable exception) and, well, this is a lifestyle I could quite easily get used to. Although whether I'd still think that if I came out in the Summer, when it's a million degrees and 200% humidity is another thing entirely.

But all in all, at the halfway point of my holiday, I'm enjoying it. I've met some interesting people (and some real nutjobs too) and I would heartily recommend that anyone should come here. But bring marmite.

My Moment of Glory, with Anna & Ian

Message from Paradise

Quick hello from me in the quite remarkable Turks & Caicos Islands. Actually. it's just an opportunity to gloat and make you all jealous. So here are some pictures.

















Yesterday I saw pelicans diving into the ocean. And a stork landed by the pool. If I take any other fab photos, I'll put them on here too.