A Day Trip to the United States: Visiting Runnymede

My most recent day trip from Reading was to the United States! That may sound close to impossible - you would expect it to involve at least a seven-hour flight there and another seven-hour flight back. However, I wasn't doing an extreme day trip (though this is a trend that is becoming more popular). In fact, it only took me a 40-minute train journey, a 15-minute bus ride and a short walk to get there.

So how was that possible? The truth is that there is a small corner of U.S. soil here in England, at the National Trust site at Runnymede in Surrey. I had read about this place a few years ago and had been intrigued to visit it someday. And at the end of February, we were lucky to have a sunny day with temperatures reaching 18 degrees, so I had the perfect opportunity to go to visit this outdoor area filled with sculptures and memorials.

First, I took the train from Reading to Egham. My next step was to take a bus, but as I missed the one five minutes after my train's arrival, I had about half an hour to spend in Egham. So I went to get a coffee and had a look around the town centre, which was very clean and modern.

On the bus later, I went past this incredible grand old building that looked like a fairytale castle! I was absolutely amazed by it. Looking it up later, I found out that it was the Founder's Building at Royal Holloway University. I actually came back to Egham with Claudio that weekend in order to visit it properly. (I'll be writing about that soon!)

A bit later on in the bus journey, I was surprised and happy to find I had views across to London, including Wembley Stadium!

I got off the bus at a stop with the interesting name of Bells of Ouzeley. It is actually the name of a Harvester pub next to the bus stop. It's a very charming old building opposite the river, and looked like a great, scenic place to enjoy some food and drink on this sunny afternoon.

I then walked along the river to the National Trust site. The path was a bit muddy, but the route was very picturesque.

Unlike a lot of National Trust sites, Runnymede is free to enter. It doesn't have a manor house like many National Trust properties do - it is an outdoor area with various artworks and memorials - but it does have  a small building with a tearoom and bathrooms.

The site is also really near Heathrow, so there were plenty of planes passing low overhead, which added to the international vibe of my day out.

The first spot I visited was the John F. Kennedy memorial, which is the part I had read about previously. You step through a wooden gate to enter the area where the memorial is and you are officially on U.S. soil!

There is a long pathway and fifty uneven steps that take you up to the memorial itself. It's definitely quite a unique experience to be able to say you've gone to another country (sort of) just by walking through a gate.

Runnymede is most famous for being where the Magna Carta was signed in 1215, and there is also a monument dedicated to that event.

There's also this really interesting artwork called Writ in Water, which is located inside a small building. Inside the building, you go around this sort of labyrinth, which leads you to a small, reflective pool, in which is written an extract of the Magna Carta. It's very clever and unique.

After having a good walk around the site, I walked back to the bus stop and then sat by the river in the sun while waiting for the bus.

This day out was a big reminder to me of how important it can be to get outdoors in the sunshine and enjoy some peaceful, beautiful surroundings from time to time. To be honest, I'm not always that much of a fan of life in the UK - a lot of places can look very run down and grim, especially at this time of year, and the cost of living crisis never seems to get any better - but there are some beautiful places to be found in this country, and spending time in them can make a real difference to your mood.

That's all for today, but I'll be writing again soon about more of my February travels!

Travel Tips: My Top Ten Nature Destinations

I've realised it's been a month since my last post, and the time certainly hasn't passed quickly... This third lockdown has felt interminable, and I can't wait for it to be over. And although I've been keeping busy working, studying for a further teaching qualification and making some updates to this blog among other things, it seems like every day is the same at the moment.

Now, more than ever, I'm really missing travelling and exploring new places. But given that any kind of travel is off limits at the moment, all we can do is dream and reminisce. So that's why today I'll be writing about the most incredible places of natural beauty that I've been lucky enough to visit.

I love visiting cities, and have previously written about some of my favourites. However, I also really enjoy seeing different types of natural scenery, and that's something I'm looking forward to doing again when it's possible. But as we're still waiting for that day to come, I'm going to make a list of my favourite nature destinations for future travel inspiration!

The Niagara Falls, Canada and the United States

Image by Pixabay from pexels.com

In 2010, I went on an amazing holiday with my family to my mum's birth country, Canada. While we were there, we stayed in the cities of Toronto and Montréal (where my mum was born) and we also went on a day trip to see the Niagara Falls. There are actually three waterfalls that make up the Niagara Falls: the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side (pictured above), the American Falls on the U.S. side, and the Bridal Veil Falls, also on the U.S. side. We sailed around them on the Maid of the Mist boat ride, which was a spectacular (and very wet!) experience. It's truly one of the most incredible places I've ever been to, and I'd love to go back there one day.

The Atacama Desert, Chile

The Atacama Desert is the world's driest non-polar desert and is mainly located in the far north of Chile, with some parts extending into Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. I visited the area with my boyfriend Claudio in January 2019 and was really impressed by the variety of nature to be found there, both in terms of landscapes and wildlife. For me, one of the most beautiful parts of the desert was the Altiplano (pictured above) with its volcanoes and lagoons. We were lucky enough to see vicuñas there! I also really loved Laguna Chaxa, a lagoon on a salt flat where lots of wild flamingos live!

Read more here!

Valle del Elqui, Chile

Another beautiful place in the north of Chile is Valle del Elqui, located in the Coquimbo region. This green valley surrounded by the Andes mountains is known for the production of Pisco, Chile's national alcoholic drink. It's also famous for being the birthplace of the Nobel Prize winning poet Gabriela Mistral, and for being one of the best places in the world for stargazing. I went there on a road trip with Claudio in November 2019, and we had a great time exploring the area. It's a very peaceful and enchanting part of the world.

Read more here!

Algarrobo, Chile

One of the most popular seaside towns in Chile is Algarrobo in the Valparaíso region. It's known for being home to one of the world's largest swimming pools, but it's also famous for its nature and wildlife. Interesting sites to check out include the wetland nature reserve Parque Humedal El Membrillo, and El Canelillo beach, which is surrounded by a pine forest. But my favourite place has to be Islote Pajaros Niño (pictured above), an island where different species of birds live, including pelicans and Humboldt penguins! It's possible to take a boat trip around the island to see them relatively close up - an amazing experience!

Read more here and here!

Cajón del Maipo, Chile

Just a short distance away from Santiago, you can find Cajón del Maipo, a very scenic area in the Andes mountains. It's the perfect place to get away from the noise and crowds of the city for a while and enjoy some time in nature. The most famous part of the area is Embalse El Yeso (pictured above), a huge reservoir filled with bright blue water, which is a stunning sight to see. Cajón del Maipo is also a great destination for seeing wildlife, as plenty of wild ponies and goats live there!

Read more here!

The Maule Region, Chile

As you can tell by this list, Chile is one of my favourite places for seeing nature! Maybe I'm biased as it's where I used to live and where I'll be moving back to as soon as possible, but it's undeniably one of the best countries in the world in terms of diversity of landscapes. One place I enjoyed visiting while I was living there was the Maule region in the south-central part of the country. Here I saw Laguna del Maule (a lagoon with a volcano underneath), Cascada Invertida (an inverted waterfall), and many eye-catching rock formations. I'd definitely like to return to the region in the future to see some more sights there.

Read more here!

Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve and Siete Lagos, Chile

The final Chilean destination featuring on this list is an area in the Valdivia province of Los Ríos region in the south of Chile. When I was studying in Santiago, I took a trip to Huilo Huilo Biological reserve and the Siete Lagos (seven lakes) circuit, which was one of the most memorable parts of my Year Abroad. Here the scenery (and the weather!) is so different to the centre of Chile, and is almost the polar opposite to the north of Chile. It's hard to believe that the Atacama Desert is in the same country! The landscapes in the south are much greener, with lots of lakes, forests and waterfalls to admire, including the incredible Salto del Huilo Huilo (pictured above).

Read more here!

The Lake District, England, UK

Probably the closest thing to the south of Chile in the UK, is the Lake District national park in the north of England. Obviously you can find plenty of lakes here, including Lake Windermere (pictured above), the largest English lake. But what surprised me when I visited last year was that there were also several forests and waterfalls, which I really enjoyed seeing. It wasn't an area that I'd particularly thought about visiting before, and I actually only ended up going there because of the pandemic keeping me in the UK. However, I liked the holiday a lot more than I expected to. It's a very tranquil and picturesque place.

Read more here!

Montanejos, Spain

In both 2015 and 2016, I went to Valencia, Spain to study at a language school in the city. On the second occasion I was out there, I went on a day trip with the school to Montanejos, a small town in the Castellón province of the Valencian Community. It took about an hour and a half of driving on twisty-turny roads through the mountains to get there, and by the time we arrived, I felt very sick! But the horrible journey was worth it, because it was a great place to spend the day. There were beautiful clear blue pools created by hot springs, and the area was surrounded by mountains. Actually the water from the "hot" springs was in fact cold, but that didn't matter, as it was the height of summer and very hot. I had a very relaxing day there, swimming in the pools and taking in the amazing scenery.

Lake Jasna, Slovenia

During my gap year in 2014, I went on a family holiday to Lake Bled in Slovenia, a really picturesque part of the world. One day we went on a trip to Austria, where we visited the Kärnten region. (Little did I know that three years later I would end up living there!) We had a great time exploring what, at the time, was a new country for me, and then on the way back to Bled, we stopped off in the small Alpine town of Kranjska Gora, just over the border. Close to the town are two artificial lakes known as Lake Jasna, which are surrounded by imposing mountains. It was a beautiful place that somehow managed to stand out in a holiday filled with beautiful places.

Read more here!

In conclusion, spending time in nature is so important, especially in today's modern world, and I think this is something that many of us have come to appreciate over the last year. Unfortunately, it's not currently possible to go and explore new areas of natural beauty, but it's definitely something we can look forward to in the months and years ahead. I've already written about my dreams of seeing nature in countries like Australia, Costa Rica, Turkey and Norway, and I'd also love to visit places such as the Iguazú Falls, the Galápagos Islands and Torres del Paine when I'm back in South America. Hopefully I'll be able to tick off at least one or two items on the list later this year!

In terms of travel in general, there's been some positive news recently in the UK. If the situation continues to improve, non-essential travel around the country will be allowed from April 12th. It will be really nice to have that bit of freedom back again and to be able to explore places old and new. But for the time being, I'll be continuing writing posts like this one, until I can travel again. The first thing I have planned is to get to London to sort out my work contract and visa, and explore some of the outdoor areas there!

Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here!