Category: Retirement

Rest and relaxation in Melbourne before starting the journey back north.

After our long journey from Far North Queensland to Melbourne we were looking forward to catching up with friends and family, not to mention getting some well-earned R&R. We managed to do that, and before long it was time to saddle up and begin the journey north again. This post covers the time we spent in Melbourne, and then our […]

Mildura – the last stop before Melbourne

Our road trip southwards from Far North Queensland to Melbourne has now reached Mildura in Victoria’s Sunraysia district. This will be our final stop before reaching Melbourne and catching up with friends and family. Mildura is a lovely town on the banks of the mighty Murray River. The city and its surrounds have a rich history, first from its days […]

Carnarvon Gorge

After leaving the flat plains of outback Queensland’s grazing districts, we continued our journey south through the centre of the State. Our destination was to an entirely different world, Carnarvon Gorge in the Sandstone Wilderness of Western Queensland. We discovered a wonderful oasis in this very remote part of Australia, hours from the nearest town. We did a couple of […]

Once There Were Dinosaurs

We are travelling again, this time on a road trip from Cairns to Melbourne and back again. The first part of our journey was to the Flinders Region of outback Queensland. Tens of millions of years ago the area was a large, shallow sea with a multitude of islands forming an archipelago and hundreds of kilometres of sandy shores. The […]

A Short Stopover in Hong Kong

After leaving London and family behind we flew to Hong Kong where we had a one-night stopover. Neither of us had been to Hong Kong for decades. Last time we were there it was still a British colony, and flights threaded their way through apartment towers to land at Kai Tak airport. Although we were only there for a short […]

Meandering Around Mediaeval York

After our snowy visit to Schliersee in Bavaria, we took the train north to York. But not before an important celebration in London before we left. Click on the photo to read about our visit to York, where we experienced its long heritage through Roman, Viking, and Christian eras. York, England January 2026 If you want to follow our travels […]

Coda – A few last things to see in Delhi

We had an afternoon and most of the next day to fill in Delhi. We booked a single night in South Delhi, about halfway between the airport and Connaught Place, the commercial centre of New Delhi. Using the new, and very impressive, metro system, we did some final exploring. There were a couple of popular attractions within a couple of […]

Close Encounters of the Tiger Kind

After the closure of airports in the north-west of the country we had to make last minute changes to our plans, adding days in Goa and cancelling our visit to Chandigarth and Amristsar. But we were very relived when we were able to juggle dates and flights so we could still get to Nagpur for our much-anticipated visit to Tadoba-Andhari […]

Relaxing at the beach – North and South Goa

This would be our third visit to the west-coast state of Goa. Karma has four resorts along the coast of the smallest Indian state. Previously we had stayed a week at the southernmost property, Haathi Matal, and then another at Monterio in the north of the state. On this trip, we had booked a week back at Monterio at Baga […]

Puducherry – A Touch of France

Our Indian travels continue, moving southwards from Chennai to the lovely former French colony of Puducherry. Following almost 300 years of French rule, Puducherry was only transferred back to Indian control in the mid-20th century. Today, it retains much of its European heritage. This is being strengthened due to a great deal of restoration work underway in the French Quarter. […]

Our Last Waltz – The Antrim Coast

The final story from our Grand Adventure before starting the long journey home is from County Antrim, the area to the north of Belfast. Our last stay was in the coastal town of Cushendall, in the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Two of Northern Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions were close by, and we did day […]

A Monster in The Highlands

Loch Ness, home to the famous monster Nessie, lies next to Inverness, the capital of The Highlands. We spent a few days in the district, exploring what sights it has to offer. The surrounding area is incredibly rich with attractions for tourists. From the rugged wilderness of the loch itself, to ancient sites, grand castles, spectacular beaches, a famous battlefield, […]

Speyside, The Centre of the Whisky Universe

As we continue our journey northwards through Scotland, we head back towards The Highlands. But before we get there, we pass through Speyside, where more than half of Scotland’s whisky is made. Although it was only a short visit, we were able to combine another house sit, a second walk in the Cairngorms, and a visit to one of Speyside’s […]

In the Footsteps of Romans along Hadrian’s Wall

We have done some great walks in some wonderful places during our adventure, and one of our bucket-list destinations was the walk along Hadrian’s Wall, near the border between Scotland and England. This is the story of the four days we did on the walk, and the days either side. We also wanted to visit here because Chris has family […]

A Weekend in West Yorkshire

We had an opportunity to pick up another house sitting gig on our way north, this time looking after a pair of house-rabbits. They were pretty easy to look after, and it gave us a chance to look at a couple of cities that were at the centre of England’s industrial revolution. As with our visit to Liverpool a few […]