We went to Westray for the puffins. They come to Orkney from May to August each year to breed and nest in crevices in the cliffs. Westray is an hour and a half from the mainland by boat, and so we went for a weekend with bikes and a tent. The best place to see them is Castle O… Read more of "Puffins in Westray"
Rackwick Bay and the Old Man Of Hoy
Our day began with hiring bikes from someone's back garden (no need for a deposit and no, you won't need a lock), then tearing back to the port in Stromness to catch a ferry to the second largest island in Orkney, Hoy. We stood out on the narrow deck watching the birds above us… Read more of "Rackwick Bay and the Old Man Of Hoy"
A month in Orkney
As we neared the end of our four years of travelling, driving through the Atacama Desert in Chile, we talked about our favourite places. We narrowed our top fives down to top threes, and somewhere we kept coming back to was Orkney. Orkney is an archipelago off the north coast of… Read more of "A month in Orkney"
Driving around Scotland (video edition)
This time last year we drove around the coast of Scotland on the North Coast 500, along one track roads, Highland cattle lying on the verges, stopping off at empty white sand beaches, camping each night in our small tent. And almost every day we'd exclaim that this had been up… Read more of "Driving around Scotland (video edition)"
A Warsaw city guide
We arrived in Warsaw on International Women's Day in the middle of a protest, thousands of women walking through the centre of the city holding placards and carrying flowers. Warsaw isn't exactly pretty but there's something about it, an energy. It's an exciting place to be… Read more of "A Warsaw city guide"
A few fun things to do in Kraków
Kraków is a beautiful city, with colourful buildings and gothic churches, as well as art galleries and secondhand bookshops and cosy restaurants. In some areas, the historic townhouses have been perfectly preserved and other parts of the city are still evolving, a little rougher… Read more of "A few fun things to do in Kraków"
A Prague city guide
And now, a city guide to Prague that's been hanging around in my draft folder for a while... I don't even remember why we decided to visit Prague in January now. But going in the winter turned out to be perfect. It has a bit of a reputation in the UK for being full of stag… Read more of "A Prague city guide"
A bit of news
We left England last summer knowing that this would be our last few months of travelling. We've had four incredible years of adventure, throwing ourselves into new experiences and learning about different cultures and eating everything from burnt ramen (better than it sounds) to… Read more of "A bit of news"
Orkney (video edition)
When I think back to our month in Orkney, I think of long, blustery walks on shingle beaches, my hair whipping my face, eating fish and chips from the little van that stopped in our village on Fridays, and huge hand-dived scallops, turquoise water and stone crofts and no one else… Read more of "Orkney (video edition)"
2017 in pictures
This year was split into two distinct parts. For the first six months we were in Europe – we had long stints in Prague and Warsaw, fell in love with Scotland and spent the summer at home. And then we went to South America, a continent that's surprised us in the very best way. We… Read more of "2017 in pictures"
A European train trip (video edition)
So, it's time for my quarterly 'I'm back!' post. This time I'm kicking things off with a little video from our train trip across Europe last year. It was a wonderful few weeks, looking out at mountains and rivers and rolling hills, drinking thick black coffee in Sarajevo, going… Read more of "A European train trip (video edition)"
The Edinburgh International Film Festival
A couple of weeks after we got home, Festivals Edinburgh invited me to go back up to Scotland for the Edinburgh Film Festival. It was a fun 3 days of screenings, events and exploring film locations around the city. Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International… Read more of "The Edinburgh International Film Festival"
I'm back!
It's been a while. A busy couple of months of remote living in Orkney, driving and camping around the coast of Scotland, spending time at home in London, watching two of our best friends get married in the countryside, and most recently heading back up to Edinburgh for the film… Read more of "I'm back!"
Day 1096
It's somehow been 3 years – 1096 days – since we queued up at the check-in desk at Heathrow with a couple of bags and one way tickets to Hong Kong. We'd spent the weeks before selling everything in our flat, saying goodbye to everyone we love. Not sure if it would turn out to be… Read more of "Day 1096"
What to eat in Prague
One of the upsides of visiting Prague when it's -12°C and snowing is that Czech food is perfect for winter. It's comforting and hearty, potato dumplings and rich beef goulash, Sunday roasts and sweet yeast buns. You can get pretty much any food you want in Prague, there are lots… Read more of "What to eat in Prague"
Five great coffee shops in Vinhorady, Prague
We spent the first two months of the year in Prague. It was long enough to get into a proper routine and three times a week we'd head out early and spend the morning working in one of the coffee shops near our apartment. Our area, Vinhorady, turned out to be full of coffee shops… Read more of "Five great coffee shops in Vinhorady, Prague"
48 hours in Nuremberg
Colourful Bavarian buildings, quirky museums, home to the pretzel and Germany's most famous Christmas market, Nuremberg is a wonderful place to visit. Here's how to see the best of the city in a couple of days: Day 1 Handwerkerhof Just inside the entrance to the old town, right… Read more of "48 hours in Nuremberg"
A whistle stop tour of Vienna
When we were planning our long trip home (four weeks, six countries, eight trains) we sort of forgot to factor in time to do things like work. So we arrived in Vienna tired and with minimal free time to explore, just an afternoon at the beginning and a morning at the end of our… Read more of "A whistle stop tour of Vienna"
A New Year's resolution
This year I decided to make fun New Year's resolutions. For things I actually wanted to do rather than things I thought I should do. And, unsurprisingly, they've been much easier to keep. One of them is to read one book a week. When I told my sister (who's a brilliant… Read more of "A New Year's resolution"
Five Viennese cakes
I'm not going to tell you how long we spent in Vienna because this list of cakes is much bigger than it ought to be for such a short stay. Vienna has a long and delicious history of making sweets. There are bakeries and coffee houses all over the city, and they're especially… Read more of "Five Viennese cakes"
A few fun things to do in Budapest
After spending the autumn in smaller cities and towns, arriving in Budapest felt energising. There's so much to do, so many museums, galleries, markets, restaurants. It helps that it's beautiful too, with wide streets and art nouveau architecture. When I was researching the city… Read more of "A few fun things to do in Budapest"
Reading on the road #9
A snowy January is the perfect excuse to snuggle up under a blanket with a cup of peppermint tea and a pile of books. And that's exactly what I've been doing. My New Year's resolution was to read a book a week (more on that soon), and I'm just about to get started book seven… Read more of "Reading on the road #9"
A street art guide to Belgrade
Belgrade isn't the prettiest city, but it's definitely interesting. It's been razed to the ground 44 times in its history; it's still settling into itself, trying to find its identity. Street art is a part of this. You'll see it all over the city, some of it created through… Read more of "A street art guide to Belgrade"
2017
We've been thinking about our 2017 travel plans a lot for the last few weeks and today they've finally all come together. This will probably be our last year of travelling full time. But it's going to be a good one. Here's what we'll be up to: January & February We've been in… Read more of "2017"