Guest Blog Feature - Wow Definitely a Place to Visit ...Whistler Canada

Whistler - located two hours from Vancouver and is probably one of Canada's favourite destinations.

Two mountains for skiing and snowboarding and a village with restaurants and bars.

The snow was disappearing ...

When we were there the snow was melting and we didn't have many days of skiing, but the scenery was amazing and we did a fair amount of walking taking in this beautiful place.  We found our phones were out of our pockets most of the time.  For a change not for speaking on, but for taking photos.:)

Well, it'd be rude not to take photos of these breathtaking views.

Blackcomb Mountain

37 lifts and 17 mountain restaurants
Skiable Terrain 3,414 acres / 1,382 hectares

How empty the pistes look!

As I mentioned, the snow was slowly disappearing and here you see the last few skiers on Blackcomb mountain before it closes for the season. 

Pemberton

Pemberton near Whistler is a small town farming community. 

It's cheaper to live here and workers from Whistler tend to find accommodation in Pemberton and travel in to work on the local bus.

Bears?  Really?

Oh yes indeed and this is skunk cabbage.  The bears feed on the roots of this!  Let's hope it's plentiful so they don't have to hunt for anything closer to home!

Now for a stroll ....keeping an eye out for hungry bears 😓

And there's no better place for a walk than around Alta Lake.
2.2km of stunning views.

More information on Alta Lake

Ah and what looks like abandoned vehicles.

We think they may have been destroyed by fire, but there isn't much information on it.

Village Stroll

Whistler village centre is pedestrian only. Through the village is a really broad street called Village Stroll ... always buzzing with young and old alike and flanked by shops and restaurants on either side.

For more information on Whistler there is a great website with facts, history and places to eat etc Whistler Information

A huge thank you to Julie from The Natural Confetti Company and her husband for sharing their travels to this stunning place with us.

Wow, Canada is definitely a place to visit some time soon....

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Bouldering ... Really? Visit Milford on Sea

Yes, it's been a while..... Easter came and went and the kids came and went ....

So actually, with another bank holiday weekend coming up, no better time than to talk about where to take the kids.

Bouldering?

Well as long as the parents are keeping a watchful eye, the kids have great fun here at Milford on Sea on the boulders.  Actually it's not quite as scary as it looks.

And after that a little competition racing on the beach .... well 'catch me if you can mum' and .....

 well if you can't Mum, maybe Dad can :)

You'll notice that I stayed safely away from the bouldering and the running!

Give me a break someone had to take the pictures after all :)

But if you're not into all that extreme sport, you can wander along the path and see if you can catch a glimpse of the wildlife.

Milford is a great place for everyone.

Sustenance

And of course you may well be a little thirsty or even hungry after all that exercise.  Remember to call into Raft Rocks.  Their sweet potato chips are yummy.

Just a quick note from me ... if you want to eat lunch or supper at Raft Rocks you may well need to book ahead.  They get busy and are very popular with the locals.

Open: Tuesday to Sunday   Closed: Monday

A Fun Walk Through the Woods or On the Beach - Mudeford to Highcliffe

Staying close to home for this post and sharing a walk that I often do when grandchildren visit.

Dorset coast

You can either start off at Highcliffe Castle or Mudeford Quay, whichever takes your fancy.

We normally start off at Mudeford Quay, take a long walk along the beach and then back through the woods from Highcliffe Castle, along the top of the cliff.

It was a bit cold on this occasion and we thought it may be a little more sheltered to walk along the top of the cliff so we parked in Highcliffe Castle car park.

An adult only walk takes less time :)

The walk takes about 20 minutes really.  But when with children there are many things to do on this walk, including hiding from mum and dad!

Once we get to Avon Beach, we usually stop for a little sustenance and warm up at The Noisy Lobster.

Any leftovers?

So when son offered lunch, we all said yes - rather too quickly I think, feeling a little peckish and chilly too. 😃

Us adults chose lots of sharing things.  Mainly because it's really hard to choose from this delicious menu.  The boys had beefburgers.

'Proof is in the pudding' as they say!

Dad was eagerly waiting for leftovers!  No such luck on this occasion ....empty plate is what he got :)  Unheard of with one small child, so I guess their food was as good as ours then!

Back along the beach

So with full tummies and a lot warmer now, we headed back along the beach.

Once again, lots to deter the children en route, ah and the adults too I see.

 

Back up the steps to the car park.  Oops, looks like the boys aren't quite tired out yet!  More climbing to be done.

Well, after all that exercise and full tummies I think they'll sleep tonight.  I know Nana will anyway :)

Where we ate: The Noisy Lobster

However, there are takeaways at Avon Beach if you don't feel the need to sit in the restaurant. Also a small cafe on the route, if you can't get all the way without a break.  And Highcliffe Castle has a tea room too.

So a fun walk through the woods or on the beach - Mudeford Avon Beach to Highcliffe Castle - both a great walk with or without the kids.

Wonder What's on the Menu Tonight for the Travel Photographers

A nice day and you won't need to ask me to go fly fishing twice!

No, no I don't do any of the fishing.  I just go along for the peace and quiet.  You just can't beat the tranquillity at the fishing lakes.  A little light relief from the travel blogging and travel photography helps get the brain cells working again.

Rockbourne here we come ..

The forecast was for a dry day and supposedly sunny.  However, it didn't turn out sunny, but thankfully stayed dry.  

And I must have had my sensible head on as I put my trusty boots on ready for the mud.  Yep ... there was mud!

I had never been to these lakes before.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Off the beaten track, so had I been on my own I would never have found them.

My advice is to take a good map, good sat nav or a good husband :)

These fisheries are in the New Forest in an area of outstanding beauty, just outside the village of Rockbourne.  It certainly is the perfect place to relax and unwind.

Without further ado let's go fishing ......

 Within minutes the first one caught.....

Not a bad effort :) 5.5lbs

And trout number 3 - I wonder what's on the menu tonight?

Who's next?

 Oi! There's someone here catching their supper, 

think we could be next .... hide quick

D'you think he can see us?

I'm off ..... what time's the next bus?

New purpose built lodge

By the way Rockbourne Fisheries do offer breakfasts, light lunch and drinks in the lodge.

However, on this occasion, we left home quite late (me going to yoga in the morning caused a slight delay).

As Malcolm wanted to get fishing, we stopped for a quick lunch en route at The George in Fordingbridge.  Ah, that didn't turn out quite as quick as we'd thought.  Mainly because the menu was amazing and we found ourselves eating not such a light lunch!

A first visit for me and I definitely want to go back. Delicious food and great service.

Take a look at my goat's cheese starter.  Delicious!

Ah well, a day off is good for the soul but maybe not so good for the figure. :)

Photos to Tempt You to the Lovely St Vaast La Hougue Normandy Region of France

To be perfectly honest with you it is a few years since we visited this lovely place in France.

We were first invited there by some friends who then had a house very close by.  They have now moved to their UK home, but we have many happy memories of this beautiful place.

And although I don't really know much about the history I do know that it is situated in the North of France in the Manche Normandy Region.

And a little more info taken from Wikepedia 

'Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue is situated in the Manche département, in the Basse-Normandie région. It is in the Quettehou canton, of the Cherbourg arrondissement. The town had a population of 2,097 in 1999. The island of Tatihou forms part of the Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue commune'
So now you know and so do I :)  Actually if you are interested in history, there is quite a bit that may well interest you here

I didn't know that St Vaast La Hougue is twinned with Bridport in Dorset, which isn't far from us in The New Forest.

Good weather always helps

On the occasions we visited, we were lucky enough to have good weather.

At least it meant as we wandered around we could take some photos without getting wet or blown away.

A great place to visit for a short break and if you go for a longer break, there are many places to visit close by like Barfleur.  According to the Travel Guide there are plenty of tours you can do too.

Now some photos to tempt you to visit the pretty St Vaast La Hougue

Ooh think I may well have tempted myself.  We may have to go back for another look.

Thanks again for visiting.... and remember you can feature here.

Until next time, safe travels. 👜📷💼