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The United Kingdom
  • Miel Degang
  • Laura Debyser
  • Miel Degang
  • Laura Debyser

The United Kingdom

A 87-day adventure by Miel & Laura Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 2, 2023
    The United Kingdom
    1Radcliffe Camera

    Oxford

    August 2, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    After a nauseating ferry ride we were welcomed by the white cliffs of Dover and England's best friend: the rain. We pushed straight on to Oxford. This small city is full of students, which makes sense because it has the oldest (12th C) and probably most beautiful university of the UK 🎓. Their Bodleian Library is one of the most important in the world. All this history combined with lots of vegan food made for a great start of our trip!Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    The famous Arlington Row in Bibury
    Bourton-on-the-waterTime for cream teatypical Cotswold countrysideLower SlaughterSt Edward's Church in Stow-on-the-Wold1Broadway Tower

    The Cotswolds

    August 3, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    These charming villages scattered among rolling hills and river valleys were an unexpected delight. We stopped in 3 of them and enjoyed our very first - but definitely not last - cream tea (tea with scones) ☕.Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    2Family picture before my parents split off to take a less challenging route
    The ridges of Crib Goch, Garnedd Udain and cloudy Snowdon4Y Lliwedd, peak nr 4Conway Castle with its attached suspension bridgeWhiskey tasting at Aber Falls DestilleryCream Tea at BeaumarisSouth Stack LighthouseOne of Anglesey's many pretty covesAnglesey's coast1Harlech CastleSnowdonia NP - Horseshoe TrekGPX

    North Wales

    August 6, 2023 in Wales ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We joined Miel's family to explore Wales together. Its highest mountain, mount Snowdon (1085m), is reachable by train but luckily we chose to take on the Horseshoe Loop, which tackles 3 other peaks as well. Scrambling along the other ridges turned out to be more exciting than queueing for a selfie at Snowdon's peak.

    The next day we did a whiskey tasting and drove around the island of Anglesey, stopping at some picturesque spots. Miel couldn't get enough of the island's wild shore and went trail running but, blinded by all this beauty and the sunset, he twisted his ankle. As befits Wales, we went castle hopping on our way to the south.    Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    Craig Goch Dam, Elan Valley
    2Waterfall Country, Brecon Beacons NP1Hay on Wye, a village with more than 20 bookshopsCardiff BayCardiff Central MarketTenby2St Govan's Chapel, Pembrokeshire NPSaint Davids CathedralWaterfall Country LoopGPX

    South Wales

    August 9, 2023 in Wales ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Lots of things to do in the more densely populated south! We drove along the many sheep and dams of the Elan Valley 🐑, went hiking in waterfall country in Brecon Beacons NP, arrived just after closing time at a famous second-hand book village 📚, strolled around Cardiff's arcades and covered market and enjoyed the views in Pembrokeshire NP from the cliffs and from the paddle board.Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    Kynance Cove near Lizard Point
    South West Coast Path near Lizard PointSunday Roast at a local pubBeare's Den campsiteSaint Michael's MountLunch at Gwynver Beach near Land's EndFalling for St Ives' snacksSunset at our final CampsiteBedruthan Steps beach1View near our campingLizard Point loopGPX

    Cornwall

    August 17, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    Cornwall is beautiful! Some car trouble with Otto didn't stop us from exploring the north and the south of this amazing county by walking some stretches of the South West Coast Path, paddleboarding near the cliffs and admiring the sea & sunsets from our beautiful campings!Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    1Westminster Abbey & Big Ben
    Moderat @ Field DayStreet food!London EyeDaunts bookshop!British MuseumNatural History MuseumBattersea

    London

    August 22, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Going to a music festival in one of London's beautiful parks was the perfect ending to our trip with the cakes ❤️. We lingered a little at Linde & Flo's place to discover the big city. We visited some of the many free museums, spent hours inside bookshops, strolled alongside the Thames riverbank and ate lots of street food.Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    1Thor's Cave in the south
    Quiet life at a typical farm campingStanage Edge113Bamford Edge1Nine Ladies stone circleMam TorWinnats pass1Peak District - Bamford & Stanage Edge loopGPX

    Peak District

    August 25, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Misleadingly, there are no real mountains in Peak District, so at first sight we were a bit underwhelmed. Luckily there were enough cute villages, rolling hills and caves to keep things interesting. We combined 2 famous gritstone edges that form 20-metre high crags in the moorland countryside. Climbing them was not an option due to Miel's sprained ankle, so he had to get his thrills out of joining the sheep at the overhanging edges.Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    York MinsterShambles - York's cosiest streetSpark - more than just street food

    York

    August 27, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    York has it all: an interesting Viking past ⚔️, the national railway museum with its iconic locomotives🚂, a trendy street food market 🍔, well-preserved city walls that offer great views 🏰, a majestic cathedral 🕍 and narrow cobblestone streets packed with peculiar shops in crooked little houses, which reminded us of Diagon Alley 🪄.Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    Pablo (the hyperactive) & Leo (the sweetie pie)
    Dillon (the food thief)North York Moors - Cleveland Way between Robin Hood's Bay & WhitbyWhitby Abbey1North York Moors - Carlton Bank & Live Moor1GPX

    Housesitting @ North York Moors NP

    September 2, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We spent one week housesitting in Thornton-Le-Moor, a small village close to Northallerton. It was so nice to have our own house for a while, especially with the three best dogs: Dillon, Pablo & Leo! We explored the nearby North York Moors, played with the dogs in the huge garden, baked muffins that Dillon immediately ate & enjoyed staying at home!Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    Bouldering @ Brimham Rocks
    Gordale ScarMalham Cove12Yorkshire Dale NP - Gordale Scar - Malham Cove loopGPX

    North York Dales NP

    September 3, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We visited the North York Dales National Park on our way to the Lake District. First stop: the Brimham Rocks, weird rock formations that Miel couldn't resist climbing (no worries, it wasn't that dangerous). Second stop: Malham, where we climbed a waterfall to enjoy the amazing views of the dramatic gorge of Gordale Scar and the special limestone scenery of Malham Cove. A romantic riverside dinner made this the perfect day 🥰. The next day we were woken at our quiet park4night spot by some cute cows 🐮.Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    2Windermere
    AmblesideLeaving Otto behind for our 2-day hikeAngle TarnView over Wast Water from Scafell Pike1 peak down, 4 to go1Paddle boarding on UllswaterSUP lunches are the best1Lake District NP - Angle Tarn - Scafell Pike - Bowfell - Pike of Vlisco loopGPX

    Lake District NP

    September 6, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Although this national park is mostly famous for - you guessed it - its 16 lakes, we couldn't ignore Scafell Pike, the highest peak of England. We did a bigger loop to avoid the most popular route, and pitched our tent at Angle Tarn on the way up. With all these beautiful lakes around here and the amazing weather, it was time to bring out our paddle board! We paddled the whole length of Ullswater (much more peaceful than a lake cruise) and hitchhiked back to Otto.Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    1Loyal Iqhwa & Talkative Ezweni
    Funny RufusRelaxed FergusBamburgh CastleLindesfarne Castle

    Housesitting & Bamburgh

    September 11, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We arrived in Scotland and did a short but memorable housesit. 4 days with 4 gorgeous animals! Since we're both fans of the TV show 'The Last Kingdom' (Laura loves Uthred) we had to visit Bamburgh Castle. We took the dogs with us and walked around nearby Lindesfarne Holy Island.Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    Fingal's Cave
    1More crazy basalt columsMiel on Staffa IslandOne of Mull's many waterfallsCalgary BayVegan fish & chips on Tobermory's pierBack to sleeping in Otto after the fancy housesit but we're not complaining :)

    Mull & Staffa

    September 12, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    We drove through the Isle of Mull mainly to get to Staffa and its magical Fingal's cave. This sea cave is entirely made up of hexagonal basalt columns, created by the cooling and contracting of lava 🌋. After this trip, we ended up driving around the whole Isle of Mull and were blown away by its diversity: waterfalls, white beaches, lakes, mountains, a colorful fishing village and lots of wildlife 🦭 🦅 🦌.Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    Glencoe Valley
    Bidean Nam BianSteep descent 😱Glen Etive Road - where a famous Skyfall scene was filmedThe beautiful Buachaille Etive Mór - no time to hike this one.Paddleboarding on Loch LevenGreat golden hours around hereGlencoe - Bidean Nam Bian loopGPX

    Glencoe Valley

    September 14, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We're in the Scottish Highlands 😍! Glencoe Valley is known for its waterfalls and many, many trails that climb the many, many peaks. We chose to conquer Bidean Nam Bian (at 1150m the highest around here) and were rewarded with the best views over the valley!

    Later, we parked Otto at the end of the scenic 'Skyfall Road' and admired the iconic Buachaille Etive Mór (damn these mountain names here) along the way 🏔️. The sudden 🌞 encouraged us to bring out our paddleboard and explore beautiful Loch Leven. At the end of the lake we had to wade through a river and run to catch the bus back 🚌.    Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    1
    Some cute 🐏 at the foot of Ben Nevis' peakCàrn Mòr Dearg ridgeView from the topVegan cafe in Fort William 🤤1Hogwarts Express 🪄2Loch Shiel2An attempt to capture the Milky WayBen Nevis - CMD ridge loopGPX

    Ben Nevis & Glenfinnan

    September 16, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    We tackled Scotland's highest mountain and in doing so apparently completed the 'National 3 Peaks Challenge' (we also climbed Scafell Pike in England and Snowdon in Wales). Some people even do this in 24 hours 😱. Since Ben Nevis is the highest of them all (1345m) we knew it wasn't going to be easy but when Miel discovered that there was an alternative, even more challenging route to the top, including a ridge scramble, his mind was set. It turned out to be the best choice because we were almost alone until we reached the crowded top. Unfortunately, Miel twisted his ankle again in the last kilometers (this time so hard his hiking boot even tore 🙈).

    We deserved a rest day and drove to Glenfinnan to join the hundreds of Harry Potter fans admiring the Jacobite Steam train crossing the viaduct 🚂. We took a dip in the icy Loch Shiel and found a beautiful spot to admire the sunset and spend the night.    Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    View from Quiraing over the Trotternish Ridge (not enough time to conquer the whole ridge)
    View over the Old Man of Storr, a weirdly shaped rock pinnacle formed by huge landslips3Miel (yellow) scrambled to the base to admire it up close and promised himself to climb it one day2Kilt Rock FallsBrother's Point capeNeist Point LighthouseNo whales but we did see gannets huntingBig Myrtle, the cosiest of all coffee shops. We ended up buying a cool book too!The Fairy Pools - people can usually swim here 😂1Quiraing loopGPX

    Isle of Skye

    September 21, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    Skye was wet ... very wet 🌧️. And windy ... very windy 💨. We drove around the whole island and visited the highlights in between rain showers. Luckily, these made up for the weather, the landscape on Skye is just magnificent!

    We hiked up the Quirang with views over the Trotternish Ridge, admired the Old Man of Storr on the other end of the same ridge, visited a few isolated capes that offered wide sea views, went out of our way to reach the picturesque Neist Point Lighthouse and saw the so-called Fairy Pools turned into Devil Pools. In between stops, we warmed up in every possible cute coffee shop 🍰.

    After 4 days of mixed feelings, we fled the island in search of a hostel with a warm shower, a washing machine and a drying room 🚿. After all, it's not that easy to travel with Otto in these conditions. On the bright side, waterfalls were more impressive than usual, we saw lots of rainbows 🌈 and we learned how to move from the driving compartment to the sleeping compartment, how to cook a decent meal and how to dry our clothes, all without getting out of our car.    Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    Eilean Donan CastleCorrieshalloch GorgeWe found the smallest castle ever near Achmelvich Beach!Miel's orange rain cover @ Old Man of Stoer2Old Man of StoerOne of two nights sleeping next to a lighthouse - great views guaranteed!Hiking to Sandwood Beach, one of Scotland's most remote beachesSango Bay viewpoint1Smoo (Norse for 'cave') Cave2Stacks of DuncansbySandwood Bay returnGPX

    NC500

    September 22, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    The North Coast 500 is a popular driving route around some of Scotland's most remote and beautiful mountains and beaches, circling the northern Highlands 🚐.

    Because it's over 800 kilometres (500 miles) of narrow, winding roads long, we knew we were going to spend a lot of time in Otto. Luckily, the stops (castles, beaches, sea stacks & a thousand viewpoints) along the way were impressive and binge listening podcasts provided great entertainment along the way🎧.Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    Leakey's, the overwhelming second hand-bookshop in Inverness
    Culture Cafedelicious food at the Victorian MarketHighlands museumUrquhart Castle ruinsNo Nessie, just some cute ducks1We should have known that the movie was going to suck as we were the only ones there 😅1

    Inverness & Loch Ness

    September 25, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    Visible from space, the Great Glen is a huge valley in the Scottish Highlands (running from Inverness to Fort William), eroded by glaciers more than 10,000 years ago. These glaciers carved the valley below present day sea level, forming a series of deep lakes, the largest and most famous of which is Loch Ness 🐍.Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    Seaton Cliffs NR near Abroath
    Playful RoscoSweet JessInseparable, these twoThere were also 10 chickens, we only remembered one of their names 😅Corrie Fee, Cairngorns NP1The dogs had cute towels, and they had to use them every dayClimbing in KirriemuirAfternoon Tea - we just had to try this fancy English habitGlamis CastleOur backyard

    Housesitting near Cairngorns NP

    October 8, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    After more than two weeks in Otto, it was so nice to be in a warm, cosy house and to take long, hot showers (especially as it was mostly 🌧️ during our 12 days here).

    Jess & Rosco were the sweetest dogs. As they are quite old, we couldn't take them on long hikes, but we enjoyed walking in the surrounding fields and made little trips to Corrie Fee and Abroath.

    Miel was treated with a storm on his 31th birthday (😱), but some afternoon tea at Glamis Castle made up for it!    Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    Ben VrackieLoch a' ChoirePitlochryThese epic castle gatehouses are dotted all over the countryQueen's View5 star B&B 'Otto'Ben Lawyers DamBen VrackieGPX

    Pitlochry

    October 10, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    After saying goodbye to Jess, Rosco and the very sweet family in Kirriemuir, it was time to put on our hiking boots (very necessary as it is swampy everywhere!).

    We were too late for the rafting season but we hiked to the top of Ben Vrackie through woodland, open moorland and past picturesque Loch a' Choire. The village of Pitlochry lies at the foot of this mountain. Apart from cosy cafés & restaurants, the dam & fish ladder were also worth a visit!

    We spent the night at Ben Lawyers but decided to skip the mountain peak (can't climb them all) and instead take a peek at the dam.    Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    View from Ben A'an
    1On the way to Conic HillLoch Lomond view from Conic HillInchconnachan Island, we had the whole island for ourselves to exploreLoch Lomond & The Trossachs NP - Ben A'an loopGPX

    Loch Lomond and The Trossachs

    October 11, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    This national park offers lochs, forests, glens and mountains across 1,865 square km. Miel climbed 2 of them: Ben A'an, close to the shores of Loch Achray, and Conic Hill, with stunning of Loch Lomond and its islands.

    It is getting quite cold and as we are getting quite old, our (especially Laura's) bodies often hurt after sleeping in Otto, so we stayed in a warm hotel for 2 nights (sorry Otto!). After a good night's sleep, we were ready to admire Loch Lomond from our paddleboard! We paddled to Inchconnachan Island, also known as Wallaby Island as it is - surprisingly - home to a unique population of wallabies 🦘. We explored the island and met some beautiful deer, but the wallabies were probably sleeping.    Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    Botanic GardensUniversity of GlasgowRiverside Museum1Laura doing a happy dance because of our warm hotel roomThe Falkirk Wheel is the only boat lift that turns

    Glasgow

    October 12, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    As Glasgow is less than an hour from Loch Lomond, we made a quick visit to this city (the biggest in Scotland). We visited the beautiful Botanic Gardens, the impressive main building of the university of Glasgow, walked along the river Clyde to the Riverside Museum and strolled around the (very rectangular) city centre.Read more

  • The United Kingdom
    The busy Royal Mile
    Victoria StreetCemetery where JK Rowling got some inspiration1Arthur's Seat1Cuddly FergusPopular Dougie1Lots of green in the suburb of Morningside

    Housesit in Edinburgh

    Oct 16–19, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    The capital provides the full Scottish experience: a castle, a whiskey centre, buskers playing the bagpipes, tartan weaving shops, magic stores, hills to climb, you name it 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿. We were lucky to find a great housesit here and explored the city with Dougie, who seemed to make everyone happy and got a crazy amount of cuddles everywhere we went. The city centre is extremely beautiful, but Edinburgh might just be the only city where the suburbs are equally nice. Throw in some great coffee shops, a few farmer markets, cool bookstores, vegan restaurants and you get the perfect city!Read more

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