The Allan Ramsay pub is nestled within the beautiful village of Carlops, Penicuik. Just 20 minutes away from Edinburgh but you feel so far removed here from the hustle and bustle of any big place. Surrounded | Continue reading
A visit to the Black Sail Hut is on many a hiker’s to-do-list. Hidden deep in the Ennerdale valley and surrounded by some of the Lake District’s most famous peaks, the Black Sail Hut is | Continue reading
In a previous post I showed and talked about an absolutely wonderful stay at The Auldgirth Inn, near Dumfries, Scotland. What I omitted from that was the food element because I thought it deserved a | Continue reading
I’d never heard of Combe Gibbet before but when a friend suggested it as a place to walk, I made the most of a warm summer’s day and headed up there. Combe Gibbet sits on the | Continue reading
Motorhome packed and was time for another adventure on the road. This time I was heading to the wonderful Durham Dales, a place I hadn't visited yet this year, so, motorhome ready, point north, let's | Continue reading
The Auldgirth Inn is situated just a few miles away from Dumfries and beautifully set within the hills of the Nith Valley. This was a stay of tremendous luxurious surprises combined with the charm of | Continue reading
Between Salisbury and Amesbury, in the county of Wiltshire, there’s an area known locally as the Woodford Valley. This valley sits abreast the River Avon as it navigates its way south and winds its way | Continue reading
In a torrential downpour, we drove from Manchester to Devizes – city ebbing away into countryside as the rain beat down hard. Our destination? Devizes Marina – a peaceful mooring station filled with brightly coloured barges | Continue reading
Our journey began one sunny day in May, to be precise, my husband’s birthday. For a change we decided to travel by train and had booked our tickets online the day before, although we had | Continue reading
Cyprus is a fabulous destination for those who enjoy some activity and adventure in their holidays. The outdoor pursuit offerings are plentiful; the warm, calm seas mean that water-sports are an obvious draw, and cycling | Continue reading
A couple of years ago, I stopped at Snowshill Manor as a halfway point on a long journey. I didn’t really know anything about the place until I rocked up, only having discovered it by | Continue reading
I have just recently spent five fabulous days discovering Slovakia on a walking holiday with Exploring Europe. A perfect combo of hiking and learning about the culture, with our every need catered for. I’m a bit | Continue reading
Just over a 100km north of Lisbon is one of the most beautiful valleys in Portugal, right in the heart of the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park. Nestled between the rural hamlet of | Continue reading
The Kelpies, the world's largest equine sculpture, is based in Falkirk, Scotland. Standing at 30m high the two horse head sculptures rise high in the sky and dominate the local landscape. I have seen so many | Continue reading
Day 1 began with a three-hour mini-bus drive from the oppressive humidity of Marrakech up into the cool relief of the mountains via a long switchback road, taking in the Tizi’n’Tichka – the highest road | Continue reading
Stop for a moment and experience a deep heart-felt thanks for something or someone in your life. Feel how your heart opens and your energy lifts. Gratitude, and its intrinsic companion appreciation, will always have | Continue reading
As I described in the previous Jordan we had spent our first couple of nights in the town of Madaba, acclimatising to the being in Middle East. However, our main purpose in coming to Jordan | Continue reading
It was about time I headed back up to Scotland for some travel. A whistle stop tour of hotels and areas I have not been to enough. The first stop was to be Falkirk and | Continue reading
The walk south from Whitby to Saltwick Bay is a short one by normal standards yet full of wonder and surprises at every turn. It may only be about a 3 mile circular but I | Continue reading
Marrakech is where European, African and Middle Eastern cultures collide with such a vibrant energy that it might seem quite daunting at first, but it’s ultimately impossible not to get swept away with its charm. | Continue reading
The Test Valley is an area of Hampshire stretching from Andover down to Romsey, not too far from the well-known port of Southampton. On a balmy evening, with the sunshine still shining brightly we decided | Continue reading
The City of Durham has become a regular haunt for me over the last few years. As I travel and talk to people, you hear of people going on city breaks to all the usual | Continue reading
As a travel writer I am honoured to stay in some wonderful places. Durham is a City I truly enjoy coming back to for weekend breaks and wanders. But until now I had never stayed | Continue reading
“Where are you going on holiday this year?” the dreaded question asked by most barbers or hairdressers. If you’ve read any of my other blogs here on BaldHiker you’ll guess that I don’t always answer | Continue reading
When you think of Cyprus you think of apres-ski on snow capped mountains or hiking through pine forests right? Ok, maybe not. The warm blue seas, and miles of beautiful coastline are a justifiable draw | Continue reading
Our tiny furry friends, the bees, have been in significant decline in recent years due to a number of reasons, including climate change, habitat loss, monoculture (where only a single crop is grown, losing biodiversity), | Continue reading
Three times I have walked Snowdon, and three times, thanks to the weather, the view has evaded me. Would it be fourth time lucky? My friend Lorna and I had chosen Snowdon as one of our | Continue reading
I was recently fortunate to spend a long weekend away in Amsterdam with my lovely daughter. Before we went my daughter was struggling with anxiety about the trip, but after conversations and lots of reassurance | Continue reading
This Panang Curry is a fantastically versatile dish, it is more of a broth with a lots of crunchy veg. Make as spicy as you like and add rice noodles so it is a bit | Continue reading
Joy is an experience of the heights and celebration of being alive. It is contagious and can expand and snowball, and has so many positive ramifications that can ripple out and bless and transform yourself | Continue reading
Bangkok is a busy and bustling place. It’s hot, it’s humid, and it’s as sticky as its rice, but if you can handle the heat it’s a city that delivers for those touring through its | Continue reading
As I am partial to all things luminous, it goes without saying that I’m rather partial to a bit of glass work too, and there is no glass work quite as stunning as the phenomenal | Continue reading
It’s true that spontaneous decisions are often the best ones, and our unplanned visit to Wolfsschanze ended up being one of the highlights of our trip to north-eastern Poland two summers ago. We were staying | Continue reading
Sometimes, you just need to get away. With multiple projects around the house, writing a book, and pending company coming, I was feeling overwhelmed, and needed a break. What better way to clear my head | Continue reading
With the intention of a ten mile walk heading north from Whitby to Staithes, we’d set off with a large picnic to keep us fuelled, and parked the car on West Cliff Avenue overlooking the | Continue reading
A beautifully kept and historic village in south Derbyshire, likely a settlement from as far back as Anglo-Saxon times and mentioned in the doomsday book. Ticknall village is known for it’s abbey, that isn’t an | Continue reading
Last year wild flowers captured my heart. For many years, their presence in the world had largely gone unnoticed by me but once they began to catch my attention they caught it more and more. | Continue reading
My homemade muesli bars are one of my favourites. I know whats in them and they have limited preservatives. I like to take a couple of these with me when cycling, they give me great | Continue reading
I had a free weekend so decided to head to Whitby for a mini break on a whim. Why not indeed? I therefore needed accommodation and had heard many good things about The Corra Lynn | Continue reading
In just a few weeks time I will be heading to the Durham Adventure Festival 2019. A Festival packed full of speakers, films and activities that will certainly inspire anyone to get in the great | Continue reading
A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to win a competition which entitled me to an all-expenses paid minibreak to Switzerland and was put up in a luxury hotel on the edge of | Continue reading
Morecambe Bay, an area I have walked many a time. Peaceful sea views all around, away from the hustle and bustle of towns, a true sense of escapism on the doorstep in Lancashire. Also a | Continue reading
In a market literally flooded with fitness trackers, the Huawei Band 2 Pro stands out with its impressive battery life and comfortable design. Sure other bands may offer more features but considering the Band 2 | Continue reading
Belton House and its grounds have been a destination for fun filled family days out for many years, we began visiting when our now grown-up children were tiny tots, we would always pack a picnic | Continue reading
Myanmar, a distant country filled with mystic and wonder. A country I have always wanted to visit and experience a glimpse of its people’s culture and traditions. In June 2018 I was lucky enough to | Continue reading
It's nearly Pancake Day ...What are you going to have on yours? Here is a simple pancake recipe to enjoy with your favourite toppings Ingredients: 150g Plain Flour 2 Large Eggs 275ml Milk 1 Tbsp Olive Oil ( plus a | Continue reading
A couple of months ago my daughter and I had a trip out to this rather interesting place. We’ve been before, but wanted to go again. There was a Well-being Festival on that weekend that | Continue reading
Having a birthday in February is always a bit of a tricky one for what to do. I wanted to bring a bit of colour to the day by heading off to see one of | Continue reading