Category Archives: UK
Thirteen Months of Audiobus: Part 2
This is the long awaited sequel to the tale of Audiobus’ development. I’m completing this article now, on the day we say an emotional farewell to our motorhome Nettle, who has today been sold to a new family in the UK. It seems like a fitting time to tie off some loose ends as we start the next chapter of … Continue reading
Detained, But Not Deported: The Long Road to England Part 2
We’re stuck in a very ill Nettle right outside the border control booths of the ferry port. It’s not quite the worst-case scenario we’d envisioned for this crossing, but… Well, it’s bad enough. I confirm the diagnosis by peeking at Nettle’s innards, and find myself at the frontier police office seeking assistance. In a way, it’s probably the best place … Continue reading
The Long Road to England: Part 1
After much daydreaming about fish and chips, bagels, ubiquitous 3G internet and speaking English again, the time has arrived to jump back on the autoroutes of France and drive back to the UK. This wasn’t part of our original plans, but bureaucracy had its way with us, as it always does: It turns out, unlike the advice we were given … Continue reading
Shopping in York
One of the major downsides with our motorhome-based lifestyle is that we never stay in towns or cities. We’re always in a field somewhere, which is lovely but sometimes I do miss the joys of urban living. I’d quite like to be able to stay in town every now and then and walk to a funky little cafe and do … Continue reading
An Amble Through York
Katherine has been looking forward to visiting York from before we left Australia, so this is a biggie! We weren’t sure we were going to get around to it this time, but it turns out our ferry port, Hull, is just to the south of York. What’s more, we’ve been invited by a fellow travel blogger friend, Mike who lives … Continue reading
1000 Miles, Part 2: Swansea
It’s time to get down to the task of covering some serious mileage. We pull out a rather good audio book we’ve been listening to set in 18th-century Scotland (read with some beautiful Scottish accents!), while Nettle stoically devours mile after mile. We spend quite a while following the wooded edge of a big picturesque loch north of Glasgow, before … Continue reading
The Lost Valley, Glencoe (Found it)
While we’re here in Glencoe we decide on a hike, to see as much of this magical place as we can in the short time we have. “The Lost Valley” (it’s always in the last place you look) sounded far too intriguing to pass up, so we take Nettle down the road a little way to where it branches off … Continue reading
1000 Miles: Part 1, Skye to Glencoe
Time always has a habit of sneaking up on us. Somehow, we’re almost out of time here in the UK: it’s hard to believe, but our two-year UK visa expires in just a few weeks. We’re going to head over to Europe, next, and we have a ferry booked from Hull. But first, we’ve an errand to run. Back when … Continue reading
Why We’re Driving 630 Miles From Isle of Skye to Swansea
Way back when we were in Cornwall in August last year, I discovered a lump in my breast and pretty much thought I was going to die (well not really, but I was definitely freaked). After a gruelling weekend of pondering my mortality whilst waiting until my doctor’s appointment, I was given the all clear — just a cyst! He … Continue reading
The Old Man of Storr: Not Actually An Old Man
With the success of our evening walk yesterday — having the entire place to ourselves, and walking during Golden Hour — we thought we’d do the same thing again for our next walk. Being in a motorhome and thus having the ability to stay anywhere gives us a huge advantage in getting to see places from a different perspective! We … Continue reading
The Quiraing: A Place of Near-Mythical Beauty
“What’s that burning thing in the sky??!” Oh — it’s the sun. So it does still exist, then. We jump on the opportunity to do some sight-seeing unmolested by the elements in this rainy, cloudy land, and take off. It’s beautifully clear and sunny, a few delightfully fluffy clouds here and there. We set off back the way we’d come, … Continue reading