The car from Exotica Bungalows picked us up in Colombo and drove us to the delightful little hotel by the sea at Hikkaduwa – a vibrant, tourist-friendly coastal town in southwestern Sri Lanka, renowned for its golden beaches, bustling nightlife, and excellent surfing (especially from November to April). Located about Located about 100km south of Colombo, it is a…
We returned to Sri Lanka in February 2026 for a six weeks stay. We were glad to leave the cold and damp in Harrogate behind and fly to Colombo from Manchester with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul. It was not the same as flying with Emirates. The seats were smaller with less leg-room. No spirits were…
Family / Food / Food & Wine
We celebrated Christmas 2025 with the family in London. Nadja, Lotti & Alma flew in from Germany. We drove to London from Harrogate to stay with Diluk & Cliona in Islington. Christmas Eve Diluk, Cliona, Alma and Lotti first went to see Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes at Sadlers Wells before joining us at Nick…
Video created by Renuka Dias
After a restful day at Port na Mine, we drove to Kilchrenan to have dinner at the Kilchrenan Inn. We had drinks before dinner in the garden in front of the inn.
It was warm and sunny – an ideal day for relaxing at Port na Mine, swimming in Loch Etive, walking in Oban and exploring the Ganavan Sands and Dunstaffnage Castle Circular. Relaxing At Port na Mine Loch Etive Again… Ganavan Sands Circular This is a 7 km circular walk above the coast line starting at…
We took a five-hour whale search and wildlife watching trip in the Firth of Lorn Special Area of Conservation and Marine Protected Area with Sealife Adventures who run tours from their pontoon on the mainland near Oban. The tour was led by Marine biologist David Ainsley who set up Sealife Adventures in 1988. Within the first…
Loch Etive is a 30 km sea loch which reaches the sea 5 km north of Oban. It heads east for half its length alongside the main road and rail link to Oban. It was a bright and clear morning. We walked down the path from Port na Mine to Loch Etive. The rest of the group arrived from Mallaig in the evening. We had…
In August 2025, we spent a week at Loch Etive, near Inverawe, on the west coast of Scotland. We rented in Port na Mine – a six-bedroom house in a remote corner of Inverawe for our group of eight adults, four children and two dogs. The drive, from Harrogate in North Yorkshire took eight hours…
Light rain fell in the morning and the sun struggled to appear. I went for another short walk in the village and noted for the first time the Württemberger Weinstraße sign and a carving depicting vineyards, grape harvest, pressing and wine drinking, just below the church. I noted the well stocked grocery store with no…
It was Sunday and Kleinbottwar was quiet in the morning. I walked in the hot sun past the small Schafer Winery to the little pastry shop at the bottom of the street next to the church, bought fresh bread and cakes and drank coffee. That evening we went to the annual street party in the…
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