Monday 29 February 2016

Barton: Wetlands and winter sun

Took a trip up to the Humber bank again this weekend. There's a whole string of old clay pits there that have been flooded to create a wetland reserve, which means it's great for birdwatching. Caught a glimpse of a Great Crested Grebe and a pair of Teal, but the main reason for my visit was, admittedly, even more geeky than birdwatching.

Bird hide seen across the water through a hedge


See, Barton used to have a whole load of tileworks, hence all the clay pits and last time I went up there I found some old bits of building in the shrubbery just off the bank path. I assumed it was just another tileworks, but it turns out it's an old cement works and me being the nosy sod that I am wanted to have a closer look.

Yes, it's ridiculous. I am well aware.

Anyhoo, so I dragged my dad up there with the excuse that we could go for a nice walk at the same time. Found some pretty substantial ruins from the cement works though. Like this, which I presume was a jetty/wharf/pier in its heyday.

Possible former jetty on the south Humber bank


And then these, which look like chimneys, maybe? There were quite a few of them dotted through the trees, but the undergrowth was too thick to get close.

Possible chimneys at the old cement works near Barton


My dad was more interested in the fact that there used to be a light railway running to the site from the quarries further up the bank. Between us we rather failed to find any trace of it. Just shows how quickly nature reclaims places.

The Humber Bridge beyond the meadows of Far Ings


Gorgeous walking up there, though. Considering it's the end of February, it was remarkably mild, to the point that I didn't even need my coat.

This place is all of about 30 minutes drive from Grimsby, my hometown. I'll admit, Grimsby isn't a brilliant town, but it's not better or worse than a lot of other places around the country. And seriously, when a half hour drive can get you to beautiful wetlands, woodlands, open country or beach, who cares? We have so many amazing places right on our doorstep.

So, on that note, is there a secret beauty spot near you? Do you live in a supposedly awful area but have amazing places nearby? Let me know in the comments!

Friday 26 February 2016

The Grand Tour: New Year Down Under

Fabulous news! My friend Claire, veteran of both the New Zealand and Ireland expeditions, is planning on joining me for a couple of weeks in Australia over New Year. Also, incidentally, her birthday.

This is going to be good. Sydney's an amazing city and New Year there is just as brilliant. Well, it should be if it's anything like the last time I was there...

Fireworks bursting behind Sydney Opera House at New Year


Also, Sydney's a good starting point for a couple of weeks in Australia. We can relax and explore the city for a couple of days before heading off to see Oz's highlights. Claire can get over the jet lag and I can enjoy having someone to share the travel fun with for a bit.

So, what should we do in Sydney? The New Year celebrations are the obvious choice and it seems like an awesome way for Claire to spend her birthday (also on New Year's Eve), but aside from that, Sydney has plenty to offer. Taronga Zoo is great and I'd really love to check out the beaches, just because it seems like the thing to do in Sydney! Bondi, anyone?

Last time I was in Sydney we only had a couple of days over the New Year, so we didn't really get chance to do all the exploring. I think the most we did was going up one of the towers on the famous Harbour Bridge. Don't think I'll be forking out to climb the bridge itself though...

Sydney Harbour Bridge from the South Tower


There's plenty of museums, galleries and parks to check out and even the possibility of seeing whales without ever getting on a boat, courtesy of some amazing views from the coast. Oh, so many choices and still so little time - if Claire's going to see the highlights of Australia like the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru, we won't be spending that long in Sydney.

And here we hit a bit of a snag. Sydney's great. New Year there is great. Accommodation costs... not so much. The first hostel I looked at wanted to charge £100 per person to stay on New Year's Eve and it wasn't much cheaper on the days either side. Others weren't much better - anything up to £80 seems standard.

So I started trawling the hotels instead and yes, some of these would be as good or better than a hostel for about the same price. I suggested to Claire that it might be an idea to take this option instead and, given that she'll have a nearly 24 hour flight, she agreed.

That would have been that had I not then remembered Airbnb. I wasn't planning on explaining what Airbnb is, but Claire didn't seem to know, so I'll assume it's not as well known as I thought it was. Airbnb is a system where folks can rent out spare rooms or even entire homes to others. I'd expected this to be fairly expensive for Sydney over New Year, but I've found some really decent places for a relatively low price. Certainly better value than a hostel or hotel.

So yes, the places I've looked at are a bit further out of the centre, but Sydney has a decent public transport system and I'm willing to make that trade off. After all, much as I want to have an amazing New Year in Sydney, I still have a budget to stick to and I'll take savings where I can find them.

Where do you dream of spending New Year? Do you have any suggestions for visiting Sydney on a budget? Why not share in the comments below.

Wednesday 24 February 2016

The Joy of Travel Books

I love a good book. Proper books. I've never got on with e-books - there's just nothing like the feel of a new book, that amazing smell of paper.

OK, so weird book obsession aside, travel books are brilliant. What better way to start your trip planning than picking up a guidebook and picking a random page? All those little hints and tips, places you maybe hadn't thought of visiting. All in one easily consumed book.

A shelf of travel books


It's how my planning for most bits of my fast-approaching round-the-world trip has started. Quick trip to the bookshop and then home with a shiny new book to rifle through. I'm building up quite the collection.

Just a shame I won't be able to take them with me - much too heavy.

Travel guides are just the start though. Inspiration comes in many forms. Take, for example, all those books which list X number of places/experiences/something else you should do before you die. Things like my Lonely Planet 1000 Ultimate Adventures and You Only Live Once, both full of amazing ideas for travel. In the end, they're just lists of interesting things, but they can be a great way to spark the imagination.

Travel books aren't just about inspiration for your own travels, though. A good travel book can transport you around the world without you even leaving your chair. It doesn't even have to involve the real world. I'm a huge fan of Tolkien because his world is so detailed you can imagine being there. And of course, there's the added bonus that New Zealand really does fit a lot of Middle-earth quite well.

Hobbit hole, Hobbiton, New Zealand

What are your favourite travel books? Got any recommendations? Why not share in the comments below...

Monday 22 February 2016

Solo Travel: Going it alone

"Are you going on your own?"
"Yes..."
"I don't think I could do that."

At this point, insert whatever reason you feel like. I don't like being on my own. I wouldn't feel safe. It'd be scary.

Plus, my new favourite from just this morning: it's very brave.

This is increasingly how my conversations go at work, where the rest of my office is slowly becoming aware that I'm leaving. First up, a couple of reasons why "are you going on your own?" is a silly question.


1. It assumes I will be totally alone for the whole trip.

Just because I'm going away on my own, doesn't mean I'll be alone the entire way. I'm not a social person, but I make friends easily enough. Also, various family and friends have already expressed an interest in joining me in one place or other.

2. What's so bad about being on your own?

I enjoy my own company. As I said above, I'm not a very social person, I struggle in social situations, but if someone says "hi", I can start conversations. That said, I'm just fine on my own. I enjoy wandering around and just exploring.

Besides, just think of the benefits of going solo. You can do whatever you want, when you want and there's no one to tell you otherwise. You don't need to go with the whim of a group/couple/family which means you're free to explore what you feel like exploring.

Of course, there are also plus points to travelling with a group. Things like being able to rent a car (because I don't drive), potentially cheaper accommodation, "herd safety" in those more dangerous areas. And of course, sharing the experience with others. This is certainly going to make parts of my trip amazing - a friend's coming out to meet me in Sydney around New Year. Having her there will be awesome in itself, but it also means we might be able to get a better on expensive New Year accommodation. Phew.

I still don't understand what people find so scary about travel. Yes, there are dangerous places out there, but I'm not going there. Yes, there are language barriers, but I'm learning additional languages and phrases. No, I don't know what I'm going to do when I get back.

But the point is, if I don't do this now, I'm never going to do it. No amount of people telling me how scary the world is or how brave I must be to strike out on my own is going to change that.

Besides, I've always rather enjoyed that feeling of standing in the middle of nowhere on my own with just the sounds of nature. It's one of the nearest things to real magic.

View from the coast near Slieve League towards Co. Mayo

Do you travel solo? What do you enjoy most about it? How would you encourage others to do the same? Why not share in the comments below.

Wednesday 10 February 2016

Language Barriers: El regreso?

I spent January re-doing the entire second season of my Spanish course. All 40 episodes of it. But now I've finally moved on from the beginner lessons to the intermediate level. Hurrah!

It feels like quite a big step between the two levels. The course I'm following has jumped from using short conversations and a lot of explanation of grammar and vocabulary to having much longer conversations, although retaining the explanations afterwards.

Which is great for increasing my listening skills but I keep finding myself having a minor panic partway through the conversation sections. It goes something like this: get it, get it, get it, AAARGH A PHRASE I DON'T UNDERSTAND!!!, oh, get it, get it, get it.

So, I'm going to stick at it, but I'm at least getting more confident with the basics. I'm pretty sure I can get round the Spanish speaking bits of my round-the-world trip without too many language problems now. I'll just have to remember that pronunciation and vocabulary in Peru and Chile is a bit different to the Castillian Spanish I'm learning. And I'm sure I'll end up saying something wrong and make a fool of myself at some point, but isn't that half the fun?

Besides, at least I'm making the effort to learn some of the local language. Admittedly, this is as much because I have a fascination with languages as for its actual practical use, but given that the usual British idea of communicating with the locals seems to be speaking loudly and/or slowly, I figure I'm doing better than most.

DO...YOU...SPEAK...ENGLISH?

So, the plan is to complete the intermediate level of the course before I depart in June and then to complete the advanced level (as far as possible) between then and October when I plan to be in South America. Then will come the real test of my learning - whether I can actually talk to native speakers. I'm guessing the answer will be "sort of".

I've come to that conclusion because during the lessons, if my brain draws a blank on something or can't think how to say it in Spanish, it decides to try it not in English but in German. I haven't spoken much German since I finished my GCSE nearly a decade ago, so this is just a little bit ridiculous. For example, when trying to work out how to say that I only speak a little Spanish, my brain helpfully pointed out that in German that would be "nur ein bisschen." Not great.

Solo un poco

We'll get there in the end!

Do you learn some local phrases when you go travelling? Any tips for learning a new language? Why not share in the comments below.

Monday 8 February 2016

Around the World In...: Outdoor Adventures

There's a whole world of adventures out there, from the laid back to the adrenaline pumping. Here's a few of my favourites from experience and a few I fancy trying out.

Starlight Kayaking, West Cork

There really is something magical about floating around in a bay with a whole sky full of stars burning overhead, not to mention the gentle sparks of bioluminscence in the water as you paddle along. Starlight kayaking in the sheltered waters around Reen Pier in West Cork was a highlight of my trip to Ireland last year and an experience I'd happily repeat.

Don't fancy kayaking in the dark? Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand has beautiful blue waters year round, sheltered enough for beginners but still amazing.


Sandboarding, Te Paki

Weird sport, sandboarding. Grab your bodyboard, climb a sand dune and then, effectively, surf down it. Brilliant fun, even better if you manage to stay on your board. Te Paki stands at the northern end of Ninety Mile Beach on New Zealand's North Island and is well known for sandboarding. You can hire boards locally, but if you're already taking an organised trip up there, it might be included in the cost. Have a go. It's great.



Safari, Kruger National Park

Kruger is one of the largest reserves in Africa and, what with being fairly easily accessible from Johannesburg and Pretoria, is a great place for safari. There are few things quite as amazing as coming across White Rhino just sitting in the middle of the road on a morning game drive or seeing the same up close in the dark. Of course, for me the highlight was seeing giraffe running because I love how it looks like they run in slow motion...

As an alternative, and one I really hope I can take on my Grand Tour, try Namibia where you can go from desert to savannah.



Snorkelling, Great Barrier Reef

There's all sorts of adventures to have on Australia's Great Barrier Reef from scuba diving to sailing. Snorkelling can get you in close though, assuming you don't have a panic attack like I did. My sister and dad assure me that it is brilliant and they saw a small shark which I'm very jealous about.


Blue Lagoon, Iceland

Not an adventure so much, at least not in the traditional sense. But how many other places can you relax in wonderfully warm water with the stars overhead and snow falling on your head? This is coming from someone who's not into spas. It's surreal and amazing and well worth a visit. Why not round off an adventure packed tour of Iceland with a stop at the Blue Lagoon on the way to the airport? Perfect way to wind down - I'll vouch for that.

For an indoor alternative, Andorra's huge Caldea is pretty good, with a wide range of options or you could just paddle around the main pool.


Honourable Mention: Horse Riding, Killarney

Horse riding is one of those things you just have to do in Ireland and for beginners a nice walk around Killarney National Park is a great place to start. Just, you know, hang on if your horse decides to go for an unexpected trot.

So there's some of my favourite outdoor adventures so far. There's plenty more I'd like to try out on my round-the-world Grand Tour - bouldering in Canada, glacier hiking, maybe, in Chile and definitely stargazing in the Atacama. So many adventures still left!

What adventures would you recommend? Is there something fantastic on your doorstep that you think others should know about? Why not share in the comments below.

Friday 5 February 2016

Destination Daydreams: Tropical North Queensland

Currently, I've set aside nearly about 2 months to cover Australia, starting in the North East, land of desert, rainforest and of course the Great Barrier Reef. Aside from that last obvious destination, where should I check out in Tropical North Queensland?

Cairns

The small city of Cairns is the gateway to the northern end of Queensland and also one of the main jumping off points for trips to the Great Barrier Reef. I intend to start here, maybe just to relax for a few days and explore the city, since I didn't really have time to do that when I first visited.

Torres Strait Islands

From Cairns I could catch a flight up to Horn Island, one of the Torres Strait Islands. These islands look beautiful and they've got a lot of history too - the Torres Strait Islanders make up one of the longest continuous cultures on the planet. I'm pretty sure I could wile away a few days up there at least.

Cape York

Depending on budget, I could also visit Cape York, the huge, largely empty point of land which sticks up above Cairns. There's plenty of 4x4 tours I could hop on if I can still afford it to go and explore the desert and scrubland, but first preference is definitely the Torres Strait.

Daintree Rainforest

From the Torres Strait, my plan at the moment is to head back down to Cairns and base myself out of there for a weeks or so. This will give me time to revisit the Daintree Rainforest, a remnant of the vast swathes of forest that once covered large parts of Australia. There's a huge diversity of wildlife here and I'd love to spend a bit more time exploring than the 1 day trip I managed last time.

Clear stream running between boulders in the Daintree Rainforest


Great Barrier Reef

As mentioned above, the Great Barrier Reef is also easily accessible from Cairns and I definitely need to get back out there - on my previous trip I had a weird near-panic attack when I tried to go snorkelling, so I need to make up for that.

So, that's my very rough plan for enjoying Tropical North Queensland. Is there anything I should add to the list? I'm sure there must be plenty of hidden gems to search out. Please share in the comments.

Wednesday 3 February 2016

Nothing Says "Tourist" Like...

Anyone who's visited London knows the feeling. You've managed to get into the Tube station but now you have no idea which platform you need to be on. There's escalators going in every direction, tunnels leading off to unknown domains and right in front of you there's a gaggle of people all craning to read the map.

Welcome to London, folks. This is the big tourist giveaway, or so I believe. Those maps aren't always the most intuitive of things to read, are they? Which way are you actually going? Do you know where you're supposed to be heading? You've got about 5 seconds before someone else tries to get at the map or a fed-up commuter jostles past you.

So, here's the thing - work out where you're going before you get into the station. Pick up one of the little paper maps of the network or get on Transport for London's journey planner site. Don't just know which station you're heading for. Know which station the train will be heading for. That way, you don't need to pore over the map to find out which platform you need - just scan the top of the map for the station the train terminates at.

It's a tourist rite of passage, getting lost on the Tube. For those of us who've visited the city often, finding your way round becomes easy to the point that you're amused by your fellow tourists' confusion.

Other tourist quirks aren't nearly as amusing.

Selfie sticks. What is with these things? Yes, you're in London. Well done. Now, can you get that stick out of the way so I can actually enjoy the view? I understand that people like to have photos of themselves at the places they've been, but what happened to asking a friendly passerby to take the shot for you?

In a similar vein, taking photos with tablets has to be one of the most ridiculous things I've seen. I'm short. Getting stuck behind someone taking a photograph with a tablet is not fun. Hey, dude, you fancy getting that thing out of the way?

Back to the amusing quirks: wearing clothing with the name of your current city on it. Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand this. You're in London. We know you're in London. You know you're in London. Do you really need a jumper to remind you that you're in London? Also, maybe I'm being cynical, but wouldn't you think it'd make you a target for thieves/pickpockets/other assorted criminals? You might as well be wearing a big badge that says "not local, lots of valuables".

Oh, so many tourist giveaways. What would you add to the list? Any advice you'd share on not marking yourself out as a tourist?

Monday 1 February 2016

Hostelling: Finding a good one

After the slightly terrifying moment last week when I booked the first flight of my round-the-world Grand Tour, this week I've booked the first hostel.

It got me wondering, especially after a couple of questions from friends and colleagues, about how to find a decent hostel. So I'm going to attempt to deconstruct my hostel-finding process.

Don't worry - it's basic as anything!

1. What are you looking for in a hostel?

A party vibe? Somewhere social? Or do you just need somewhere to crash after a long day of exploration? Do you need WiFi or laundry facilities? I mention the latter because I'm amazed by how many of the hostels we used in Ireland didn't have laundry facilities. Washing socks in the sink is always an option, but it's easier to just sling everything in the machine!

2. Does it need to be central?

Related in some ways to the first point. If you're after a place you can go partying from, chances are you're going to want somewhere fairly central so you don't have to stagger too far home once you've had a few drinks.

If you're not driving yourself, you'll probably also want to consider public transport links. If you're in the city centre, this won't be too much of a problem, but take note if you're out in the sticks!

3. Comfort or basic?

We all like our creature comforts, but how much do you need? Nice big kitchen? A single bed? Private bathroom?

Or bunk beds, shared bathrooms and bring-your-own bedding. Just a note: some hostels offer beds where you bring your own sleeping bag for a cheaper price than a made up bed.

4. How much are you willing to pay?

In my case, this is the most important bit of finding a hostel. I'm operating on a pretty tight budget, so I've been trying to find the cheapest hostels I can which still look decent. Of course, cheap isn't always great, so make sure you check out what's on offer first.

5. Are you willing to share?

This is as much related to how much you're willing to pay as anything, but bear in mind that you can get much cheaper rates if you're willing to share with others. For example, I've just booked a bed in Reykjavik in a 24 bed dorm. I wouldn't normally consider staying in such a huge room, but Reykjavik is such an expensive city that I'd rather save the cash than fork out for a smaller dorm.


Right. Got an idea of the sort of hostel you're looking for? Good. Now you're armed with that information get yourself over to a site like HostelBookers or HostelWorld (my personal go-to site) and get searching for places that match your criteria. Some of these sites allow you to select a few hostels to compare, but often it's just as easy to sort by your most important criteria (price, rating etc) and do it that way. Make sure to check out the available facilities - you can't take it as a given that there'll be, for example, laundry facilities - and also have a scan through the reviews.

Got a hostel in mind now? That's great. Now, you could just go ahead and book through one of the aforementioned sites. Before you do that, though, pop onto Google (other search engines are available!) and do a quick search on hostels in your destination. There's still lots out there that aren't on the main booking sites and there's some pretty good deals out there.

Whether you end up sticking with your original option or picking a new one based on that second search, now is your time to book it. Check if the hostel has a website that you can book through and check the prices available there if you can. Often it's cheaper to book direct with the hostel than to book through a site like HostelWorld. For example, on a trip to Ireland last year we got a great deal on our stay at the Malinbeg Hostel in Donegal by booking direct with them.

Exterior of Malinbeg Hostel, Malin Beag, Donegal


See, finding a good hostel is easy. Just know what you're looking for and take note of what each hostel can give you. Reviews can also give you some good information but I'd also take the best and worst ones with a pinch of salt - the former because folks gloss over the weaker points and the latter because those who have a problem are wont to shout the loudest.

Not sure if hostelling is for you? You'd be surprised - take a look at this post for some pointers: Hostelling - Is it for you?

What tips do you have to find a good hostel? Any hostels you'd recommend? Why not share in the comments below.