Tag Archive: Travelling Corner

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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March 18, 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.

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March 11, 2020

Travelling corner: A day on the most beautiful beach (with kids!)


We went to Wales to finally visit Rhossili Beach which is often ranked as one of the most beautiful beaches in the UK. To give you some context, I’ll add that we went there with our two daughters. It was winter. Cold, windy, rainy… you know the weather (just ideal for a day trip to the most beautiful beach)?!

We arrived there mid-morning and our older daughter (5-y-o) wanted to go for a walk, but our younger girl (15 mnths) wanted to sleep. The youngest didn’t welcome the walking idea well; she was crying loudly. All of a sudden, the sun was out, so I quickly took some (3!) pictures (when travelling with kids and taking photos, it almost feels like having an analogue not a digital camera, you often have just one shot, done!). My youngest was still crying, so I decided to carry her (yes, the photo-shooting is gone and the sun, too!). We’re walking with a very unhappy child who is underdressed and without a hat… After 30 minutes of walking, we decided to go back to the local café, The Lookout, to warm up. It’s warm, cosy and it felt good to enjoy some quieter time after all the crying. Then my oldest daughter wanted to go to the toilet. There is no toilet in the café, so back to the carpark (and to the toilet) we went. After that we decided to see the beach. Meanwhile, our youngest was asleep and it started raining. Greg (my husband) decided to go back to the car with the girls while I continued walking in the rain to take some pictures (again 3 shoots max!). I rushed back to the car to see that my youngest had woken up and was unhappy, and my oldest felt kind of sick. We waited in the car for a bit, as it was super windy, then we slowly went home (we had to stop after 15 minutes, because somebody didn’t feel so well…). Yes, that’s the beauty of travelling with kids. But hey, the beach is truly spectacular!

What special place have you recently visited with your kids? Please let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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February 19, 2020

Travelling corner: Winter in Exmoor

This winter I re-discovered Exmoor. The last time I went to this beautiful part of England was when I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, around 5 years ago! I remember being 7 months pregnant and climbing North Hill and, by mistake, taking the steep route up the hill… Oh yes, it was proper exercise and this winter, surprisingly (!), we avoided this steeper path 🙂 Below, you’ll find my favourite walks from Exmoor. BTW, if you can, please recommend some books/blogs on Exmoor, as I’m curious to learn more about this undiscovered (by me) land.

North Hill

Yes, we did it again, but this time we chose a more humane path. It was beautiful to walk among green ferns at the lowest point, among clouds in the middle and above the clouds and bathed in sunlight at the highest point. We had such amazing weather that day, which turned the whole walk into a magical experience.

Lynton

I had been planning to visit Lynton for a while and somehow it didn’t happen, but this winter I was determined to go there and explore its uniqueness. Lynton is located on a hill with a Cliff Railway train going down to Lynmouth, a picturesque sea village (unfortunately, the train doesn’t operate in winter). We went for a walk to Lee Bay following the coast. Even though we were wet as we walked in the clouds, the views of the rocks on the left and the sea on the right and the copper hills around the valley created a beautiful scenery.

Porlock Weir

I like analysing maps to see where it would be interesting to go and I had a feeling that this little harbour just outside Porlock might be an intriguing spot to visit and I was right! I also read a brochure that said that in the 18th and 19th centuries the place was famous for oysters and recently a community project was established and oyster farming returned to Porlock Weir! Truly intrigued, we went to explore it. We found a long stony beach, a small harbour, a tiny oyster warehouse (!), and a petite gallery with a café (it was true bliss to have a mug of tea there!). We took a long walk along the stony beach and beyond, to the marshland. It was quiet and peaceful, yet so uniquely beautiful.

We so enjoyed our short winter trip to Exmoor that we’d love to return there in Spring/Summer, to see it in its full colours and flavours. Have you been to Exmoor recently? Let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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January 22, 2020

Travelling corner: 5 Best of North-West Cornwall

We returned to Cornwall last summer to re-discover the beautiful area of St Ives Bay, located in North-West Cornwall. It’s a blissful location, if you wish to visit the famous gems of Cornwall, have long beach walks, do some hiking, go to family-friendly places and enjoy some beautiful scenery. Yes, this part of Cornwall has it all and below you’ll find my absolute favourites:

Beach

There are many of them, St Ives alone has several of them, so it’s a true heaven for beach lovers (like me)! My favourite is Godrevy, it stretches long, so walking is very pleasant, and so is the swimming (for surfers, Gwithian might be a better option). You can park at the far end NT parking and go for a walk (see below).

Walk

From Godrevy NT car park you can walk to see the seal colony (remember to be quiet, as seals can be easily distracted by loud voices) or enjoy the views of the lighthouse. Or, you can walk further, along the coast path. Scenic views guaranteed!

Tate

Visiting St Ives is a must if you’re in North-West Cornwall and this summer we went to the famous Tate St Ives art gallery. We started with a quick lunch at their top floor café, which has beautiful views of the town and the sea. The gallery has an activity room for children (with some very friendly staff members), so our pre-schooler was very happy to have some creative time there, while our baby girl had a very comfortable nap among the paintings, so I had chance to slowly go around the galleries and admire the art. I was especially fascinated by the gallery’s temporary exhibition devoted to the Lebanese artist, Huguette Caland.

Train

As much as I enjoy being by the sea, I also like travelling by train! While in Cornwall this summer, we could see the little train going by the coast every day and we knew we wanted to experience it. So we travelled from St Erth to St Ives and the views were truly amazing. We also went from St Erth to Penzance (in both instances the train journey didn’t last longer than 10 minutes).

Sunsets

The sunsets in this part of Cornwall are epic (unless it’s very cloudy or rainy!). The colours of the sky slowly changing, wide landscape and the sparkly silver sea. You can stare at the sky and wonder how nature can be so generous with its amazingness.

Have you visited this part of Cornwall? What did you enjoy most? Do let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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December 18, 2019

Travelling corner: My sentimental trip to Śląsk in Poland

I spent part of my childhood and youth in Śląsk (Silesia), it’s a province in the south of Poland. As I wasn’t born there, there were some aspects which always attracted my interest: the regional history, the industrial character of the region and their regional dialect (gwara śląska). I left this part of Poland in my early twenties to go study in the Czech Republic and then in the UK. These days, every time I re-visit this region, I’m more and more fascinated by the changes that have been made, in terms of new cultural establishments, improvements in the urban landscape and the rich cuisine on offer. I think I feel like my uni professor from Prague who, after living her whole life in architectonically diverse Prague, came to work in Śląsk, found an architectural relief and was fascinated by the industrial character of the region. So who knows, maybe I’ll inspire you to travel to this part of Poland!

Nikiszowiec 

Let’s start with the oldest part of Katowice (Katowice being the capital of Śląsk). It’s a more than one hundred years old settlement built originally for coal miners. The houses called familoki (in German Familien-Block), with red windows, were built for workers and their families. Even though this part of Katowice seems so beautiful, quiet and overall unreal, people actually still reside there. The perfect place for a slow walk to discover its uniqueness and beauty.

Café Byfyj 

If we’re in Nikiszowiec, we need to try some amazing food from Café Byfyj. I don’t go out so often and if I do, I try to visit places that respect our planet and choose sustainable, fresh and local products. The food here was delicious and what’s more, the service was amazing: kind and friendly.

Muzeum Śląskie (Silesian Museum)

Is there a better place to build a museum in industrial Śląsk than on the grounds of the former mine? Yes, in 2015 Muzeum Śląskie opened its new site which was built on the former Katowice mine. It’s now conveniently located in the centre of Katowice in Śląsk. It has art galleries, museum rooms, cafes and restaurants, and a library. I found the whole site beautifully rebuilt and was fascinated by the presentation of the history of Śląsk. I was impressed to see some paintings by well-known Polish artists.

That’s the story of my sentimental travel to Poland. Have you visited an important/inspiring place recently? Please let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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November 20, 2019

Travelling corner: Camping with baby

Is it easy? Is it worth doing? Is it manageable? Yes, you ask yourself all those questions before barking upon a family holiday under a tent. It wasn’t easy for me to decide when to go camping for the very first time, so today I’d like to share with you some advice/tips if you plan your first camping trip with the little one.

When: You’ll know when you’re ready and you’ll feel the same about your baby. Just wait and see. I think our baby was around 9 months when we went away camping.

Packing: Start packing early, to make sure you have all the necessary items with you which you can then easily find in the tent.

Time: I would suggest going for a shorter period, e.g. a weekend. We went for 4 days and it was absolutely enough.

Destination: We chose an off-track campsite within a 2-hour drive, but I think I would have preferred to have chosen a more commercial campsite. We didn’t complain, but I think we’d have had a better camping experience if the campsite was more baby-friendly.

Sleep: As I was still breast-feeding at night, I didn’t sleep so comfortably, because I was woken up every couple of hours. I knew the quality of my sleep would be compromised; out of 3 nights, I had one really good night’s sleep (not too bad, huh?).

Activities: Plan as little as possible, as you don’t know how much energy you’ll have left, after cooking, taking care of the children, cleaning up, etc.

Would I repeat it? Oh yes!!! Organisation-wise was a bit challenging, but overall, we had a great time together. And I love sleeping outside, so even with no uninterrupted sleep, I wouldn’t change it for anything!

Kinga Macalla

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October 23, 2019

Travelling corner: Bristol by bike (part 2)

In my humble opinion, Bristol is not the easiest place to cycle, as it’s quite hilly, but the bike trips I want to recommend today are not too challenging, they’re definitely family-friendly 🙂 I usually cycle with my family at weekends and we use a bike trailer for our two daughters who enjoy observing the world from there (or have a short nap, why not?!). My previous blog post on bike trips can be read here and today is part 2. OK, off we go! 3 bike trips are coming:

Shirehampton-Severn Beach (route no 41)

It’s a fairly easy ride, not too long. However, I highly recommended going on this bike trip on Sunday, as otherwise many lorries cross the route. It is always (at least in my case) windy in Severn Beach, so be prepared to have a break with your hair everywhere. Having said this, I do enjoy this cycling route, especially two moments; when you’re going among the trees and then the bridge view.

Shirehampton-Pill-Bristol Centre (route no 26)

I so wanted to go cycling on the other side of the river Avon (as I had looked at it many times from the train window) and this summer I finally fulfilled this desire! The cycling route is beautiful and it’s not very difficult, but I think it takes a bit longer to reach the centre than on the previous route. You will meet many cyclists, runners and walkers on the way, as it’s a popular way to enjoy one’s weekend, with the views of Clifton Suspension Bridge or the River Avon.

Shirehampton-Bristol Centre-Bedminster/Southville (Portway Road)

The cycling route goes along Portway Road which runs from Shirehapton to Bristol centre. There is a pavement, so the ride is comfortable, however, it’s sinusoidally up and down, so it takes some stamina to get to the centre. If you wish to go to Bedminster/Southville, then turn right on the small bridge, which I think it’s called Plimsoll Bridge. I usually go this way if I quickly need to reach the above destinations.

These are my favourite, most-used bike trips. Do let me know which cycling routes are your favourites. Leave your comment down below.

Kinga Macalla

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September 25, 2019

Travelling corner: St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall

We visited St Michael’s Mount for the third time this summer. The first time we went there was actually our first time in Cornwall. The second time I was pregnant with our first girl, and the third time we went there as a family of 4 (I’m starting to wonder how many of us will go there the next time we decide to visit the Mount! 😉 St Michael’s Mount is a tidal island in Cornwall with a castle, chapel and a few houses. The island it still inhabited and can be accessed on foot (low tide) or by boat (high tide). We read on Wikipedia that historically, St Michael’s Mount was a counterpart of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France (definitely plan to visit it, especially that the French island is more than 4 times bigger the British one!). We visited the island in peak season this year and this was the only drawback, as it was quite crowed when entering the castle and when waiting for the boat to go back. But, for the views, it was worth it.

Have you been to St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall or Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy? Do let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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