Cornwall is such a magic place – it feels separate, wild and untamed, I can see why my friends Nigel and Janice live here. Nigel had a list of must dos which we worked our way through.
- exploring small harbours like Charlestown
- walking small parts of the coastal walkway which surrounds Cornwall – Janice regularly takes herself off to walk parts of it.
3 Sisters Adventure Trekking in Nepal
I have written about the New Zealand based company Trekking 4 Women – a New Zealand site where Anne Young organises treks for women in Nepal and Africa. Today I came across the Three sisters Adventure Trekking Company where three Nepalese sisters Lucky, Dicky and Nicky Chhetri, are pioneers in the field of female trekking guides. Since 1994, they have worked towards empowering women in Nepal.
A train ride to Cornwall took me through rolling English countryside, villages tucked in the folds of hills, with the occasional large country house. It’s autumn, so the bare branches of trees dot the landscape, and sparse hedges line the lanes, enabling the weak winter sun to leak through to the ground in places. After Exeter there were seaside villages and boats sitting on the mud.
I am off to Falmouth to stay with my old building friend Nigel Murray and his partner Janice. Nigel has lots of excursions planned, so it seems I have another travel guide – great – I love to see places, but I am not so good at deciding where and what to see. In fact I prefer it when my visit is coloured by the passions of a local friend – what they enjoy doing rather than what the tourist book says.
Pendennis Castle
Cinque-Terre
Sunshine in the morning let us explore the fabled colours and cleverness of the Cinque Terre. From Manarola we took a walk along Lover’s Lane, or Via dell’Amore- a paved, gentle walk for twenty minutes to the next village, Riomaggiore. Far below the sea promised excellent kayaking and snorkelling on its emerald water, fringing the rocks with clean white foam. The walkway had seats to admire the view, a couple of cafes in the summer and some picnic spots. Apparently it is so crowded in the season that the ticket numbers are limited. Read more
On our way home from Brighton, my friend Catherine detoured us through Hartfield and the Ashdown Forest in Sussex which is where AA Milne wrote his memorable children’s stories. We stopped at Pooh Corner in the village to buy a small furry creature and a map of the Hundred Acre Wood.
We decided on a walk to the very same bridge that inspired the game of Pooh Sticks, and of course a game of Pooh Sticks. I won, well actually it was a draw because I cheated – but it was a fun walk, though a little muddy at this time of year. Well worth a visit. More about The Hundred Acre Wood
One of the nice things about running a website like Women Travel the World, is the great people you meet in the travel business. We had based ourselves in Brighton at the lovely Pink House, but up just up the road was another women owned guest house which is also listed on Women Travel the World. Jane and Anne invited us over to visit, so we meandered out way along the coast, detoured to magnificent Beachy Head for a very cold but pleasant walk, and found ourselves at Eastbourne.
Jane and Anne had bought The Langtons as they had wanted a change and a new lifestyle. Read more
My friend Catherine and I headed down to Brighton for a few days away from convent life. Brighton is such an icon of British seaside life, it seemed a good place to go, and I knew from the Women Travel the World website that there was also a women’s B&B there, so that was an added incentive.
The drive down was lovely, until we hit Brighton on a Saturday afternoon – wall to wall traffic. It took us some time to find The Pink House – Brighton’s only women’s guest house
The Pink House Women's B&B in Brighton
Rosanna Capatini is the owner of Eliotropica - a travel company focused on women travellers to Italy. When I made contact with Rosanna about Women Travel the World, she was very interested and when I said we were coming Italy, she said “You must come and stay in Lucca – the most beautiful town in Tuscany”. Of course – how could we refuse?
When we were in Spain and Portugal we were going to stay in some religious houses offering hospitality, but in the end it was just too hard. Most did not speak English, they did not have email or websites – all the things that make booking easier in a country where you do not speak the language.
St Michaels Convent in Richmond, London
I am staying here because a friend of mine – Catherine Wood is presently living alongside this Community, so I am in one of their simple guest rooms. Read more
Danielle, Rosemary and Ceridwyn in Florence
I have been travelling for six weeks with good friends from New Zealand Ceridwyn Parr and Danielle Melton. We have spent the time in Spain, Portugal and Italy. It has been a fantastic opportunity to explore these places which I would not have seen in such depth without them. Each of us fell into particular roles on the trip – Ceridwyn was the tour leader/planner, Danielle was the driver (we hired a car in Spain) and I was the personal chef when we had an apartment we could cook in. We formed a great team which enabled us to each have a great travel experience but within the security of companionship along the way.
It is why Women’s Tours are popular and growing – a small group of women, with an experienced guide – exploring a country, its a great way for women on their own to travel.
