Gardens, Top Tips, UK

Southport flower power in the Botanic Gardens

May 8, 2014 by Zoe Dawes 5 Comments
The Victorian and Edwardian elegance and architecture of Southport is renowned in the north of England. Botanic Gardens – photo www.virtualsouthport.co.uk As one of the area’s most popular seaside resorts it attracts thousands of visitors every year – and rightly so. It has a beautiful Promenade with a miniature railway and ornamental...
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Blog trip, Europe, History

To France in the footsteps of WW1 poet Wilfred Owen

May 2, 2014 by Zoe Dawes 20 Comments
The contrast couldn’t be greater. One grave smothered in gold-embossed plaques, bowls of flowers, ornate urns and emotional messages. The other a simple white marble headstone, a couple of wooden crosses, fading paper poppies, a little Canadian flag  and a tiny rock plant struggling through the lumpy soil.  Yet this...
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Snow Hotel Ice Sculpture Kirkenes Norway
Accommodation, Cruise, Europe

On top of the world at the Kirkenes Snow Hotel

April 23, 2014 by Zoe Dawes 3 Comments
“One grey morning the first snow began to fall in the Valley of the Moomins, It fell softly and quietly and in a few hours everything was white.”   Opening lines of ‘Finn Family Moomintroll’. And snow has fallen recently at Kirkenes, a few miles from the Russian border at the very top...
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Reading time: 2 min
Accommodation, QT Review, UK

3 luxury places to stay in Wales and England with a quirky twist

April 16, 2014 by Zoe Dawes 9 Comments
What do a lighthouse in Newport, a luxury spa hotel in Cardiff and a thatched cottage in Cheshire have in common? They’re all featured in Laterooms 52Sleeps, a free brochure download showcasing luxury places to stay in the UK, one for every week of the year. I was fortunate enough...
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Accommodation, Adventure, Africa

Botswana’s Top Luxury Safari Tents

April 10, 2014 by Guest Author 11 Comments
In the second in our series of African Safari articles articles we look at a range of stylish options for luxury safari tents in  Botswana, ideal places to see the huge variety of wild animals incuding lions in Africa. Zarafa Camp – Okavango This exclusive luxury tented camp in the Okavango offers just...
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Europe, Holiday, Outdoors

Discover the best yacht charter in Europe

April 8, 2014 by Guest Author 9 Comments
When was the last time you had really good fun? Enjoy your holiday from a completely different point of view – the sea!  If you like travelling around the world, there's an original way to rediscover your favorite destinations: yacht charter. Today we look at a few top Europe destinations and recommend...
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Venus and Cupid sculpture Morecambe Lancashire - photo Zoe Dawes
Culture, Photography, UK

Quirky Travel Photo: Venus and Cupid on Morecambe Bay

April 5, 2014 by Zoe Dawes 8 Comments
At the end of Morecambe Bay heading towards Carnforth there’s a delightful sculpture beside the promenade.  A sturdy, naked female seated on the grass appears to be swinging a small figure around in the air.  As you drive past you get an impression of exuberant playfulness but I bet you...
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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 9 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
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
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
The Owl and Pussycat by Edward Lear toadbriar
Literature, QT Review

Quirky Travel Poem: ‘The Owl and the Pussy Cat’ by Edward Lear

January 14, 2017 by Zoe Dawes 4 Comments
Oh, to go to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat … The classic children’s poem, The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear, has been a family favourite for many years; I used to read it to my son, Alex, at bedtime. It weaves its quirky magic in every line, taking us...
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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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