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A castle, a surprise vegan lunch, and more hot tubbing – Lake District, UK

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Rolling green hills and pastures, cobbled streets and dry stone walls transported me back a few centuries in my mind to imagine what life would have been like to live in this gorgeous country town in those old days.

Kendal, in the Lake District of England, has such a charm about it. I’m not sure whether that’s due to the abundance of tea rooms, the streets lined with heritage-conserved buildings, or the ruins of the old 13th century Kendal Castle I can spot on the hill overlooking us.

I could have happily walked the streets, stopping here and there for a cup of tea at one of the many teahouses manned by lovely and bubbly middle aged women, or for a pint at one of the many historic pubs with welcoming signs and charmingly dingy decor.

But there is much more to Kendal than just it’s beverage options and architecture appreciation.

It’s also the home of the Kendal Mint Cake, a delicious, tongue tingling sweet treat.

But I digress, it is also much more than that too.

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My first steam train experience at Lake Windermere, the Lake District, UK

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Sometimes the smallest of experiences can make a strong mark on your soul, create the greatest of memories, and give you such a sense of satisfaction – for lack of a better word.

On a day where we didn’t do much in terms of adventure – in fact, we took it quite easy and had a bit of a ‘lazy day’ – it was interesting to note that our day trip to Lake Windermere gave me so many “travel” feels.

I felt such a strong sense of Wanderlust, but also of completion in terms of travel and adventure.

I just can’t quite put my finger on why exactly, but it’s a nice feeling to have regardless.

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A day in the home of The Beatles – Liverpool, UK

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I’m just going to start out by saying that before my visit, I didn’t know much else about Liverpool other than the fact that it was the home of The Beatles.

And I’m going to continue by saying that even now, following my visit, that’s still pretty much all I know.

Oh, and it has a really pretty waterfront area where there’s lots of food and entertainment happening.

So, there’s that too, I guess.

#ReallyGoodTravelBlogger #IKnowRight

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Finding secret cocktail bars in Manchester

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What a thrill it is to walk out of what LOOKS to be a simple shopfront onto the street, after having sipped on sweet cocktails, smiling to yourself and your drinking companions at the secret you share – one that nobody else walking along the pavement know about.

That’s the awesome thing about hidden speakeasy bars – they add an extra element of fun to a social outing.

On a recent visit to Manchester to meet with my boyfriend Dan’s wonderful family, we all headed out for a day mission in the city: To find as many secret bars as possible, and to drink as many new cocktails as we felt like.

And boy, did we have fun!

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VEGAN EATS: VX Bristol, United Kingdom

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Coming from a regional area of Australia, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited and gladly overwhelmed by the amount of choice I have access to now in terms of vegan food now that I’m living in the UK.

Faced with so much choice, I’ve decided to do the only rational thing: Start a new blog series called ‘Vegan Eats’ where I plan to test out as much vegan food and restaurants that I possibly can, both here in the UK and further afield.

Basically, I just want a good excuse to eat and eat and eat some more.

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A startling revelation in my family history – Carbis Bay, Cornwall

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As with when I visited Kesh, in Northern Ireland, earlier on my road trip, my trip south to Cornwall was a special one.

As I’d explored my paternal family history in Kesh, now I was to explore my maternal family history in Carbis Bay, a gorgeous – but gloomy on the days we were there – seaside town in England’s south.

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Environmental wake up call: Eden Project, Cornwall

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The environment is a topic of conversation very close to my heart.

I was always involved with the “green” groups at high school, and went on to continue those interest groups in the years after.

I’ve taken many steps myself to reduce my impact on the environment, and I care a lot about protecting our planet from destruction.

Therefore it was a no-brainer that I would visit the Eden Project while I was in Cornwall, England.

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