In December 2018 we landed in England as a family of five, for the first time in four years. It was so exciting to be spending Christmas and New Year in England. It was the first Christmas our three children ever experienced in England, shared with all their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Celebrating Christmas with family in England
In April 2017 I travelled by myself to England for a quick 9 day visit, whilst the girls stayed in New Zealand with hubby over the Easter break. I was keen to see my Mum, who’d just celebrated her 70th Birthday, and the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with my folks and sister was a real treat. Here’s the posts from that trip…
A hike in the Peak District National Park, from Edale to Chinley
The day after arriving in the Peak District, at my sister’s house, we set out on a crisp spring morning (a chilly 7°C) with my parents and sister’s partner. We took the train, from Chinley to Edale, so we could hike back across the hills, covering nearly 400(m) of elevation gain in 12km (nearly 8 […]
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Peak District loves with my folks in England
The second part of my visit to family in England (part one here) was spent in the Peak District, with my folks, sister and her partner. In a short three day, four night visit we enjoyed an 8 mile hike from Edale to Chinley (blog post here), I ran my first fell run at Herod […]
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A fix of family, English countryside & history in Hampshire
Mid April I took off from Wellington, New Zealand, flying over the great Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, to visit my folks in England. I was keen to see my Mum, who’d turned seventy on the 2nd April, and to spend some precious time with her, my Dad, sister and partner. I flew solo, for […]
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SEPTEMBER 2016
Alice, our youngest daughter, went on an amazing adventure with her Mummy in September 2016. They travelled all the way to London, England to spend three amazing weeks travelling through England and Wales, visiting family and celebrating the 70th Birthday of Alice’s Grandad and her Aunty Claire’s 40th Birthday. Here are blog posts of the trip…
The past couple of months have literally flown by and before this year comes to an end I really want to share a last few highlights from my special visit to the UK with my youngest daughter, Alice. I made a photograph book for my folks, which my Mum especially treasures, as sadly she has […]
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Staying on the shore of Lake Windermere, at the YHA Ambleside, we spent three nights, and a few wonderful days, soaking up the beautiful scenery. We enjoyed hiking the countryside, taking a boat across the lake and visiting Beatrix Potter‘s 17th-century farmhouse ‘Hill Top. Our hike took us about 6 miles, from Wray Castle to […]
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One of the many highlights of my recent trip to the UK was being there to celebrate my Dad’s 70th Birthday and my sister’s 40th Birthday. It was wonderful to not only share an incredible three week trip with my folks and their youngest granddaughter, my daughter Alice, aged 6, but to also celebrate two ‘milestone’ Birthdays! We […]
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In the planning of our visit to the UK we’d set aside ‘Thursday 15th September’ for taking a walk on Snowdon – without setting any expectations about how far we’d walk (since our group of four included my 6 year old daughter, Alice, and we had no idea what the weather Gods would have in […]
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This time last week we arrived in the Lake District and settled into the YHA in Ambleside for three nights. We enjoyed a wonderful few days in the Lake District, as well as enjoying the most beautiful scenery from our accommodation, located right on the shore of Lake Windermere. This was the view from our […]
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Having arrived at my Aunty’s lovely, residential holiday caravan, in Rhyl, North Wales, the night before, we woke to a beautiful day and were amped up for a day of exploring. My Dad had a great day planned for us and before driving up to Great Orme we made an obligatory stop at Rhyl beach […]
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On our drive up to Ludlow, Shropshire, from Hampshire, we stopped in at Berrington Hall, a National Trust Property. My folks are members, of the National Trust UK, and if I lived in the UK I would definitely be joining up too (it would be a dream to work for them!). Growing up in England […]
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Driving up to Ludlow, from Hampshire, we made a stop at the spectacular Gloucester Cathedral. It is steeped in history, having been a place of worship, in some form or another, for close on 1,000 years! Gloucester’s great Cloister, over 650 years old, is famous for its breath-taking fan vaulting, the earliest of its kind […]
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Windsor is a short drive from my folks home, in North Hampshire, and a few days after landing in the UK they took us to see Windsor Castle. We didn’t have time to look around the inside of the castle, but young Alice, aged 6, was more than content. She was delighted to have a […]
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We landed in London on Thursday, after three flights from Wellington, New Zealand, taking some serious flying hours! It’s just Alice and I on this trip, whilst my older two daughters are at home with their Daddy. Alice is such a happy and positive travel companion. We managed to get a good stint of sleep […]
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JULY & AUGUST 2014
Either side of a trip to Copenhagen, accompanying the man of the house on a business trip, we spent time in England and Wales during the months of July and August 2014. Our time was spent catching up with dear family, who we miss terribly as expats. Any time we spend together is extremely precious and the memories we make are what we cherish and hold on to, until the next time.
24 hours in England
A family reunion in North Wales
Exploring Portmeirion Village, North Wales
A coastal run in North Wales
Driving through Wales and a weekend in Cardiff Bay
At home with the folks in Hampshire, England
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JANUARY 2014
LA to UK for 4 days, sans children. A once in a decade trip! Part 1
An English Wedding & a reunion of old friends (Part 2 of my trip to the UK)
Away to the Peak District & pause for thought | Part 3
