07 February 2025

Having recently returned from a guided tour of the Golden Triangle in India, I wanted to share my experience and the benefits of travelling as part of a group. It can be a bit daunting travelling to a country like India. Delhi is particularly crazy with its traffic and noise and even crossing the road is tricky! Group tours are fantastic for solo travellers, and by solo I don't doesn't just mean single. It may be that your other half doesn't fancy going to a particular destination, but you do. Solo travel is becoming increasingly popular, especially amongst women. Generally, you have the choice of sharing with someone of the same gender or paying slightly more for your own room. Some tour companies offer no single suppliments or special offers whereby suppliments are waived. Group tours are led by experienced guides who can provide invaluable insight and information about the local culture, religion, food and traditions. Not only do they ensure that the tour runs smoothly, they are on hand to help with all aspects of the trip, from advising on what's safe to eat if you have an allergy to helping your cross the road safely. You also have local guides throughout the tour who have expert knowledge of the area or attraction that you are visiting. Not only does this make the tour more interesting, but also gives back to the local communities. The tour guides also ensure that you have a safe trip. Our guide, Ankita, is one of a few women tour guides in India. She is an inspiration! Tours often include visits to "bucket list" attractions (the Taj Mahal and Red Fort in Agra for instance) but also may include a trip to somewhere more off-the-beaten-track. We visited the small village of Lotwara where we stayed in an amazing heritage property and did a walking tour of the village. This was was of the highlights of the trip for me as we were able to see a different side to India, away from the hustle and bustle of the cities. Group tours are a way of visiting a country in a sustainable way. Tour companies work with local organisations in a way that benefits the local people and economy. For example, on our tour we visited a factory that sold hand-knotted carpets made by women in the local villages and a cafe established and run by survivors of acid attacks. Group tours are a great way of meeting like-minded people. There were 9 of us in our group - from the UK, Iran, Australia, USA, Singapore and Denmark - who all had some amazing travel stories and experiences to share. There are different styles of tour, from basic to Premium - so you don't have to rough it if you don't want to! You get to experience different styles of accomodation and modes of transport (we were experts in negotiating the Delhi Metro by the end of our trip!). Some tours have lots of inclusions and others have more free time where you can add things on that interest you as you go. The tours are also graded so you know what to expect in terms of activity levels. I can highly recommend a group tour if you are nervous about travelling alone, or to a country that's out of your comfort zone. Please get in touch if you would like to hear more about my trip to India or group touring in general. I work with lots of tour companies and can help find a tour to suit you.

08 November 2019

The journey from the Isle of Skye to our final destination, the seaside town of Oban took approximately 4 hours. We arrived at our accommodation, a two-bedroom lodge on the outskirts, around mid-afternoon. We headed into town for supplies and to take a stroll along the promenade. Oban has lots to offer by way of activities and attractions for tourists ranging from a tour of the distillery to a visit to the ruined Dunollie Castle. There are plenty of small galleries and independent shops and a small museum. Lunch at The Seafood Hut with its distinctive green roof on Calmac pier is a must. This informal shack serves the most amazing fresh seafood platters. If you want to venture further afield you can get the passenger ferry over to the Island of Mull, well-known for the coloured houses of Tobermory. The ferry gets booked up very quickly so I would recommend booking at least a week in advance. You can also drive 30 minutes out of Oban to Cruachan Power Station hollowed out of a mountain on the banks of Loch Awe. Just be aware that it is closed on weekends (as we found out the hard way). You can also take a drive to Easdale Island, 15 miles south of Oban. This is the smallest permanently inhabited island of the Inner Hebrides. I recommend a visit to Easdale Island Folk Museum which is run by volunteers who have a wealth of knowledge about the history of the island which was once the centre of the Scottish slate mining industry. On our last day in Oban we went on a wildlife tour with Coastal Connection. The sun was shining as we set sail past Lismore Lighthouse, which is now a privately-owned holiday home, to a working fish farm. We saw a plethora of wildlife including Guillemots, Gannets, Terns and a colony of seals and were also lucky enough to spot a Sea Eagle in its nest. Binoculars were provided and the trip was guided by the very knowledgeable skipper Cameron. We had an amazing time in Scotland and would thoroughly recommend seeing for yourselves what it has to offer.

08 November 2019

The route from Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway to the Isle of Skye took us along the shores of Loch Lomond and through the mountains and ski resort of Glencoe. Although it was a long journey - 8 hours in total - we were rewarded with some of the most stunning scenery we have ever seen. We drove through Fort William, with its backdrop of Ben Nevis, before crossing the Skye bridge over to Skye. If you are pressed for time you can also catch a ferry from Mallaig to Armadale which takes approximately 30 minutes. We headed straight to our accommodation, a cosy wooden pod on a small strip of land next to the post office in Dunvegan. Apart from a lack of storage space the pod had everything we needed and was perfect for a 3-night stay. The kids absolutely loved it. A small stream ran just outside our pod which you could follow down to one of the many sea lochs. Now Skye isn’t renowned for its amazing weather, it’s not called The Misty Isle for nothing, so with it being the beginning of April we weren’t very optimistic. We were however willing to don our waterproofs and wellies in order to visit at the start of the season when it is quieter and the infamous midges have not yet come out to bite. Imagine our surprise when we awoke on the first morning to blue skies and sunshine. In fact, the only time it rained during the 4 days we were there was on the bridge on the way back to the mainland. Public transport on Skye can be unreliable and some bus routes don’t run at all in the Scottish school holidays so the best way to get around is by car. Car parking on Skye can be an issue, especially during the months of July and August. To reach some of the most famous sightseeing spots you have to park at the roadside. The roads are very narrow and windy in places so you wouldn’t want to meet someone coming the other way. On our first day on Skye we visited Dunvegan Castle, the only Highland fortress to have been continuously occupied by the same family for 800 years. The kids loved running amok in the castle gardens and from here you can catch a boat for a seal trip out into the Loch. Our next port of call was the Talisker distillery at Carbost where we were able to sample some of the local whisky. I’m not a whisky drinker (I much prefer gin) but I really liked the peaty flavour of the whisky they produce on Skye, especially with a splash of ginger. We then drove up the hill to the famous Oyster Shed which sells fresh seafood and as the name suggests specialises is locally caught oysters. It’s not a restaurant and doesn’t have any toilet facilities or alcohol licence but has an outside eating area where you can enjoy some freshly cooked seafood and the amazing views over the loch. Kevin opted for the scallops which were absolutely huge whereas I risked the oysters which were fried in garlic and served in a bun with lettuce and mayonnaise. Unfortunately, we couldn’t persuade the kids to try any of the seafood on offer but luckily they also served chips. On day two of our trip we visited Coral Beach, a short 20-minute drive north of Dunvegan. We parked the van by the side of the road as there was no car park and embarked on a 30-minute walk to a beach that would not look out of place in the Caribbean. From there we drove to the northern peninsula of Trotternish to visit the Skye Museum of Island Life, a township of preserved thatched cottages and artefacts which show what life was like on Skye as a crofter 100 years ago. The museum was good value for money and very informative. Just a short walk up the road is the Kilmuir Cemetery where Flora MacDonald (a member of the MacDonald clan famous for helping Bonny Prince Charlie evade government troops after the Battle of Culloden) is buried. We then made our way to SkyeSkyns where we were treated to a free private tour of the tannery. We didn’t escape without spending any money however as the kids insisted on buying a sheepskin rug from their showroom. From there we drove to the ruined church of Trumpan on the Waternish peninsula, the site of a revenge attack on the MacLeods by the MacDonalds in 1578. The road to Trumpan is not good for the car suspension but the church is peaceful and there are abundant information boards explaining its troubled history. The weather on our third day was perfect for a hike up the Quiraing, a circular walk along a massive landslip on part of the Trotternish Ridge. It has some of the most spectacular scenery in Scotland. The walk took a couple of hours and involved scrambling over a bank of scree until we reached the rock structures known as the Prison and the Needle. The path is very narrow in places with shear drops - definitely not for the feint hearted. We witnessed a few people turning back and some sheep who had met their death by falling over the edge. William was apprehensive but James was like a mountain goat. Afterwards both boys admitted to the hike being their favourite part of our trip to Scotland, even beating the Cocoabean chocolate factory in Newton Stewart! Skye is also home to the Cuillen mountain range which is suitable for more experienced climbers. On the drive back to our pod we drove past the famous rock formation The Old Man of Storr and stopped at Kilt Rock, a sea cliff made of vertical basalt columns that are said to resemble the pleats of a kilt, and the nearby Mealt Falls, a 60m high waterfall. The next day, on route back to the mainland, we visited the Fairy Pools at the foot of the Black Cuillen range. The first of the pools is 2.4km from the car park. They attract visitors from all over the world and are great for wild swimming however as it was a bit chilly to brave a dip, we just admired the view and crystal-clear pools. One route to Oban, our final destination, we stopped for lunch at café Sia in Broadford before crossing the Skye bridge back over to the mainland. The café served amazing artisan coffee and wood fired pizzas and is highly recommended. We were sad to leave the rugged beauty of Skye behind and vowed to return one day but were looking forward to what Oban had to offer.

08 November 2019

I love a staycation, so with 18 days of the Easter school holidays before us, my partner Kevin and I decided to take our two boys William, aged 9 and James, aged 7 on a road trip through Scotland. Now you may be thinking that planning any sort of trip that involves long car journeys with young children is utter madness however armed with a weeks’ worth of snacks and various digital devices we set off up the M6 on the 7 hour journey from London to our first destination, Newton Stewart - gateway to the Galloway Hills. Newton Stewart is a haven for hill walkers and mountain bikers and within driving distance to some beautiful beaches, one being Mossyard with its golden sand and rock pools, where we stopped for a break on route to our holiday cottage. The next day we awoke to sunshine and bright skies and headed to the visitor centre at Kirroughtree in the Forrest of Galloway, one of the world class 7Stanes mountain bike venues. We had our own bikes however there is a well-stocked bike shop there should you need to hire one, a café and outdoor play area. On recommendation from the friend whose cottage we were staying in we opted for the moderate blue route which took us off-road through the forest. The scenery was amazing with great swathes of yellow heather covering the hills, but it soon became apparent that the route was beyond our capabilities. After a few tumbles and near misses we decided to try the more moderate green route along the quite forest roads. On the way back to our cottage we popped into the Crafty Distillery for a tour. This is a small intimate distillery boasting panoramic views over the Galloway Hills. Here they make the multi-award-winning Hills and Harbour Gin which is distilled using 11 botanicals including Noble Fir needles and seaweed (hence the name) which give it its unique flavour. The kids were allowed on the tour but obviously didn’t get to sample the gin! On the second day of our trip we met up with friends who lived locally and took the boys coarse fishing on Loch Ken. The 45-minute drive through the forest of Galloway was very peaceful (apart from the cries of “are we there yet?” & “how much longer?” coming from the back seat). We encountered just one other car coming the other way. The boys were very happy with their catches of roach and bream and were much more patient than me when it came to fishing. On day three, with it being Easter, we decided to treat the kids to a visit to the Cocoabean Chocolate Factory in Kirkcudbright. We indulged in steaming mugs of hot chocolate from the café while the boys took part in a chocolate workshop and made their own Easter eggs. They were kept entertained for the afternoon by the indoor and outdoor play areas. We then head back to our cottage for some rest ready for the long journey to the Isle of Skye.