Trying to get lost on Islay

I have no sense of direction. Seriously, plonk me down anywhere in the world without a map or compass and I will walk around in circles for an eternity until I find somebody helpful. I don't always exactly enjoy being lost, but it has come to be an expected part of my daily existence. Even after three years of living in Southampton, I still only knew very certain routes from place to place.... I find it hard to navigate my way around shopping centres, forget what way I came in a door and head back out in the opposite direction and sometimes even get a little bit lost when swimming underwater in a swimming-pool.*

You would imagine that all of this is a bit of a handicap while I'm travelling alone (and sometimes it is awful), but recently I have developed a game. It's very simple...

1. In a new city wander down whichever roads/alleyways take your fancy (the windier the better).
2. Keep on doing so for half an hour, maybe an hour if you're feeling brave/very bored.
3. Now simply try and find your way back.

I started off playing this game in places I supposedly knew very well (Dorchester, Southampton, driving around the single lanes near my old village in Dorset...), but soon became cocky enough to try it abroad. In Marrakesh there was no chance of me finding my way anywhere, so that wasn't a good beginning, but the small blue-tinged town of Chefchaouen was ideal. Ten minutes of walking in random directions and it took two hours to find my way back to the hostel. Since then I've explored Seville, Lisbon and Porto in the same way and am keen to have another go the next time I'm alone in a big town.

Whenever that might be...

The Dower House- dilapidated home of my parents and my current abode.

For now that isn't very easy to organise on the small island of Islay in Scotland. Instead, I tried the same thing in our little car and drove inland along all the roads I didn't recognise. Unfortunately I couldn't get lost, there aren't enough roads, but at least now I know where they all lead.

Here are a few photos from my afternoon's exploration... 

This is the little car that my parents are letting me use while I'm living up here- it's not exactly cut out for the pot-holes and mud swamps we try to get through sometimes.

A village I'd never noticed before- Ballygrant apparently.

Thanks for reading- if you're lucky I'll write you a slightly more informative post next time. :)

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*As my university lifesaving friends would testify after I once managed to swim into a wall during a competition.

Seven big Italian cities, three weeks and an almost non-existent budget.

This is another travel flashback, this time to 2009. My thinking is that if I could travel around Italy on the cheap age 17, then it should be possible for everyone. 

My friend Caitlin and I had been planning our adventure long in advance- we knew our route (Milan, Verona, Venice, Florence, Rome, Pisa and then La Spetzia by the sea), had bought our inter-rail tickets and saved as much money as physically possible as a waitress earning £3.75 an hour while still at school. Needless to say, Italy probably wasn't the best choice of low-budget destination, but young and enthusiastic we were lured by the promise of ancient architecture, romantic language and plentiful sunshine. The fact that Italy's wine was one of the only things actually cheaper than in the UK was just an added bonus!

Although hostels can be a cheap form of accommodation, those in the major Italian cities were still a little out of our price range. Instead, we decided to camp and surprisingly found convenient(ish) campsites everywhere we wanted to visit. 

If I was to visit Italy again now (hopefully some time in the not too distant future), I'd probably try and hitchhike, couch-surf and visit some of the smaller towns and countryside in order to make my money stretch further, but as a first attempt at travelling on the cheap this wasn't bad.

Verona

This was a disaster. We'd hopped off the train with a plan to quickly have a look at the amphitheatre before heading to Venice to set up camp. Unfortunately, we weren't as organised as we had first thought... with no map, no money for taxi's and heavy bags we wandered aimlessly in the forty degree heat, too scared to ask for directions until it was time to catch the next train.

Not a promising start, but thankfully that was our last major disaster (excluding an encounter with a definite paedophile in Rome).

Venice

I'm always fascinated with coastal cities and Venice goes one step further by being built into the water itself. If you're anything like me you'll probably spend most of your time here lost, but only away from the central Piazza San Marco will you find the most interesting little alleyways, quiet canals and the cheapest gelato. The lemon sorbet alone is refreshing enough to sustain you until your find your way back to a water-taxi. 

Ok, sorry, went a little crazy with the canal photos- just one more!

Florence

My (and many other people's) favourite of Italy's famous cities is undoubtedly Florence. Smaller and not as aggressive than Rome, with less tour groups than Venice, but still steeped in history, art and culture, Florence is a city for relaxing in coffee shops- probably watching attractive Italian people walk past.

Art nerds will enjoy the Uffizi gallery, which boasts a pretty exciting array of work (including that of Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt and even a bit of Leonardo da Vinci). It only costs €3.50 if you're a youngster under twenty-five, just remember it's shut on Mondays and the line can be pretty long so get there early. 

The Uffizi Gallery- http://www.virtualuffizi.com/uffizi/information.htm

Above: There are several David's in Florence. This isn't Michelangelo's original, but it's the only one you can see with a sunset!

Everything in Florence looks good enough to eat your own body-weight in, but we survived mostly by cooking our own supermarket tagliatelle and settled for staring longingly through shop windows.

The Ponte Vecchio (above and below), built in 1345, is one of Florence's famous landmarks. Seems like an excellent backdrop for a little topless gardening. ^

The view from our campsite was incredible, but the massive hill to up get there meant we probably earned it.

Rome

Home to Italy's biggest famous sights, most terrifying pedestrian crossings and pushiest sales-people, Rome can be a little overwhelming. The campsite was pretty fancy, but inconviniently far away from the city center, relitively expensive and unfortunatly home to the creepiest man in Itlay. We left two days early to escape his leaturous advances!

Rome's boisterous, but I found not even the crowds could ruin the sight of a two-thousand year old building on the scale of the Colosseum...

AKA- Flavian Amphitheatre
Why is it so special?- It was the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire, is considered to be one of the greatest ever Roman works of architecture and engineering and is still the largest amphitheatre in the world.
Who built it?- The emperor Vespasian started building the Colosseum in 70 AD, then his heir Titus completed it in 80 AD. Further modifications were made by Domitian, Titus' successor. These three emperors are known as the Flavian hence the name 'Flavian Amphitheatre'.
What was it used for?- The Colosseum had a capacity of 50,000 to 80,000, and was used for spectacles such as gladiator fights.
Why is it in such a state?!- A combination of earthquakes and stone-robbers (yes that was a thing...). Give it some slack though, it's pretty old!

So, how old is the Colosseum compared to some of the Earth's other big stone things?

These are the newly chosen 'Wonders of the World' chosen by an opinion pole around a decade ago.
Read more about them here- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New7Wonders_of_the_World  

This is the Trevi Fountain, built in the 1700s. If you have a coin to spare (I don't think I did), then you are welcome to contribute to the estimated 2000-3000 euros thrown in there each day for luck. Thankfully they are supposed to donate this to the cities poor, but I think it also gets robbed pretty regularly so it's up to you.

Vatican City

A city that forms a country, within a city, within a bigger country- the Vatican is a great place to visit if you are

A. Religious 

B. Into art, European culture or incredible architecture

or C. Trying to rack up your country count...

Make sure to dress appropriately- I got told off for having too much cleavage looking like this...

Remember, no photos in the Sistine Chapel- unfortunately very little space to relax and absorb Michelangelo's work either as an annoying recording reminds you to stay silent every few seconds in an excessive amount of languages...

NO PHOTOS!

Pisa

As a city, Pisa hasn't got a lot to write home about, or at least not much that my 17 year old self could find, but it's pretty much obligatory to have your photo taken with the leaning tower. 

 ...no I'm not going to share mine here.

We had a fantastic time here drinking giant bottles of beer, dodging exploding cartons of sun-ripened milk and making friends with the other nutters at our campsite.

La Spezia 

Our final destination and some well-earned beach relaxation after the craziness of Italy's bustling cities. La Spezia is pretty touristy, but once you get away from the main beach it's possible to find some peace and quiet.

The sea is beautiful...

Finally, I'll leave you with this baby-faced photo of me on my 18th birthday. Sunshine, pizza and wine- what more could you want?

I've been obsessed with travelling ever since.

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Ten photos that remind me why I have to go back to Portugal...

I hadn't even intended to visit Portugal, but after bumbling up through Morocco and along the South of Spain, that was where I ended up. I only had a few days and never made it out of the cities, Faro, Lisbon and Porto, but that was enough to convince me that I need to return- and soon!

Lisbon particularly has some incredible (and enormous) street art, partly thanks to the Crono project, which encourages artists to turn the walls of abandoned buildings into masterpieces.

The artists-
Above- Gêmeos (to the left) and BLU
Below- Sam3 (to the left) and Ericailcane

If you're interested you can read more about the Crono project- http://cargocollective.com/Crono 

As much as I approve of this relatively new street art, nobody could ever have accused Portugal's cities of needing to brighten up. These tiles, known as Azulejo, have been keeping the streets colourful since the 15th century (according to Wikipedia). 

These tiles seem to adorn even the dingiest of corners, making the backstreets beautiful with a quirky charm that had me wandering aimlessly for hours.

The buildings themselves are pretty impressive too. 

  

Above- Rossio Railway Station, Lisbon                                                           Above- Porto                            

Below- Commerce Square, Lisbon        

Finally, this is the view from the river bank in Porto at night- I think it speaks for itself. 

Have you ever been to Portugal? Where would you recommend I try next?

You might also like... Seven big Italian cities, three weeks and an almost non-existent budget...

Eight amazing seaside spots on the Isle of Islay- advice from a local.

Islay- the location of the majority of my childhood holidays and now home to my family, I've always known there were plenty of amazing places to see on Islay (even if it is a bit chilly at this time of year). I do realise however, that the majority of people will either have never heard of it or have just seen the name on expensive whiskey bottles, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite places... You can't beat the advice of a local!

Where is it? -Islay is one of the most Southery islands of the Inner Hebrides. You can zoom in and out on this map to see where it is and where my favorite spots are.



How many people live there? -Just over three thousand in the winter, but quite a few more in holiday season.

How can you get around? -If you don't have your own vehicle, Hitchhiking is remarkably easy, you can hire bikes, walk or maybe even kayak if you're into that.

What can I look foreward to? -empty beaches, exciting wildlife (seals, eagles, deer, otters etc), friendly people and weather that might not be quite as bad as you imagine.

Know before you go- It's pronounced 'I-la' not 'is-lay' and yes people will laugh at you if you say it wrong.

1. The Oa- that weird blob that sticks out from the South coast. The Oa has some awe-inspiring cliffs and many deserted beaches. It's also a likely place to spot one or two of the island's famous golden eagles. 

Thanks Chalky for the use of your camera! ...oh and your car :)

2. Saligo Bay- an incredible sandy beach with handy rocks to sit on around the edges. Islay is so remote that my family used to get genuinely annoyed when we had to share the beach with another family. 

3. Portnahaven- a little village on the South-West tip of the island. It's picturesque even when the weather is bad and the best place to spot seals. They're really tame here and often come within a few meters of the shore.

4. Machir Bay- over a mile of sand dunes and clean, empty beach. It can get pretty windy down there and watch out for the currents if you're brave enough to go swimming.

5. Sanaigmore- a beautiful sandy beach with the type of strange protruding rocks that Thailand is famous for (admittedly on a smaller scale). It also has an interesting little local art gallery called 'Outback Art' which doubles up as a coffee shop.

6. Killinallan- with these abandoned farmhouses and the endless beach, it's worth exploring the countryside around Killinallan, just give the bull a wide berth. We think he's harmless, but that bellow sounds a bit intimidating!

7. Kildalton Cross- OK, so it's not quite on the seaside, but erected over 1,200 years ago, Kildalton Cross is the only early Christian cross still standing in its original position. That's got to be worth a visit?

8. Proiag Bay- Pretty much as remote as you can get in a day. Firstly you drive to the end of the road, then to the end of that track to Ardtalla Farm. From Ardtalla there's an interesting (and sometimes very boggy) walk to the abandoned farm Proiag. This old farmhouse has been made into a bothy, with working fireplace an often dry firewood, so if you fancy camping out for the night, you don't even need to bring a tent.

Had enough of empty beaches? Maybe this guy will cheer you up...

Thanks for reading! Ever been to the Hebrides? Which island and what did you think?