Surprising New Year’s Resolutions… One Month Early!

Get this! It’s only November, but I’ve already set a New Year’s resolution. Yes me, who never usually bothers, knowing there’s no way I’ll stick to it. Oh and guess what, a few weeks in and I’ve actually stuck to it so far.

Last year was all about big, brave adventures in Mexico, Central America and Cuba. Not only was it a break from reality, it was a big change. I went partly to tick off that old cliche and ‘find myself’… but actually what I found was far more exciting!

Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala

This year has been all about Europe and breaks closer to home. It’s been great to explore countries I’d never stepped foot in before (Lithuania, Estonia and Turkey to name a few) and return to others for further exploration (including Greece, Spain and Morocco).

While I have a few plans figured out for 2016, and a bucket list as long as my arm, I’ve decided to make sure I don’t neglect home. This may come as a surprise… after all, I love leaving my comfort zone! Can you believe I’ve never been to the Lake District? A friend mentioned the other day that they thought it was more beautiful than Milford Sound in NZ. It’s only a few hours by train and yet I’ve never been. How did this happen?

New Forest

I didn’t know where the New Forest was until I Googled it! And I’ve barely set food in Scotland or Ireland. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in travel being a BIG deal. Huge adventures, long flights, spending a lot of money, huge itineraries, lots of pre-trip research… you know how it is. Spontaneity evaporates.

So I mentioned I’d already started work on this? Well last month I spent 24 hours in historic Canterbury, Kent. Past experiences had included a quick dinner in Pizza Express, and a visit to see a bitter ex-boyfriend. Thankfully, the slate was wiped clean on this trip. I stayed in a 15^th Century B&B, ate some of the best locally sourced food I’ve ever eaten and found there was plenty more to the city than the famous cathedral.

Last weekend I continued to stick to my resolutions and hopped on a train up to Nottingham. It’s not somewhere I’d ever considered as a weekend break destination but there was absolutely tonnes to see and do. To many, Nottingham is known as the City of Caves, but that info didn’t seem to have reached me! It’s also home to a buzzing foodie scene… something I was very excited to sample.

Plenty of tales from my weekend of caves and calories coming soon, but for now here are a few pics to whet your appetite…