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What's this blog all about?

Hi, I'm Nicola - welcome to a blog begun in 2012 about family travel around the world, without leaving the UK.

I love travel adventures, but to save cash and keep my family's carbon footprint lower, I dreamt up a unique stay-at-home travel experience. So far I've visited 110 countries... without leaving the UK. Join me exploring the next 86! Or have a look at the "countries" you can discover within the UK by scrolling the labels (below right). Here's to happy travel from our doorsteps.

Around 2018 I tried a new way of writing my family's and my own UK travel adventures. Britain is a brilliant place for a staycation, mini-break and day trips. It's also a fantastic place to explore so I've begun to write up reports of places that are easy to reach by public transport. And when they are not that easy to reach I'll offer some tips on how to get there.

See www.nicolabaird.com for info about the seven books I've written, a link to my other blog on thrifty, creative childcare (homemadekids.wordpress.com) or to contact me.

Tuesday, 26 June 2007

Damp bison


Nicola, Pete, Lola and Nell want to travel the world with a difference. We hope to get a taste of many countries without adding to climate change (with needless emissions from aeroplanes) or having to waste hours of holiday time in airport terminals. We hope our adventures inspire you to take a Grand Tour of your neighbourhood. This post is from Nicola

On the wettest June day ever (25-06-07) my friend Fleur and I lure the five kids in our care (aged 6 – 13) out of the house with a wet walk down by the bison.

Fleur’s clever like this, at her last home (also in Yorkshire) the treat was to go and check up on the wallabies that lived at the bottom of the drive. Today the only role the bison play is to tempt the kids out of the house because once outside the children soon find that its more fun bumping into each other, removing rainhats and making such noisy conversation that the bison, and the deer (being bred for venison dinners) scamper to the furthest edges of their field near the castle. They definitely add something special to the backdrop.

An hour later we arrive home tousled and happy and able to occupy another half hour trying to find enough spots around the house to dry off soaking jackets and damp trousers.

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