Dunkery Beacon, Exmoor

On the last day of our stunning week in Exmoor National Park we headed out for a walk to Dunkery Beacon. Dunkery Beacon is the highest point in Exmoor and in Somerset and so offered amazing panoramic views of the surrounding moorland and coastline.

But before we reached it we had a long walk up through the open and beautiful landscape, the route we took was a little off the beaten track, so we didn't see any other people until we reached the top!

Italy Update!

So I'm one week in to my 16 day trip in Italy and I'm loving every second. So far I have explored Venice, taken a night time gondola ride with new friends, spent a morning on Murano, explored Verona, arrived in a apartment in Naples to views over the city and Mount Vesuvius, taken a day trip to Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius,  and spent a day on the beautiful island of Capri. While I've got some decent wifi I though I'd upload a few of my favourite pictures from these adventures,  enjoy!

Venice

St Mark's Square, Venice

Walking the West Somerset Coast Path

During the middle of of holiday in Somerset we decided to venture away from Exmoor National Park for a day. We met up with my aunt and uncle near to where they leave and walked part of the West Somerset Coast Path.

Before we started walking we obviously needed some cream tea to start off our day! We visited the idyllic Chantry Tea Gardens for some tasty tea and scones in the sunshine.

A Morning with the Exmoor Ponies

As I am a huge animal, nature and wildlife lover, the beautiful herds of wild Exmoor ponies were definitely what I was looking forward to the most on our holiday in the National Park. The ponies are an iconic part of Exmoor's landscape and we came just at the right time of year to see all of the foals as well, adorable!

Skydiving onto a beach in Australia!

So today is my 21st birthday! I'm really excited and I am planning on writing a blog post next week about some of the exciting things I'm doing to celebrate. But for now I wanted to share one of the most unforgettable experiences of my 21 years; skydiving!

Looking back on the past 21 years I've had so many amazing memories but the one that will always stand out for me is my skydive. It was unlike anything I had done before, it was exhilarating, breath-taking and completely surreal. If anyone reading this is considering doing a one, go for it! It may seem scary at first, but when the adrenaline kicks in and you're free falling through the sky, the air rushing past your face, it literally feels like you are flying. I never would have considered doing something like a skydive before I went travelling, it really pushed me out of my comfort zone and I'm so proud of myself for doing it! So today I wanted to share some of my favourite photos from my skydive on here.

Walking The Valley of the Rocks

On the Monday morning of our family holiday in Exmoor we headed off on a walk through The Valley of the Rocks. The Valley of the Rocks is a dry valley with stunning rock formations along the Devon coastline. It was one of the most touristy places we visited on our holiday as it's a very popular walk, and for good reason. The route we took was fairly easy-going and didn't take too long to walk but still boasted amazing views over the sea. It's such a stunning area that many writers, poets and musicians have taken inspiration from it. The valley has featured in the works of William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and R. D. Blackmore. The poet Robert Southey described the valley as:

"the very bones and skeletons of the earth; rock reeling upon rock, stone piled upon stone, a huge terrific mass"

Visiting the Smallest Church in England

On the Monday of our holiday in Exmoor we set off on a walk down to Culbone Church, also called St. Beuno's Church, which is located in the tiny settlement of Culbone. As our holiday cottage was situated right at the top of Porlock Hill, we made our way down the steep, winding woodland paths towards the church. The walk there was really pleasant, the walk back up however, was slightly more challenging... (i.e. I literally though I was going to die...)

The church is thought to be the smallest one in England and can only fit 30 people inside! It is a grade 1 listed building with some parts of the church dating back to the 13th century. This absolutely beautiful and peaceful church was a delight to explore and I discovered nearly all the graves in the church yard belonged to the same two families. It is nestled among the steep woodland and there is no road excess to it, despite this the church still holds regular services

One Week in Exmoor National Park

Last week I headed off on holiday with my parents and our gorgeous border collie, Cassie. It was our first family holiday in years so I was really looking forward to it. We'd decided to go to an area of the UK we'd never visited before, Exmoor National Park!

For anyone who doesn't know Exmoor is a stunning area of moorland, woodland and coastline which is located in South West England. The National Park spans across areas of both Somerset and Devon and is well known for its breathtaking and dramatic views. It is also famous for its amazing wildlife including deer and wild Exmoor ponies (I will be doing a whole post about the ponies shortly!)