Time off

There’s more to life than work, you know…

Most of our time off is spent outdoors and as far away from cities and people as possible. This was never a deliberate decision, it just worked out that way. Nor do we go for the easy life of lounging on a beach – our time off usually gives us blisters…

Going places, doing stuff

When we do travel for the sake of travelling there are a few places we like to return to again and again. In this country, Norfolk and Cornwall tug us in opposite directions. Abroad, we go for islands. Malta is a place I have happy childhood memories of, Iceland was somewhere we were learning to love until they went and spoiled it by starting whaling again.

Classic modes of transport

Henry Ford started the rot with his mass produced motor car, available in any colour you wanted so long as you picked black. Since then, if you’ve travelled somewhere the chances are you did it in a dull, uninspired piece of efficient engineering.

Or maybe you didn’t…

Classics do exist in the world of transport, and we are lucky enough to own or have owned two. Both our Triumph Spitfire and our former sailing cruiser Fair Breeze stand out from the anonymous mass of cars or boats that surround them each time they’re used, proving every day that ‘new’ doesn’t always mean ‘improved’.

[intlink id=”walking” type=”page”]Walking[/intlink]
On the SW Coast Path at FalmouthLiving in London is only tolerable if I can escape regularly into the countryside. Walking lets me do this: I am tackling the South West Coast Path and Thames Path, having already completed the North Norfolk Coast Path.
Archaeology
Tea break at Old Jamaica Road, SouthwarkFor a journalist, digging up dirt comes naturally – which may explain why you’ll sometimes find me at the bottom of a hole, labouring at an archaeological dig. Recently I’ve also learned more about what goes on out of the trenches.
[intlink id=”travel” type=”page”]Travel[/intlink]
Driving from Reykjavik to Keflavik AirportLike most people with permanently itchy feet we’ve built up a list of our favourite places to go. Hotels, guest-houses, restaurants, places to visit and people to talk to all combine to tug you back again and again. Here’s some ideas.
[intlink id=”the-triumph-spitfire-disaster-section” type=”page”]The Triumph Spitfire disaster area[/intlink]
The Spitfire in all its gloryI always wanted a Triumph Spitfire, since childhood when I saw them new. For many years the desire lay dormant, half forgotten, but eventually the chance came to buy one. So I did. And this is the story of what happened…
[intlink id=”fair-breeze” type=”page”]Fair Breeze[/intlink]
Mooring Fair Breeze near Hunters YardFair Breeze was a dream come true – a traditional 1950s wooden sailing cruiser, moored at Horning in the Norfolk Broads. Everyone who tries her says she’s a joy to sail, and we felt so incredibly lucky to own her.