Month: June 2024

Day 3 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

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I came downstairs this morning to Santa asking Momma, ‘Is this wood too big?’.. luckily, he was referring to the driftwood he got from his morning beach walk to go in the garden.

Inner Farne As we’re so close to Northumberland, it would be rude not to take a boat trip over to Inner Farne. We booked with Serenity and paid £30pp, with the additional landing fee being free as we’re National Trust members (13pp for non-members). The tour sails around all of the Farne Islands, then lands on the breeding seabird heaven that is Inner Farne. Momma was buzzing to be snapping away, especially after the camera incident whilst in Antarctica 😬 David Attenborough says this is one of his favourite places in the UK to see magnificent nature, and he’s certainly got that right! On our way to the islands, we were surrounded by many different species of birds bobbing on the sea and swooping in the skies above.

We sailed passed Staple Island which was overtaken by guillemots and kittiwakes, and then headed off to see the seals who were either lazing on the rocks or bobbing inquisitively in the sea. There are an estimated 3,000-4,000 Grey Seals in the Farne Islands!

Next was Longstone Lighthouse, where Grace Darling lived. At the age of 22, she gained national notoriety for her bravery for the part she played in the rescue of survivors from a wrecked merchant ship in 1838. Along with her father, they saved nine people from the wreck of the ‘Forfarshire’ that ran into a horrendous storm on its way to Dundee.

The landing on Inner Farne is 1 hour treat of seabirds.. but first you have to get past the Arctic Tern’s! Luckily, it was raining, which meant our heads were protected by our hoods.. they are incredibly territorial and are only trying to protect their young, but having them swoop, peck, and attack is absolutely terrifying at first! I don’t think any of us have ever walked to the toilet so fast!

Puffins are the star of the show here, and they are absolutely everywhere! Seeing them running around with their bill full of sand eels is an absolute joy to watch. Every year, they return to the Farne Islands for a short window of breeding and raising their young. This is usually between April to late July with the peak time being between May and June.

Other birds we saw inclide razorbills, black headed gulls, and my personal favourite – a shag.

Twizel Before heading back to Eyemouth, we consulted the Alltrails and found a circular that included a castle, a viaduct and a bridge. Twizel Castle is Grade II listed, but all that remains now is a shell of a folly that has been overtaken by nature. Unfortunately it’s too dangerous to explore inside and is completely fenced off, but you can still get close enough to imagine what it would have been like back in 1415 when it was held by Sir John Heron.

The walk continues along the River Tweed, before turning to following the River Till. It’s a very peaceful walk, with just the sound of the river and singing birds. The next highlight is the viaduct, which saw its last train in March 1965, and the track has since been removed. Unfortunately it’s very overgrown so difficult to appreciate it in all its glory.

At the end of the walk we were treated to the Twizel Bridge – completed in 1511, this bridge was the largest single span arch in Britain (90 feet) and remained so until 1727. The bridge carried the main A698 road from Hawick to Berwick-upon-Tweed until 1983, when a modern bridge was completed immediately to the south.

We finished off another fabulous day with a walk around Eyemouth and a big, dirty Chinese feast!

Day 2 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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This morning, I woke up to my car absolutely caked in bird poo… the joys of the seaside! At least the gulls are in the right place though, and not trying to get a maccies out of the bin by the Guildhall in Worcester. We knew the weather wouldn’t be on our side today, so planned a day with easy access to cafes and bars should we need to take shelter.

Cove harbour A hidden gem and an absolute treat! There are signs up saying please don’t post this place on social media.. but I’m assuming that’s more for someone who is an actual influencer 🤣 Cove has been a haven for fisherman since the 17th century, and is still in use today by a couple of small boats. There are no facilities here, and that includes no toilets. Luckily Santa was able to hold his bladder on this occasion… but the complete lack of anything means it’s the perfect place to just sit and admire the scenery and listen to the lapping of the waters. On one side are the pier houses, which are no longer lived in and only used to house fishing equipment. On the other side, once you’ve braved the pitch black tunnel, is a small beach. It’s such a stunning area, and the small car park perched on the cliff top means only a few groups of people can be there at any one time.

Oldhamstocks This was a special visit for Momma to find the final resting place of her great great aunt, who had a farm in the area. Luckily, one of the residents has put together a graveyard map, meaning we were able to find it relatively quickly. It’s a small hidden village full of history and an unusually high proportion of buildings listed for their architectural merit.

Dunbar According to ‘Visit Scotland’ website, Dunbar is “The town is renowned for its high sunshine record.” Obviously, for the entire time we were there, it rained 🤣 so we took shelter in a cafe, and I ordered a cream tea. The waitress came back a few minutes later to let us know they had run out of cream, and they were popping to the shop to get some more. What arrived was actually whipping cream and not clotted cream! So I did the English thing, had a little moan, but then told her everything was lovely. One of Dunbar’s attractions is its ruined castle perched at the entrance to the harbour. Once one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, it is now a collapsed heap with only a small part remaining. It also has a battery, which offers great views out over the Forth of Firth, and an RNLI shop where Santa got elbow deep in a bucket of balls, and got 12 for £1.50!! If you enjoy a ‘live laugh love’ type quote, there’s the John Muir birthplace museum (free!) which is another great rain dodger to learn about the OG nature man.

Tantallon Castle We spotted this ruin from the road and decided to pull in for a closer look. We very nearly didn’t go in, because the weather was still shite and it was £7.50pp.. however it turns out English Heritage members get in for free, so we were straight through the gate! Tantallon is said to be the last truly great castle built in Scotland. It was besieged by Oliver Cromwell in 1651, and the army caused such destruction that the medieval fortress was abandoned after this last attack. There’s also great views of Bass Rock and lighthouse – home to the largest gannet colony in the world, earning it Sir David Attenborough’s claim to be one of the ‘wildlife wonders of the world’. There is a large part of the ruins still open to explore, so was definitely worth the entrance fee that we didn’t have to pay 🤣

North Berwick Boasting lovely beaches, coastal scenery, colourful buildings and the Scottish Seabird Centre, we really loved North Berwick. They are very rubbish conscious, and everywhere you look, they’ve made art out of all litter found on the beach. It also has plenty of cute shops, but unfortunately, with it being late on Sunday, most of these were closed. We did find an open charity shop, where Santa purchased more balls. The lack of open shops meant one thing.. the pub! We found a fabulous watering hole with plenty of taps and enjoyed the relaxation after a busy day exploring.

We finished the day by watching England win their first game in the Euros in a very local pub and a spot of seal spotting in Eyemouth harbour.

The road to Eyemouth 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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The 3 of us are back! And this time, we’ve decided to base ourselves in Eyemouth, in the Scottish Borders. As the drive there from home would (potentially) take nearly 6 hours, we decided to have a stop-over in Knaresborough. The drive was a long and boring one, thanks to the many 50mph sections on the (not so) smart motorways. Knaresborough is a cute little market town in North Yorkshire, with pretty waterside views and an impressive viaduct. It’s also home to the Chapel of Our Lady in the Crag. However, despite the sign saying visitors welcome, there was a huge padlock on the gate, suggesting Our Lady was not up for company!

After a cheeky downpour and a stop off in a coffee shop to keep us dry, we were able to carry on seeing what Knaresborough has to offer. We sacked off Mother Shipton’s Cave (a tenner each was just a bit too steep) and opted for a different viewpoint of the viaduct from the castle grounds. You can’t beat a free attraction! Not only can you see picture postcard views from here, but there’s also a large green space to relax, play bowls, or visit the ruins of the castle.

I made sure I did my research to ensure Santa had a fabulous evening of booze. We started in So!Bar, where I have to say, the food was absolutely delicious! Of course, Santa lost half of it down his top.. Next was Blind Jack’s – a cosy local pub which is consistently listed in the Good Beer guide, and boasts eight keg craft beer lines and six cask hand pulled real Ales. All the decisions.. The final stop of the night was Six Poor Folk – set in one of Knaresborough’s oldest buildings, and luckily, I had a TV to watch the football. An absolute sesh of an evening! Unfortunately, as we were leaving Six, the heavens opened, and it poured with rain. With no wet gear at all, we got back to the hotel looking like drowned rats.

Following a full English breakfast, we hit the road again for another epic drive along the scenic A1 to the borders. As the weather looked promising for today, we decided to head to St Abb’s Head – a breathtaking coastal headland with dramatic cliffs and a ridiculous amount of sea birds. After a small parking issue with an American, I managed to squeeze into a space further up the road (which was free, and his wasn’t!) and we set off to explore this quaint Scottish village and harbour. Some trivia for you – the village served as the location for the fictional town of New Asgard in the 2019 movie – Avengers: Endgame. This now all makes sense as we were confused as to why groups of people were carrying around Thor’s hammer.

The circular coastal walk through the national nature reserve is the real star of the show here, with the jagged rock formations taking centre stage. There are also thousands of incredibly noisy sea birds taking shelter on the off shore stacks, carpets of wildflowers, and, of course, a lighthouse. The views really are stunning, and that meant Momma was going wild with all her photos. We were so incredibly lucky with the weather that I ended the day with sunburn!

We arrived at our Airbnb and dragged our cases and multiple bags of snacks into the gaff. We weren’t really sure what to expect from Eyemouth.. it certainly isn’t quaint, but it definitely has its own charm. It has one of the biggest harbours in the region, and plenty of restaurants and bakeries to keep us going for the rest of our time here. We had originally planned to have a chippy tea on the beach with a bottle of wine,but as always, the weather had other ideas. As the coastal fog descended, and the temperature dropped, we decided to have it outside the chippy, on a bench, by the harbour.

Èze & Villefranche-sur-Mer 🇫🇷

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This morning, we decided to have one last whip around Nice before getting the bus to Èze. We walked past our favourite bus stop, down the promenade, and back up to the viewpoint, as we stupidly forgot to see the waterfall on arrival day. It was built in the late 19th century, where the medieval keep once stood. It can also be seen from the promenade below. When back on ground level, we had a stroll through the fruit and veg and flower market. In 1897, Nice opened the first wholesale cut flower market in the world, and the market today is still full of hustle and bustle, bright colours, and glorious smells.

After our obligatory visit to Maccies for our World Tour series, we checked on Google Maps for the bus route to Èze. After getting on the wrong bus (despite the driver telling us it was the right one) and him not letting us get off again, we ended up paying €30 for an Uber, as buses are unfortunately, few and far between. He drove like a bat out of hell, but it meant we got there in super quick time.. every cloud! When we got dropped off, our initial thought were, is this it 😬 it wasn’t quaint, and there were just a few perfume shops and a few bars. We decided to follow the crowd who had just got off the bus we should have been on, and luckily we did, because it was here where we found what gives Èze its charm. Winding cobblestone streets through fairytale architecture. The narrow streets are full of independent shops, vibrant flower, and tiny expensive boutique hotels. Wrought-iron street lamps hang on every building, and colourful shutters around each window. It was a total maze of dreamy alleyways to find the entrance to the exotic garden, which was totally worth the €8 entrance fee.

The gardens boast a stunning view of the Cote d’Azur, although as always, we were blessed with intermittent large clouds and fog. There are wooden sun loungers dotted around for relaxing, but we just enjoyed getting lost (a theme in Èze!) in the ridiculous amount of pathways through the garden. Another attraction is Our Lady of the Assumption Church, but unfortunately, this is undergoing a large renovation project, so the majority of the inside is covered with scaffolding.

After a quick drink in a cafe, we joined the huge group of people waiting for the bus back. Our plan was to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening in Villefranche-sur-Mer – an idyllic little town just under 10 minutes by train from Nice. Luckily, we managed to get on the bus, and we set off the coastal road, all packed in like sardines. We fought our way off the bus at our stop and headed down (thank god not up, as we passed quite a few incredibly sweaty people) the 100s of steps to sea level. Just like all the other towns we had visited, we were greeted by pastel buildings and winding cobblestone streets. It was incredibly quiet with hardly anybody else about. We found a cute little cafe run by an Italian family and stopped for a latte and pastry selection before heading to Plage des Marinières for a spot of sunbathing.

The water was such a gorgeous colour, and we thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the beach, listening to the waves and taking the weight off our feet. It was much needed after our 30k a day.. our trotters were in bits! As we were just 7 minutes on the train from Nice, we decided to have some food in Villefranche as there are loads of waterfront restaurants to choose from. Unfortunately with that comes a rather cheeky price tag, so we chose the cheapest (and busiest) restaurant, and enjoyed a very tasty meal – apart from Mark’s Tiramisu, which was just pure cream, and my mousse which looked like a turd (fortunately it didn’t taste like turd).

We would have loved more days here to explore the other way, places such as Cannes and Antibes. That can only mean one thing, though – a return trip is most definitely on the cards! If you have a few days off though and are at a loss as to what to do, we would throughly recommend coming to Nice and exploring the stunning French Riveria.

Menton & Monaco 🇫🇷🇲🇨

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After a lovely hotel breakfast, we headed for Nice Ville train station to fathom out the trains to Menton. The queue for the ticket machine was quite long, so we decided to buy them on the Trainline, as we had no issues when in Germany. However, when we tried to go through the gate, they wouldn’t open.. we asked one of the staff, and they said we needed to press the yellow SOS button. This seemed a bit extreme, but after telling the gentleman on the other end that our tickets didn’t scan, he just opened the barrier. No further questions asked! We got onto the platform, and it was absolutely rammed, as this is also the train to Monaco. Despite the boards and trainline app suggesting our train was going to be delayed, a train did pull onto platform 2 at the correct and original time. After a bit of confusion, and everyone in their various languages checking this was, in fact, the right train that was now on time, we all piled on. The train was clean and spacious, and everyone managed to get a seat.

The journey to Menton was full of stunning coastal views, and is the last stop before the train heads into Italy (I tried to persuade Mark to let me have an hour in Italy, but I lost that battle..) As we headed out of the station, we were greeted by lots of construction and clay tennis courts and not the cute lemon coloured building I had seen on TikTok. A quick check on Google Maps showed we had a 20-minute walk to the old town, which oozed charm and history. Lots of cobbled streets later, and we arrived at the iconic Basilique Saint-Michel Archange de Menton. Not only is this a beautiful baroque building, but there are stunning views down to the beach. It’s also the place for the obligatory photo of the lemon coloured geometric stairs – Les Rampes Saint-Michel. It’s absolutely fascinating watching everyone getting that perfectly posed photo for Instagram, as well as how totally oblivious some people are when others are getting the perfect shot.

We walked down to the newer part Menton, ready for a beverage in one of the many cafés that line the beach. As it was 5 pm somewhere, we opted for a glass of wine and a pint and enjoyed the relaxation and people watching. We had spotted a group of people on some rocks in the sea and decided that that would be a great place to view Menton in all its pastel glory. We soaked up the sun and enjoyed the views of the Pearl of France. Dreamy buildings, colourful shutters and terracotta roofs – is really is the most glorious little town.

On the walk back to the train station, we decided to buy some of the lemony goods that Menton is famous for, and came away with lemon beer, lemon biscuits and lemon meringue ice cream 😋 essentially, everything under the sun has lemon in it!

Our next stop for today was Monaco – the second smallest country in the world, and the land of James Bond, F1 and wealth! The dream would be to land here in a private helicopter or bikini clad at the front of a super yacht. Unfortunately, as our wages don’t quite stretch that far, we settled for the train instead. I was excited to see all the big, lavish boats.. but was actually left a little underwhelmed! Where were the huge luxury yachts you see in pictures 😭 Getting around was slightly difficult at times as well due to path closures, as they were taking all the F1 construction down.

We hadn’t got a what to see and do plan in Monaco, so we ended up missing the ‘The Rock’ and the views from up there. We did, however, go to the most iconic building – the Monte Carlo Casino. We came from around the back of the casino so we could really appreciate the lavish and ornate building, which was designed by Charles Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opéra. It was swarmed with tourists trying to capture the best photos and, of course, plenty of expensive cars. Mark wasn’t allowed in due to his bag of beer bottles, so we had to take it in turns to check out the grand decor. The marble columned entrance hall is beautiful, but a lot smaller than I had expected! If we had more time, we would have loved to sit in Café de Paris and watch the wealthy arrive in their cars and head in for a flutter, but it was getting late and were keen to get back to Nice. So we walked past all the wealthy shops instead back to the train station and piled on with the 100s of other people.

Back in Nice and we decided to have dinner in the bustling old town. We found an Italian down one of the side streets and settled down for the al fresco feast. The menu at the restaurant next door then caught my eye.. roasted quail stuffed asshole! What an absolute treat. We finished off the evening with drinks in a few bars and some super expensive macaron.

Nice 🇫🇷

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What do we do when you have a few days off? Book a trip of course! We did toy with the idea of booking a cheap all inclusive and just sitting around a pool doing absolutely nothing.. but we both know that that’s just not us, and after very little time to do any planning, we decided to book a trip to Nice. Parking at Luton Airport is ridiculously expensive, but thanks to Mark’s parents living close by, we were able to get a reasonably priced taxi.. at 4am 😪 There is so much building work being done at Luton, meaning getting dropped off anywhere near the entrance is beyond impossible. So along with everyone else, dragged out suitcases for what seemed like miles to the terminal entrance. Although busy, we got through bag drop and security very quickly, meaning we had ample time for breakfast. Luton now has an obscene amount of eateries, so choosing was a challenging.. but we opted for somewhere that sold our usual ‘breakfast out’ staple of smashed avo.

The flight time to Nice is less than 2hrs, so perfect for a few days away. We got to passport control and I always like to say hello in the language of the country we are in. The man however continued talking to me in French, and as he wasn’t asking me what sort of house I live in and who it is with (thanks secondary school level French) I had absolutely no idea what he was saying. He then said he would try something basic, and asked me how I was. Luckily that was something I was able to answer. Internet searches suggested heading to the centre of Nice from the airport is very easy. The ticket system for the tram however, is not, and we were surrounded by a large group of confused tourists who had no idea how to buy a single ticket. With our arrival day being a Sunday, that meant a reduced service, and with a tram arriving, we did what everyone else did and jumped on without getting a ticket 😬 luckily we were able to work out the Lignes d’Azure app and buy one before we reached our destination (because nobody wants a fine on their first day!)

As we had an early flight, we arrived at the hotel around midday. We left out bags in the luggage room and headed out to explore. As always with our trips, the sky was covered in dark clouds.. but thankfully, the rain held off! We strolled along the promenade and just couldn’t believe how beautiful and blue the sea was. It’s a busy area, with runners, cycling, roller blading, and volleyball, and there are plenty of areas to sit and watch all the activity. Or you could sit on the pebble beach and watch the calming blue waves.

We were feeling peckish, so decided to have a walk around the old town to find somewhere to eat. The traditional French Riviera coloured alleyways are endless, and full of cute shops and cafés. There are also a number of squares, full of life, laughter and musicians. It is so difficult to decide where to eat, but we settled for the highly rated Hobo café, and luckily there wasn’t much of a wait. We had a glorious croque lunch, washed down with iced coffee, and enjoyed watching the incredibly skilled bin men navigate their lorry around the very narrow streets and corners.

After refuelling and more mooching around the old town, we went for a first look at the wealth in the area, and headed to the Port of Nice where some the posh boats are kept. There was also loads of brightly coloured fishing boats bobbing in the water, and along with the brightly coloured buildings gave the area a vibrant vibe. Although a perfect stop for a wine and a beer to admire the surroundings, there wasn’t actually much activity going on here.

It was now getting late, but as we like to cram everything possible in to our day, we decided to catch one of the last lifts up to Castle Hill for breathtaking panoramic views of Nice and the Bay of Angels. There are a few cafés, and parks where the locals do their exercise classes. There is the option to take the steps up to the top, but looking at the sweaty and out of breath people making the ascent, I’m glad we took the old and rickety lift. It’s also free!

The French Riveria is known for being expensive, so before we left, we packed wine glasses and a picnic blanket, and tonight we had pizza and wine on the beach. This seemed to be a popular option as there were loads of couples and friendship groups doing the same. It’s also perfect for a bit of plane spotting as they fly right by the beach and playing guess the plane tail logo! Mark was less interested in this ‘game’.. As we are unable to stay in one place, we headed back to the room for an early night, ready to tackle the French trains the following morning.