Dartmoor. A sprawling wild expanse of sphagnum moss and heather and sheep and rocky tors and babbling brooks. Of mist and mud and ancient monuments. Remarkably, it's the product of man, who cleared it of trees, mined it for metals and minerals, built bronze-age villages on it, and grazed animals upon its slopes. Without the … Continue reading Dartmoor: wild and wonderful
One of the essential areas of Cornwall to visit is the Penwith Peninsula -- essentially the glob of land at the very south west of England... You know, Penzance, Lands End etc. So of course we did a day tour down there in our trusty little red car. Our first stop was St Michael's Mount, … Continue reading Ancient monuments and a lighthouse on the Penwith Peninsula
Many walkers might have sat in the pub for an extra day instead of braving the SW Coast Path in the rain... Or caught the bus instead. But they would have missed out on a unique experience (that might have put my travelling companion off hiking for ever...). Having delayed our plans for a day … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Westward Ho! to Clovelly
The South West Coast Path is a 630 mile walk around the coast of SW England, from Minehead in Somerset to Poole in Dorset. As soon as I heard about it, when planning my current trip, I resolved to hike a couple of legs. Today the plan was to hike from Westward Ho! in north … Continue reading South West Coast Path: Instow to Westward Ho!
Next stop on our Cornish adventure was Tintagel castle - possibly the birthplace of King Arthur, definitely a really cool place to visit. Its vast sprawl atop a rocky promontory, surrounded by stunning views of the wild and rugged coast, way surpassed my expectations. One approaches Tintagel down a valley, then around a headland to … Continue reading Tintagel – craggy castle on the Cornish coast
It's been a whirlwind few days since arriving in the UK. This week I'm staying in Cornwall with a group of friends from home and we're having a blast. As all of us are writers bound for the World Fantasy Convention, our interests are very compatible: striking scenery, quaint villages, ancient monuments and ruins, castles, … Continue reading Exploring Bodmin Moor
Today I'm heading off to the UK for a few weeks without my computer. Technically I won't be completely unplugged, because I will have my phone; but I daresay I will miss the flexibility of the real thing. I'm not yet at the point where a tablet (did I have one) could completely replace a … Continue reading Unplugged
I've been singing rather a lot recently, and have become somewhat addicted to making harmonies. It all started when I joined the SoulSong community choir at the beginning of the year. (Or maybe it started at the Christmas Eve carol service, when I remembered how much I love choral singing...) Anyway, after turning up weekly … Continue reading I’ll take a harmony with my wine
I'm gearing up for more travel in a couple of weeks, but in the meantime here's the next installment of my Travelling the 90s series. What follows is a lightly edited extract from my original travel journal... We've just explored Gythion and Pylos in the southern Peloponnese region, and are now meandering back to Athens. … Continue reading Travelling in the 90s – to Corinth
Today I'm blogging instead of writing in the cafe. I thought it was time for another practice post with the bluetooth keyboard. I've spent time this week researching local sim options for my forthcoming trip, having decided to forgo mobile roaming costs -- besides, I like the idea of having data access on my smart … Continue reading Apparently the WIP doesn’t suck too much
Ellen Gregory 