Take 12 Trips… August on the Luce

As part of my mission to ‘Take 12 Trips’ in 2014, I’m taking at least one trip each month – which can be anything from a local day out to an international trip. So far this year I’ve been all the way from the North of England to the souks of Morocco, from sailing the Norwegian fjords to eating my way around Catania in Sicily, and across Europe first by cruise ship and then by train. But after a travel-heavy few months, it was time to slow the pace down for August. I did have plans to spend some time soaking up the sun in the garden, but the British weather had other ideas! So instead I got started on a big new project for the blog (more on that below) and explored some of my local area with day trips around Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. After putting in a lot of miles this year it was so nice to have a month without getting on a plane or train, and to discover some of the great places on my doorstep. So what else happened On the Luce in August?

August on the road

August started off with a road trip with a difference, as 20 plus vintage cars (including my dad’s 1950s Singer, pictured below) toured the Cotswolds. The final destination was Chavenage House, a country house currently passing itself off as Cornwall for a new TV adaptation of Poldark. We got taken around by the eccentric owners who were full of great stories about everything from hauntings to helicopters. Being a geography graduate and travel obsessive, I’m a huge map lover, so was fascinated to see the Mappa Mundi in Hereford Cathedral (though slightly ashamed it’s taken me so long as it’s only 15 miles from where I grew up). The map gives a real insight into how people in the Medieval period saw the world – with monsters and imaginary lands mixed in with actual places. Makes the Ordnance Survey look positively boring. The month’s final trip involved more modern history at Bletchley Park – home to some of the UK’s cleverest minds as they tried to crack the Enigma code in WWII and about to feature in a new film The Imitation Game, with Sherlock‘s Benedict Cumberbatch as Bletchley’s most famous codebreaker, Alan Turing.

Summer days out – Chavenage House and the Mappa Mundi, and my ride for the day

August on the blog

Over the last month I’ve been catching up on posts from my last two months of travels after finally getting to the end of my massive photo-editing backlog. I shared stories from my rail trip, with posts on Strasbourg, Swiss scenic trains and my new love of summer in the mountains in St Anton. There were also posts on my cruise stops in Turkey and I tried to narrow down five destinations to return to (though I might have changed my mind already). Coming up in September will be more Austria with stories from Vienna as well as my recent local travels. But the big event on the blog later this month will be a new look for On the Luce – and you can see a sneak preview below. I’m migrating to a self-hosted site and very excited about the new design, which has bigger photos and new features like a newsletter. I’ve just got 1500 photos to resize first! Hopefully the transfer will go smoothly but bear with me if there are a few teething problems.

A sneak preview of the new-look On the Luce

What’s coming up in September?

After staying close to home last month I’m well and truly back on the road in September – with travels home and away. First up I’m heading to the far north of England for a week in Northumberland. We’re staying just across the water from Holy Island and Lindesfarne Priory, and exploring the region’s beautiful beaches, ruins and castles. If you’ve got any tips on what to see then do let me know. From Northumberland it’s on to Edinburgh then across the Atlantic to Quebec. I’ve wanted to visit Canada for years but this’ll be my first time – as well as being my 40th country visited. The trip is being organised by Destination Quebec and will visit Montreal, Quebec City and the Eastern Townships. It’s a bit of a strange feeling not planning my own trip but I’ve been told it’ll involve train travel and wine so that should do nicely!

Quebec City at night – photo by Robbie on Flickr

What does September have in store for you?