trees – Page 3 – travellingzombie.com

Don’t Underestimate Local Travel

I’m the opposite of most people. I get time off work and instead of feeling relaxed and chilled out, I get bored and angsty. If I don’t have a plan for the day, you can guarantee I won’t be happy! Wandering Beeb on the other hand is quite happy spending a day on the computer, pottering about the house or watching TV. Not me. I’ve got to be on the move, doing something, feeling like I’m taking down names and kicking ass. Basically, feeling like I’ve achieved something in the day. So you can see how a week off work with no plans felt incredibly stressful to me!

Getting sick of my pacing about and mutterings about dying of boredom, Wandering Beeb struck up a plan to visit Tatton Park, a nearby country park.

I’d never been before and hadn’t realised quite how large the park is. After driving down some very narrow country lanes, the park seemed huge.

One of the main reasons to visit Tatton Park is to see the herd of deer that live there. Initially they were quite far in the distance but later in our walk, we ended up with the herd running in our direction after being spooked by some thing. It’s one thing to observe quietly from a safe space and quite another to see huge antlers coming towards you at speed!

Butterfly’s were abundant throughout the park and I spent some time trying to get a good photo – it’s harder than you think! I certainly don’t have the reflexes or camera skills to do it justice. Most of my pictures were of a fuzzy blob, slightly different in tone to the rest of the blurry picture!

After spending a lot of time on winding (read narrow and nauseating) roads, it was relaxing to be near the water for a stroll around the lake. Aeroplanes overhead quickly brought me back to earth as I contemplated my next adventure, but for now, Tatton Park bridged the gap.

Sleeping in the Car: What Adventures Are Made Of

We never arrive at our camping destinations in the daytime. It’s become a standing joke now, but sometimes it’s not that funny!

We were planning to stay at Sweetwater camping ground in California before a longer stay in Wawona, Yosemite. Looking at the sat nav, our drive was estimated at about 6 hours, however we failed to take into account the food/ water stops, our supply run through Target, the bumpy forest roads and the fact that our sat nav lost signal and was directing us backwards and forwards across forest roads that looped around and around.

By 10pm when we still hadn’t found the campground, we woke up the two passengers in the back of the car, swapped drivers and pulled out the paper map to try and identify our location.

Finally, pulling into the campground at around 1am, it was too dark to see the pitches, so we opted to sleep in the car by the side of the road. There were four of us in the car. With sleeping bags, tents, fire wood and food. It was cramped to say the least. It was cold. Every noise was a bear (probably). We managed about one hours sleep between the four of us. It was one of the most uncomfortable nights I’ve ever spent.

To make things worse, the toilet facilities were terrible. They were ‘long-drop’ toilets and I swear that something was running around in the pit below. The smell was terrible, but at least some kind soul had left hand wash and toilet paper in the ladies- the guys didn’t even have that!

The next morning, as soon as it got light, we found our spot and set up the tent. Snatching a spot next to the water, we sat up bleary-eyed and took in the sights.

It was beautiful. The water was crystal clear and refreshingly cool in the hot summer sun. The camping area was immaculate and we had loads of space. Our morning view was a riverbank. The trails were pretty and the wildlife was all over the place!

All the things that went wrong fuel our stories of that trip. Instead of focussing on them as negatives, they are the excitement that turns memories into adventures. I love telling people about our stay in Sweetwater.

Other similar experiences are really common when you are travelling. Things don’t go to plan, it’s not all sunshine, blue skies and Instagram friendly photos, but sometimes, a trip that doesn’t go to plan results in some of the best memories of travel.

Emerald Lake

Avoiding visitors to Emerald Lake in Canada

It’s in all of the travel pictures – stunning, calm, serene emerald waters, but what is Emerald Lake really like?

On our road trip around parts of Canada, we took some time to visit Emerald Lake as a stop off en route towards our next location.

The first thing that struck us about this place was the different approach it had taken towards visitors to the lake. Many of the other places we had stopped at were full of cars, visitors and camping vans, parked up as close as possible to the edge of the water. Whilst this is great for getting a viewing spot, it’s not so great for trying to find a calm, quiet place to absorb the beauty of the view. Some of the places we visited were busier than their town centres!

Emerald Lake differed in this respect, as cars were not allowed over the small wooden bridge towards the accommodation. Instead, a car park and shuttle bus was provided to support people too and from the cabins. This resulted in the lake being a little less crowded – not that it wasn’t busy (it certainly was), but it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as some of the places we visited (Lake Louise we’re looking at you!).

The trip over the little bridge was also quite exciting, it made the lake feel a little more hidden and cut off from the rest of the world.

We were staying in one of the cabins alongside the lake and they were beautiful! Looking out of the window, past the balcony (yes we had a little balcony!), the colours of the lake were so vivid, even from a distance. The rooms were basic but fairly spacious and included a little log fire which would be lovely in colder weather. They were beautifully designed to blend in with the blue skies and green waters.

The main lodge was a great place to hang out in the evenings – a mixture of pool, beer, TV and music made sure that we were all well entertained (one night a little girl jumped on the piano and she was incredible!).

The path around the lake is the jewel in the crown when visiting Emerald Lake. We only did the lake circuit (you can head up to the basin for more stunning views) but it was one of the most memorable walks of our trip. The lake trail is around 5km and is a fairly easy walk in most places – although there are some muddy, forest parts which would be challenging for someone with accessibility needs.

The start of the path takes you out on to a gravel path and as soon as you get past the first couple of yards, most of the visitors to Emerald Lake fade away. We only saw one or two other people for the rest of the walk – this was brilliant as the escape from the crowds left us feeling much more immersed in nature.

The first half of the walk keeps you close to the shoreline on a gravel path and gives a close-up view of the path the glacier follows as it melts down to the lake. Whilst making our way around the lake, a fire helicopter made numerous visits, filling up the water bucket on the way to a nearby forest fire.

The wooden bridge at the far end of the lake marked the start of the return journey. The path ran through a forest area for most of the walk home, giving very different views. This was my favourite part of the walk as it was fairly dense and almost had a jungle-like feel to it.

Staying on the lake is an excellent idea if you want to grab some photos that don’t include 20 other visitors. Once everyone goes home, you get a much more natural experience of the environment.

Evenings by the lake were beautiful, particularly once most day visitors had gone home. We were lucky enough to find a pier without anyone around and sat looking out on to the lake in silence, admiring the colours and stillness in the early evening.

Somewhere To Belong

Belongs somewhere doesn’t always mean a particular place

The past couple of months haven’t really seen much travel for me and Wandering Beeb. We have been moving house and as anyone who has been through that experience knows, it takes up lots of time and almost all of your money! After lots of sorting and box carrying, we decided we needed some time out and a bit of time away from the house-moving world.

We jumped in the car and took off to Formby beach and squirrel park . We chose Formby because it’s fairly easy for us to get to, has a beautifully clean beach and has a lovely forest area nearby.

After lots of busy weekends, it was so nice to stroll through the forest area. We’d picked a beautiful day (that one sunny day that the U.K. gets each year!) and the sun was streaming down through the trees. We were keeping our eyes pealed for squirrels but we didn’t spot a single one, despite the forest’s name! We did spot millions of magpies though, so that might have provided an explanation as to where all of the squirrels had gone.

Looking up at the tree line, we were struck by how much they resembled the trees in Zion National Park. This led us on to a lengthy discussion about Zion and what we’d enjoyed there – making us reflect on our experiences. Although it wasn’t quite the same (no waterfall to walk underneath and certainly not as hot!), it had a similar calming effect on the both of us.

We’d arrived in Formby stressed out and worked up, but looking at the trees and taking time to appreciate our surroundings instantly made us feel far more relaxed.

As we strolled along the beach, the sun bouncing off the sea and the calm sound of the waves made us take a breathe and slow down for a second amongst the hustle and bustle of daily life. Jumping over the pools of water and slushing through the wet sand, our shoes became drenched and our socks were soggy, but our smiles were much wider than when we first got out of the car.

Before this trip, I was getting ready to write a post for last week’s photo challenge on my place in the world. I probably would have picked Yosemite as my place in the world – however, our visit to Formby made me realise, it’s not a specific place where I feel at home. Instead, it’s being somewhere in nature: tall trees, water, sunshine and good people are what I need to feel at home, the actual location doesn’t matter.