#UKexplore in August 2018

And just like that, the blue skies we’ve become familiar with are replaced with autumnal tones. Having been away for a couple of weeks in August it certainly feels like that. We returned from Venice and Sardinia a few days ago with POD’s return to school imminent and the leaves are already beginning to fall from the trees. Much as I’m clinging onto what’s left of the summer, I cannot wait for autumn. I relish heading to our local National Trust sites to capture those red, orange and yellow hues.

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A new era: Heading to Junior school

POD seems to have grown up so much over the summer holidays and not just in height. In just a few days time, she starts Junior School which I still haven’t got my head around. That said, it’s looking to be a fairly smooth transition as she’ll be joining many of her friends there. The Junior School feeds in from the primary she was at so it was a relief when she secured a place. I suspect we would have had to move house otherwise.

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#UKexplore in July 2018

How amazing has the last few weeks been? Don’t get me wrong we enjoy the great outdoors whatever the weather but it’s so nice when the sun shines all day long and there’s barely a cloud in the sky. Unsurprisingly we’ve escaped to the beach a few times recently to breath in that wonderful sea air before paying our local lavender field a visit where we mostly played hide and seek amid those purple hues.

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Hide and seek in the lavender fields

Situated around 15 miles from London in Banstead is Mayfield Lavender. We’ve visited this 25-acre farm on a few occasions since we moved to Surrey in 2010. At the right time, you can expect to see row upon row of purple hues and the smell of lavender is delicious. It can get busy at weekends during the peak period (July and August) so it’s worthwhile going Monday to Friday if you can. We didn’t have that luxury this time around so last Sunday, we set off early with the view to visiting before the masses descended. A lavender farm in full bloom is so worth setting the alarm for, isn’t it?

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A taste of London’s graffiti tunnel

If you’ve been following PODcast long enough, you’ll know I’m a bit of a street art fan. You’ll find a post on where to find the best street art in London here with a glimpse of the street art scene in Berlin on my travel blog, POD Travels. But I have to tell you about The Graffiti Tunnel, otherwise known as Leake Street Tunnel. Situated beneath Waterloo station in London, which thousands of passengers pass through every month, you might never have heard of it.

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#UKexplore in June 2018

How wonderful has the weather been recently? We’re absolutely loving all the glorious sunshine, even more, reason to get out and explore the great outdoors. We managed to escape to Devon this weekend albeit for a fleeting visit. We sat on the beach and had a picnic which was good fun and a nice change from the Surrey Hills. Sounds like everyone has been out discovering new places if the #ukexplore community is anything to go by.

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Dragonflies and dragons teeth

How amazing has the weather been recently? We were thrilled to come back from holiday to find the UK basking in sunshine, potentially more so than Corsica if I’m honest. We had such a brilliant time though. A really good week away which largely involved POD trying just about every activity Mark Warner had on offer! From sailing, windsurfing and kayaking to tennis, badminton and volleyball – she just didn’t stop! It’s been a very busy time what with work and heading off again shortly after our holiday. I wouldn’t change a thing though, we relish exploring new places.

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A fleeting visit to West Wittering

Much as we enjoy Surrey and the surrounding countryside, we relish a visit to the coast too. Perhaps it’s the sound of the waves that provides the instant sense of calm. Maybe it’s POD’s sheer delight at being able to build sand castles, hunt for shells and jump the waves. Whatever it is West Wittering in Sussex is one of our favourite beaches with its miles of sand, sand dunes and colourful beach huts.

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#UKexplore in May 2018

It’s been so nice to see some sunshine and enjoy more of the great outdoors hasn’t it? We’ve explored locally and further afield over the last few weeks spending time in the countryside, the forest and at the coast with trips overseas in between. We relish visiting new places and just recently discovered a boardwalk and some WW2 dragons teeth in the woods by a local park. What a fascinating find which came about after a wander along the canal. We had no idea the tank defenders even existed. We took some photos though so we’ll share on here soon enough.

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Snail spotting on Littlehampton beach

Much as we love travelling abroad (check out POD Travels to see what we’ve been up to), we’re very fond of exploring the UK too. We’re fortunate in that we’re surrounded by the most wonderful countryside in Surrey but we do relish escaping to the coast on occasions too. With the likes of Littlehampton just an hour away, it’s easy to lose a few hours on the beach. There’s something so calming about hearing the sound of the waves, feeling the wind on your cheeks and breathing in that fresh sea air isn’t there?

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