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Caption: BEST OF 2019
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Caption: Thinking about my #Bestof2019 I wasn’t sure where to start. We haven’t really travelled this year. We had a couple of weekend breaks, but otherwise we’ve been taking day trips, appreciating the opportunity of exploring closer to home. And as I was scrolling through photos, I realised I was instinctively drawn to my favourite photos: the sunsets down the coast; that gentle glowing light as afternoon creeps into evening. Those atmospheric damp and misty walks.
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Caption: But I wanted this selection to be about walks and places that made an impact. The ones with distinct memories. Bamburgh and Cove Harbour had to be included. I still have stories to share here from both walks as these were highlights of 2019 for me. But for the other three - I wasn’t sure. How do you choose just five when there are many more walks and places that have really stayed with me? Which is good, because while I look back and feel that 2019 wasn’t a year filled with achievements - as I started the year with hopes that weren’t realised - it was a year of experiences. Of being out in nature, soaking in these days and appreciating these shared moments.
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Caption: march E L I E /
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Caption: March 31, and the clocks had changed, giving us that long-awaited extra hour of daylight. We wanted to make the most of this so we headed to Elie in Fife for a coastal walk. We’ve taken this walk a few times since, but this day was striking because of the light. It felt as if we’d waited months for this day, the start of longer days. After our walk, we sat outside at The Ship Inn, overlooking the bay and watching the sun set. It felt hopeful, like the start of something new.
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Caption: may T E N T S M U I R /
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Caption: A favourite walk, one we don’t do as often now, and it always feels special. May 16 was gloriously bright and blue-skied. And the forest felt so alive, so green, with ferns unfurling and new life creeping out of the undergrowth; lush green leaves around us in the trees that grow below the canopy of pines. My memory of this walk is of sparkling light and green ferns and bright golden gorse.
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Caption: B A M B U R G H / june
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Caption: June 5, and Richard’s birthday. We wanted to go some place a little different and Richard suggested that we head south to Bamburgh in Northumberland for a beach walk. It was a day of dramatic skies, with heavy clouds hovering above the sea as the sand gave way to giant slabs of rock. I love skies like this.
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Caption: G U L L A N E / september
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Caption: September 13, a Friday evening, and we wanted to head down the coast, knowing that very soon it would be too dark to make this trip after work. I’d suggested John Muir Country Park, but Richard fancied a different walk, so we drove to Gullane and followed the coastal path that skirts along the top of the cliffs towards Aberlady Bay. And yes, this is my favourite kind of light. The sun was setting, gentle and glowing orange to the west, and the tide was far enough out for us to walk back along the rocky shore in the last light.
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Caption: C O V E H A R B O U R / february
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Caption: This was my most unexpected walk of the year. I’ll explain more in my story about Cove Harbour (look out for this soon) but again (there’s a theme here!) this was Richard’s idea. He’d read about it, specifically about the blue house that sits just above the shoreline overlooking the harbour. I didn’t know anything about this place, but we were driving home after a short break in the Scottish Borders and decided to stop off on the way. Little did I know that Cove Harbour would be this hidden place. Tucked away; a spot you have to go looking for. On this blue-skied afternoon on February 15, it felt magical.
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Caption: How do you get from the harbour to the beach? And how do you reach those houses? Here’s a little preview. I’ll explain more soon in my story...
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Caption: #BESTOF2019