Tag

United Kingdom

Browsing

Living in the UK has made me really interested in nature and wildlife! Especially, spending time in the Welsh countryside from spring to early summer this year gave me plenty of encounters with various wildlife, which helped me memorise some species of birds such as blue tit, yellow wagtail, robin and more. Most of those encounters with birds happened in front of the house or in the garden, except, this one incident. The ‘accidental meeting’ a couple of months ago occurred inside the house… A story about a European robin pooing on the toilet (cover) in the house. It was around 8 a.m. (BST) on the 2nd of June. Having let Josh’s family dog out for his morning business somewhere at the edge of the garden, we kept the french door open for some fresh air. A bold European robin gatecrashed our breakfast when we all were in the kitchen…

2 weekends ago, I went wild blackberry picking for the first time ever. I heard that normally the peak season for blackberries in the UK is between mid-July and September; but I wasn’t sure how good they would be this year, due to the lack of rain and hot weather. We ventured out with 3 containers, 15~20 minutes away from home, where Josh’s grandmother had seen a lot of wild blackberries. Indeed, we saw many in various conditions on a hill slope where few people would choose to walk. Alongside the wild blackberries was plenty of evidence of rabbits and foxes. They must’ve been very happy seeing all these foods and tucking in! I asked Josh which ones I should take, to which he advised me to pick ones that were not mushy, but instead fairly firm and a rich black. He also added that I should avoid ones that…

On a summery day, Josh and I wanted to do something special on his birthday, after months of staying home. Over the past months, whenever we walked or drove with a view of the River Wye, he often said ‘it would be nice to go canoeing on the Wye while we were in Wales’. And his birthday was the perfect day to make it happen! Although we could go virtually sightseeing in Wales, it couldn’t beat real activities in the great Welsh outdoors. Since the Welsh government gradually lifted the lockdown, some outdoor facilities started to reopen. In Symonds Yat, a popular viewpoint of the River Wye, there are many canoe hire companies for the visitors. We decided, if the weather was good, to hire a canoe from one of those companies. The company we went with for a canoe hire was Canoe the Wye. At the time of our…

With a complex relationship with England and also a different feel Edinburgh offers from that of London, Scotland is another very attractive destination in the UK. Just as many people love England and London, many other people also prefer Scotland and Edinburgh! If you’ve tried virtual tours to England and London from my previous #TravelFromHome series, this time let’s see the list of virtual tours in Scotland. Edinburgh Castle In this 360-degree video, you can have a bird’s-eye view of Edinburgh Castle and the city during the first minute, followed by spots inside the castle in a panorama. It’s rather impressive that we can see Edinburgh Castle from unique angles which we can’t get even if we visit in person, thanks to drone filming. If you feel the video didn’t show you inside the castle enough, explore more using Google Maps Street View below. Loch Ness You can also join…

Not just saving inspirational holiday photos on Instagram for future trips, you can explore popular attractions and sites in a different way: virtual tours! Watch your wish-to-go places more realistically and lively with 360-degree panoramic views and virtual tour videos. As part of my #TravelFromHome series, today I’m going to take you to Wales! The focus of listings for Wales is slightly different from my previous posts about virtual tours in London and England; this time, it’s all about nature and activities! Snowdonia National Park Travel Snowdonia National Park virtually, the UK’s 3rd largest national park, and feel the grand nature Wales has to offer. Virtual Trekking Virtual Mountains shares several online trekking routes in Snowdonia National Park, giving you a glimpse of what it’ll feel like to hike the mountains there. On the web page, choose a thumbnail photo of the starting point you want to see. As long…

Although the current COVID-19 situation has made us stay home, it doesn’t mean we cannot travel at all… As a matter of fact, you can take the lockdown as an opportunity to learn about some of the most-visited places in the UK. Thanks to the digital world, you can have virtual sneak peaks of some attractions, before visiting in person when you can! With my #TravelFromHome mini series, where I previously covered virtual tours in London, let me take you to England today! Stonehenge Stonehenge is one of the most famous of the 400+ historic sites English Heritage owns, which is also a top day trip destination from London. Though you can’t visit Stonehenge now due to COVID-19, English Heritage provides a few ways to virtually explore it: 360-degree View of Stonehenge Video This 3-minute YouTube video guides you through the inside and the outside Stonehenge in detail. Since it…