Three years with my SO calls for a (government sanctioned) mini-escape to the beach. We headed out towards Dunbar, in East Lothian, to explore the John Muir Country Park.









The country park marks one end of the John Muir Way, which runs across the central belt of Scotland. Perhaps next year we'll walk it!

Long time, no holiday! The last time I was out of the country was a my trip to Bruges (quaint, delicious waffles, A+, would recommend) back in April 2018 so this was long overdue!





Sorrento has been on my revisit list for a long time now. I first went almost 10 years ago with my family. Sitting opposite Mount Vesuvius in the Bay of Naples, there is so much to do but life is much more relaxed than Naples itself. If you want to get busy and see all the Roman ruins, you can, but it's just as nice to laze about the pool and stuff your face with pasta. And I'll be honest, the food was the main reason I was back.






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As is my preference for a summer holiday, we operated a day-on, day-off mode of exploring the area: a day exploring, a day reading and enjoying the view from the hotel:






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And it was a nice view!






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In a slightly off the beaten track decision, we hiked from the hotel in Sant Agata due Golfi (up in the hills, which is how we got that fantastic view) and walked down to the abandoned fishing village of Crapolla, way down in the cliffs on the Amalfi Coast.






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There's a dinky little train that goes from Sorrento to Naples, and stops at Pompeii and Herculaneum along the way (also where you'd get a bus to climb Vesuvius). It's never 100% on time but it'll get you where you need to go for a decent price.





However, don't rule out what you might consider a tourist trap straight away! We managed to find a Vesuvius and Vineyard tour for a very reasonable price. Entry to the National Park, time to hike, and then to a private vineyard for a three course meal and six glasses of wine (we were rolled back onto the bus).






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Lacryma Christi is a protected-status wine from the slopes of Vesuvius and is delicious. Highly recommended if you can find it! The name comes from a story that Jesus looked down on the Bay of Naples from heaven and thought it was so beautiful that he cried. Lacryma Christi.



It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of wildlife photography. I love wildlife sanctuaries and zoos and basically any place I can take photos of animals. With no plans this Sunday, I didn't need much persuading to pick up my camera for a nice day out.





Well, it would have been a nice day only the Scottish weather was out in full force. It was sunny, but it was also raining and blustery and a little too cold to be outdoors for so long. But I still managed some very good shots!

















We had a bit of respite by nipping indoors to see a flying show. Some of the owls are trained to be Owl Ambassadors for their species. In practice, what this means is that they fly from perch to perch for bits of chicken, and their only goal is that chicken. They are so focused on lunch and so practiced at flying that they swoop extremely low over your head. There was an awful lot of ducking/protecting my camera!





Alicanto the Magellan Horned Owl




Tehuthi the Pharaoh Eagle Owl
















One surprise resident was this handsome kookaburra! Kookaburras are actually members of the Kingfisher family so decidedly not what you'd expect to find in an Owl Centre but since St Andrews Aquarium has meerkats, I've learned to never assume what I'll see at these kind of centres!













I will absolutely have to go back to the Scottish Owl Centre when it's a bit warmer!







Once again, another trip to Edinburgh Zoo. February makes for cold shooting but I'm pretty pleased with some of these shots. Always a treat to see the red pandas as well!

I have by no means travelled most of the world. I've covered a good few countries and definitely visited a couple that are perhaps more unusual for a Brit to visit  but I'm not a massive globe trotter. That said, when I told people I had a flight booked to Gibraltar, I got some puzzled looks.

Why wouldn't I - a psychology graduate - want to go to a place that is synonymous with culture clash? And as if that wasn't enough, a place known for its geology unusual and native monkeys? And they speak English and use pounds. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for an easier first 'official' solo holiday.


One thing I am having to get used to now I live in Edinburgh is connecting flights. When I lived in London, I took the many international airports absolutely for granted. This time around, I was looking at a regular 3+ hour flight to Gib as well as a flight down to Heathrow. But as I have, for the most part, been blessed by the travel gods, this went off without a hitch.


Gibraltar, being a spit of land jutting out into the Strait, has a somewhat... unconventional airport. Unconventional in the sense that the area it's built on isn't exactly wide enough and an artificial runway has been extended out into the sea and the road to Spain goes straight through the middle so traffic has to be stopped. Very disconcerting as a passenger when you find yourself getting closer and closer towards a body of water having just spotted cars queuing up. It felt a bit like an accident waiting to happen...

But I made it! And after grabbing a shuttle bus to the main town (the busses were super duper cheap - I was very impressed) I made it to my AirBnB (entire flat to myself - thank you very much, discount codes!). My flat was very cute and Mediterranean, with white linen curtains and a courtyard with leafy green plants in terracotta pots.

Nipping out for a bite to eat, I made my plan of action for the next few days. I didn't have long to explore the unique territory.


First thing on my list, of course, was The Rock.


And that meant seeing Barbary Apes. 


(Although the animal nerd in me hastens to add that they are actually macaques and not apes.)


Any excuse for some wildlife photography, really! 


Not a bad view from the top either...


One side of the Rock bare while the other is covered in vegetation.


The Rock's official flower is Acanthus mollis, commonly known as bear's breeches, 


While I had chosen to take the (swaying more than I was comfortable with!) cable car up, it was a nice enough day that I decided to walk my way down. Map in hand, this offered great views of the Gibraltar Bay and across to Spain.


I also had a clear view to Europa Point at the tip of the overseas territory.


On my walk down from the top, I was eager to stop in at Saint Michael's Cave. Prehistoric history nut that I am, I was extremely excited to visit a place where neolithic remains had been found!

The cave also often gets used as a venue so there was some amazing lighting inside!







Back outside, I encountered more macaques. 


The macaques had a bad rep in the past as people would feed them, so they'd be known to chase tourists down and pull at plastic bags. The Gibraltar government put a stop to that a few years ago with a £4,000 fine if you're caught slipping them food(!) Only rangers are allowed to feed them now which means everything is a bit more relaxed on the Rock.


View over Gibraltar town.


A suspicious pup I met on my way down.


And some more views out to Spain.


And more macaques.


Part of my entry into the nature reserve got me into the Moorish Castle.


The castle has stood since the medieval era and was home to Gibraltar's only prison until 2010! 


Gibraltar town itself is strange in that there are some things that are totally British - the many pubs, English is everywhere, pounds on signs, etc. - but then I'd round a corner and encounter an entire wall of Mediterranean bougainvillea. Culture clash!


Next post will cover the second half of this trip and my attempt to see North Africa (which has been on my bucket list since I heard about Gib!) but if you got through this blog post without once thinking of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, you're a better person than I!

The Rock of Gibraltar | The Pillars of Hercules 
Here's v quick post from me, delving into the backlog of photos from the last time I was at Edinburgh Zoo. I'm pretty tempted to get myself an annual pass and start a photo series studying various species... We'll see.

It's a truth universally acknowledged that portraits look far more artistic when they're in black and white.