British Columbia

I blog about lots of travel experiences here, like delicious foodie weekends away in the UK or chilled out sunny holidays in the Balearics, but one thing I’ve never really talked about online is actually one of the single most defining travel experiences of my life: falling in love with camping while living in British […]

I recently wrote a post about the best places to find British food in Vancouver, because during my four years living in Canada’s cool West Coast city, I was continually determined to find a taste of Europe – and by that I basically mean I was always on the hunt for good cheese. This post […]

After four amazing – and sometimes challenging – years living in Vancouver, British Columbia, I moved back to the UK. When people ask me why I left Canada – a dream destination for many – the answer I give is simple but may seem trite: I couldn’t live without good cheddar cheese. Of course there […]

The classic summer holiday is that cliche of sun, sand and sea – and that’s when most people tend to do most of their swimming. But as well as lazing on a sun lounger on our precious days off, many of us enjoy exploration and adventure while overseas, and to immerse ourselves in something new. […]

A romantic weekend away for Valentine’s Day – sounds like a great idea in principle, right? But as anyone who has tried to book even a simple night away with their partner already knows, the process of finding the perfect hotel for romance isn’t all hearts and flowers. You’re searching for seclusion and sophistication in […]

If you’re looking for a scenic yet rustic Canadian camping experience, within a 2 hour drive of downtown Vancouver – and one that doesn’t require a 4×4 to access – this small picturesque lake offering trout fishing, boat rental and hiking near Harrison Mills, is a great option for adventurous locals and holidaymakers alike. Let me tell […]

I’ve been a little quiet on the blog lately – that’s because I’ve been been planning adventures and spending time thinking about a few of my favourite things. Yes, I do love raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens as much as the next girl (unless the next girl is actual Julie Andrews) and while […]

‘Don’t worry, it’s not my first rodeo‘ replied my friend as I apologised for leaving her alone in the stands while I got a closer look at the horses and the real life cowboys performing in front of me. She almost certainly wasn’t the first person to make that joke at the Cloverdale Rodeo and […]

Like most girls I’m rather partial to a glass of bubbly  – and writing about the differences between champagne and sparkling wine recently (as you do) reminded me that along with making me forget a few things, my nights (and days) out with champagne by my side have taught me a few things worth remembering […]

British Columbia’s mountain-and-coast nature is of course its major draw, so much so that BC’s latest tourism campaign is entitled ‘Super, Natural British Columbia’  – and a big part of that super, natural lure is the amazing fishing on offer. One of the local pastimes to which I’ve been well and truly converted (as well […]

Some years I’ve travelled farther afield, some years I explored a little closer to home, but every year I consider myself a traveller. That’s because wherever I go, I’m always looking for change and adventure. This year I changed where ‘home’ was – instead of London, England it was Vancouver, Canada – meaning adventure has […]

As the sun set on another Beautiful British Columbia summer, I decide to detail my favourite 14 sun-drenched memories from my summer travels. In the second post I cover the secret sunny spaces I found in Europe and Central America, but here in the first installment I share my 7 secret summertastic spots near my […]

I walk along Vancouver Island’s vast Cox Beach in the winter sunshine, spotting surfers and sand dollars, meeting four-legged beach goers and admiring washed up chunks of tree that are as beautiful as any piece of modern sculpture in the best gallery in town… I’ve spent the night at Long Beach Lodge  – a refined resort-style property […]

Vancouver Island is the largest Pacific Island west of New Zealand, larger than Sicily and a shade smaller than Taiwan – but while British Naval officer George Vancouver may have given his name to both his city and island discoveries, the name is where the similarity between Vancouver city and Vancouver island, ends. ‘The Island’ as […]

Touted as the most British place in all of Canada and named after the Queen who made the country a colony, the city of Victoria reflects the values of the lady herself; rather modest, genteel and pleasantly old fashioned but with a power that belies its appearance – this is the capital of British Columbia, […]

It’s interesting how age and experience changes what we want from our travels. But whether you’re 18 or 80 surely the point of travel is to try something new, and revel in the revelations it brings. If you’d asked me just a few years ago if bird watching was on my must do list I’d […]

One of my favourite things to do in a new city is poke around at a flea market for nik-naks to bring home, especially in places where the cost of living is high; in Asia and Africa shopping is cheap and souvenirs are easy to pick up anywhere. Here in Vancouver and in European cities […]

I have a confession to make: I can’t ski. So when I was invited to the famed ski resort of Whistler I was a bit apprehensive about what a London girl like me would do while everyone else made plans to zoom down a mountain. It turned out that I was still able to zoom […]

As a location independent girl who likes her soya lattes I’m constantly looking for the perfect cosy cafe to hole up in and squeeze in an hours’ work on my laptop (ok, and hang out on Facebook and Twitter). In some destinations this is easy and you can’t swing a cat without hitting five cool […]

Here’s a list of my favourite 5 places to visit in Vancouver  – as tricky as it was to narrow it down to just 5, these are some of my favourite stylish places in the city…

Looking for the perfect place to stay in Vancouver? Look no further than these 3 properties that work for luxury seekers, budget travellers and trendy young things in Canada’s West Coast capital.

When I made a mental checklist of all the things I was looking forward to about visiting Canada, stunning scenery was up there, epic train rides too – and exploring cool cities. I just didn’t realise that the food in Vancouver and the surrounding area was to be one of the ultimate highlights of my time […]

In a nation obsessed with hockey, it pays to be a football fan: here are the 5 phenomenally easy stages to finding yourself cheering on Vancouver’s home soccer team…

I’m on the Rocky Mountaineer Train – the rail journey of  a lifetime through the Canadian stretch of the Rockies – and as four days of jaw dropping views rhythmically float past me, I become obsessed with capturing the immense skies and screen-saver scenery as reflected with the glint of the sun in the side of […]