Karen’s Travel Blog

Journeys on water and land

  • So many classic stories that involve the Thames as a backdrop. I hope my merger offerings do not offend! We stayed on the river below Henley for a few days,. This stay gave me an opportunity to wander through Hampton Court Palace and Windsor castle. Early September in the UK sees alot less tourists so… Read more

  • When good plans go astray

      I was going to title my next blog entry ‘From Oxford to the Sea’, but…..I will start this saga from the beginning. We made it up to Oxford and moored below Follys Bridge for two nights. Then we turned around and meandered down the river, stopping for two nights at Wallingford, then Henley and… Read more

  • Nearly 2 weeks on the water and we have slipped into a comfortable pattern. After showers I get breakfast, and then a quick tidy up and it’s out on the river, Peter driving (though I am getting a few training goes at it) and me navigating. Cafe lattes late morning and lunch on the go… Read more

  • A final few days of provisioning the boat we were off for a 2 sojourn in the Cotswolds. Pretty villages, a church with Anne Boleyn’s christening cup and Roman ruins keep us  entertained until the Wednesday morning and our launch. Once we saw her kiss the water it was off to Waitrose for the final… Read more

  • From Ploce to Stari Grad, not a breath of wind, clear sunny skies and a swim stop along the way to immerse ourselves in the sparkling clear waters of the Adriatic. Lying on a lounge on the back deck, reading a book I can’t remember when life has been so relaxing. Stari Grad is a… Read more

  • Back to Croatia

    The bombed remains in Mostar After deciding that we probably would not visit the Balkans again (not realty a canal boat destination) here we are again cruising the Adriatic, this time from Dubrovnik to Split on Geoff McGearys 80ft, 4 story motor boat. If you have ever wandered along a dock on the med wondering… Read more

  • An English road trip

      We enjoyed our 3 days in Cowes at a fabulous B&B, the North House. When we were not enjoying their hospitality we spent our time wandering around the harbour, visiting yacht clubs and searching for small treasures in the nautical shops. The best find was a folding teak table that can be used either… Read more

  • Paris and the sales

    So you may mistaken in think that a trip to Paris has nothing to do with yachts and barges, but I will have to correct this mistaken assumption. Firstly, as my fashionista friend Margaret would know, you need the correct boating attire. Secondly a visit to Paris allowed us to assess the suitability of the… Read more

  • Hot in Zurich, hot in Lucerne, thunderstorms but still hot in Basel. We originally travelled north to enjoy cooler weather but the weather gods were against us. Wandering around Zurich in 30 degrees was not pleasant, at least our hotel room was air conditioned.  In Lucerne it was even hotter, but no air conditioning. So… Read more

  • The 8 metre worlds

    After 4 days in Vienna, immersing ourselves in culture we took a 6 hour train ride across Austria into Germany and the 8 metre worlds.   We arrived in the small town of Langenargen and after descending from the train, much to Peter’s horror there was not a taxi to be found. The preferred transport… Read more