Tag Archive: Travel

September 24, 2025

Travelling corner: Travelling by train in England and Wales (summer 2025)

Have you ever gone on your holiday with children by train? This is what we did this summer! It was exciting, but also required some good preparation, because we travelled with our 4 children (!). My view is that travelling starts the moment we step out of the house. Getting to our destination should be planned, but also as enjoyable as the time we spend on holiday. Here are some of the tips that helped us enjoy the journey by train.

Check timetables in advance

If you travel by many trains, knowing precise timings of different trains and how much time you have to get from one platform to another is important. Don’t forget to check your trains back. Travelling home might be less exciting than going on holiday, so it’s good to have those timetables checked in advance too. Just for the peace of mind.

Packing

How do you pack for yourself and your family, so that you don’t have many very heavy bags? Essentials. You first think of all the things that you and your family actually need and then if you have some space in your luggage, you can add more items. This was our approach and it worked very well. However, I need to mention that we saw the same travellers travelling with us both ways, with children and they had such small luggage (in comparison to ours, obviously!), so I think for us there is still some room for improvement.

Hours by train

We spent around 5 hours on our journey to our travelling destination from door to door, so not very long, but we still wanted to travel prepared. We had a balanced plan for everybody’s entertainment: we took with us some cards, pocket family games, some individual activities (like drawing or colouring), a book to read, a notepad to take some notes, water, good food and snacks. I think we had this well organised and even though on our way back, we felt less excited and more tired, we still had good time playing games, chatting or doing nothing.

Have you travelled by train this year? Where to? Please let me know in the comments below.

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November 2, 2022

Travelling corner: My summer 2022 in South Devon, UK

I know it’s already November but I still dwell on our travels in summer 2022. It was our second trip as a family of 5, so still a big adventure for us all. Also, at that time, I really felt I needed a break from our daily routine, so we decided to make the most of the summery weather and we headed to South Devon.

Little Dartmouth and Dartmouth

We decided to stay near Dartmouth, a river-side town. We recently enjoyed coming back to places we visited in the past. This time, we even started our trip with the exact same location. We parked our car in the Little Dartmouth car park and went for a walk. However, this time we took a different direction (but to the same final destination, as the routes link together later on) and we went towards Dartmouth and its castle.

Dartmouth Castle

The walk from the car park is not very strenuous, but the last part is very steep. You can also come by boat / car. The castle is beautifully located, just on the banks of the river Dart with the views over the river and Dartmouth town. I really enjoyed climbing the tower and visiting the medieval church of St Petrox. My children loved the little café next to the castle, as they had ice-cream (!). So we finished our castle trip sitting with our treats, and enjoying the river views…

Greenway House

That was an unexpected day trip! In our summer chalet, we were going through the local leaflets and we found a picture of a beautiful house. It turned out it was the summer house of Agatha Christie, aka my favourite author in my late-teens. That trip was the cherry (icing on the cake?) of our stay in Devon. Our little trip started with a boat ride from Dartmouth to Greenway House, or as Agatha called it, ‘the loveliest place in the world’. The summer house is a beautiful white building with a rich collection of items inside (apparently the family enjoyed collecting things and they collected cca  (what does this mean? About?) 12,000 of them!). Also, I could spot books in all the rooms I’ve been to (including the toilet!). Outdoors, we went for a walk in the garden and then down to the boat house. The boat house was the place to relax, set on the river with a small swimming pool downstairs, and a living room with a fire place and a balcony upstairs. I could see myself relaxing there!

These were the highlights of our summer in Devon. I also plan to write about our favourite beaches there too, so watch this space!

What are your favourite memories from summer 2022? Please let me know in the comments below.

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May 11, 2022

Travelling Corner: Walking weekend in South Devon, UK

When you plan your walking weekend with two little girls, it’s going to be a slow walking weekend, and reaching any destination will be an idealistic dream rather than your reality. However, I should admit that my girls are amazing walkers. Without any complaints – almost (!) –  they are ready for the unknown walking plans of their parents, with a smile and a stick to make it all possible!

Also, I felt sentimental about going back to South Devon, as the last weekend we spend there was in winter 2018, when our oldest daughter was only 3 and now she’s 7. Now we also have another daughter aged 3. Further to that, we had day-trips to South Devon with both girls in spring 2020, with the most beautiful summery weather. This time we went to Devon in autumn 2020, but the weather truly spoiled us: apart from short showers, we had a full weekend of sunshine!

Spring

Winter

Wild swimming walks

As an inspiration for our walks in South Devon, I used Wild Swimming Walks by Sophie Pierce and Matt Newbury. I wrote about this publication here, as it’s a wonderful guidebook to walking and wild swimming in Dartmoor and South Devon, with 28 lakes, rivers and beach days out to choose from.

Walking

Our walking attempts followed these trails: Little Dartmouth (with a little stream to paddle in); Thurlestone Beach-Hope Cove (that was our longest walk, even though we didn’t reach our destination); North Sands-South Sands (with a very steep driving road to the car park); Blackpool Sands (we saw a small seal playing in the sea!). The weather was beautiful, so we could enjoy the views, but even so, some parts of the paths were quite muddy / with large puddles. We had a sling, but our 3-year-old was determined to complete all the walks by herself!

Swimming

While walking, we also wanted to enjoy some splashing in the sea, especially because the weather was amazing for autumn. We obviously went to Thurlestone Beach, to Leas Foot Sand, to be precise! That’s one of my favourite beaches in South Devon, but the sea water is quite cold. We also visited North Sands; we stayed on the beach longer, even though the high tide was coming in. The sea was warm and many people enjoyed swimming in it. We also went to Blackpool Sands, but on that day, the waves were too high and very strong.  

Do you go for long walks with your children? Please let me know in the comments below.

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March 24, 2021

Travelling corner: Winter wonderland in Stourhead (Wiltshire, England)

In December 2020, we gave ourselves a beautiful treat; a visit to Stourhead. It was our first visit there and we didn’t know what to expect. It turned out to be a magical experience. Especially since, in December, along the path way there were Christmassy decorations with some lights installed for the late-evening visits. The place is a true gem for garden and nature lovers. It seems that every detail was carefully designed with many different types of trees, shrubs, plants and water animals. As we read on the NT website, it’s a world-famous landscape garden and can be described as ‘a living work of art’.

As we visited the garden in winter, we’d love to visit it in spring, summer and autumn, as it’d be lovely to observe the seasonal changes. We’ll keep our blogging journal updated and will share more stories from our visits here.

Have you recently visited a magical place? Please let me know in the comments below.

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November 4, 2020

Travelling corner: I fell in love with Exmoor

Why? Because, it has so much to offer! I re-discovered this beautiful region last winter and want to share with you why I find it so special. Below you’ll find my favourites of Exmoor:

Green

Exmoor is green. Even in winter, lower parts of the forests still remain green. It’s (almost) covered in trees and consequently, the air is very fresh (yes, you can feel the difference immediately). What I found really fascinating is that we weren’t so weather-dependant, even if it’s cloudy/rainy, it doesn’t impact our desire to go for a forest walk. Perfect solution!

Quietness

I love the business of everyday life, but I also like to be away, in nature, somewhere quiet. And I definitely slowed down in Exmoor. This region is not so commercial, so not too many tourists. It feels remote, yet local; a good combination.

Landscape

Beautiful. I found it so diverse, from stony beaches and paved walking paths to wild & muddy forests and windy sea shores. Its diversity makes it so unique and it gives you an appetite to explore further.

There is so much more to discover and I plan to return to Exmoor at different seasons to have a fuller picture of this beautiful region. Do let me know if you recommend any books on Exmoor or authors who explore this region. Let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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July 29, 2020

Travelling corner: What are your travel plans for summer 2020?

What to do with travelling in the current global situation? My summer travel plans have already changed three times and there were many emotions involved with each of the changes. I felt frustrated, angry, disappointed. But one thing made me think that whatever we decide to do and are able to do (!!!), let’s enjoy this time, let’s be fully present in the moment, let’s make this time beautiful and unforgettable, shall we? 🙂

Below, I put together some inspiration for travelling in England, including Cornwall (of course!):

Isles of Scilly: it’s a dreamy place for a summer holiday

Jurassic peninsula: for the best beaches and quietness

South Cornwall: getting close to nature

South Devon: family-friendly beaches

Exmoor: wilderness & undiscovered walking paths

Where have you decided to travel to this summer? Please let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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July 15, 2020

Book review: These Islands. A portrait of the British Isles

I’d most probably recommend that you read this book review in autumn so that your could get the book for those long wintery evenings. So why publish it now? I think that for many of us, the summer plans have changed (including mine!) and it might be a very good time to get inspired by some local routes and travel destinations—your ‘summer playground’. The book / album I want to write about today is so beautiful that I could easily photograph every page of it to inspire you to visit the British Isles. To explore this beautiful land of secret beaches, grey lakes, narrow walking paths and ancient woods.

The album creates an interesting portrait of the Isles, from the Jurassic Coast, Lake District, and the Isles of Scilly, through Snowdonia, the Pembrokeshire Coast to the Wild Atlantic Way and the Isle of Sky. The album contains photographs, short essays, paintings, and poetry, all to inspire you to reflect, to slow down, to travel. It tries to get underneath the known history, pictures and destinations, to bring the Isles closer to the reader and explorers.

Published by Cereal, edited by Rosa Park.

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June 17, 2020

Travelling corner: Wild swimming in South Devon

Gentle waves, golden sands, beautiful sea views and some great walking routes. Yes, that’s the Devon we re-discovered recently! It was magically beautiful: we felt so enchanted that it was difficult to leave this experience behind and return to Bristol. Fortunately, it’s only a 2-hour drive-away, so we know where we’ll be frequent visitors 🙂

Some time ago I came across the book Wild Swimming Walks by Sophie Pierce and Matt Newbury. It’s a practical guidebook into wild swimming in Dartmoor and South Devon, with 28 lake, river and beach days out to choose from and, as I was looking through its pages, I came across Thurlestone Beach / South Milton Sands / Leas Foot Sand which captured my imagination and became an inspiration for my family’s next travel destination. We needed some sun, sea and sand (!!!).

The beach is a long stretch of sand which goes from Leas Foot Sand (there is public parking as part of a golf club car park), then there are some rocks dividing Leas Foot from the other beaches, and then there is Thurlestone Beach (with a free car park just above the beach) which leads to South Milton Sands (with a NT car park). Each of the beaches is slightly different: Leas Foot Sand is a smaller beach which might be a good choice for families as there is a small stream where children can play (the sea is quite cold though), Thurlestone Beach has some hidden parts behind the rocks which might be perfect for everybody to enjoy some quieter time and South Milton Sands has beautiful views and the warmest sea (perfect for paddling). Amazing, huh?!

I once visited South Devon in winter, but I think I only briefly came to Thurleston Beach back then. Now, we’ve explored this beautiful sand stretch extensively and I’m so glad we did so! As a family, we had such an idyllic time – summery and lazy.

Have you been to South Devon? Do you have a favourite beach there? Please leave your comments down below.

Kinga Macalla

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May 6, 2020

Travelling corner: Cornish Delight. A Weekend away in South-East Cornwall

Oh Cornwall, it feels so good to be there, even for a weekend. Today, I’m taking you to South-East Cornwall and we’ll stay in Looe and spend the weekend exploring this part of Cornwall (aka visit my favourite places).

Friday afternoon

I would start with some sea-bathing time and my favourite place (not far away from Looe) would be Seaton Beach. The beach doesn’t have beautiful sand (it’s rather greyish), but the sea is usually warm and beautifully sparkles as the sun sets down to the horizon.

Saturday

I would start the day with a breakfast at Summink Different Café in Downderry. Their menu is rich in good foods, sustainable, often organic and simply delicious. My favourite is their 100 percent cacao soup with coconut milk (oh yes, that’s yummy!). From there, we’ll go to Freathy Beach which is a long stretch of sand with some amazing sea views (quick note that the beach is tiny when there is a high tide). You need to descend to reach the beach, it’s not very steep but may limit the amount of beach games and other necessities you take down with you 🙂

Sunday

Today we’ll go to Readymoney Cove in Fowey. But, we’ll go by boat from Polruan. Polruan is a picturesque village with some marine-like town houses (and a bit of a steep descent to the quay!). It takes around 10 minutes to get to the other shore by boat, and we’re in Fowey! We then walk another 10 minutes and arrive at this small, yet charming beach (with cold water!) where we can enjoy the views of the sailing yachts and boats. We can then go for a walk to see the ruins of St Catherine’s Castle or relax and enjoy the scrumptious Cornish ice-cream (or both!).

You can read more about my previous travels to this part of Cornwall here and here.

That’s a nice weekend, huh? What was your last weekend in Cornwall like? Do let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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March 25, 2020

Travelling corner: My ‘little’ guide to Bath

We often travel to Bath, as it’s only 12-minutes away by train, so we use the opportunity to visit this town regularly. Personally, I really like the architecture of the town, its elegance, charm and uniqueness. I like strolling around Bath without an aim and popping into little cafes for a sip of tea. What else do we like to do in Bath?!

The Egg Theatre

This little theatre has a rich show offer for the little ones and there is a café/play area for kids to enjoy, too.

Swimming pool

We really enjoy the public swimming pool. There is a play pool for kids and, even though it’s small, there are plenty of options to choose from. The only recent drawback is the extra payable lockers, I find them quite impractical, especially when being with the kids.

Café au lait

This café is just opposite the train station and, if I travel alone, it’s always on my to-visit list J It reminds me of the Polish milk bars (‘bar mleczny’), mostly for its name and location, as it looks way more charming and cute. What do I treat myself or my family to when we’re there? Dark hot chocolate with coconut milk! Oh, that’s yummy!

Park

After some culture, sport, and hot drinks, it’s time for fresh air. We can go walking, picnicking, flower spotting in the inside garden, or listening to live music (there is often a live concert in the park). Life is good, huh?

Bath is definitely one of my favourite English towns, what’s yours? Let me know in the comments below.

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