The quaint city Swansea is situated on the south coast of Wales. It is home to a large University and a historic castle. The city has Santander bikes that you can hire. They are located in the town center and in the university campus. We decided that hiring them would be the best way to... Continue Reading →
Hiking in the Brecon Beacons
The cold wind hit my cheeks making them rosy red. We could see across the Brecon Beacons; green hills rolled in front of us, while small settlements dotted the horizon with white and grey specks. In the far distance a lake could just about be made out. Its dull blue blended in with the sky.... Continue Reading →
And so the adventure begins
As usual there was no plan in particular, the idea was to explore as much of England and Wales as possible in 9 days. We began by buying a National Trust young person's membership card (£30 for the year for british citizens) and a Touring Pass (£30 for seven consecutive days for overseas tourists). With... Continue Reading →
The final destination – Santiago de Compostela
Day 10 was to be the momentous day that we would reach our end destination - Santiago de Compostela. While we were arriving by train instead of foot, it was still a great achievement. We had walked approximately 160 km in total. Unlike those making the journey hundreds of years ago, it had taken us... Continue Reading →
Day 7 of the hike
Having a comfortable lie-in was magical. We made our way to breakfast where we enjoyed pastries and yoghurt. Feeling refreshed it was time to set off. I thanked the receptionist for our stay. She kissed me goodbye and pointed us in the right direction. The day began walking downhill (what a treat). This did not... Continue Reading →
A night in the mountains
We woke up at 8am in time to shower and check out. Leaving the hostel we were still not 100% sure what we were doing. We saw a bus stop opposite, where I asked a lady if the buses went to Vigo. She said; 'yes'. The weather was poor - very misty. The sky was... Continue Reading →
An unexpected breakfast
Making the most of staying in a hotel with a balcony we had a lie-in. This morning there were no pensioners around to wake us up at the crack of dawn. We slowly made our way down to breakfast. No one was around in the restaurant. Nor were there any places set out for us.... Continue Reading →
Sun-set dinner by the Ocean in Oia
Each pilgrim in the hostel made an effort to wake us up, by loudly packing their bags, talking to each other or flinging their belongings across the cramped room. My brother hit the nail on the head when he described the youth hostel as being odd because there were no youth there. Most guests were... Continue Reading →
Day three of hiking through Portugal
Being woken up by strange noises in the church, didn't stop us from lounging around in our godly room all morning. Eventually at 11.30 am we packed our rucksacks and left. We enjoyed a thick creamy hot chocolate and a warm cheese croissant for breakfast in the bakery next door - it was divine. Arming... Continue Reading →
Sleep-over in a Portuguese convent
Everyone slowly shuffled out of their bunk beds, put on smelly walking clothes and went downstairs for breakfast. My brother and I decided to start at the leisurely time of 10 am to avoid the morning rush. We walked from the ghost town Fao across the river to Esposende - a much larger town. While... Continue Reading →