I’ve had a notional travel list in my head for as long as I can remember; my pre-pandemic ideas being quite different to the ones I have now. This post was actually inspired by Helen who writes the rather lovely blog: https://thingshelenloves.com/ Helen blogs about ‘Life Outdoors, Vintage Love & Travel Adventures’. Helen’s post ‘10 Places For 2021: My Wish List‘ struck a chord with me. Do have a look!

Top of my previous travel list would have been India. It is a country I have never visited even though I have Indian heritage. I’m not saying I will never spend time there but a visit is temporally on hold.

My current travel list, in no particular order, is as follows:

  • London is relatively close to where I live in the UK, the fastest train journey is 35 minutes to Waterloo, although I do have to add in the drive from our village to the station. I think I take London for granted because I lived there for many years and it’s so easy to access. Now that I haven’t been able to get to the city because of lockdown, I imagine how much I’d love to catch the train and, on leaving Waterloo Station, stroll eastwards along the South Bank. I would be happy just to take in that wonderful London skyline. I outlined a fabulous walk beside the Thames here: A London walk – Rotherhithe, the Mayflower and more
Photo by Chris Schippers on Pexels.com
  • Brighton and Hove I’ve loved Brighton and Hove since I was a teenager. I like the quirky, bohemian, cosmopolitan, atmosphere of this city beside the sea. There are students, pensioners, artists and a range of different cultures to be found here. Brighton has long had a reputation for being liberal and accepting of alternative lifestyles and is well known for its LGBT community. For shopping, I love the North Laines where a variety of individual, interesting and unusual shops can be found. However, what I am longing to do the most is to take Zeph to Hove where he can make his first visit to the seaside. When we were staying in the area, as Trusted Housesitters, we discovered so many dog friendly cafés and I can’t wait to visit them again.
Brighton rainy night stroll

Stockbridge The next place on my list would be Stockbridge, the one in Hampshire, not Edinburgh! There is lots to love about this charming little town but the main reason I have this on my list is because it’s where I regularly meet one of my closest friends. If there’s one thing lockdown has brought home to me, it’s how much I miss seeing my family and friends. It’s nearly a year since I met up with this particular friend and I can’t wait until we can meet up for one of our long walks and a face to face chat.

The Gower Travelling a little further afield, to another country – Wales! I have long loved this part of South Wales, ever since my first introduction to the area, as a young teacher in South London. We used to take our very urban pupils, on a field study strip, to this gorgeous part of the world. I have continued to visit this beautiful peninsula ever since. If you like walking, I’d be hard pushed to think of another place with such stunning coastal walks, Rhossili being one of my favourites.

Rhossili Bay by night

France I’ve had to compartmentalise my thoughts concerning France. I have no idea when we’ll get back to our house, so I try not to focus on it. We’re lucky enough to have a local couple who take care of everything when we’re not there, being especially brilliant after the break in. It’s been unusually cold in Castelnaudary this winter, with snow and ice. Even parts of the Canal du Midi have frozen!

Frozen in 1914
Not frozen!

Gran Canaria is one of my happy places. We first went there over twenty years ago, on a winter break, one February half-term. We ended up there by pure chance when one wet, grey Friday afternoon, I contacted lastminute.com to see if there were any available holidays, starting the following Monday. I was asked if I would be willing to travel from any airport to any resort, anywhere. I took a massive risk and said ‘yes’. I then phoned my husband to let him know what I had done! This is how we ended up spending a week in Gran Canaria, returning to the same place for the following twenty years! (I feel a future post is needed about our travels to Gran Canaria!) We stay in the same area, but the accommodation has changed over the years. It is an opportunity for rest and relaxation in the sun, an escape from the cold, grey damp winters in the UK.

  • Lisbon, Porto and the Azores I have visited Portugal several times, it has always been to the south. Lisbon and Porto are in the north and the islands of the Azores, although Portuguese, are in a different location altogether. These are my ‘aspirational’ places I would like to visit when we can travel again. None of them are that far afield.

I already had these places in mind but, after reading more on another one of my favourite blogs, ‘Love Travelling’, I was convinced! Day 1. A week in Porto, northern Portugal – Love Travelling Blog After all, we can dream!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my list. If you could travel anywhere, where would it be? Perhaps, like me, your priorities have changed? I’d love to know!