Boy selling fruit Rwanda
Africa, Blog trip, Top Tips

5 compelling reasons to visit remarkable Rwanda

May 25, 2016 by Zoe Dawes 16 Comments
Known as the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills‘, Rwanda is quite simply one of the most beautiful countries I have visited. Its landscape is captivating, its lush, green hills rolling endlessly across the country, its lakes flooding out across fertile plains, its rivers flowing powerfully through the land and its...
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Reading time: 5 min
Europe, History, Photography

Quirky Travel Photo: the ‘Great Men’ of Milan at Casa degli Omenoni

May 18, 2016 by Zoe Dawes 3 Comments
The ‘Great Men’ of Casa degli Omenoni Tucked away in a little backstreet near Il Duomo, Milan’s famous Cathedral, is Clubino, an exclusive gentlemen’s club. Historically it is better known,  appropriately, as the Casa degli Omenoni – the House of the Great Men (rebuilt 1565-67). Adorning its facade are eight enormous...
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View from the Malt Kiln in the Furness Peninsula - Lake District
Accommodation, Cumbria, Holiday

Three very special holiday cottages in the Lake District

May 6, 2016 by Zoe Dawes 6 Comments
Spring daffodils in the Lake District Daffodils herald the entry of spring to the Lake District. They’re everywhere, from the little ones on the shores of Ullswater that Wordsworth made famous, to the big, blowsy chaps that trumpet merrily in the breeze along hedgerows, beside fields, in town and village. Then along...
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Reading time: 5 min
Calas Fonts Es Castell Menorca
Europe, Holiday, Personal

Menorca, a lovely Spanish island of happy family memories

May 4, 2016 by Zoe Dawes 7 Comments
Enjoying Menorca This photo was taken by my brother, who lives on Menorca in 2007, during a very happy holiday with my son. Every year from when Alex was four months old we went out to stay with Graeme on this lovely Mediterranean island. We stayed in Es Castell, outside...
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Reading time: 3 min
seven-nocturnal-rainbows-lakes-ignite-zoedawes
Culture, Cumbria, QT Review

On seeing ‘Nocturnal Rainbows in the English Lakes’

May 2, 2016 by Zoe Dawes 6 Comments
Nocturnal Rainbow on Coniston “If a picture paints a thousand words Then why can’t I paint you?” David Gates, BREAD Those were the words that came into my head as I tried to photo over 200 coloured LED lanterns slowly drifting across Coniston Water in the springtime dusk. Looming over the...
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Reading time: 3 min
Blogging, Top Tips

How to work effectively with local bloggers

April 27, 2016 by Zoe Dawes 7 Comments
  “We’d like to work with local bloggers but I’m not sure how to find them.” “I don’t know if we’d get value from our local bloggers” “I’d prefer to work with a blogger from London/America/Mars – anywhere other than someone I know …” OK, I’m paraphrasing that last one...
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Reading time: 1 min
The Jumblies by Edward Lear illustrated-by-ian-beck
Adventure, Literature, Podcast

Quirky Travel Poem: ‘The Jumblies’ by Edward Lear

April 20, 2016 by Zoe Dawes 5 Comments
‘The Jumblies’ illustrated by Ian Beck When my son was young, like many parents, I used to read to him at bedtime. Such a special point in the day, when we could snuggle up together, him all warm and cosy after a bath. He loved stories but also poems and...
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Reading time: 5 min
David Hockney and Alan Bennett at Salts Mill Saltaire in Yorkshire
Culture, UK

Discover David Hockney at Salts Mill, Saltaire, Yorkshire

February 20, 2017 by Zoe Dawes 7 Comments
David Hockney looking at a picture of fellow Yorkshireman Alan Bennett – photo Salts Mill You may have heard of, or even been to see, the new David Hockney exhibition at Tate Britain in London. One of this country’s most loved and respected artists, Hockney was born in Bradford in 1937,...
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Reading time: 4 min
RV Nk'Mip campground Osoyoos
Adventure, Blog trip, North America

Top Tips for your RV (motorhome) road trip in Canada

October 19, 2016 by Zoe Dawes 20 Comments
It looked a lot bigger than I had imagined. It also looked a lot prettier, covered in views of Canada’s splendid scenery. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Once you get on the road, you’ll soon forget its size and be enjoying yourself behind the wheel.” I was at the Cruise Canada pick-up centre...
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Reading time: 11 min
Culture, Festival, History, UK

It only happens every Preston Guild …

September 18, 2012 by Guest Author 5 Comments
Barry McCann explains the history of a northern tradition that dates back centuries and illustrates it with some of photos from this year’s celebrations. Mayor of Preston in Guild Hall Procession There is a saying in Lancashire that goes “Once every Preston Guild” which is probably unfamiliar to anyone outside the county....
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The Laxey Wheel Isle of Man = photo Zoe Dawes
Blog trip, Culture, Holiday, Top Tips

7 quirky things to do on the Isle of Man

April 22, 2013 by Zoe Dawes 31 Comments
With his hands clutching his long, flowing coat tightly around him, Sir William Hillary (1771-1841) stands high above Douglas Harbour, ready to face everything the weather can throw at him.  As founder of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution he was well aware of the changeable  meteorological temperament of his home,...
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Reading time: 6 min
Scotland, World Travel Blogger

Top 10 Tips for North Coast 500 Road Trip in Scotland

April 13, 2018 by Guest Author 9 Comments
In this article in the World Travel Blogger series, photographer Angus Matheson describes The North Coast 500, a memorable road trip he did with his wife in the Highlands of Scotland. North Coast 500 – the greatest motoring adventure in the British Isles North Coast 500 In 2015 the North Coast...
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Reading time: 5 min
Europe, Top Tips, World Travel Blogger

Quirky things to do in Lisbon, the must-see capital of Portugal

January 22, 2018 by Zoe Dawes 8 Comments
In our latest ‘World Travel Blogger‘ article, Canadian writer Cindy Baker shares her favourite things to do the beautiful city of Lisbon, capital of Portugal. The clatter of old trams, the smell of sardines on the grill, the haunting melancholy of fado music. In Lisbon, these traditions combine with a...
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Reading time: 3 min
Asia, Blog trip, World Heritage Site

World Heritage ‘Toy Train’: enjoy a unique Indian rail journey to Shimla

March 27, 2018 by Zoe Dawes 5 Comments
The Toy Train to Shimla As we clattered along the narrow track, the mountains gradually emerged like shy ballerinas peeking out from behind a curtain of lush green foliage. Glimpsed intermittently at first, the foothills of the mightiest mountain range on earth rose amidst tiny hamlets and towering pine trees....
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Reading time: 7 min
Top Tips, Writing

Top 10 Tips for Travel Writing Success

February 25, 2018 by Zoe Dawes 13 Comments
“No offence, but I want to be THERE, not here.” This was the response from Amber, a participant in one of my recent ‘Introduction to Travel Writing’ Workshops. The group had been given a table covered in travel magazines and I was asking them what had made them choose the one...
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Hi, I’m Zoë; welcome to my quirky world…

QUIRKY TRAVEL is about seeing the world from a different angle, looking at things from all sides, finding the unusual, the interesting, the fascinating. It’s about quality combined with classiness, it’s about being curious about everything and wanting to know more…

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