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Showing posts with the label personal
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Now Back Home In Britain I Had To...... After such an epic, five month long adventure, traveling through Europe and North Africa, I decided that I should become familiar with my own shores. The British Isles are a beautiful collection of islands and I knew nothing about them apart from what I had learnt in my history and geography classes at school. So, now back home in Britain I had to plan another trip. My initial idea was to hitchhike and backpack up to and through Snowdonia and Anglesey, two gorgeous areas of North Wales. An area that always intrigued me…it was calling. Having consulted maps and photographs of the area I decided to head straight into the mountains (and National Park) of Snowdonia. I wanted to camp on Mount Snowdon's slopes, and hike the beautiful valleys at my leisure and for my pleasure. So packing my rucksack, once again I set off. I ‘thumbed’ my way up to North Wales in the space of a day. It was an uneventful trip and eventually I found myself in the tiny v

Fes And A Scuffle

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Onward to Fes... And A Scuffle ! I'm sitting here, at this moment, drinking tea..... a nice cup of tea ! I'm English  and its what we do! On a fateful morning, many moons ago, we decide that we had to move on. And it was over a cup of sweet tea that we made our plans. We'd already spent several days languishing in Ouezzane....the people were wonderful and we'd been enjoying the food immensely... but our feet were itching and wanderlust was driving us onwards.  Our next destination was to be the medieval fortress city of Fes. You may ask why ? My simple answer is because its there and we wanted to see the place that gave its name to what is, a rather odd hat with a tassle. So off we went. The public bus was once again our main means of transport. Hiking across the mountains was not an option in those days. There was too much risk attached to it. Hitchhiking was 'improbable' because of the lack of roads with vehicles on them. So once again it was to be a beaten up

A Skateboard Shock And A Goat

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A Skateboard Shock And A Goat Leaving Ceuta on the north coast of Morocco and well into our 3rd month on the road, we had decided to carry on South. Rumours had reached us of a virtual border war between Algeria and Morocco and it was felt by us that prudence was the better part of valour. Our original intent was to go west but south it was to be. We were headed to a place called Ouezzane and this meant crossing the mountains. Once again filling our canteens with clean water and after devouring our muesli, a staple of ours so far, that was coming to an end now, we headed towards a tatty and really forlorn bus station in the middle of the town. After some hasty negotiations we had discovered that the next bus headed out was actually headed in our direction....and it was leaving. We ran, shouted and waved, all of which helped attract the attention of the driver, who looked at us with incredulity...remember.. this was before the days of mass tourism to Morocco, and we must've been qui

Sand Dunes And Dresses

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SAND DUNES AND DRESSES Walking out of the Pyrenees, we  headed North and West towards the coast. In those days, Northern Spain was not a tourist destination. It was gritty, dirty, impoverished after many years of neglect and of course was still trying to recover from their vicious civil war, as was the rest of Spain. The British, Dutch and German waves of second home owners had not arrived. Arriving late one evening in San Sebastian, I noted how friendly the people were. They were all smiles and curiosity. This  didn't  change for our entire trip through Spain....the people were (and still are) wonderful. Upon our arrival we sought out coffee and tapas. We'd heard the coffee was good and the tapas were mouth watering. Finding ourselves lost in what was a large town, we wandered into an area with many tall tenement buildings...... it  didn't  look welcoming, at all. Looking up we were surrounded by tall concrete monoliths that were foreboding....however, there was a gaggle o

Afrique

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Afrique ! I’ve been asked to write a little more about my 'escape' from the British Isles, that took place many years ago. As I previously mentioned, I was a 17 year old who needed to get away from the 'woes' of my life. I had decided to embark on a backpacking and hitchhiking trip, across Europe and into North Africa. Now remember, this was in the days before mass tourism, and we were going to a place that was having trouble of its own. North Africa, namely, Morocco, and Algeria were in the throes of Civil wars, that we knew little about....but more on that in another blog. My friend and I (he is also a Rick Steves guide now) had agreed to meet on the outskirts of Bath, our hometown. It was a wet and very windy evening. It was also dark. We laughed at each other as we stood there with our military style backpacks and gear, our wind cheaters on and a bedraggled piece of cardboard in my hands. That piece of cardboard was our secret weapon ! On it was written the one word

The Horses of Britain

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The Horses of Britain - Are they wild ? As a young man, I lived near to both Dartmoor and Exmoor. These are two National Parks that sit nicely in the SW peninsula of England. At weekends, I would often head out to one of the moors with friends, to go and try to find the ‘wild’ horses...    It was never a difficult task. Because they have no natural predators they roam freely and are found in ever increasing numbers, all over the moors. Growing up in the British Isles, I was fully aware of the fact that there were other horses, roaming freely all over our islands. In the Shetlands, you will find short stocky horses, wandering amidst the heather. In North Wales, you’ll find the gorgeous Carneddau horses, and only about 240 of them left in existence. In the South of England, you’ll find horses grazing in moorland areas, contentedly. It really is a wonderful thing to see. Imagine driving through the gorgeous moorland areas of Britain, and as you turn a bend in the road, ther

Afootinfrance - 2014 Personal Guide and Escorted Tour Season in France

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Afootinfrance - 2014 Personal Guide and Escorted Tour Season in France ! Afootinfrance - 2014 Personal Guide and Escorted Tour Season in France We are offering these destinations for our personal and escorted guided tours during the 2013 travel and tour season in France. Your travel party (family friends etc) have a choice of the following destinations in France.  Prices quoted are in US dollars and are for 1 person per day. They include pick up from your hotel, personal English speaking escort and chauffeur, who will also be your tour guide, liquid refreshments all day, fuel, tolls, insurance, and taxes. On these destinations within France we can provide a fully chaffeured and escorted tour package, that can be for a single day or for a week. Plan your itinerary and contact us for your travel needs, whilst in France. Our personal tour guides will do the rest. Brittany and Normandy - With the aid of your own personal tour guide, Vis

Personal Small Group Guided Tour In Brittany - 8 Days In Heaven !

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Personal Small Group Tour In Brittany This personal and guided tour of Brittany is 8 days long. We pick you up in Nantes, Dinan or Rennes and take you to your hotel. We spend 2 days in Dinan and will give you a walking tour of this superb medieaval town and its walls. An excursion up to the ruin of Fort Latte and the lighthouse at Cap Frehel will give you chance to stretch your legs and enjoy the great view across the North Atlantic. and a seperate visit to the amazing island abbey of Mont St Michel is included. We then drive over to the ancient seaport of Roscoff, on the Western tip of France. Spending 2 nights in a lovely hotel 'with a view', we will explore the megalithic cairn of Barnenez and the wonderful and enchanting Pink Granite Coast. Onwards to Josselin via Belon (famous for its oysters and seafood.) and the standing stones of Carnac, and chance to stay for 3 nights in a lovely hotel adjacent to the magnificent fortress of Josselin, home to the Rohan

Afoot In France - Personal Tours and Guides for Brittany

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WELCOME TO " AFOOT IN FRANCE " Personal Tours and Guides WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS SITE AND ARE MOTIVATED BY IT ENOUGH TO COME AND EXPLORE FRANCE AND SOME OF THE VISUAL AND CULINARY DELIGHTS THAT THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY HAS TO OFFER . FRANCE HAS A WONDERFULLY RICH HISTORY, AND ALSO A DEEPLY ROOTED LOVE OF FOOD AND WINE. ALLOW US TO HELP YOU ENJOY SOME OF THIS INCREDIBLE CULTURE. COME AND SOAK IN THE SIGHTS AS WE PERSONALLY ESCORT AND GUIDE YOU THROUGH ANCIENT CITIES, AND WALK AROUND RUGGED AND WINDSWEPT CLIFFTOPS AND CHATEAUX. PERHAPS YOU WOULD PREFER TO BE DRIVEN THROUGH SOME OF THE FAMOUS VINEYARDS OR WINERIES OF FRANCE. LET US CHAUFFEUR YOU TO ONE OF THE NUMEROUS PRODUCE MARKETS, FOUND IN EVERY SMALL TOWN AND VILLAGE SO THAT YOU CAN TRY SPEAKING A LITTLE FRENCH, WHILST PURCHASING FOOD FOR YOUR LUNCH OR DINNER. WE ARE ABLE TO FULLY CUSTOMIZE A PERSONAL GUIDED TOUR IN FRANCE FOR YOU AND YOUR SMALL GROUP. Come and visit. We'll customize a tour in France for you, lastin

Afoot In France - 2013 Personal Guide and Escorted Tour Season in France !

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THE 2013 Personal Guide and Escorted Tour Season in France ! We are offering these destinations for our personal and escorted guided tours during the 2013 travel and tour season in France. Your travel party (family friends etc) have a choice of the following destinations in France.  Prices quoted are in US dollars and are for 1 person per day. They include pick up from your hotel, personal English speaking escort and chauffeur, who will also be your tour guide, liquid refreshments all day, fuel, tolls, insurance, and taxes. On these destinations within France we can provide a fully chaffeured and escorted tour package, that can be for a single day or for a week. Plan your itinerary and contact us for your travel needs, whilst in France. Our personal tour guides will do the rest. Brittany and Normandy - With the aid of your own personal tour guide, Visit the World War 2 beaches in Normandy, Mont St Michel, the standing stones in Carnac, and the Pink Granit
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WELCOME TO " AFOOT IN FRANCE " Personal Tours and Guides WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS SITE AND ARE MOTIVATED BY IT ENOUGH TO COME AND EXPLORE FRANCE AND SOME OF THE VISUAL AND CULINARY DELIGHTS THAT THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY HAS TO OFFER . FRANCE HAS A WONDERFULLY RICH HISTORY, AND ALSO A DEEPLY ROOTED LOVE OF FOOD AND WINE. ALLOW US TO HELP YOU ENJOY SOME OF THIS INCREDIBLE CULTURE. COME AND SOAK IN THE SIGHTS AS WE PERSONALLY ESCORT AND GUIDE YOU THROUGH ANCIENT CITIES, AND WALK AROUND RUGGED AND WINDSWEPT CLIFFTOPS AND CHATEAUX. PERHAPS YOU WOULD PREFER TO BE DRIVEN THROUGH SOME OF THE FAMOUS VINEYARDS OR WINERIES OF FRANCE. LET US CHAUFFEUR YOU TO ONE OF THE NUMEROUS PRODUCE MARKETS, FOUND IN EVERY SMALL TOWN AND VILLAGE SO THAT YOU CAN TRY SPEAKING A LITTLE FRENCH, WHILST PURCHASING FOOD FOR YOUR LUNCH OR DINNER. WE ARE ABLE TO FULLY CUSTOMISE A PERSONAL GUIDED TOUR IN FRANCE FOR YOU AND YOUR SMALL GROUP. Come and visit. We'll customise a tour in France for you, lasting

2012 Tour Season in Brittany

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2012 is already heating up. We have several great tours lined up with our private clients. Afoot In France will be visiting Mont St Michel in Normandy, the ww2 D-Day Beaches, as well as Carnac in Brittany and the Pink Granite Coast. In the coming weeks we'll post links to some of our specialised tours, which will include our very succeesful and interesting Megalith tours of Brittany, as well as our Castles and Fortresses tours.