Travel to Ireland with Kate Walker & Giveaways

When I was  growing up, the most exciting thing that could happen as part of the school holidays was  when my mother took us all to visit her family  in my grandfather's house just outside Dublin in Ireland.  It was a major undertaking -  there were five of us sisters and my mother, all  travelling across to the port of  Holyhead Anglesey,  getting on to the ferry and then traveling across the sea to the port of  Dún Laoghaire  where the ferry docked. I had so many wonderful memories of the journey (once the sea sickness was over!) of this beautiful country where both my mother and father had been born, where they had met  and married all those years before. So it was a special delight to be able to travel back there with my husband and my own son many years later.

   It was more than twenty years since I'd visited but memories came rushing back and I found I could retrace my steps  almost as easily as if it had been yesterday that I'd walked that way before.  I  found Dublin Castle, the General Post Office where the 1916 rebellion had  started.  I walked along the Dublin Strand  and from there, tracing my  childhood footsteps,  I was able to lead my husband  to my Grandfather's house in the little village of Sandymount  where I had spent all those wonderful summer holidays.  I even walked around  Trinity College where my mother and father had met  even more years before and then  across Stephen's Green  where  the magnificent gateway has a high wide arch where the names of all the Irishmen killed in the Boer War are listed.  There's one of my ancestors there  -  my Great Uncle Charlies  - Charles Walker - who was my grandfather's younger brother.  He was only 17 when he died and as I take my name from my grandmother Katherine Walker, he was her brother in law.   As you can see, the weather was pretty typically Irish  - lots of grey clouds and plenty of rain - the sort of day that in Ireland you learn to call it a fine soft day!

Lesser Spotted Destinations with Katrina Cudmore & Giveaways!

Lesser Spotted Destinations

 

A few years ago after a particularly hectic weekend break in a jam-packed London, I read a travel article in the English Sunday Times that really resonated with me. The article argued that in a time of ever increasing tourism and the associated concerns over the environmental impact on popular destinations, we should all be seeking out new and less visited destinations. The Cliffs of Moher here in Ireland are a case in point. Last year the cliffs had over 1.5 million tourists. Cliff erosion is now a concern at the site, as is visitor management. I don’t know about you but when I travel, I like to visit unique locations. I hate the feeling of being yet another tourist in a too predictable destination.

That why’s I thought I’d share with you two alternative coastal destinations in Ireland for you to consider, where more often than not you will be only one of a handful of visitors on any given day and where you will find a more authentic Ireland.

 

Geokaun Mountain & Fogher Cliffs on Valentina Island are located in County Kerry in the South West of Ireland at one of the most westerly points in Europe.



Valentina although an Island is accessible by a bridge and is a wild and beautiful place on the Atlantic coast full of stunning walks, in particular the 600ft Fogher seacliffs. The Blasket Islands can be seen in the distance from the cliffs and the area is renowned for its flora and fauna. Ferries leave from the nearby fishing village of Portmagee for the Skellig Rocks. Skellig Michael towers 714ft above sea level and is famous for its sixth century monastic settlement. The site, reached by steep steps, includes stone beehive-shaped huts, oratories and crosses. Thousands of puffins breed on Skellig Michael during the warmer months and it was a recent location for the filming of Star Wars movies.

Travel with Phillipa Nefri Clark to Great Ocean Road

Two towns on the Great Ocean Road

[caption id="attachment_952" align="alignleft" width="438"] Great Ocean Road[/caption]

A number of years ago, we took a rare break from business to have a short family holiday in Lorne, Victoria. The week leading into our departure, I’d had the worst headache imaginable, culminating with a CT scan the morning we left. Against dire warnings from my doctor that I should stay in town until the results came in, I persuaded my husband to head to the one place I knew would help - the ocean.

Wellington, New Zealand - then and now by K. A. Servian #Giveaways

New Zealand’s capital is a vibrant city with an active arts scene and thriving cafe culture. The CBD is compact. You can wander from Cuba Street with it’s eclectic independent retailers down to Lambton Quay, dubbed ‘The golden mile’ with it’s high-end shops, in around fifteen minutes.

Wellington is also home to Te Papa, the country’s national museum and a fascinating place to spend an afternoon. It’s also worth taking a drive around the southern coast where houses cling to cliffs above a dramatic rocky shore. For a more sedate beach option, Oriental Parade in the city is a lovely spot for a walk and an ice cream.

Thought to have been occupied by Māori since 950AD, the first European settlement of the area that was to become Wellington began in January 1840 when Edwin Gibbon Wakefield, founder of the New Zealand Company and a man of questionable morality, sailed into Port Nicholson with the intention of setting up a town. The company’s methods were dubious to say the least and the whole scheme came close to failure on several occasions due to a lack of suitable building plots and difficulty negotiating land deals with the in situ Māori population. The Wakefields did eventually succeed, although in a modified form from their original plans.

Beaches I have loved by Michelle Douglas #Giveaways

Sarah and the Secret Sheikh is set in the fictional Arabian country of Keddah Jaleel, and while I’d love to show you pictures of my adventures in that part of the world, I’ve never had the opportunity to experience it (maybe one day).



The desert sounds so magical, doesn’t it? But I haven’t been outside my own country in over four years! However, Keddah Jaleel does have the most spectacular coastline…and those who know me know how much I love the beach. It doesn’t really matter which beach—I pretty much love them all. So today I thought I’d share some of my favourite beaches with you. 

 

 

 

My childhood beach was in the tourist hamlet of Tuncurry, which is just over two hours North of Newcastle (which is where I live). This particular spot is called The Rock Pool (though it’s more a netted beach than an actual rock pool), and is very child friendly. It’s tucked into the mouth of the harbour, bordered by the breakwater, and it’s not unusual to see dolphins frolicking in the harbour on the other side of the net. J (This spot featured in my 2011 release, The Secretary’s Secret).

[caption id="attachment_870" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The Rock Pool, Tuncurry…with the iconic Forster and Tuncurry bridge in the background[/caption]

 

Travel to York with Nicole Locke #Giveaway

Peculiar York

My latest release, The Knight’s Scarred Maiden, is about journeys. A journey with food, with self-worth, with love – all while the characters travel to York.

You see, Helissent, is a maiden whose family died in a fire. She’s been working in an inn, but the owner sold her off to some ruffians, who intend to abuse her. Well, she’ll have none of that. So, she bargains with some travelling mercenaries to take her to York.

Enters the hero, Rhain, a mercenary with a price on his head. Though he has a vengeful warlord after him, he reluctantly agrees to take Helissent.

Along the way, they fall in love. And though Rhain tries to leave her in other locations (because he doesn’t want to risk her life), she’ll have none of that as well. She wants York. Why? Because from the fire that took her family, she’s terribly scarred on the right side of her body. She wants a large enough city to get lost in, but also where she can find employment.

York in Medieval times was everything Helissent needed. I’ve travelled there several times, and marvelled at the vastness of the City Walls, and the beauty of the Minster.



 

 

I love narrow streets of The Shambles, and always indulge in too much food.

I also have a favourite spot. It’s on the Wall, more specifically it’s a stone on the Wall, where it looks as if someone once played a game. Was it done in Medieval times or more recently? I don’t know. But I do know there’s a story behind it, and that’s why it’s my favourite, if peculiar, place in York.

 

Do you have a favourite, if peculiar, place in the world?

 

About Nicole Locke:

Nicole first discovered romance novels hidden in her grandmother's closet. Convinced hidden books must be better, Nicole greedily read them. It was only natural she should start writing them (but now not so secretly). If she isn't working on the next book in the Lovers and Legends historical series, she can be reached at:

Facebook     Twitter     Website     Goodreads

 

 

 

 

The Knight's Scarred Maiden (Lovers and Legends)

A maiden for the mercenary 



 

 

Mercenary knight Rhain is living on borrowed time. With a vengeful warlord pursuing him, he has accepted his fate—though first he must get his men to safety. 

When he rescues mysterious and deeply scarred Helissent from her attackers, Rhain soon wishes he wasn't marked for death. He can never be the man she deserves—his scandalous lineage alone dictates that—but Rhain can't resist the temptation to show this innocent maiden how beautiful she truly is… 

Lovers and Legends A clash of Celtic passions

 

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The Knight's Scarred Maiden

by Nicole Locke

Giveaway ends August 30, 2017.

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Cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam with Melanie Milburne #BookGiveaway

Two years ago my husband and I did a European river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam.

The cruise was wonderful. We visited places we might not have visited if we had been travelling on our own. Everything was catered for and it was lovely only having to unpack the once! Our cabin was always beautifully prepared for us and the food was amazing. As we toured through different countries the food and wine were sourced from those areas. That was so special.

 

 

Travel to Martinique, West Indies with Alison Stuart

TAKE ME TO MARTINIQUE

Alison Stuart 

[caption id="attachment_625" align="alignleft" width="300"] Boats at the marina[/caption]


Thank you, Nasreen, for inviting me to talk about one of my favourite topics… travel!

I have led a peripatetic life – having been born in Kenya and lived in Singapore (as well as my settled life here in Australia). I have hiked in Nepal, visited the ruins of Angkor Wat, reugee camps on the Thai-Burma border, Japanese temples, gorgeous Pacific islands such as Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia and ridden on a float in Mardi Gras Parade in New Orleans. So how do I pick one single ‘exotic’ experience to write about?