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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.

Sunday, 10 June 2007

We're in Scotland

Nicola, Pete, Lola and Nell set off for their travels with a difference on
8 June. 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.


In a nutshell: We are staying at Glasgow's best kept secret - in other words everyone knows about Rowardennan and the amazing beaches and coves all along Loch Lomond's east side. There are cars parked everywhere, mini tented cities occupied by revellers in midge nets and community policemen patrolling. The SYHA (Scottish youth hostel association)Link http://http//www.syha.org.uk/SYHA/web/site/home/home.asp is packed with Germans climbing Ben Lomond (the high road) while many of the other nationalities seem to be walking the West Highland Way (the low road). Mind you it's a perfect Saturday for getting away from the big smoke: 21C degrees and sunny. Not sure if this is a sign of climate change as people say that in Scotland "summer comes in like a bicycle" (fast) or creeps in (one day in July). Now that I know how close Glasgow is to this lovely area there would be no contest if I ever had to choose between living there or in Edinburgh.

From Lola (8): So far we've seen a dog wearing a life jacket, a dead fish head and a boat capsizing. We're also staying by the biggest loch in Scotland, Loch Lomond. Yesterday I had a temperature of 102F degrees. Mummy thinks I have tonsalitis but she doesn't know how to spell it...

From Nell (6): I went on the night train and it was so funLink http://www.scotrail.co.uk/slprinfo.htm. We slept in bunks (berths) and a ticket inspector gave us breakfast in bed. I wanted to hear a Scottish accent but at Glasgow station it looked like London. I didn't believe we were in Glasgow, but then when me and mum went into a shop I heard it was true. I saw a bird's nest with eggs in its nest that looked like little stones. There are loads of wildlife around the youth hostel, and this morning the fire alarm went off.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ah the West Highland Way. The bit up the side of Loch Lomond is definitely the best bit, it gets a bit dull after that until you get to Rannock Moor. The Rowardennan Hotel does a mean tatties and neeps, although you will get a bit fed up of the things by the time you get to the end. Are you actually walking? If so my tip is the cafe on the station platform at Crianlarich you can walk in off the way and get a cheap lunch there.