Tag: couples

Highlight two of the NC500 – A tall observation

This is my highlight from Day 2 of our recent trip to Scotland to drive the NC500 route. 

The links for the itinerary and recap of this day are below. I hope one day you experience this magical route for yourself. 

Plodda falls is 46 metres high. It plunges over the rockface fast and loud. From below you are ‘misted’ with its waters on a breezy day as you gaze around at the wondrous greenery it has breathed into life. The space here is dominated by rock. Everywhere you look there are jagged boulders, walls of stone and sharp boulders in the river bed. The tall Douglas firs are old. So old their roots are over a foot thick in places and have woven their way around rocks that have long ditched the soil that once encased them. This is an old part of the Glen Affric National Park. There are wooden railings to keep you from plunging down the steep banks of the gorge but other than that this place feels unkempt and stolen back by nature itself. 

Above the waterfalls on the fir-needle strewn trail you can hear the mammoth cascade of water and yet you can’t see it. Ahead of you there is a different kind of path. It is structured and although wooden it is man-made and almost out of place. As you tread the boards of this pathway, you hear the water moving below you as the wood rises up around you, fencing you in and guiding you onwards. At the end of this amazing observation deck you find yourself hovering over the very falls themselves. The water is white with its fast movement. It rains down, unknowing of its future path. The river falls away below you and you can feel the fear of perhaps crashing down with them. 

I, for one, am not bothered by such things. Mr W on the other hand is not a fan. He can never really decide whether it’s the fear of heights, falling or something else entirely that bothers him. If he is on a hill or a steep gorge he is fine. There is something about movement while at a height that just ‘gets’ to him. He hated the London Eye when we went on it back in the day and yet that is the slowest moving thing on this planet. Maybe it is a case of looking at movement below from a great height that puts the whole situation into perspective?

Either way, I am fine with it. He is not. And I find it absolutely hysterical. The barrier of the observation deck is at least 4 feet high and it would be insanely hard to fall from it. I reckon that was the plan eh? And yet leaning over, head, neck, shoulder, arms and upper torso is thrilling. It is like you are on the bow of a great ship plunging over Niagara Falls. Yet, this is significantly smaller than Niagara, but then you are not a ship. You are a 5ft5” woman who is cackling in sheer delight at the height and noise you are experiencing. There is sunlight streaming from the afternoon sky and your body is suspended on land and in the air. 

The noise drowns out every other thought in your body. You are in Scotland. You are inside the water. You are nowhere and everywhere. You are taking the leap over the falls. Whooshing down into the pools below. You are above. You are dry. You are alive. 

The trees hear you gasp and laugh. Your husband is beside you as you experience nature’s beautiful self. It is a magical moment. It is as funny as it is not. No one else will understand and that is okay. You snap a very quick photo as he grips the barrier with a white knuckled fist. The sun is in your eyes. There is laughter and love. 

It is these moments that remind you why travelling is so important to you. 

https://frameworktravel.home.blog/2022/10/08/nc500-day-2-itinerary/

https://frameworktravel.home.blog/2022/09/18/nc500-day-2-bruar-loch-ness-and-plodda-falls/

Linen

This year Mr W and I celebrate four years of marriage. 

We’ve become pretty traditional in our approach to our celebrations. At Christmas we have quite a few traditions that we have created and observe every year. It feels like a real familial bond for him and I. Our own mini special touches. I was thinking about our impending anniversary last night and realised that we have nurtured a tradition without really thinking about it. 

On our first anniversary, ‘Paper’, we booked a night’s stay in London and spent a rainy day sampling a beautiful afternoon tea by Marco Pierre White, wandering the Kyoto garden in Holland Park, walking to the top of the dome in St Paul’s Cathedral and watching the NFL in the pub to be found in the arches of Tower Gateway’s station. We visited rooftop gardens, had breakfast with a view of Tower Bridge at the Coppa Club and a fantastic dinner at Bodean’s BBQ in Tower Hill. Everything we did (other than watching the NFL) was brand new that day and it was excellent. We didn’t exchange gifts and reasoned that the money we had paid out for the hotel room would be our gift to each other and that the ‘paper’ reservation I had printed off would symbolise the anniversary tradition.

We found ourselves unexpectedly in Florence, Italy on our second anniversary, Italy after rebooking a cancelled trip due to the pandemic. Year two is ‘Cotton’, I bought Mr W two t-shirts from Florence and Venice’s Hard Rock Cafe’s. It was a combination of booking the restaurants to fulfil another little tradition of going to any new ‘Rock’ when we are near one and buying him a cotton gift. In return he gave me a braided cotton bracelet. I remember opening it and wondering ‘what on earth?’. And laughing at his face. He explained that it had taken him hours and my heart swelled. I wore it for a month until it broke and I still keep it in my nightstand. I tell the story now and laugh at the comparison of gifts but underneath I am massively grateful for the thought and time that went into it. It is honestly so sweet. 

Fast forward to our third anniversary and we spent a long weekend in Northumberland national park. Having loved it so much just four weeks before we rapidly booked a return trip and spent our anniversary hiking huge waterfalls and enjoying a beautiful Italian meal. We upped our game with the gifts and after joking what ‘Leather’ gifts I could have gotten him, he opened a personalised leather camera bag and he spoiled me with a leather purse. It was another beautiful day doing something completely new. 

This year, we’ll be in Scotland for our fourth anniversary. We have both said that ‘Linen’ is near impossible to get right. I was tempted to buy him a linen suit and ask him for some beautiful bed sheets but something inside me just cracked. We haven’t bought needless gifts just to fulfil the anniversary tradition. So far, we’ve had amazing anniversaries that have been so much more than the gifts given and I have no doubts this year will be the same. 

It seems that our anniversary tradition is to be away and exploring somewhere new. I do know we have been exceptionally blessed to do so four years in a row and should we be away next year too we’ll again be exceptionally lucky. What I have started to enjoy is how inventive the gifts have become and how if it isn’t feasible we aren’t too hard on ourselves. I am proud that we aren’t filling up our house with needless stuff. I don’t want to spend money on ‘stuff’ that sits on a shelf. We’ve taken a dramatic turn in recent years in our approach to spending money. Before the pandemic a mini shopping spree was the call of the day if we had had a bad week. This was ramped up, by me, during the pandemic when all I could do to cure boredom was look at interior design as a hobby and amazon was my best friend. 

However since our budget busting trip to Italy in late 2020, I find that we have come to appreciate experiences over belongings so much more. Having been locked away from the world during the pandemic made us appreciate our freedom and we have since spent more time than ever exploring the UK and planning big budget-stretching trips. We have found it to be a breath of fresh air when making the most of every penny too. 

It’s more ecologically and financially friendly to stitch-fix a pair of jeans than throw them away. 

It makes for perfect photos to get up before the birds to be ahead of the crowds in Central London and nab a free parking spot. 

We save our supermarket points so we can book a free hotel for a weekend away. 

There is something very satisfying about making memories while stretching the pennies. So last night, as I sat contemplating our next anniversary I realised that our tradition is ever changing and evolving. Travel or gifts, who knows? The one constant is us. And that’s all that will ever matter.  

Next year, our fifth anniversary is ‘Wood’…

Christmas wanderings in London

The sky is icy blue. It’s bright and sunny. But when the breeze comes and it does, it cuts you across the face with a freezing swipe, fast and cutting.

It is Sunday 28th November 2021 and this is our first visit to London since 2019. The pandemic halted us in our tracks and jumping on a train where once so easy is now fraught with anxieties.

Traditionally we try to come into London at Christmas to see lights, lights, lights! Today we have lots of walking to do and even more morsels to cram into our waiting mouths. Our chattering teeth can be put to use! We’ve done the South Bank Christmas market and have found it less and less charming as the years pass. The Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is great for families but we need something a tad… well a lot more authentic and less in your face. We want to take it easy and see what happens today. We’ve been coming into town for 8 years, barring the 2020 Christmas lockdown, and we are excited to be returning.

Our first stop is Covent Garden. Seven Dials to be exact. I do love cobbled streets and the decorations this year are simple and delicate. A halo of white branches, neé twigs, are suspended high above the Seven Dials roundabout with pale blue, pink and gold baubles dotted around.

We wander to Chinatown, it’s my day to surprise Mr W, and despite both of us working in, visiting and living in London on and off throughout our lives we’ve never been. Red and gold Chinese lanterns criss cross across the street and I am mesmerised by the vibrancy of the red against the winter sky. We are early and find ourselves two of only a few people here. Most restaurants open at 12pm. There are no smells yet to tempt us in. We take an unbelievably small detour to Leicester Square to kill time and find it full of the ol’ hustle and bustle that covid has made me so anxious of. The tourist traps of the M&M and Lego stores offer no real appeal to us and yet queues have formed from the doors down the street. I’m so used to travelling abroad to tourist traps that I often forget we live adjacent to one of the most visited capital cities on the planet. We certainly take London for granted in this respect. It’s days like these that open our eyes to all that is on offer.

We briefly walk around the Christmas stalls in Leicester Square, glance up at the Capital FM windows and pause at the infamous cinemas that host premieres and red carpet events.

It is minutes away from midday and we are practically salivating at treats waiting behind the closed doors of Chinatown. Our first stop is at Bun House. Freshly steamed buns with various fillings to take away in a folded up cardboard box with chopsticks used as the handle. It is £10 for four buns. Chicken, pig, beef and lamb for us. The menu is on the door and we are second in line waiting for the click of the door being unlocked.

Hello! Feed me please! Our order is paid for and oh my the room is full of steam. The amount of bamboo steamers is crazy and I am excited with a capital ooooo!

We smuggle our purchases like thieves in the night to a small metal bench in the heart of Chinatown. Each bun has been branded with a red symbol on top. What it says we do not know. What it matters… we do not know. With great interest we slowly hold the bun in hand and bend it down so it opens softly revealing the filling inside. We each have a half. And groan with the deliciousness. Must have another bite! But if we do, that’s one less note left. Surely by finishing it, there are no more bites, but if we take no more bites we can’t enjoy the beautiful bun! The conundrum is very real. And before long all buns are gone and Mr W’s face is passive. He won’t yet let on how much he enjoyed that. He is a sly one.

Time for something sweet!

There is a plan to follow and yet as I walk past a serving hatch I-Spy a very tiny fish. The sign above the door says Chinatown Bakery and I want to know about the cuties on offer. They are Taiyaki and are made of soft waffle dough and are filled with custard. Served fresh and hot in a paper bag I am again struck at how tourist-like I feel in our home country. We buy four and have to wander for a while to allow them to cool. Before long temptation takes over cautiousness and we break open the delight to reveal the gooeyness inside. It is piping hot and silky smooth. The groaning comes back. It is simple and yet absolutely delicious. We have really let ourselves down by neglecting this place for so long.

We make a promise there and then to return and wander around London more often.

For now, it is onwards with our plans for the day…