by Terry Thorpe | Sep 25, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We got up very, very early, said goodbye to our host and flew to Copenhagen. Where I immediately bumped into Madhavi, a very dear friend. We all shared coffee together in the lounge before going our separate ways, what are the odds?… I made a vow there and then... 
by Terry Thorpe | Sep 24, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We got back to Norway tired but happy, and after a night in Oslo spend a lovely day on the train heading back home. For the next few days we caught up with family and even managed to squeeze in a literature event, including a talk by Erlend Loe, my favourite Norwegian... by Terry Thorpe | Sep 16, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We packed and prepared for our departure, then made our way to Pafos harbour to wander the historical sites and tourist traps, purchasing both hat and ice cream, before heading back to the Villa for just one last swim in the pool, before saying farewell with heavy... 
by Terry Thorpe | Sep 15, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We hit the wine trail for a spot of wine tasting shannanigans, which was both informative and fun, resulting in a couple of lovely bottles of wine being purchased. We started Ayai Mavri with a lovely old gent giving us the grand tour and charming our socks off (easier... 
by Terry Thorpe | Sep 14, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We chilled by the pool by day and Katrine and Elena popped to the beach for an hour while I wrote. In the evening, we made for the Cyprus night in the mountains of Nicosia. The entertainment was great and the food lovely, most of us trying our hand (and feet) at a bit... 
by Terry Thorpe | Sep 13, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We headed for Pissouri beach and had a chill day swimming and relaxing as well as yours truly managing to escape the sun and squeeze in a couple of hours of writing. We returned home and dined a delicious meal in the village by the villa before heading home and... 
by Terry Thorpe | Sep 12, 2023 | Blog, Terry
And so the big the big day was upon us. Katrine’s Birthday! The poolside was decorated with balloons and all manner of pink paraphernalia, places set or a spectacular breakfast. Everyone was wearing something pink in keeping with the Barbie theme and we all did our... 
by Terry Thorpe | Sep 11, 2023 | Blog, Terry
On the 11th we all drove to Lefraka, a lovely old village for a nice lunch and wandering, befriending new cats and perusing the local goods. Once home we fired up the barbecue and Katrine and I prepared a delicious meal of sea bass and salad, which took most of the... 
by Terry Thorpe | Sep 10, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We spent the day relaxing by the pool and doing the necessary shopping for the week ahead before heading to the spa to enjoy a swim and a wonderful couples massage with the soon to be birthday girl. We dined at the villa, a yummy barbecue affair, courtesy of the Danes... 
by Terry Thorpe | Sep 9, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We arrived in Cyprus after a close call at Oslo airport, which once again, reinforced my ‘earlier is always better’ at airports philosophy. Luckily everyone made the flight and after boosting our numbers with the danish contingent we left the airport to be... 
by Terry Thorpe | Sep 1, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We returned to the warm embrace of Stavanger and the even warmer hospitality of family and friends. After a few days of catch up we packed light and headed for the mountains. Not, unfortunately to embark on our 3 week hike of Jotunheimen as due to inclement weather we... by Terry Thorpe | Aug 13, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We met up for brunch with an old friend of mine who I hadn’t seen in way too long and had really wanted Katrine to meet. It was great to catch up, and I found myself wishing I was better at maintaining the friendships that had meant the most to me before moving... 
by Terry Thorpe | Aug 12, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We headed North towards Aberdeen but couldn’t resist a detour to Montrose, where Katrine had spent some time in the company of Scots (and others), training in offshore drilling and engineering related shenanigans. Our journey along memory lane took us to... by Terry Thorpe | Aug 11, 2023 | Blog, Terry
In 1314 Robert the Bruce defeated the English led army of Edward II in a total arse kicking of a battle, resulting in eventual Scottish independence (at least for a few hundred years). The battle is considered to be one of Scotland’s finest moments and is... 
by Terry Thorpe | Aug 10, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We left our guesthouse and jumped on a train to be reunited with our car in Milngavie. After a pitstop to buy some reasonably priced underwear, we drove onwards to Inglewood House, which was a delight, a beautiful building in a lovely setting that would be our rest... 
by Terry Thorpe | Aug 9, 2023 | Blog, Terry
And so it was that the last big push was in front of us. 24k of Highland hiking and hi-jinks. We had a quick and light breakfast and headed out feeling refreshed and ready to go. The scenery was even more beautiful and the weather was on our side once more. After an... 
by Terry Thorpe | Aug 8, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We’re nearing the end of our highland adventure, today is the second to last day of wandering the beautiful Highlands of Scotland with my lassie by my side. The home stretch of these last two days had been described as challenging, but we were up to the... by Terry Thorpe | Aug 7, 2023 | Blog, Terry
Another easy day, despite the rain that couldn’t make up its mind… Eventually, resulting in Katrine hiking through the rain using her backpack cover as an umbrella, rather than stopping to get out her rain jacket for the 20th time. The landscape opened up... 
by Terry Thorpe | Aug 6, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We (reluctantly) left our hobbit hut and made for our next destination, Orchy bridge, which would prove to be a short and relatively relaxing hike, intermittent but light rain notwithstanding. We sauntered through the neverending highland splendour, enjoying the... 
by Terry Thorpe | Aug 5, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We left Drovers Inn after a hearty(attack) full Scottish breakfast, which we ate whilst being stared at by angry stuffed moose heads. The day’s hiking was easier than expected with the terrain being a doddle compared to previous days, quite flat and less steep... 
by Terry Thorpe | Aug 4, 2023 | Blog, Terry
Our trek along Loch Lomond to Drovers inn was beautiful and reasonably challenging. We saw many of the same faces and I enjoyed a lovely beer at the half way point which boosted moral nicely. The remaining trek was just as lovely with the terrain undulating beneath us... 
by Terry Thorpe | Aug 3, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We ate a (compulsory) breakfast with our fellow travellers all orchestrated by our ‘host’ who insisted on everyone eating together at 08:00am. Nuts. It turned out to be quite pleasant chatting to a family from the Netherlands and an Italian father and Son.... 
by Terry Thorpe | Aug 2, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We rose early and made our way to Malgevie and the start of the West Highland Way, our 96 miles (154 Km) hike from Milngavie to Fort William which promised a huge variety of scenery along the way, from countryside parks to loch shores and open moorlands to steep... by Terry Thorpe | Aug 1, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We spent the day shopping and preparing for our epic hike. I mostly spent the day regretting our latest hostel choice. Which was a bit shabby… Not sure if it was the mice, dead beasties or nutjob hostel owners but it was less than fab. Luckily Katrine loves a... by Terry Thorpe | Jul 31, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We arose and drove southward towards Oban, our destination for the day, stopping by St.Conans, a beautiful old Kirk. The eclectic architecture impressed as much as the friendly cat, who Katrine of course befriended immediately. After walking the beautiful church which... by Terry Thorpe | Jul 30, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We started the morning with a short walk to Hagrid’s cabin from the Harry Potter movies, which it turned out was fairly close to our inn. Cool. Then we headed on to Glen Coe village for a slightly longer walk, before making for Kingshouse and our bunkhouse for... 
by Terry Thorpe | Jul 29, 2023 | Blog, Terry
At the ‘craic’ of whatever o’clock we headed out to explore the Glen Coe visitors centre to find out more about this beautiful part of the world and it was well worth the trip. It told of the history of the area and in particular the mountains and... by Terry Thorpe | Jul 29, 2023 | Blog, Terry
At the ‘craic’ of whatever o’clock we headed out to explore the Glen Coe visitors centre to find out more about this beautiful part of the world and it was well worth the trip. It told of the history of the area and in particular the mountains and... 
by Terry Thorpe | Jul 28, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We left Fort Augustus, stopping by the gift shops to pick up some essentials we decided we couldn’t live without and made for Glen Coe and a portion of our trip I was very excited about. On the way we visited the Commando and First world war monuments as well as... 
by Terry Thorpe | Jul 27, 2023 | Blog, Terry
We got up and made breakfast at our hostel before venturing out to explore Fort Augustus, a place I’d been keen to show Katrine after it had made such a positive impression on me during my last visit when I sailed through it on the Caledonian Canal. There... 