2016: My Year in Numbers

Now that 2017 is upon us I can't help but look back on everything that happened in 2016, and I personally think it was my most incredible year yet. I have achieved and experienced so much in the past 12 months,  leaving me to go into the new year older, a little wiser and full of excited anticipation of what this next year will bring.

Here are a few numbers from my year which pretty much sum up what I got up to in 2016!

Coogee to Bondi Coastal Walk // Sydney, Australia // A Photo Diary

During my time in Sydney I did the Coogee to Bondi Coastal Walk; a cliff top walk in the suburbs of Sydney which offers stunning views and takes you to five of Sydney's beautiful beaches.

The walk takes you to Coogee, Clovelly, Bronte, Tamarama and Bondi beaches, giving you the chance to chill out and have a swim in the sea after each section of the walk. 

The beaches are one of favourite places to visit in Sydney  (and I listed the walk in my Ten Things to Do In Sydney post here)  so I thought I would share some of my favourite photos from it!

Hunter Valley Wine Tour, Australia // A Photo Diary

During my first week in Sydney, I went on a wine tasting day trip to the Hunter Valley Region. The Hunter Valley is a beautiful area full of vineyards and is also Australia's oldest wine growing region. We had a scenic drive from Sydney to our first winery through stunning bushland and countryside, which seemed even more beautiful and it was sunniest, most gorgeous day we'd had since arriving in Australia. Our tour guide was funny and chatty, telling us interesting facts about Australian history as we drove along, and he stopped the mini bus regulary to point out different Australian trees, plants and also some wildlife!

Australia Photo Diaries

Australia is, without a doubt, my favourite country that I have visited, and in a couple of months time I am lucky enough to be going back there for a third time. I will be revisiting a couple of my favourite places on the east coast, as well as going to some places I've never visited before, including Melbourne, Adelaide and Alice Springs.

Therefore, I thought it was fitting that my first posts now I have started up my blog should be about Australia! 

Algarve, Portugal: A Photo Diary

Back in 2012 I visited the Algarve region in Portugal. We stayed in a lovely apartment right next to the beach and just a few minutes outside of the beautiful little town of Lagos. It was such a peaceful, gorgeous and relaxing place to visit, with little beach bars to sit and watch the boats sail past on the ocean. I'm dying to go back one day soon, so I thought I'd share with you a few of my favourite pictures from the holiday.

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!

The Exmoor Coatsline: A Photo Diary

Just a quick little post today! During my holiday in Exmoor we went on a absolutely stunning walk along the dramatic cliffs of the Exmoor Coastal Path. I didn't take masses of pictures that day but I wanted to share the few I did take in a little photo diary as the views were so stunning! Hope you enjoy!

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.

Hello Italy!

(source)

So today is the day I have been looking forward to for ages! Today is the day I fly to Italy!

I'm going interrailing around Italy for 16 days visiting Venice, Verona, Naples, Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento and Rome! So many months of planning and preparation have gone into this trip and I'm so excited it's finally here. I'm going to be writing a lot of blog posts about my time in Italy when I get home in September but if you fancy seeing pictures from my Italian adventures as they're happening then make sure to click here and follow me on Instagram!

Thanks for reading!

Chloe xox

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!)

Sailing the Whitsunday Islands: A Photo Diary

The Whitsunday Islands has to be the most incredibly beautiful place I have ever visited in my life. With the gorgeous islands, picturesque beaches, bright blue waters and colourful marine life you will literally think you have died and gone to heaven. 74 stunning tropical islands make up the Whitsundays, located in the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Some of the most well known islands include Hamilton Island, Daydream Island and of course Whitsunday Island which is home to the absolutely breath-taking Whitehaven Beach.

5 Places I Want to Revisit

I love the idea of travelling to new places and seeing new things. But there are also a few locations I've visited that I've fallen in love with so much that I'm desperate to go back there again! So here are my top five places that I can't wait to visit again in the near future.

1.Brisbane, Australia.

Flying over Fraser Island

I stayed Fraser Island for three days while I was in Australia and it soon become my favourite place I had visited during my time there...

4 Fun Days Out in Tenerife

Tenerife is the perfect location for fun holiday jammed packed with activities without the stress of planning or organising anything yourself! One of my favourite things about our stay here was the ease of booking so many amazing trips and tours. Don't get me wrong, I love planning out some adventures and exploring places off the beaten track, but I also love having a relaxing holiday with any activity you want to do right at your fingertips. You can book trips and buy tickets to the main attractions from hotels and from booking agent shops that are everywhere on the sea front. All the tours will usually pick you up from your hotel and there are free buses running to the major attractions so it's just so easy to do whatever you fancy doing! You can go jet skiing, surfing, paragliding, scuba diving, dolphin watching, on boat rides, jeep safaris, horse safaris, to water parks and day trips to see a volcano or the beautiful coastline. Fancy seeing some animals? Tenerife has the Jungle Park, Loro Park, Monkey Park and a Camel Park! There centainly is plenty of choice and something to suit everyone.

So without further ado, here are my four favourite days out I had when I was in Tenerife!

Singapore: A Photo Diary

I visited Singapore for three days back in July 2013 and instantly fell in love with its unusual and beautiful architecture and food. It was truly unlike any place I had ever visited before. I stayed at a hotel in the Little India district and was happy to find all the locals were so friendly and welcoming towards me. One shop owner even ran out to lend me his umbrella during a thunderstorm!