Adventures, road trips, music & gigs.
This category relates to trips I have done solo. Sometimes it is simply because Emma doesn’t fancy the destination, or, quite often, it is because she is not sure, but wants me to report back after finding out.
I call these “reconnaissance” trips.
I often pay less for accommodation on these trips in order to keep them affordable. However, I don’t think I have had a bad experience yet!
I often meet the most wonderful people on these reconnaissance missions, and get some amazing tips which I share on here.
A short five-day trip to the southwest region of France. A beautiful corner of the country. I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to come to these places at the drop of a hat. However, I’ve got to be honest, the £17.99 flight made ….read more
WOW, WOW, WOW. This trip was booked on a bit of a whim and without any firm plans, other than to arrive, explore and return. And why not? At under £21 per flight, it would have been rude not to… it turned out to be ….read more
I’ve been meaning to come here for a while, ever since Anne-Pierre, an ex-colleague, put this historical city on my radar. So when I saw a £16.99 flight on offer (each way), I just couldn’t resist. I booked my ticket, packed a travel bag, and ….read more
OMG. This has been the most spectacular and unexpected find. A last minute cheap flight, and ridiculously great value accommodation brought me to the gorgeous riverside village of Dalyan for a few days. It was a reconnaissance mission to establish if this is worth coming ….read more
A few months ago an old friend, Tony, got in touch to say he’s coming back to the UK for a few weeks and fancied a wee trip ‘up north’, possibly encompassing Scotland and the English Lakes. So Cumbria, The Trossachs, Glencoe, Isle of Skye ….read more
A short trip designed to introduce Natty to the culture, sights, sounds and tastes of Morocco. Outside of skiing, it was the first with just the two of us for a few years. We visited two famous cities on this trip, with my favourite, ‘Essaouira’ ….read more
With Emma being busy on back to back weekends, I grabbed the chance to head back to the beautiful North African country of Morocco for ten days. What’s not to love about this place? The people, food, weather, beaches, waves, blue skies, temperatures, value and ….read more
The old coast road between Arisaig and Mallaig is one of my favourite ‘go-to’ places to relax and enjoy nature at its very best. It’s a really special place. I found it a few years ago on the recommendation of some bikers I got chatting ….read more
The last time I attempted Helvellyn it was two years ago, I was with Emma, and we were unable to reach the peak given the appalling conditions (ice, snow, gale force winds). We did the sensible thing and turned back about 400m from the summit. It’s ….read more
As soon as Fabrice told me he was heading over from Vietnam in order to spend some time in Brussels & Europe, that was my cue to book a Eurotunnel crossing and arrange to meet up to do something, somewhere. No idea what or where! ….read more
I didn’t believe for a split second that somewhere else could compete against my last trip so soon…. but then I didn’t reckon on Prague. Stunning! OK, I got lucky with the weather which was as picture-perfect as it could be when I arrived with ….read more
Wow. Just Wow. Now if I’m being completely honest, Vienna wasn’t on my list of cities to visit, but now I’ve been here I can’t quite fathom out why… and mores the point, why Vienna isn’t raved about by more people and more often. It ….read more
—- Introduction to Anza —- I really didn’t know what to expect about this place, so I came here with a completely open mind… …it blew me away! Anza, is about 30km from Agadir in the southern half of Morocco. It’s one of those ….read more
A last minute trip to visit an old friend in Scotland ended up taking me on a detour via the Lake District, Northumberland and Scottish Borders. The weather played a big part in most decisions which is why I ended up zig zagging across northern ….read more
After a fabulous trip to the Mekong, I left Fabrice behind in his home in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and headed north for the final phase of my Vietnam trip. I was travelling on a standard 1 month tourist visa entering Vietnam via HCMC ….read more
When Fabrice told me he was heading out to work in Vietnam I knew it was only a matter of time before I ended up over here. Sure enough, after consuming a few pints of Belgium beer with him last year I promised to pop over. ….read more
Within minutes of arriving in Montenegro I just knew this would be an experience I wouldn’t forget. My landlady at my accommodation explained that she came here from Lichtenstein back in the 1980s when Montenegro was part of the Soviet Union’s Yugoslavia. She married a ….read more
I woke to witness the most astonishing display of stars at 03:30, just ahead of a three hour ascent to the summit of mount Toubkal, north Africa’s highest peak. Only a handful of others were on the mountain at this time, all with the same ….read more
Hiking, biking, kayaking and camping in the Highlands and Islands of west Scotland. No Emma this trip 😞 just me.I had to pinch myself at times to remind myself that this is only a car journey away and not a long haul flight to some ….read more
With our choice of holiday destination somewhat limited this year (Covid), Natty and I decided to explore the English coast instead of our usual trip to Europe, and we are so glad we did. We headed for Porthcurno and the nearby coastline. We found a ….read more
Lockdown diary #1 – MARCH 29th 2020 A weekend for taking stock and preparing for the months ahead. Like many of us, I spent time in the garden doing the things that needed to be done after a long, dark and wet winter… And of ….read more
It’s about this time of year that Natty and I head off on our European tour. Last year was magical. We had no idea where we were going then, much the same as now. This year has started off even better. The rough plan “was” ….read more
France is a dream destination for cycling enthusiasts, not just because of its sheer size, but also due to its relatively low population compared to other European countries. If you travel outside the peak tourist season, you’ll find vast stretches of countryside where it feels ….read more
A lovely weekend in Pembrokeshire, Wales at Valley View Cottages with Clare and Chris. It’s everything I imagined it to be. Spent the day walking the coastal paths between various points starting a Mwnt, finishing at Ynys Lochtyn. Breathtaking scenery. Drank a few too many ….read more