5 places you should consider for your next UK staycation

Relaxing in Durham *This post contains affiliate links Staycations have seen a massive rise since the start of the Pandemic, with more people realising there are some fantastic places to explore right on our doorstep. This little island offers so much variety from city breaks to adventure-seeking outdoor activities, relaxing hikes in the countryside or taking in the art and culture of many museums and historical sites across the UK. While everyone has been heading off to Cornwall and West Wales, I thought I would offer a few alternatives for UK Travel so that you can still soak up the atmosphere without the manic crowds. Despite some of the more popular areas having sold out their accommodation, there is still plenty of deals to be had and a great site to find a hotel is ebooking.com 1. Cardiff The Welsh Capital is often overlooked for places like the Brecon Beacons or the beaches of West Wales and while it's not the biggest Capital city it is a vibrant one with plenty to see and......

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Love Scotland? How to bring a Scottish feel into your home

*This post contains affiliate links  I love Scotland, I've been lucky enough to have lived in Edinburgh for over a year and as well as work on the West Coast of Scotland for a summer, near the Isle of Skye. It is a place I love visiting with my kids, we enjoyed a wonderful family break to Edinburgh and have a trip lined up to the Highlands later this year. I love to incorporate my favourite places into my home so that even when I am not travelling I can feel a sense of wanderlust.  Descending from the Highlands, tartan is a sure-fire way to incorporate Scottish roots into your interior design. The optime of warmth and comfort, what better place to use this iconic pattern than in your bedroom or living room, and here are some ways to achieve this with style and sophistication. What is tartan ? First, let’s explore the origins of the fabric. Tartan is a uniquely patterned cloth consisting of intricate and intersecting lines in multiple colours, that create different sized and co......

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48 hrs in Edinburgh - A Family Guide

Edinburgh is one of my favourite cities, it's visually so beautiful and unique and makes for a fantastic weekend city break, although it's easy to spend much longer in the Scottish Capital as there is so much to see and do but if you are heading up north here is my 48 hour family friendly guide to get the most out of your trip. We arrived into the city very early via the Caledonian Sleeper Train from London, check out my post about what we thought of the experience. We wanted somewhere that was close to Waverley Train Station due to the early arrival and late departure on our return. We decided to stay at The Premier Inn as it's less than 5 minute's walk from the train station, in the older part of town and only a few hundred feet from The Royal Mile. After dropping our bags off we decided to head out as we wanted to make the most of our time in the city. Here is what we got up to in our 48hrs in the city. Hit up the Royal Mile   Yes it is very t......

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London to Edinburgh on the Caledonian Sleeper Train

A couple of weeks ago we got to tick one of the bucket list by taking the overnight Caledonian Sleeper train from London to Edinburgh and back and it was certainly an experience we won't forget for a long time and is a great way to embrace slow travel and arrive in a different city in a unique way. We had an amazing break in the Scottish Capital which I will share in a larger post but for this one I just want to focus on our family sleeper train experience. Now I have done a few sleeper trains before across Europe a few years back but the UK has a pretty limited service when it come to overnight train travel. Firstly I would like to point out that all of the Caledonian Sleeper trains are being upgraded and rolled out later this year, around October time and I think this is going to have a massively positive impact on the service this line will provide and the timing is perfect. During our trip we couldn't fault the attentiveness and professionalism of the staff althoug......

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Rustic living

Such a beautiful view and perfect rustic interior ( image ) So we are spending this week exploring West Wales and everything that Bluestone has to offer, starting off by staying in a lovely wooden lodge. We are getting a real dose of fresh air and it's made me think about how much I love rustic living and interiors and thought I would share some of that inspiration with you, especially since it's winter there seems like no time better than dreaming of sitting in front of a log burning fire with a thick blanket and a cup of warm hot chocolate. A picture of cosiness ( image ) I would love to one day be able to have a getaway log cabin somewhere in Scotland, a place detached from the manic life we sometimes all lead. I lived in Scotland for more than 2 years, mainly in Edinburgh but also on the West Coast near Fort William in a small village with 300 people, for a few months and loved being that connected with nature and I think that is why I always have a soft spot fo......

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Monday Travel Inspiration - Arisaig

A few years back I spent a few months working in the West Coast of Scotland in two different remote villages. I talked about my trip to the Isle of Eigg last week and thought I would share some photos of my time in Arisaig, a small village with around 300 people. When I was there is had one hotel which also housed the local pub, a post office and a nice cafe. The real attraction however was the stunning landscape which never failed to inspire me. I use to take long walks and see no one for 2-3 hours, may a time I across Stags and deer and found the place incredibly peaceful. It's one of those places that I hope to visit again and take the family this time. The train from Glasgow via Fort William on the West Highland line which is famous and incredible and should be on every bodies to do list as you pass by lochs, rugged landscape, mountains and hours of countryside. In fact it was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of the travel magazine Wanderl......

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Travel Flashback - Isle of Eigg

A beautiful beach on the Isle of Eigg Around 5 years ago I worked over the summer in a remote West Coast Scottish Village, at a very cute little Tea shop, the village had less than 400 occupants and the nearest big town was Fort William around an hour and a half away. I have always been one of those people who loves wide open spaces, who loves to be small in the wide world, to breath in fresh air and to walk for miles without seeing anyone. This post however is not about the village I lived in (this will be in another post) but about a day trip I took on one of my days off to the beautiful Isle of Eigg. Adventure on the ferry towards the Isle of Eigg It's our recent spell of sun which reminded me so much of this little trip, which was a stunning sunny Scottish day with crystal clear water and white sandy beaches. I enjoyed the peacefulness of the Isle so much and loved doing this day trip solo. I think that Scotland is a very underrated travel destination and hav......

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A Castle tour of Britain

Mr A at Caerphilly Castle Without sounding like heritage nerds, as a family we love castles! They are great for family days out and what better place to explore them than on your doorstep as Britain has some amazing ones on offer.   Our favourites so far have been Raglan Castle, Carreg Cennen, Caerphilly and Castle Coch and we plan to visit a lot more this summer. I thought we would put together a wish list of castles we want to visit as a family (I have already been to Edinburgh and Stirling but loved them so much they go list). Castle Coch - one of our favourites  Visitors and locals alike can absorb themselves in Britain’s rich history by visiting some of the many castles around the country where the past is kept alive. Touring Britain by travelling from castle to castle will let you take in all the main attractions and some of Britain’s finest scenery. Here is a glimpse of some of the finest castles that you should include in your itinerary. Dover Cast......

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Expat Life - The banking reality

Me, enjoying life in Rimini, Italy When I first left South Africa more than 12 years ago to venture out into the world on my own at the tender age of 16 - yes I know what was I thinking! I first landed my feet in Edinburgh, a city I truly fell in love with and will always have a special place in my heart. Luckily I had pre-arranged my accommodation before leaving home and soon found a job in the city, but little did I know how tricky it was going to be to open a bank account, especially at 16 and believe it or not it was harder a few years ago than it is now, I needed a reference, they wanted me to have lived in the UK for at least 2 years and  various other loops I needed to jump through to just get a debit account and there wasn't really internet banking yet but after a few failed attempts I did manage to sort one out, which was a huge relief as my work would only pay into a bank. Luckily while I was sorting this out, my brother who was living in Wales allowed for m......

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