All Aboard: A Story about Trains
The cruel irony in this story is that I have become almost smug in the fact that I am an experienced train traveler.
Snapshots of Berwick-Upon-Tweed
My mom was here for three weeks in April and May and I really wanted her to have at least a little taste of seeing somewhere besides Aberdeen. I love train travel, so I spent a little time trying to find places that we could get to relatively easily via train and towns that could …
Snapshots of London
Oh London Town! You just don’t ever get old. Sometimes I dream about living in London. Just for a season, I think it would be fun to be surrounded by this much history and culture and beauty! Our most recent visit was a short weekend escape sponsored by Travelodge, City Cruises and Context Travel. Taido …
Bankside Beach Combing for History
Bankside Beach Combing for History: A London History Tour Simon was waiting for me as I got my usual pat down in security. (My dreads always have to be manually checked to be sure I’m not hiding something in them.) We both walked over to where his backpack had been flagged. The man behind the …
Walking Across England: The Coast to Coast Photos {England} (36/48)
My Favorite 20 Coast to Coast Photos Friends. Diane and I finished the Coast to Coast in September but the journey began back in January of last year, and it did not really finish until yesterday when I wrote the ending. And that’s how it is with a Grand Adventure. Any journey worth its salt …
Coast to Coast: Finishing {Not So} Strong
Lying in bed shaking with fever. Wondering if I will ever get warm enough to fall asleep. Muttering feeble little prayers in the dark. Please Lord, help us to finish this. Help us to wake up and be able to walk tomorrow. From the onset of this two hundred mile journey, I tried to predict …
Coast to Coast Highs
Over the last couple of months, I’ve been sharing my favorite stories from the Coast to Coast, so today I’m keeping it short and simple with a photo essay of the high points from the walk. Not our spiritual highs, but the actual physical high points of the walk. Day 1: Dent Hill Day 2: …
Coast to Coast: Fellow Pilgrims
One of the great joys of walking the Coast to Coast with an extrovert was that we met tons of other people along the way. Diane was always willing to say, “Hello. We’re walking the Coast to Coast. How about you?” Endlessly enchanting in all her Southern charm, Diane has a beautiful gift of being …
Coast to Coast: Upon Arrival
Upon Arrival: Coast to Coast Lodgings Discovering our particular establishments among the small hotels and B&Bs in the villages along the Coast to Coast was like a treasure hunt waiting for us at the end of each day’s walk. When we arrived at our new place to sleep each night, we were usually greeted like …
Coast to Coast: Long Day Strategies
I have always maintained that making it from Point A to Point B on a long walk is more of a mental game than an endurance test. Physical strength definitely comes into play, but I believe your mindset wins the day when it comes to covering the distance. Wainwright’s Coast to Coast is 196 miles …
Coast to Coast: Children Welcome
Coast to Coast: Children Welcome We had been watching for them all day, expecting to glimpse them around almost every corner. My husband, Taido and the kids were joining us for the weekend. After five days and eighty miles, the distraction of their arrival was a welcome one, keeping my mind from focusing on the …
Coast to Coast: Meeting A 78 Year Old Fell-Walker
A voice came from the taller figure before we came around the fence. If we had known you were coming, we would have made you a cup. They were sitting with their backs to us on some old gate posts when we caught up to them, two older gentlemen, having tea. We had seen them …
Coast to Coast: Rising to the Occasion
Coast to Coast: Beginnings Rising to the Occasion A year ago I had never before heard the name of Alfred Wainwright, but I had recently met one of many great hillwalkers who have walked in his footsteps. Hillwalker was a term with which I was just beginning to become familiar, having previously only used the …
A Walk to Windermere {England} (25/48)
Walking in the Lake District: Windermere There’s a reason the Lake District has inspired poets and wanderers for so many years. We fell in love on our first visit last October, and I have been watching for an opportunity to return. When we mapped our route home from Switzerland and decided that I would be …
A Walk to Pooh Corner {England} (24/48)
[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dr3gneNVUf0/U_opFkhxpLI/AAAAAAAAcJY/F6ckr56RZNo/s144-c-o/14%252520-%25252013.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/100212479652479288017/8241402#6051194225007109298″ caption=”14 – 13″ type=”image” alt=”14 – 13″ ] On our way home this summer, three of the kids and I were camping at Aldenham Country Park for Blogstock, a blogging festival. The kids discovered that Winnie the Pooh’s home was just behind the field where we were staying, and they could not …
Snapshots of London with Kids
[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pieC8gDc3P4/U-SNJ78I9nI/AAAAAAAAZUo/avslENdfx_U/s144-c-o/IMG_0710.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/100212479652479288017/201407CousinsTakeEuropeII#6045111801686324850″ caption=”Processed with VSCOcam with hb2 preset” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0710.JPG” ] When Simon, Ben and I left Aberdeen at the beginning of July with Peter and Whitney and our cousins, we stopped first in London. It was the boys’ first trip to London, and so we had a list full of what we hoped …
Snapshots of London from the Thames
Snapshots of London from the Thames On a recent visit to London, we booked a river cruise with City Cruises. I love walking along the Thames in London, so I thought it would be fun to get out on the river and enjoy the sights from a different perspective. Also, I knew we would have …
A Story about Westminster Abbey
A Story about Westminster Abbey She stood at the end of a row of empty seats, searching the arriving crowd with anticipation. She would wave when she saw them, familiar faces in the crowd of mostly tourists come to hear the Eucharist sung in one of the most glorious, most celebrated cathedrals in the world. …
Snapshots of London
I am back in London this week so I thought it would be fun to share just a few of my favorite photos from my last trip to London with Mary Polly. Our big splurge was riding The London Eye (super pricey at 20 pounds per person), but we got some very fun shots from …
St Cuthbert’s Way Journal {Day 5}
Day 5 of St Cuthbert’s Way: Wooler to Lindisfarne From the moment we received our itinerary, the last day of our journey along St Cuthbert’s Way loomed large with its big number 18 in the mileage chart. Before we ever left home, I was harboring doubt about whether I …