Category: UK

Travelling isn’t a Destination, it’s A State Of Mind

The snow and winds this week in the UK from ‘The Beast From The East’ and ‘Storm Emma’ have shaken things up and forced people away from their usual routines. We were fairly lucky in our part of the country, we got away with very little disruption. Regardless, buses still stopped, roads became an ice rink and the world was clouded with blankets of white.

There were some out of this world photographs of the snow and ice shared on social media and it got me thinking – many of these photographs were of things that were right outside the front doors of the people who took them. They weren’t pictures of far away vacations or new streets in a different city. They were pictures of the familiar, the everyday or the mundane. The snow and ice had turned something ordinary into something suddenly different. Something worth photographing.

A bridge lit up at night gives a different perspective of a familiar place

I had a similar experience with a night out at a local pub recently which turned into a walk across a cold bridge whilst waiting for a taxi. I drifted along the path, chatting away with my cousin and trying to stay warm until the taxi arrived. The lights from the bridge and the clear night sky, filled with stars grabbed my attention. I whipped out my camera to try and capture what I was feeling. It was the same emotion I get from travelling to somewhere new – excitement and awe in equal measures.

Taking photos in familiar situations can still create a feeling of exploration.

Standing there on the bridge, watching the lights traverse the structure, it made me think of the reasons I travel. I travel to see new places, experience different cultures and see things from a different perspective. Most of all, I travel to explore my own emotions and to get a better sense of who I am. That night a very familiar bridge turned into a travel destination and I realised that travelling is a state of mind rather than a place. Sometimes you don’t have to travel very far at all to learn more about yourself.

Getting Lost Close To Home

Feet sinking into the snow, we realised that there was no path anymore and getting down off the hill was going to be a bit of a challenge.

We’d set off for a wander around Ullswater and Aira Force, following the Aira Force and Gowbarrow Trail. The promising views from the summit of Gowbarrow had tempted us out from warm spots by the fire into the snow and wind.

Aira Force is about 1 hour 45 minutes from where we live. We’d packed the car up and headed off to play tour guide for a couple of friends who hadn’t visited before. We were all feeling a bit restless, having been kept inside recently through the bad weather.

We started off towards the falls and even though it was really cold, the sprinklings of snow really highlighted the magic of the falls, making them seem otherworldly.

The Old Norse name of Aira Force translates to ‘the waterfall on the gravel bank river’.

Following the path, we headed towards the open hillside where the snow was much thicker. Due to the depth of the snow, we couldn’t see the path properly and we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. A small fence led up the hillside and we navigated uneven ground as we walked, the snow sometimes giving way to reveal holes made by a hidden stream. We were all being very careful not to hit one of the drops wrong and twist an ankle as we ascended the steep hillside.

At the top of the hill, the view was stunning. It was hard to believe that we were less than 2 hours away from home. The snow-topped hills in the distance, surrounded by a shimmering lake were reminiscent of any trip to Canada or Europe or the USA.

After snapping a few photos. We quickly realised that the path down wasn’t clearly visible and that going down was going to be much harder than coming up. Although we were all feeling warmer following our trek up the incline, the snow was thicker and it was harder to determine where the drops in the landscape were hiding. After walking some distance towards the gleaming water of the lake, we came to an sharp edge, which would have certainly seen one or more of us loose our footing.

Leading the charge, one of my most confident and positive friends encouraged us all to shuffle-slide down the hill on our bums. It was one of the best parts of the walk and really sticks out as a highlight of the day- the four of us taking turns to help each other down the steep embankment, sliding through snow on our bums, soaking wet, but laughing and triumphant as we reached the bottom.

I love the pictures from this hike more than any others taken on local treks. They prove to me that beautiful scenery can be found close to home if you know where to look. They remind me that travel doesn’t always have to mean the other side of the world and they encapsulate a day that was filled with love, friendship and adventure – the best kind of days you can have.

Ingleton Falls, UK

Water always seems to be a big theme in our travels. We don’t try to seek it out intentionally, however it always seems to be that our destinations have a water theme – rivers, lakes, waterfalls.

We’ve had many conversations about how calming it feels to be near the water -usually when we are visiting somewhere pretty with lots of water, in between commenting on ‘how we don’t do this enough’. Ingleton Falls is one of those places you can visit again and again – we have probably only been there once in the sunshine (it rains a lot!) but we have been a number of times in the drizzle and every time has still felt refreshing. Walking along the river bank, heading up the side of the falls, the sounds of the falls echo throughout the trees, building a soundtrack to the hike and it feels almost trance-like.

There is magic hiding in the surrounding areas, where people hammer coins into wish trees, creating living sculptures. It’s captivating and creepy in equal measures to look at the vast number of coins, knowing that they represent the wishes of hundreds of other day trippers and travellers who have walked the path before you. This is one of the shortest distances our travels have taken us, however it’s a good reminder that you don’t have to go a great distance to find something magical.