Travel Anecdotes
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Escaping to Greece for a weekend during Covid-19
This has been one strange year! Like many of you reading this post, my life of travel and adventure came to a crashing halt the moment the UK government announced we were going into full lockdown mode. Even now, seven months later, we are living in a world of ‘fear and uncertainty’, or at least that’s what we’re being told. I have experienced many moments of joy, laughter and silliness during the Covid-19 crisis. Yes, being a self-employed travel journalist is not the ideal career for a pandemic, but I have soldiered on and made the best of it. I even spent a month trying to flog home-made dinosaur earrings…
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London’s Farm away from Home
This week I decided to take my lunch break at an unusual location in South-East London: Mudchute Farm. The 32-acre site is a registered charity and is open all year round free of charge. It is also the largest inner-city farm in Europe, with over 100 animals roaming about. I first stumbled across this metropolitan oddity in 2014 while taking a stroll through Mudchute Park with my best mate, Jenny. One minute we were walking past a bunch of kids kicking around a football, the next we were surrounded by sheep and goats. My friend, Hattie, and I spent a delightful hour watching pigs, donkeys, sheep, goats and even alpacas…
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London Gay Pride – Proof Love Happens Here
We invited Andrew’s sisters, Sarah and Alison, to come and stay with us this weekend. We had a packed schedule planned including a Sherlock Holmes themed Escape Room and a meal at Band of Burgers in Brick Lane. I was also keen for us to head to Trafalgar Square on Saturday for Gay Pride, an event I have sadly managed to miss every year since moving to London in 2013. This particular one was extra special as my friend, Aaron, was performing on the main stage as part of Pride’s Got Talent. We arrived at Charing Cross at around 12:30 and the crowd was just starting to assemble, with people…
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British Summer Time at Hyde Park – Punk did not win the day!
The first day of July marked our trip to Hyde Park to watch a stellar day of music headlined by Green Day. I was particularly excited about watching The Stranglers and The Hives, the latter band famous for their legendary live performances. This was my third time at British Summer Time, having also had the pleasure of watching Blur and McBusted (oh yes!) rock their socks off in previous years. We arrived at around 3pm and although it was decidedly grey, the weather forecast Gods had promised us sunshine and we weren’t to be disappointed. Alas despite a flawless line-up and fantastic weather, BST was a resolute disappointment. The spirit…
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Newquay, Cornwall – One Fabulous Trip, One Furious Cornish Man
I recently spent a long weekend in Newquay in Cornwall. We couldn’t have been luckier with the weather and the whole place seemed totally devoid of tourists. My best mate, Jenny, and I love to pack in as many activities as possible when we travel. This time it was zorbing and surfing. The former was a great success – being thrown down a hill in a giant inflatable ball may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved every moment. The chaps at Cornwall Zorbing Park recommended we head to Newquay Surfing School to book our surfing lesson. The place is run by 3x UK surf champion, Adam Griffiths,…