The Canadian capital city of Ottawa is a stunning destination to visit. Full of history, culture and beautiful architecture. Winding through the city is the Rideau Canal. Although beautiful in the summer - in winter it turns into the world’s longest natural ice skating rink. Ottawa's canal system is 7.8 km (4.8 miles) long and weaves along Downtown Ottawa. You can walk alongside the canal most of the way on Queen Elizabeth Drive. It is a popular route for joggers and dog walkers and beautiful in the fresh snow. The canal was originally built as a supply route from Kingston to Montreal and was finished in 1832. It is the oldest continuously operating canal system in North America and has been
Spanish lockdown, and how we are being affected.
Oh your such a dirty one, a dirty one, when you gonna have a day off - Corona As you may know, if you are a follower of ours, we are currently in Spain volunteering at a dog shelter. We have been here a month now and are amazed at the set up, location and team/s we have been working with. We have tried not to write too much about the COVID-19 pandemic and Spanish lockdown. There are a few reasons for that. 1. Everyone is talking about it and people are becoming saturated by stories of what's happening. 2. The fear in humanity is at an all time high and we didn't want to do or say anything that would add more gasoline
Mar Menor
From small sea to large pond, this area has had many names but all describe the natural formation that we see today at Mal Menor, its name translating as “minor sea”. Europe’s largest salt water coastal lake is located on the Iberian peninsular near Cartagena and home to 170km2 of sun warmed salt water. Not only does it provide an amazing view, but is a great location for water sports such as stand up paddle-boarding, windsurfing and kite boarding. La Manga (meaning sleeve) is the area that separates the salt water lagoon from the Mediterranean sea. A strip of land full of holiday apartments and hotels provide a modern looking tourist resort that can be easily spotted from the main land. Originally the bay was open
Our first week with Galgos Del Sol rescue centre.
As we drove from Santander, via Madrid to the rescue centre called Galgos Del Sol, the nerves were building. Of course, going into any new situation can be overwhelming or cause anxiety but that is the fear of the unknown. As people who have worked in an English animal rescue charity on the front-line, we knew roughly what to expect on arrival and had seen pictures, videos and read the stories about Tina and her incredible rescue centre. However nothing can ever fully prepare you for the moment you walk through the doors for the first time. Once in the care of Galgos Del Sol, the dogs at the rescue centre are treated with kindness, compassion and a relaxed atmosphere
We made it to Spain on the ferry!
It was a long and at times worrying journey to Spain on the ferry with Brittany Ferries. The rough sea and weather we faced was enough to turn even seasoned veterans green. We know that because we met them! This was all part of our journey to get to Galgos Del Sol to start our volunteering time. The 24 hour crossing from Portsmouth to Santander was delayed by two hours because of the weather. Where we were supposed to leave at 5 pm it was actually gone 7 before we set off along the English channel towards Spain, via the Bay of Biscay. When we arrived at the ferry terminal, excited to reach Spain, drove to a booth that took
Galgos – 3 days to go!
As you all know, we have been approached by a Galgos dog rescue charity in Spain who require immediate help. The charity are currently bursting at the seams with over 200 dogs on site needing urgent care. They are so full that they have had to ask for help from other rescues as they do not physically have room for dogs found abandoned on the street. We are hoping to volunteer 2-3 months to go over there and assist them in their duties. How much does it cost to run the Galgos rescue centre? With the kennel cost rising all the time to cover vet bills, food, power and accommodation, it is easy to see why they can not afford to pay staff and
How to use the London Underground
Using your campervan in London Whilst not impossible, the City of London are making it more and more expensive to take your vehicles into the centre of London. This post aims to educate you on how to use the London Underground instead and save time and money. The congestion charge was introduced in 2003, initially a £5 a day tariff to drive your vehicle between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday in the city centre. As it name indicates, the charge was set up to reduce the number of cars and journey length as people would not drive in the city and want to pay the tariff. This fee has increased over the years to £11.50 and must be paid either in
Campervan Toilet Guide
Campervan Toilets Going to the toilet is a basic human requirement but still something we tend to be a bit taboo talking about. Especially when it comes to how you cope with needing to go to the toilet in your campervan. The internet is full of information to the point where it can be overwhelming but not always easy to navigate the pros and cons. However we are here to try and write a simple guide breaking down the basic elements of each one. This should give you a basic overview on the principles of each design. you can then research further into the type of toilet you like the idea of and find out more information. The main two components
A Yorkshire Town called Thirsk
Emma has a helicopter lesson in Yorkshire
Another VanLifeDiary post that doesn’t directly involve the van but she is still being rebuilt and we have lots of adventures planed for her in a few weeks time. However, for today’s post we first need to skip back to Christmas morning before getting to the helicopter lesson. We were sat on the floor in the living room, still wearing our pyjamas and sporting messy hair when Louise gave me my Christmas card. Needless to say I was suspicious when she started filming so I knew something was up! Surprise! My Face! I opened up the card and read the lines “Please don’t hate me, I love you. You can do this” which filled me with an air of both excitement and terror. The next page