Travel – Kevin Blyth

Exploring Scotland, A Journey Through Its Rich History and Scenic Beauty

October 13, 2025 by Kevin Blyth, posted in Uncategorized

Introduction

There’s something about Scotland that grabs you by the soul. It’s a country where every turn reveals another dramatic vista, where history seeps from ancient stones, and where the landscape whispers tales of the past.

While I’m Scottish, my wife Josanne is a New Zealander who’d seen relatively little of my homeland beyond Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. After work in Paris and trips to Rome and Venice, we were heading back to take the high road home in June 2024. It’s taken me ages to write this up, but I’ve finally done it!

We started our 11-day journey in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, where I lived from 1978-1985 when my dad worked on the oil rigs. Josanne and I returned there to marry in 1992 at St Mary’s on the Rock Church, with our reception at the New Inn Hotel.

Having visited Edinburgh several times before, we deliberately bypassed Scotland’s capital.

We’d brought warm, wet weather clothing. Even in summer, we expected rain. I didn’t reckon on buying a beanie on Skye because the wind was so cold on my ears though!

DAY 1-2: ELLON, ABERDEENSHIRE (22-23 JUNE)

Our stay here was mainly catching up with old friends (including the odd beer at the Brew Dog pub). Despite having lived here, I was still surprised at how long it remains light in Scotland. We left the pub after 11pm and it still wasn’t dark. I’m not difficult to keep amused!

St Mary-on-the-Rock was designed by George Edmund Street and built in 1871, based on the medieval parish church destroyed in 1776. It’s a Grade A listed building with floor tiles by Minton and excellent stained glass.

The New Inn Hotel is a historic coaching inn built in 1704, overlooking the River Ythan. It was a changeover point for horses between Aberdeen and Peterhead. It has been part of the Ellon history for over 320 years.

*The historic New Inn Hotel in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, built in 1704, stands as a charming coaching inn with a rich history.*

DAY 3: BALLATER (24 JUNE)

We set off early for Ballater, working out travel times and what we wanted to see along the way, our modus operandi throughout Scotland. We said goodbye to my best man Kevin and his wife Wendy, hoping to return their hospitality when they visit New Zealand.

Ballater is “The Royal Village” in Royal Deeside, about 40 miles from Aberdeen, most famous for Balmoral Castle. Many shops display “By Royal Appointment” warrants, I suspect an advantage of having the Royals as neighbours!

Our reason for starting here was to visit Balmoral Castle. While I’d never been, it was what I expected, though Josanne said it was smaller than she thought. Prince Albert purchased it for Queen Victoria in 1852. She called it “my dear paradise in the Highlands.”

It has extensive, tidy gardens, including vegetable gardens to feed the Royal Family when in residence (we were there before they arrived, so no chance of bumping into a King, Queen, Prince or Princess)!

This was probably the last day of good weather until we had another sunny day in Mull. Thankfully, having been brought up in Scotland, I wasn’t expecting days of warm sunshine like a New Zealand summer.

We also stopped at Crathie Kirk, where the Royal Family worships when at Balmoral. Unfortunately closed to visitors while we were there, we could only walk around outside. While built in 1895 during Queen Victoria’s reign, there had been previous churches dating back to the 9th century.

*Exterior view of Crathie Kirk, a church built in 1895 during Queen Victoria’s reign*

We stayed at the Balmoral Arms, a traditional Scottish hotel in the heart of Ballater, built in the Victorian era. They did a lovely breakfast where Josanne experienced haggis as part of a traditional Scottish breakfast for the first time! She enjoyed it, though unlike me, her breakfasts tended to be healthier.

*A view of Ballater’s main street, showcasing its historic buildings and the iconic church spire under a clear blue sky.*

*The cozy interior of the Balmoral Arms hotel featuring comfortable seating, warm lighting, and a welcoming atmosphere perfect for relaxation.*

DAY 4: INVERNESS (25 JUNE)

We headed to Inverness to see the Battle of Culloden site, the famous 1745 battle from the Jacobite Rising. At a very high level, the battle lasted less than an hour but around 1,500-2,000 Jacobites were killed versus approximately 50 government troops. It marked the end of the Jacobite uprising and the Highland clan system.

The battlefield is well-preserved and you can walk the actual ground where clansmen charged. Seeing the undulating and stony ground and understanding their weapons versus government troops, you can only tip your hat at the bravery of those men. The visitor centre excellently explains what took place with lots of clan markers to show who was located where at the time the battle commenced. It was moving, and everyone seemed sombre and respectful.

By the time we left Culloden, that most famous of Scottish weathers (drizzle) had kicked off! From here, we headed to Cawdor Castle, which I recall from studying Macbeth at high school!

Cawdor Castle is still a family home, built in the 14th Century, most famous for its Shakespearean connection where Macbeth, the Thane of Cawdor, allegedly lived. The castle is built around an ancient holly tree still visible in the basement. Legend says the original Thane was told in a dream to build where a donkey rested.

It’s very well-preserved with beautifully kept gardens.

We spent that night in Inverness at the Ballifeary Guest House with traditional Highland hospitality in a handy location. We went into town for dinner, came across a pipe band playing in the city centre, and I went traditional with a pint of Tennents and a whisky chaser!

The next day before setting off, I made time for a quick Scotch pie. It was delicious and took me straight back to my youth where school lunch was invariably a Scotch pie and a custard slice

DAY 5: INVERNESS TO BROADFORD, ISLE OF SKYE (26 JUNE)

From Inverness, we headed to Skye, something that Josanne had been most excited about (though it was also where we had the worst weather).

First stop was Urquhart Castle. We arrived so early it wasn’t open yet, so had to wait around 30 minutes. We could have carried on, but it seemed a shame to waste the opportunity, and while Josanne said it was fine to carry on, I knew there was a hidden subtext that said “don’t even think about it“!

Urquhart Castle is about 20 miles from Inverness on the banks of Loch Ness. Once one of Scotland’s largest castles, it was destroyed in 1692 to prevent Jacobites from occupying it. It has over 1,000 years of history, occupied since the 6th century. You can see the impressive Grant Tower, offering stunning views across Loch Ness.

Most Nessie sightings are allegedly near this location. I can’t profess to having seen even a ripple. Maybe Nessie doesn’t like tourists. Or maybe it was too early.

Being chilly, we grabbed tea and cake in the café before heading towards the Caledonian Canal at Fort Augustus.

The Caledonian Canal is a 60-mile engineering marvel connecting Scotland’s east and west coasts. Designed by Thomas Telford and opened in 1822, it links four lochs, Ness, Oich, Lochy, and Linnhe.

There are 29 locks, including Neptune’s Staircase (8 locks) at Banavie—the longest staircase lock in Britain. The Fort Augustus section features 5 locks descending into Loch Ness.

Next was Eilean Donan Castle, which was a highlight for me. Supposedly Scotland’s most iconic castle, it is situated on a small island where three lochs meet. Originally dating from the 13th century as defence against Viking raids, it was destroyed in 1719 by government ships during the Jacobite uprisings.

The castle lay in ruins until restored between 1919-1932. It’s featured in numerous films including “Highlander” and James Bond’s “The World Is Not Enough“. It is named after Saint Donan who came to Scotland in the 7th century.

It is spectacular inside with rooms furnished to show castle life. It’s one of those castles you can quite happily just sit and look at, especially on the outside. Enchanting, enigmatic, evocative. Don’t miss this if travelling near Skye!

Eilean Donan Castle, a stunning historic landmark in Scotland

Someone told us the drive to Plockton was very picturesque. This small village on the shores of Loch Carron was only about 6 miles from Kyle of Lochalsh (where the Skye Bridge connects). Due to the Gulf Stream, it actually has Cabbage Trees which are common in New Zealand. It’s most famous as the filming location for Hamish McBeth (the fictitious town of “Lochdubh“). We visited a small gin distillery, though as I was driving, Josanne did the tasting. We grabbed a couple of small bottles for our travels. The locals here were incredibly friendly.

*Scenic view of boats anchored at Plockton.*

By the time we’d reached Skye, the weather had turned very Scottish—cold, windy and rainy. Our first night was at the Broadford House, very basic but with friendly, helpful staff. We grabbed fish and chips and sat at the water’s edge eating them during a brief respite from the rain.

*A solitary sailboat gliding on the calm waters of Broadford, Isle of Skye, against a backdrop of dramatic, moody skies.*

On awakening next morning, it was as if we’d stepped back into winter, howling wind, horizontal rain and definitely not summer temperatures. On the bonus scale though, at least there were still no midges!

Not letting weather put us off, we jumped in the car with wet weather kit and headed for Sligachan Bridge. Built in the early 1800s by Thomas Telford, we definitely got to see it at its wettest! You normally have good views of the Cuillin mountains in the background.

Legend says if you dip your face in the pools beneath the bridge, you’ll receive eternal beauty. I’d challenge that by suggesting if we’d dipped our faces in the pools, we’d have caught hypothermia!

DAY 6-7: PORTREE, ISLE OF SKYE (27-28 JUNE)

Next stop was Portree, where we’d spend a couple of nights to tour around.

Portree is Skye’s capital and largest town. The name means “King’s Port” in Gaelic, received following James V’s 1540 visit. It’s famous for its colourful harbour houses and is the main hub for exploring Skye’s attractions.

The rain hadn’t stopped, so we looked around shops. There were lovely colourful houses on the waterfront, so we walked up the hill to see them before returning to the car.

Things weren’t drying out, so we thought visiting Talisker Whisky Distillery would be excellent. Alas, the wet weather meant we weren’t the only ones with this idea and it was packed with no tour places available all day.

We tried a couple of whiskies and were given the great advice of purchasing some Talisker Dark Storm at duty free. You can only buy it there (it’s not even available at the distillery) and it’s now one of my firm favourites!

There were lots of bottles to choose from, including a 45-year-old finished in the arctic circle. At £3,825, it was an absolute snip, reduced from £4,500!

We stayed at the Bracken Hide hotel in self-contained Nissan style huts, with the restaurant and bar a short walk away in the main building. The first night we heard about a man in a van making pizzas (I drove down and waited in the car as it was still raining). The second night we ate in the restaurant which was excellent. We had the best breakfasts of the whole week here. They had an incredibly well-stocked bar with just about every whisky you could think of.

On the 28th, we did quite a bit of driving. We drove from Portree to Uig and onto Kilmuir to see Flora MacDonald’s resting place. My mum’s side are MacDonalds, so we wanted to visit Flora’s grave. Flora is renowned in Scottish history for helping Bonnie Prince Charlie escape after losing at Culloden. She smuggled him from South Uist to Skye. This story is immortalised in the Skye Boat Song.

Flora MacDonald died on 5th March 1790 and is buried at Kilmuir Cemetery. Her body was allegedly wrapped in a sheet in which Bonnie Prince Charlie had slept. The words engraved on her memorial come from Samuel Johnson.

Flora isn’t the only famous person buried here. There’s a magnificent grave marker with a carved effigy of a knight in armour marking Angus Martin’s grave (Aonghas na Geoithe, or “Angus of the Wind”).

Local legend claims Angus stole this tomb slab from an early Scottish king’s grave on Iona and carried it here himself. Though historians doubt this, it’s a great story!

Up at the graveyard was stark and open landscape—beautiful yet basic. The wind was howling in from the sea with no warmth in it at all. It was at the gift shop where I succumbed and bought a woollen beanie! Josanne did likewise.

There was also a small museum showing how people lived in years gone by. They were far hardier than me!

From here we headed to the Trotternish Peninsula, the northernmost stretch of Skye, its name and landscape both shaped by Viking times. Formed by a massive ancient landslip, the area is known for its dramatic cliffs and surreal rock formations, none more striking than the Quiraing, which means “round fold” in Old Norse and is said to still be slowly shifting.

We’d planned a longer walk, but the cold and relentless wind had other ideas. Even so, we managed a one-hour trip and made it back to the car just before the heavens opened. The beauty of the Quiraing was unbelievable—raw, sculptural, and enthralling. Had the weather been kinder, we’d have walked further, but it was enough to stand and take in the majesty.

There’s a nice view of the Quiraing that you can see here. It shows how windy it was that day, as does the short clip here. You couldn’t hear me speaking, it was so windy!

Getting out of the wind seemed like a good idea, so we headed down to the waterfront to see both the Kilt Rocks and Mealt Falls as well as dinosaur footprints on the beach.

Mealt Falls is a magnificent waterfall cascading down cliffs and plunging into the sea at the Sound of Raasay, coming directly from Loch Mealt. Kilt Rock gets its name from steep basalt columns resembling kilt pleats. There’s a carpark with good views.

You can see a short video of it here.

We were getting cocky with the weather and decided to chance our luck looking for dinosaur footprints at Staffin Beach. The footprints date back approximately 170 million years to the Middle Jurassic period, made by long-necked sauropods and three-toed theropods. We managed to see at least one print, however, the skies then opened and climbing back over rocks to the car took an eternity. We were absolutely soaked! I must admit, it’s hard to imagine Skye being subtropical though.

We hadn’t finished for the day as we were determined to walk up to the Old Man of Storr, a 50m tall rock pinnacle. Local legends claim it’s a giant’s grave, but I suspect it’s really part of the land slip (though the giant story is far more interesting!).

It’s only a 3.8km round trip and while there are slippy areas over rocks in the wet, we were soaked anyway so decided we may as well do it. We started walking and while the cloud was low, it wasn’t too bad. Part-way up, however, the rain started again and visibility dropped significantly. We made it to the top, but by then we were in the clouds with heavy rain. My weather app suggested it would clear in around 20 minutes, and I was keen to stay for photos. Josanne sensibly said we should head back down as it wasn’t going to clear (for once, my weather app was right, but we were halfway down by the time it cleared).

The photos were still stunning—I’d love to have gone up when the weather and views were better! By the time we got to the top, views were non-existent and we were soaked. Again. But still smiling!

Back at the car, we got most of the wet clothes off and headed back to the hotel for dinner and a well-earned dram for me and a G&T for Josanne. Our clothes hadn’t dried out by next morning when we checked out and headed to Armadale Bay.

With so many happy memories (most of them wet) from Skye, early on 29 June, we headed for the ferry back to Mallaig for the next part of the adventure. Although I’d never been to Mallaig, I’ve always been aware of it due to it being the title in one of my favourite bagpipe pieces, Steam Train to Mallaig.

DAY 8: ARMADALE TO MALLAIG, GLENFINNAN, AND GLENCOE (29 JUNE)

Ferry trips between the Islands were always quick and efficient. We set off early to drive from Portree to Armadale for the ferry to Mallaig. We chose this option as it’s only a short crossing and got us much closer for the next stint.

First stop was Glenfinnan. While there are two things of significance there, one is more famous to most of the world, though perhaps not to native Scots.

Glenfinnan was where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in August 1745, marking the start of the final Jacobite Rebellion (leading to Culloden in April the following year). On the banks of Loch Shiel, there’s a 60-foot monument commemorating the clansmen who fought and died. We first headed to the Glenfinnan Monument before the second attraction.

Glenfinnan is also home to the Glenfinnan Railway Viaduct. Completed in 1901 and built entirely of concrete, the 21-arched railway viaduct is undoubtedly one of Scotland’s most iconic railway structures. It’s where you can see the Jacobite Steam Train making its twice daily crossings between Fort William and Mallaig.

We got to our vantage point and waited with around 300 others for the train. It stopped as it got to the far side of the viaduct, gave a long, mournful steam whistle and started forward across the single-track viaduct, gaining speed. While we were there to see the Jacobite Steam Train, I think we may have been outnumbered by those coming to see the Hogwarts Express!

You can see the video that I took of it here.

As we headed back to the car, the grey skies turned rainy, but we’d ticked another thing off the list, so we didn’t really care.

The next activity required a detour as Josanne really wanted to see Glencoe. It is, without doubt, both a famous and a dramatic glen. Moreover, it’s the site of the 1692 Massacre of Glencoe where 38 MacDonalds were murdered by Campbells.

The glen was once an ancient super volcano, but Ice Age glaciers and millennia of weather have reshaped it. The A82 road takes you right through the middle with a few places to stop for photos.

Josanne was mesmerised by Glencoe’s beauty, and we spent an hour chatting and taking photos. It being Scotland, in the short time we were there it was both sunny and misty and atmospheric. It did not disappoint.

We stopped briefly in the Glencoe Museum where you see traditional thatched houses and learn about farming. The story of the 1692 massacre was shared in detail.

From here, it was off to Oban where we’d spend one night.

DAY 9: OBAN (30 JUNE)

Oban is known as the “Gateway to the Isles” as you can get ferries to both the Inner and Outer Hebrides. It has a working fishing port and draws tourists from all around Scotland and beyond. Our primary reason was catching a ferry to the Isle of Mull, but we both wanted to explore the town.

Having been in Rome two weeks prior, it was interesting to see Oban had its very own Coliseum (though slightly less spectacular than Rome’s version)! McCaig’s Tower dominates the skyline, built between 1897-1900 to provide work for locals and as a family memorial. It was never finished.

Oban is home to one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries (founded in 1794) and, perhaps not surprisingly, some excellent seafood thanks to the local fishing fleet. We spent the day exploring the town and decided to eat in the hotel restaurant that evening as we were quite tired. It was a beautifully restored Victorian era hotel (No 17 The Promenade), sitting on the waterfront. The owners had done a great job blending historic charm with modern luxury, with lovely views over the Sound of Mull.

DAY 10: ISLE OF MULL (1 JULY)

The Isle of Mull hadn’t initially been on Josanne’s “must do” list, but I wanted to see more than one Island and had heard lots of positives about Mull. We caught the 9.30am ferry for the 45-minute crossing from Oban to Craignure. The journey takes in views of many other islands like Kerrera, Lismore, and Jura.

We left early to use most of this day exploring on the way to Tobermory, knowing we’d have to drive straight back down next day. It was a good call and the sun was out. I was very pleased we’d chosen to visit Mull as it truly is diverse by terrain, history and sights.

We’d earmarked two “must do” items, to visit Duart Castle and the Distillery in Tobermory. As it was such a beautiful day and the driving (most on single track roads with passing bays) was a joy, we took yet another detour to visit the Standing Stones at Kinlochspelve.

We’d sailed past Duart Castle on the CalMac ferry so that cemented our decision to head there first.

The castle has been the ancestral seat of Clan Maclean since the 1200s. It looks very dramatic, sitting on a hill overlooking the Sound of Mull. While abandoned for a long time, Sir Fitzroy Maclean refurbished it in 1911, and the Maclean family still owns and lives in it now.

Those who’ve watched Outlander will know all about Standing Stones. I made Josanne hand me the car keys before she touched one. Just in case!

It was only around 12 minutes from Duart Castle to Kinlochspelve, a small settlement at the head of Loch Spelve. The ancient standing stones allegedly date back to the Bronze Age (approximately 3,000-4,000 years old). Their purpose remains contentious—they could have been astronomical, ceremonial, or territorial markers. We’ll never know for sure! To reach them, there’s a small parking area (only accommodating three or four cars) and then you walk across farmland.

It’s a very atmospheric setting. I found myself quietly contemplating what it could have been like here 3 or 4 thousand years ago. How did the people live? What did they do here? I did have the eerie feeling we were being watched…

The drive from Kinlochspelve to Tobermory was another you couldn’t get bored of. So much to see, from mountains (where we did see soaring eagles, though I didn’t get a photo). The route we took let us explore some of Mull’s most evocative landscapes—a fantastic blend of coastal views, forested glens, and open moorland. We even came around one corner to find 4 or 5 cars stopped with their inhabitants watching a sea otter eating an eel. If we’d been 5 minutes earlier, we’d have seen the fight for survival the eel eventually lost.

As I only had my iPhone, these photos were as good as I could get. You can see a brief video of it here.

Tobermory is the main town on Mull, most famous for its brightly coloured buildings. It’s allegedly one of Scotland’s most photographed harbours and I can see why. Although only a small town, it has shops, galleries, restaurants, pubs and even a distillery established in 1798. It’s also a working fishing port with plenty of good seafood.

We got lucky with the weather as the sun shining certainly added to the feel-good factor. The colours brightened under the sun’s gaze, as if Tobermory had dressed for the occasion. There’s allegedly a sunken Spanish galleon from the Armada that sank in the bay in 1588. More importantly, the gold supposedly on board has never been found. Maybe next trip…

We again ate in the hotel this evening as they had a nice menu and it meant we could both have a drink with dinner.

DAY 11: MULL TO GLASGOW VIA LOCH LOMOND (1 JULY)

Next morning it was raining, but we’d explored all we needed on the way up to Tobermory. All we had to do was head back to Craignure for the 9.55am sailing back to Oban, arriving around 11am.

The plan was heading to Glasgow via Loch Lomond. I may have taken a slightly more circuitous route than planned, but we eventually got back on track without too much shouting!

While you drive along the length of the Loch, there isn’t necessarily that much to see other than water. We’d decided to stop at Luss for late lunch and a look around.

Loch Lomond is obviously well known for the song “The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond.” In the song, widely associated with the Jacobite rebellion, the “High Road” is interpreted as the physical route taken by the living successfully returning to Scotland after battle. The “Low Road” refers to the spiritual path of the dead. It was believed a deceased person’s soul could return to Scotland quicker than the living, hence the singer being in Scotland via the Low Road before his companion taking the High Road. Hence the song is about someone not returning home, having died. Runrig (a band from Skye) have a fantastic live version of this song that you can watch here.

We stopped at Luss for a look around and lunch. For some reason, I didn’t take any pictures of Loch Lomond. It was a typically grey day, so maybe it wasn’t looking its best! From there, we were in Glasgow in under an hour. I’d chosen the Sherbrooke Hotel for this overnighter.

The hotel (as it is now) was built in 1896 of red sandstone as a private residence during the industrial boom. During World War 2, it was used as a radar training centre for naval officers and is now a Grade B listed, 14-room luxury hotel.

However, none of those was the reason I booked it. It was primarily booked as it was close to Ibrox, where my beloved Rangers play, and I was booked in for a Stadium Tour the next day! That, however, is another story for another day!

POST TRIP REFLECTIONS

As I drove south from Glasgow toward Newcastle, leaving behind the mountains, lochs, and islands that had shaped the past nine days, I felt a quiet, contemplative smile settle in. Josanne had been eager to see more of Scotland, but I enjoyed it just as much as she had.

This journey connected deeply with both of us. We travelled from the granite respectability of Aberdeenshire to the otherworldly beauty of Skye and Mull, from battlefields where history was created and changed, to remote beaches where dinosaurs once walked. We took ferries, navigated single-track roads, and stood before castles that have witnessed centuries of often bloody Scottish history.

As I smiled, I reminded myself why we travel in the first place. It’s not to tick boxes on an itinerary (though ironically, I’d certainly created a spreadsheet to do just that), but to embrace the possibility of wonder. To stand before the Old Man of Storr as mist swirls around ancient rock. To watch Highland cattle amble across the road as if they own it (which, in a sense, they do). To trace the footsteps of Jacobites and clan chiefs, Vikings and alleged prehistoric giants created memories for both of us that hopefully stay with us forever.

Scotland is a land where every mile reveals another breathtaking view, where history isn’t confined to museums but lives in every ruin, ridge and castle. The landscape tells stories of prehistoric volcanic fury, glacial carving, and human endurance, sometimes against all odds. While New Zealand offers its own raw beauty, it doesn’t carry the ancient weight Scotland does.

Scotland is redolent of ancient ballads and battlefield winds, where standing stones whisper of forgotten rites, harbour towns glow brighter under the sun’s gaze, and every glen carries the scent of memory, rebellion, and belonging. I’d forgotten how much I missed her!

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR TRAVELERS

Best Time to Visit:

June offers long daylight hours (sunset after 10pm) and relatively mild weather. Don’t expect too much of Scottish weather though—it can disappoint!
Midges (tiny biting insects) are less prevalent in June than July-August. That was a godsend for us as insects love biting me.
Summer is peak season. Book accommodation well in advance as if you just turn up, you may not get in.
Weather is changeable year-round, so always pack layers and waterproofs (and if you have a beanie, take it. Just in case!)

Driving in the Highlands and Islands:

Many roads are single-track with passing places. Pull over to let faster traffic pass. Be nice; it doesn’t cost anything.
Watch for sheep, Highland cattle, and deer on roads and be ready to stop for photos if the opportunity arises.

What to Pack:

Waterproof jacket and trousers (essential)
Layers for changeable weather
Good walking boots or shoes
Midge repellent (in summer at least)
Camera with good zoom for wildlife (though all my photos were from an iPhone 15 Pro)
Binoculars for wildlife spotting if you plan on doing any of that

Costs:

Scotland can be expensive, especially in peak season
Ferry bookings should be made in advance (CalMac). These are, surprisingly, not expensive.
Many castles and attractions have entry fees
Accommodation varies widely. We found many expensive on the Kiwi Dollar

Unveiling Venice: From St. Mark’s Square to Charming Island Adventures

July 21, 2024 by Kevin Blyth, posted in Uncategorized

“It is the city of mirrors, the city of mirages, at once solid and liquid, at once air and stone“, Erica Jon.

I had actually been to Venice once before, during the winter of 1994. I was based in Cyprus withe the British Army and had been posted to a unit in Germany. As we had a car to take back, we decided to take it as a bit of a holiday and got a ferry to Greece. We then drove across Greece and picked up a ferry to Italy. We stayed outside of Venice in a place called Padova back then.

My lasting memory was of how cold I was! I have, somewhere, a picture of me in St Mark’s Square, but can’t recall too much of the place other than the cold. In fact, I recall how I even wore most of my clothes to bed while in Padova! It probably wasn’t that cold, but I was coming from Cyprus.

There were no such complaints from me this time in Venice. It was firmly in the mid to high 20s, and was even very humid on our last night there.

If you read my last blog on Italy, you’d know that Josanne and I had spent 3 days in Rome after a work trip to Paris. Leg 2 of our holiday was 3 days in Venice (well, in reality it was just over two days as the first day was far from a full one given our mid-afternoon arrival). It was enough for what we wanted to do, and I definitely wanted to create memories that didn’t revolve around the cold! I’m happy to say that I was thoroughly successful in that aim!

We decided that rather than fly from Rome to Venice, we’d get the train. It took around 4 hours on a fast train (and at times it was doing 250km/h so it was genuinely fast). On arriving in Venice, we took a shared water taxi to our hotel, the Palazzio Veneziano, which was great as the drop off point was right outside of the hotel.

The hotel itself was great – I’d recommend spending some time at the bar as the bar manager was superb at explaining some of the drinks he made – including an award-winning margarita. For any whisky or gin connoisseurs, he had a great array of options to try!

We arrived in Venice in the mid-afternoon. We had to wait around for around 25 minutes for our shared water taxi, but once we got in, we were the first ones to get out and it only took around 25 minutes to get there.

As we’d only come up on the train, there was no need to freshen up on arrival so we just put our cases in the room, spoke with the concierge about where we were on the map and set out to explore. The concierge was incredibly helpful, providing multiple suggestions for where was worth walking to.

As with every holiday we take, walking is an integral part of what we do. We’d decided that we’d head across to St Mark’s Square and see what there was to see while we were there.

The walk only takes 15-20 minutes. Or it would if you didn’t stop to look around all the time! We probably got a little better at that as we took subsequent walks.

Day 1 – Finding our way to St Mark’s Square

So after putting our luggage in the room and donning some comfortable footwear, we set off for St Mark’s Square. It took longer than 15-20 minutes to get there, but most of that was down to us stopping and looking around.

It didn’t take long for photo opportunities to start appearing, as we had to get an old wooden bridge across the Grand Canal. I think we ended up hanging around there for around 10 minutes. As we had to walk across it every time we went into central Venice, we got better though.

From here, we eventually managed to carry on and via a few side streets, somehow popped out at the far end of St Mark’s Square.

There was only a small queue for the Campanile di San Marco (or St Mark’s Campanile), so we joined it and jumped in the lift so that we could have a look at Venice from on high. It wasn’t expensive and it was worth it.

From here, it was back to exploring the St Mark’s area of Venice, which included some picturesque canals and, of course, gondolas.

Day 2 – Lost but not really lost

Day 2 was supposed to commence with a walking tour of the city. Some friends had recommended a tour guide, and she was supposed to show us around the parts of Venice that tourists don’t usually see, using her knowledge of the city to show us a different side of it.

She was supposed to pick us up at 10.30am. Alas, when she hadn’t arrived by 11am, we managed to get in touch with her. She’d “forgotten” but said that she could meet us at 4pm instead. We declined and decided that we’d do our own tour of Venice. We figured that if we didn’t use Google Maps, we could just see where our noses led us. We’d stop somewhere for lunch and then head back to the hotel to clean up before dinner.

While the plan was to get off the beaten track, there were also some things that we did want to see, such as Rialto Bridge.

But the rest was to be left to chance.

I probably stopped and took a photo of just about every narrow street, every narrow canal and every bridge over the water!

However, I also took photos of people’s washing (is that weird?), empty cafes that were just awaiting throngs of hungry people to arrive for some of the Italian delights that they sold (or maybe just an Aperol Spritz, which seemed to be the tourist’s drink of choice in this beautiful city). I tend to take lots of photos and then delete the ones that I don’t like. Getting lost (but not really lost) meant that we saw lots of things that I found exceptionally interesting.

This first group of photos don’t actually include any water:

Bridges. There are plenty of the around Venice!

And lastly, I managed to get some pictures of waterways from the Grand Canal to some of the narrower ones, not forgetting some of the gondola jump on / jump off points:

I think that we must have walked close to 20km on day 2, so headed back to the hotel, had a nice shower, a pizza by the water and then retired to the hotel bar to try a multitude of gins, whiskies and even threw in a margarita for good measure! I even found a selfie on my camera the next morning!

Day 3 – Murano, Torcello and Burano

Murano

I’d booked a relatively cheap tour of the islands of Murano, Torcello and Burano. It came with a guide, although to keep the cost down, the guide was only on the boat and she’d tell you what to look for and expect on each of the islands. It was a half day tour, but you only spent around 50 minutes on each island.

First stop was Murano, world famous for glass blowing. We stopped there for the obligatory demonstration, followed by a look around the shops before jumping back on to head for Torcello.

Murano glass is very expensive, but Josanne managed to find a couple of cheaper trinkets to bring back.

Torcello

Torcello is one of the oldest inhabited islands, but I’m sure that the guide said there were only around 5 permanent inhabitants on the island. It was originally a fishing port. It does have an ancient 7th century cathedral and a bridge with no sides that dates back to the 15th century. There were some cafes by the side of the canal to eat at, but there were large queues at these, so we didn’t really have time to grab a bite to eat after we’d looked around.

Burano

The third and final stop was one that I’d have gone back to again if we’d been staying for longer. There were more shops, cafes and restaurants here. While we stopped for a very quick bite to eat, most of our time was spend just looking around. We almost lost track of time and had to rush back to catch the boat back to Venice.

While Burano is famous for its lace, it was the beautiful houses in a myriad of different colours that caught my attention. This was easily the prettiest of the three islands we visited and if you have the time, it’s worth spending more than just 50 minutes on!

Fifty minutes flew past here and with all of the recent walking (and maybe the late night in the bar on the previous evening), we both had a snooze on the boat on the way back.

Once we got back to Venice itself, there was the opportunity for a few more photos on the way back to the hotel. We also took a walk to discover where we would get the water bus to the airport the next day as we were flying back to the UK for our trip to Scotland. When it comes to writing that one up, I’m going to have great difficulty in choosing the photos!

So, what were my thoughts on Venice? Well firstly, it wasn’t freezing like it was in November 1994, so that was a great start. It’s a fascinating place to look around, and very easy to fall in love with. It must be a photographers dream as there are so many opportunities to just stop and take photos.

It is busy, but they are putting a tourist tax on, one supposes, to try to limit the large crowds who are evident at every turn in the city. I suspect it’s far less busy outside of the summer months though.

Our 2-3 days there felt just about enough. Sure, I’d have liked to have had our walking tour, but we didn’t do a bad job ourselves I thought. A bit more time on Burano would also have been nice, and I’d have skipped Torcello to be able to do that. If I lived in Europe, it would definitely be a great place for a long weekend. Alas, from New Zealand, it’s a little bit far away for that!

Helpful hints

Wear comfy, loose clothing and be prepared to walk – you will see so much by doing that.
There are plenty of places to eat and drink – and so many gelato stores! Do try the gelato, it’s superb. Our favourite was the bitter cherry!
Getting to the train station / airport can be very pricey (they wanted 140 Euros when we were there). Getting one of the water buses is much cheaper, although it does take longer. We opted for a shared water taxi one way (to “get the experience”), but then just took the water bus to get back to the airport.
If you get the chance to visit some of the outer islands – do! It wasn’t expensive to do so. I’d suggest finding a way to spend longer on Burano.
It’s not hard to find your way around Venice, but it’s also quite easy to get lost. It’s actually fun being lost and just exploring. You’ll get lots of photo opportunities by doing this! And it’s easy to find your way back onto the main drag.

Rome 3-Day Itinerary: Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum and much more!

July 20, 2024July 20, 2024 by Kevin Blyth, posted in Travel, Travel and tourism

Day 1, The Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain

I was in Europe for a business trip and we decided that it was time for us both to see Rome. We’d been to Italy several times, but never actually made it to Rome. Josanne wanted to see the Sistine Chapel, and I’d always wanted to see the Colosseum, so both of those were on our “must do” list.

I’m not sure on exactly what needs to be done to be like a Roman in Rome (per the “When in Rome, do as the Romans do“), but as we only had 3 days to spend there, we ate, we drank, we walked (and then walked some more) and we took in the sights. That felt sufficiently Roman to me!

We had pre-booked 3 excursions before arriving via Tripadvisor / Viator:

Skip the queue for the Vatican and Sistine Chapel,
The Colosseum and Roman Forum, and
a Walking Food Tour.

We flew into Rome Fiumicino airport from Paris Orly and then jumped on the train into the city. This was quick, easy and efficient. We’d booked into The Hive hotel, which was only a 5-minute walk from the Termini railway station. We put our bags in the room, put on our walking shoes and set out straight away to explore.

One thing that we always do when overseas is walk wherever possible. You get to see so much by not jumping in a cab or on a train / metro.

Due to it being a short visit, we wanted to maximise our time, so on day 1, the challenge was to get to the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and to grab a bite to eat.

Now the first thing to be clear on is that getting photos with no-one in is always a significant challenge in large cities. Sure, you get the photos that look like no-one is there, but if you pull the camera back……

Rome is no different and as you can see with the photos below, you can “sort of” create the illusion that you are there on your own. But zoom out just a little bit and the truth becomes very apparent!

They always tell you to be very careful of pickpockets in Rome. I bought myself a bag that you wear across your chest. I could fit cash, credit cards and a phone into it easily and it kept it all in front of me and out of my pockets. We had no issues at all with people trying to pickpocket us, but anywhere there was a crowd, we were always wary.

We managed to spend several hours looking around Rome in the area between our hotel and the Trevi Fountain, before heading back to shower and get ready for dinner as Day 2 was a big (and busy) one for us. At this stage, we didn’t know that Viator were about to let us down in a big way!

That evening, we decided to eat at the hotel. It was the first night of Euro 2024, Scotland were playing Germany and after the first 45 minutes, I knew it was going to be yet another disappointing tournament for Scotland. There, got that off my chest and I don’t have to mention it again!

The plan for Day 2 was to do the Vatican and Sistine Chapel followed by the Colosseum. It was a warm day, close to 30 degrees.

Day 2 – The Vatican, Sistine Chapel and Colosseum

We were up nice and early and headed off for the meeting point for the 7.30am tour. I’d deliberately booked both of today’s tours as “skip the queue” ones through Viator as we only had limited time to get around. We arrived around 30 minutes before it began. Unfortunately, while Viator had taken our money, they hadn’t actually booked us on the tour.

We eventually managed to speak to someone from the tour company who basically said “Sorry, we can’t do anything for you. We suggest you find another tour“. I asked if they could get us on one the following day, but they said no. We were both disappointed but with no other choice, we set about doing what we didn’t want to do – stood in queues to get in. I was kept amused with some conversations with friends back in New Zealand, both of whom are journalists and were making up spoof headlines for my predicament!

Josanne somehow guided us to a relatively short queue to get into the actual Vatican. For 10 Euros, we got right to the top for some stunning views down to St Peters Square as well as seeing inside of the Vatican. Although I’m a Rangers supporter, I’m happy to say that I didn’t burst into flames!

It was an interesting climb getting up to the top and there were parts where it felt that they were out to get those who were both claustrophobic and scared of heights!

We were fortunate that this was only a 30-minute queue to wait in, as we had a longer 3 hour wait in the queue for the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. Josanne really enjoyed seeing Michaelangelo’s work though, especially the fresco of The Creation of Adam. That said, we couldn’t hang about, as thanks to Viator, we only had a short period of time now to get across the city for our tour of the Colosseum.

Some views of inside the Vatican:

Once we made it to the roof, the views were stunning:

There were also, of course, the colourful Swiss guards on show. Given that there are only 135 of them in total, there are 1.48% of them on show in the photos below!

Once finished in the Sistine Chapel (no photos are allowed in there), we had to grab a taxi to the Colosseum as we didn’t have the time to walk or take the underground. Be aware that in Rome, taxi drivers will frequently want cash. As we had none on us, it took us a while to find one who would take us. Once we did though, he got us there pretty swiftly.

The Colosseum was everything that I hoped it would be. However, our tour guide kept us in suspense, as we were first taken around the Roman Forum. This was also very worthwhile from our perspective, as it gave you a great insight into the history of the area. It’s definitely worth spending some time looking around the Forum, especially with a guide. It was hot, and there isn’t much shade around, so a hat and water were essential.

And then it was onto my undoubted highlight of our time in Rome; the Colosseum. It’s something I’ve always wanted to see. When you take the modern-day arena or stadium, no matter the sport that you are watching, this was its predecessor. Built between 72 and 80 AD, it is just over 1,950 years old.

That it is still standing is fortuitous if you believe the folklore that says,

“As long as the Colosseum stands, Rome shall stand; when the Colosseum falls, Rome will fall; when Rome falls, the whole world will fall“.

It’s probably as well that it was built on such solid foundations!

The Colosseum didn’t disappoint. It was all I’d hoped it would be and more. Majestic in appearance, I stood in awe looking at it from the outside but was much more in awe on stepping inside and looking down at the floor then up at the stands. I took the time to stop, to listen, to imagine the cheering crowds who will have witnessed sights that, fortunately, I never will. It’s as stunning a monument as I’ve ever seen.

After only a brief wait in the queue, and the obligatory bag x-ray, we were inside. The tour guide spent around 25 minutes giving us an overview of the history, after which we handed back our headphones and were left to continue exploring on our own. I could have spent the whole day there!

We stayed inside until closing time and I lost track of the number of photos I took. I only had my iPhone with me and not my actual camera, but the photos with just a phone were impressive enough.

We managed to lose each other inside, but as there was only one way out, I hung about and waited for Josanne. The Colosseum closing coincided with Rome’s very large Pride Parade, so it took us quite a long time amidst a plethora of colourful characters in various states of (un)dress, to get back home.

One of the things that I loved about the underground in Rome is that you can just use your credit card to tap on. You did this and it gave you 90 minutes access to it. This was eminently more sensible than queuing to buy tickets, although sadly, I only found this out on the last day!

On finishing our walk home, we were so tired that we just stopped off for a McDonalds, had a shower and an early night to be ready for the next day.

Day 3 – Exploring the lesser-known sights with a Roman Historian

On our last day, we were very fortunate that one of Josanne’s friends, a Roman Historian from Auckland University had said that he’d give us a tour around the city looking at some of the “less famous” but equally interesting sights.

Jeremy met us just after breakfast at the Pantheon and we walked around the city for 3 or 4 hours before stopping for lunch (and a couple of drinks). I only had one Negroni as it was so strong and settled for an Aperol Spritz as my second one.

The queue for the Pantheon was already very long so we didn’t go in. Jeremy noted that one of the best things inside was the floor which gave a great indication of floors from that period.

We next went into the Sant Ignazio of Loyola Church. There were lots of people taking pictures of the frescoes via a mirror in the middle of the church, but that wasn’t why Jeremy had taken us in there.

On walking up to the end of the church and looking up, it appears that you are looking up at the inside of a Dome. But look closer (and you have to look very carefully and get right up underneath it) and you can see that it is actually a fake dome. The artist, Andrea Pozzo, has actually painted it on a flat surface to make it appear as a dome after a fire destroyed the original one.

The other frescoes in the church are also fascinating and give a 3D impression of characters floating upwards.

Next, we headed to the Piazza Colonna, where there is a marble column of Marcus Aurelias (think Russell Crowe in Gladiator and it’s that Marcus Aurelius). The column tells the story of his battles, so provides a very good overview of life in those Roman days.

The Piazza Navoni was next, although we couldn’t really get good photos here as all the fountains were covered up and being worked on. Jeremy noted that you’d get very expensive but poor-quality food here, so we didn’t stop for lunch.

In quick succession, we then took in a quaint old bridge into a newer part of the city (which turned out to be handy as it’s where we picked up our walking food tour later that evening) a couple of temples (one of Portunus, the other of Hercules Victor), the Santa Maria in Cosmedin Church (famous for the Mouth of Truth – I didn’t get a photograph of this – but the floors in the church were also worth seeing as they were typical for that period).

Jeremy then showed us the first known solid building in Rome, as this was one of the digs that he had been on.

The next area we passed was one that I found particularly fascinating, as it was an old Roman theatre, upon which some apartments had been built. They are still inhabited, apparently by a very wealthy (and one assumes powerful) Roman family. We walked past this area a couple of times during our stay, so I’ve attached the various photos I took from both;

By now, we knew we had to start heading back to the hotel to freshen up for our walking dinner that evening, but Jeremy still had time to whisk us past the Victor Emmanuel II Monument (referred to as the wedding cake), the Forum of Caesar, the Santi Luca e Martina church, Trajan’s Market, Trajan’s Column, the Spanish Steps (from a different viewpoint this time), the Piazza del Popolo with its two matching churches (Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto), the Flaminio Obelisk and the Piazza del Campidoglio.

We’d bought Jeremy lunch part way through to thank him for showing us round and I must say, we saw and appreciated so much more from having been shown around by a Historian. He kept apologizing for going into teaching mode, but we loved every minute of it, and it certainly added to our enjoyment of the visit.

Our Walking Food Tour

And so, after yet another quick shower and change of clothes, we were back out for our last outing in Rome – our Walking Food Tour. I can’t remember every course that we had, but we started in a restaurant that had over 2,000 wines on their wine list, had an absolutely delicious cheese board, pizza and limoncello tasting to name but a few.

And with the end of the food tour, our 3 days in Rome was at an end. All we had to do was get back to the hotel, get packed up, have one final sleep and then it was off to Venice for the next three days.

But as I said at the start, we love to walk wherever we are and that brought us the last, pleasant surprise of our trip. Getting to see some of the landmarks in the dark was equally as impressive as during the daylight.

We could easily have spent another couple of days in Rome and kept exploring. But we were on a tight schedule and 3 days was what we could manage with everything else we had to fit in. It was a great adventure. Rome is a very walkable city and we managed to get in the main things that we both wanted to see. Having a tour with a genuine archeologist was a fantastic bonus.

Would I go back?

Absolutely.

And given that we both threw a coin over or shoulder into the Trevi Fountain, I believe that means it’s inevitable!

Useful tips for the traveller

Light comfortable clothes are best in summer, when it is hot and humid.
Don’t be a target for pickpockets – it’s easy to get a bag that you can have in front of you and close to your chest
Try to walk as much as you can – you’ll be amazed and how much more you see. We occasionally used the underground, but only when we had to.
Carry a water bottle with you. There are plenty of refilling points around the city with fresh water from wells.
Expect taxi drivers to ask for cash. They almost seemed upset that we didn’t have any on us.
The skip the queue tours are really worthwhile – especially if you are on a limited amount of time. They aren’t cheap, but it’s better than standing in a queue for 3 hours. If you don’t want to pay extra, be wherever you want to be early as that will limit your waiting time.

The Tongariro Crossing

February 22, 2017February 22, 2017 by Kevin Blyth, posted in Travel and tourism

While there are definitely issues living on an island that’s earned its place on the planet as a direct result of tectonic activity, there are also advantages for those very same reasons.

The Tongariro Crossing, New Zealand’s internationally acclaimed one day walk is one of the advantages. If you’re reasonably fit and want to take in some stunning volcanic vistas, you should take the time to do it. It’s not noted as New Zealand’s best one day walk by accident.

14039991_10154519194758631_6566129348236059803_n — Mount Tongariro from National Park Village. Even in summer it is snow-capped

If you’re reasonably fit and can walk for up to 7.5 hours, you can do this. Without any add-ons (i.e. the summits of Mounts Tongariro or Ngauruhoe), you’ll finish the day having walked around 18km.

It is weather dependent. If the forecast suggests wind speeds in excess of 65kmh, the Department of Conservation recommends that you don’t do it. The top is very exposed with big drops on either side of Red Crater. You also need to be carrying food, water and clothing for all eventualities. It’s an alpine region where the weather changes quickly and with little warning.

The map below provides an overview of the track (marked in red). It’s taken from the www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz website. They also have a good pdf you can download, giving you all the information you’d need for the walk.

Many people do the Crossing from Taupo, itself an impressive caldera from an ancient supervolcano. You can book transport from Taupo (most hotels and motels can help with that), however, it is a longer drive to get there, necessitating setting off very early. There is plenty of accommodation in Taupo.

An alternative is to base yourself in National Park. While there’s less to do here, and accommodation is limited, it’s significantly closer to the walk (only around 20 minutes by bus rather than 1.5 hours).

I’ve done the walk from both locations and think that the more relaxed starting time associated with National Park suits me!

Stages of the walk

You should start at Mangatepopo and finish at the Ketetahi hut end. Firstly, I’d hate to come up the scree slope at the Emerald Lakes and secondly; if you start at Ketetahi Hut, you have an additional 300m to climb due to the difference in height between the two.

For simplicity, I’ve broken the stages of the walk into sections. My advice is not to rush it. Stop often. Enjoy the scenery. Take lots of photos – they’ll give you some stunning memories!

Mangatepopo carpark to Mangatepopo hut

The bus (you can use your own transport, but need a vehicle at the start and finish) drops you off at the Mangatepopo carpark.

This easy section of the track, some of which is over boardwalks, is flat and unlikely to cause you any difficulties. It takes you towards the initial climb, fondly referred to as the Devil’s Staircase.

Mangatepopo hut to Soda Springs

On reaching the Devil’s Staircase (which begins at the Mangatepopo hut), the upwards hike begins, and at this moderate to difficult stage your lungs and legs start working noticeably harder!

Dont forget to keep looking back. On a clear day, you can see Mount Taranaki in the distance – although you’ll need a decent camera to get a photo of it. While the track is much better than it was several years ago, you still need to watch your footing.

Soda Springs to Red Crater

Once at the top of the Devil’s Staircase, there’s a well appreciated flat section. It’s a good time to take a breather, get some water in you and take more photos. You’ll start to appreciate just how many volcanic craters make up this plateau! The last part of the climb to Red Crater is moderate to difficult, but the plateau itself (seen below) is easy.

jo-top-of-devils-staircase — Platuea at the top of the Devil’s Staircase. There are plenty of opportunities for unobstructed photos of Mount Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom, if you’re a Lord of the Rings fan).

You can take a side trip up Mount Ngauruhoe from here. I’ve never done it, but the views from the top would be stunning. Access to Ngauruhoe is via scree slopes, so it’s dangerous and hard work. Allow two hours extra if you’re doing this.

west_from_tongariro — Looking back towards top of the Devil’s Staircase (Mount Taranaki in far distance).

Nearing Red Crater showing how steep the climb is.

It would be nice and peaceful without all these fellow trampers about! 🙂

You’ll definitely want to stop at the top, not just to recover but for more photographs. Red Crater is an active part of the volcanic system (last erupting in 1850). As you progress over the summit you’ll see evidence of some of its volcanic deposits from eruptions down to the left. Inside the crater you can see an exposed lava tube, formed when cooling lava flowed back into the crater:

Lava tube sticking out to the right of the crater.

Red Crater to Emerald Lakes

This moderate section is one of the most beautiful parts of the walk. Standing at the top of Red Crater, looking down to the Emerald Lakes for the first time is fantastic.

Then comes the scree slope descent! Having good walking boots helps keep you on your feet and off your bum. That said, even with boots I’ve yet to make it down without landing on my bum!

Emerald Lakes from Red Crater. People heading down the scree slope and the track on the left towards Blue Lake.

emerald_lakes_5 — Note the steam coming from the right of the lakes.

We usually stop at the Emerald Lakes to have lunch. It’s an early lunch, but you’ve done enough walking to warrant it! It’s a nice spot and is generally out of the wind.

A popular spot for lunch and getting stones from the scree slope out of your boots!

Looking up the scree slope to Red Crater.

Emerald Lakes to Blue Lake

The Blue Lake – this area was once molten lava, 1km across.

This is another fairly flat section. Once at Blue Lake look behind you. You’ll see the trifecta of Mounts Tongariro, Ngaurahoe and Ruapehu (with snow on it even in summer). Red Crater is also clearly visible. It’s my favourite photograph spot of the entire walk:

From Blue Lake you see Tongariro (and Red Crater), Ngauruhoe and snow-capped Ruapehu in the background. Note the lava field from Red Crater to the right of the photo.

Blue Lake to Ketetahi Hut

The descent starts here as you zizag down the mountain. The toilets at Ketetahi Hut are busy (I often wonder if it’s just an excuse for a quick break!).

taupo_fm_tongariro — Lake Rotoaira (foreground) and Lake Taupo (background).

As you descend, you get great views of Lake Rotoaira and Lake Taupo.

Ketetahi hut to Ketetahi carpark

I’ll not lie – this moderate downhill stretch seems to last forever (it’s around 2 hours but feels longer). There were many times on the descent when I’d have gladly swapped the downhill for more uphill. When you get to the carpark, it’s a great feeling to get your boots off and wiggle your toes in the fresh air!

In Summary

This really is a highly recommended, outstanding one day walk, exposing you to some of the volcanic beauty of the central plateau. It’s not easy – you’ll deserve a beer and feed at the end – but neither does it require superhuman fitness.

The walk itself is free, although you have to pay for transport to get you there. The cost of this depends on where you’re coming from. If you have a car, I’d suggest you stay at National Park for a couple of days.

On both occasions our motel provided packed lunches. We topped it up with snacks that we wanted and 2 litres of water.

On a clear day, the views are spectacular and well worth getting up early for! You’ll struggle to find a better one day walk in the world, never mind New Zealand!

Helpful Hints

Go out of main holiday periods (i.e. Christmas) if possible – The last time we went was just before New Year and it was very busy (albeit not enough to ruin your enjoyment).
Water. Take 2 litres. Don’t skimp on it or you will regret it.
Food. Take a packed lunch. You’ll be doing upwards of 30,000 steps so as well as keeping hydrated, keep yourself fuelled. It’s great to have little snacks that you can have when you stop to enjoy the view.
Altitude. Although you only get up to 2,000m, it’s high enough to make you notice that the air is thinner (harder to get your breath) and it’s cooler than at sea level. Make sure you take waterproofs and warm clothing.
Feet. While I saw people doing this in trainers, I’d suggest strong walking shoes or walking boots. It’s easy to go over on ankles in some places. I wouldn’t do it in trainers.
Sunblock. Even if it’s not hot, apply plenty of sunblock. The UV in New Zealand is lethal and there’s very little shade for you on this walk.

Quick video of my last Tongariro Crossing

The last time I did the Tongariro Crossing, I made a quick video (disclaimer – I’m never going to be in the film industry with my cinematic skills). It gives you an idea of some of the views you’ll get on this walk though. Click here if you’d like to see it.

Egypt – impressive land of contrasts

January 25, 2017February 22, 2017 by Kevin Blyth, posted in Travel and tourism

Egypt is a land of startling contrasts. Isolated, arid deserts and fertile river floodplains. Polluted, congested cities and unspoiled, desolate riverbanks. Illegally constructed buildings, likely to topple at the first suspicion of an earthquake, and Pyramids and temples that have withstood all that nature has thrown at them for over 5,000 years.

Egypt continues to mesmerise travellers, hundreds of years after the first tourists turned up to inspect the centuries old legacy of the Pharaohs.

Our 10-day Egypt tour with Peregrine Adventures took us from Cairo to Aswan and back again, providing an insight into the ancient Egyptian psyche and unravelling the mysteries of this ancient civilisation.

For me, the trip had four highlights;

The Pyramids,
Karnak Temple, a cultic centre of worship of the God “Amun-Re” (built on 2 axes, covering over 100ha),
The Valley of the Kings, where many Pharaohs were buried, and
Abu Simbel, Ramesses II’s rock cut temples on the banks of Lake Nasser.

Arriving in Cairo, you know you’ve stepped into something special. Never before have I experienced a rubbish dump in the middle of a city, surrounded by people’s homes, with pigs used as mobile mulchers. Nor have I seen so many people living in a cemetery, in a suburb known as the City of the Dead. Yet neither have I been in a city where I have felt entirely safe, where the locals are incredibly friendly (if slightly over curious!), where the roads are as busy at midnight as they are during the morning rush-hour, and where you are guaranteed an experience that you can only get rummaging about in the shadows of such an ancient civilisation.

Cairo’s roads cannot be judged by New Zealand norms. One taxi driver took great delight telling us how safe he was and that he had never crashed his car. The rolls of sellotape holding both of his wing mirrors together suggested that he was being at least slightly economical with the truth, but we jumped in anyway. His taxi looked no worse than any other in the vicinity!

Cairo and Giza’s combined population of 22 million put Auckland’s traffic congestion into perspective. They have minimised gridlock by having few lane markings and negligible numbers of traffic lights. These omissions enable seven or eight cars abreast to fit in a space that, in New Zealand, would comfortably hold four.

Egyptians communicate energetically via their horns. A single honk can mean anything from “get out the way” to “if you just squeeze slightly to the left, I can get my car between you and the pavement without having to mount it”. Remarkably, Caireans have an innate understanding of what each honk means and whether or not it is directed at them – particularly impressive when you understand that most drivers are frantically honking most of the time.

Our official tour began with a visit to Memphis and Saqqara near Cairo. Here you start learning the importance of ego to the ancient Pharaohs. The enormous statue of Ramesses II is a great example of how these ancient kings viewed their importance and self-worth:

Memphis Open-Air Museum - 4/7/07 — *Statue of Rameses II at Memphis*

Saqqara boasts Djozer’s Step Pyramid, a predecessor to its more famous neighbours at Giza. Dating to around 2630 BC, it started as a single bench (or mastaba), but grew to a total of six mastabas placed on top of one another by the time he died.

Djoser's Step Pyramid Complex - 4/7/07 — *Djozer’s Step Pyramid (circa 2630 BC)*

If the Pyramid’s size and surroundings are not sufficiently impressive, knowing that it has stood for almost 5,000 years certainly gives you a sense of how well things were built in those days!

Giza’s Plateau (home of the Pyramids and Sphinx) is equally impressive. It is truly fascinating, and somewhat humbling, to examine the Pyramids and to consider the workers who toiled so hard to complete them. It is even more fascinating and equally humbling to think that, had we been about in their heyday, we would never have been allowed in the inner sanctuaries that we were being guided through. It is perhaps most fascinating, though not at all humbling, to walk around the corner from these structures and find a KFC, a Pizza Hut and a fake Hard Rock Café! I guess that’s progress for you!

Khafre’s Pyramid is most impressive, with its limestone cap and Sphinx, although Khufu’s is the oldest of the three on the Plateau. The splendour of the area is tempered by the litter left by tourists; sadly typical of many Egyptian tourist sites.

Giza Pyramids - 5/7/07 — Khafre’s Pyramid, with its limestone cap intact.

Sphinx - 5/7/07 — *The Sphinx with Khafre’s Pyramid in the background.*

Khufu’s Solar Boat museum was also worth a visit. Not only was the air conditioning a welcome relief from the oppressive July heat, but the 3,000 year old boat, believed to have been used to take the dead Pharaoh to his Pyramid, was very impressive in its own right.

Solar Boat Museum - 5/7/07 — *Khufu’s impressive Solar Boat.*

From Cairo, we headed south to Luxor by sleeper train; an experience I’d recommend trying no more than once, if you want a decent night’s sleep!

Once in Southern Egypt, you are coming forward in time and many temples in this area were still being added to in Roman times.

Approaching Karnak Temple by horse and cart at 7.30am, the increase in temperature compared to Cairo was immediately evident. Indeed, it wasn’t unusual for temperatures to reach 48C.

So much is packed into the 3,500 year old sprawling temple complex, including the 134 columned Hypostyle hall. Commenced in 1390BC, the hall was still being decorated some 177 years later. Imagining such sustained construction nowadays is a real challenge.

Western entrance to Karnak Temple through an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes.

Karnak Temple - 6/7/07 — *Karnak’s Hypostyle Hall. The post and lintel hall was originally illuminated by high windows, as seen at the top of the photograph.*

The Hypostyle hall’s 134 columns leave you with a sense of enduring admiration for their craftsmen. The undersides of some lintels still retain much of their original colour; vivid hues of red, yellow and blue.

The temple still retains two of its original six obelisks, one of which was built by Hatshepsut, the first female Pharaoh (who reigned as if she were a male). The other was built by Thutmose III, Hatshepsut’s stepson.

It was disappointing to leave Karnak Temple, as we could have spent several more hours exploring. Our disappointment was soon forgotten on arriving at the Valley of the Kings, however. A huge area on the West Bank of the Nile, this was the burial ground for Pharaohs, Queens and Nobles from around 1500BC.

Our day got underway with a dawn balloon trip, taking in the spectacular vista before the inevitable crowds descended. The peacefulness of sun-rise at 1500ft in near total silence totally justified the US$95 per person cost.

Valley of the Kings (Hot Air Balloon) - 7/7/07 — *Sunrise from a hot air balloon over Luxor.*

Following an inch-perfect landing, we were bussed to the Valley of the Kings, where our entry fee entitled us to explore the resting places of three Pharaohs. Our guide showed us to those of Ramesses IV (a simple, early style tomb with vivid, colourful scenes on the ceiling) and Merneptah (a more intricate tomb with a much steeper entrance). For our third, we walked to the far end of the Valley to the temple of Thutmosis III. This was a fascinating, if somewhat claustrophobic, tomb with simple wall paintings depicting instructions for the Pharaoh’s progression to the afterlife.

Although this tomb did not boast the vivid colours of the other two we visited, it was certainly my favourite. Unfortunately, no photography can be carried out within the tombs, as this can damage the paint.

Valley of the Kings (Sesostris III) - 7/7/07 — The climb leading to the tomb of Thutmosis III

On the opposite side of the hill from the Valley of the Kings lies the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. Designed to legitimise her right to rule, much was made of her feats, including trading voyages that she oversaw to neighbouring countries. Most of Hatshepsut’s images in this temple were destroyed by those who came after her.

Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple - 7/7/07 — Dug from the limestone cliffs, Hatchepsut’s Mortuary Temple is very impressive, although in its heyday, there would have been significantly more greenery around it.

Many Egyptian tours include a trip on the Nile. Not wanting to “rough it” in a felucca (a small sail boat that has been in existence for centuries in Egypt), we opted for a cruise style ship, the Atun, instead. There are many such ships, with varying degrees of luxury. Peregrine’s choice in ship (not to mention their outstanding guide Big Mo) was excellent and made for a very relaxing three day cruise, during which we took in temples at Edfu, Komombo and Philae. The cruise provided an excellent opportunity for relaxing and watching life on the Nile.

Philae Temple was possibly one of the most impressive to approach. Built for the God Isis, it was relocated following the building of the Aswan High Dam. The island on which it was originally located is now underwater.

Philae Temple - 9/7/07 — *Approach to Philae Temple.*

The Romans continued to add to Philae Temple and Trajan’s kiosk, built to embellish existing features of the temple, is a great example of this. It demonstrates that some of these Pagan temples were used until fairly recently.

Our final destination prior to returning to Cairo was Abu Simbel. Here we visited 2 temples; the larger one celebrating the great Pharaoh Ramesses II, the other celebrating his most famous wife, Nefertari. Like Philae Temple, both of these were cut and moved to higher ground due to the Aswan High Dam. Had they not been moved, they would currently be submerged.

Ramesses demonstrates the extent of his ego through his four seated statues (that are as tall as a five to six storey building) and through the depiction of him being an equal with the three Gods with whom he is seated in the inner sanctuary.

Abu Simbel - 10/7/07 — *Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel. A long minibus ride to get here, but well worth the effort.*

Ramesses II had around 110 children and probably lived into his 90s. Given that he spent the first 20 years of his Kingship at war building his empire; it seems surprising that he also had the time to be one of the most prolific builders of all the Pharaohs.

Having finished in Southern Egypt, it was time to return to Cairo for a final couple of days sight-seeing. It didn’t take long to get back into the clamour of Cairo life. After the heat of Southern Egypt, the cool 38C of Cairo almost felt civilised!

As I said at the outset, Egypt is a land of startling contrasts. It is precisely these contrasts that ignite your senses, guiding you back to early Dynastic times, immersing you in a history that is very hard to imagine without being there. I suspect that Egypt will still be mesmerising travellers such as me in another 5 millennia, with the wondrous legacy of the Pharaohs.

Tips.

Haggle for everything including taxi rides. It’s fun, it’s expected, and you’ll get ripped off if you don’t!
Tipping (or “baksheesh”) is a way of life in Egypt. You will be expected to tip everywhere you go. Ensure you accumulate lots of small notes (i.e. EG£1, which is around 25c).
Be prepared for the heat if travelling in July / August. This will result in some very early starts on your excursions.
Don’t eat fruit or salad if you have not washed them yourself with bottled water. This should help you fend off a bad stomach. Even use bottled water for brushing your teeth.
Take Imodium and electrolytes for replenishing your body if you get an upset stomach. It’s better to be safe than sorry!