I have taken to walking to and from work through the Meadows, a large park-like space just south of the city centre. Not only is it far quicker, it is also far prettier than walking along the main road as I used to. I've been feeling a little restless lately, a little settled. I don't have the option to move on just now and I think that's one of the reasons I've been a little out of sorts. Today, however, walking home through the Meadows I was reminded of a few of the reasons I stick it out here: The leaves [View Full Entry]

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It's now a year, a month and a few days that I've been away from home. In that time I've travelled and settled, had grand adventures and experienced great tragedy. I've found love and lost a loved one. I've been back to where I began and I've returned home again. And I think, as twee as it might sound, that I've begun to find myself. In the last year I've been to England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, Australia and France. I've seen some of the most amazing sights that this world has to offer, and fallen in love with a [View Full Entry]

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As most of you know, but I'm sure some still do not, two weeks ago I was forced to make a hasty exit from my cushy little life in Scotland and undertake a 40 hour journey to get myself to Auckland. I had 10 hours between receiving the phone call telling me I had to leave and leaving the hostel to catch a train to the bus which would get me to the airport in Glasgow in time for my flight. To cut a very long story short, the trip itself was okay (Dubai is really as hot as they make [View Full Entry]

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After my wonderful experiences in Wales I was a little bit over it all. I'd spent two nights all alone in the hostel in Caernarfon and was ready to move on. Don't get me wrong, I loved Wales and if you look at my Facebook photos you'll see just how beautiful it is. But I was lonely and ready for some excitement. So I jumped the bus to Holyhead, the ferry to Dun Laoghaire and the DART (train) to Dublin. I'd booked myself into the only available hostel simply so I wasn't stuck in northern Wales with nothing to do for [View Full Entry]

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"It's easy", they said. "There were girls doing it in flip flops", they said. Apparently the 3 hour trek up Mt Snowdon, in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Northern Wales, is a piece of cake. Except if you're me. My roomates in Caernarfon told me it would be easy, though it would take about 5 hours up and back. Okay, thought I, I'll set off early, do the trek and chill out in Caernarfon for the afternoon. A nice easy day before I head off to Dublin. Evidently the gods were bored last Thursday. I should have realised something was going [View Full Entry]

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I'm in Dublin at the moment, having come from Caernarfon (pronouced Car-nar-von) in the northern Welsh county of Gwynedd. For those of you playing at home, Caernarfon is on the west coast of mainland Wales, just across the passage from the Isle of Anglesey. Anglesey is joined to mainland Wales by a bridge and historically significant as it was the Druids last stronghold in the fight against the invading Vikings. But that's enough history lesson for today. North Wales was interesting. I would even go so far as to say it was my first "real" travelling experience - having to cope [View Full Entry]

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It's 11pm here and I'm bored so I thought I'd get my arse into gear and finally blog Oxford. A bit belated, I know, but here goes: The first thing you notice about Oxford is the amazing amount of bicycles cluttering the city. As Oxford is university town, bikes are the main form of transport. The bike rack at the station alone held at least 300 bikes and it was packed every single time I passed it. And bike racks are everywhere througout the city - they're just as plentiful (if not more so) than on-street car parking. After Bath, I [View Full Entry]

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Oh Lord, I now know I could never survive a Contiki trip. Forcing yourself to go sightseeing when you're so hungover that you just want to die is tantamount to torture in my book. And such has been my last two days. It's not my fault, though. It is entirely the fault of a certain Welsh bartender who will remain nameless (as he is now keeping track of this blog!) and £1.50 drinks. Now that you have the context, I'll give you the details: I arrived in Cardiff on Friday and, as has always been the case upon my arrival in [View Full Entry]

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As my Lonely Planet bible says - poor Cardiff. It's the capital city of Wales but it has none of the imposing splendour of London or Bath. It was a small town that benefitted greatly from the industrial boom - coal is the main export and the city built up because of the docks. It's by no means beautiful but the reason I love this place is the hostel I'm staying in. The Welsh hospitality puts the English to shame. Last night I was wandering through the reception area looking for something to amuse myself and the guy working reception started [View Full Entry]

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I love Bath. It is currently my favourite place in all the world. I went there last Tuesday and came back on Wednesday but I could very easily have settled down and lived there. Bath was everything I'd been hoping for in Britain and reassured me that I want to be here and I want to travel. I caught the bus from Victoria Station at 8:00 on Tuesday, which meant that I had to leave Queensbury by 6, just to make sure I'd get there in time. We drove through some of the most beautiful countryside and it was fantastic to [View Full Entry]

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