All at once - as if overnight - the countryside is an effervescent landscape of green rolling out before me. The air is tinged with the musky scent of rapeseed blossoms and wet earth. Frothy cow parsley and dainty cowslip line the country lanes, filling in the verge along the hedges. On more than one occasion this week someone has exclaimed — “the swallows have returned!” - with great enthusiasm. The heralds of Spring. I recently learned the French call the bird's soft, twittering sound le gazouillement, the same word they use for a babbling brook.

 

Bucolic England is stirring
 

This past month, I welcomed 12 lovely individuals to the English Countryside - my home - to bear witness and immersive themselves in the beginning of this unfurling. It was an affair to remember. 

Even now, the warmth of that final evening lingers with me. Each individual became more than a name on a guest list or a social media profile image rather a soul with a story, dreams and endearing personalities. Truly, it is an honor to be in the position to steward my gifts as a means to serve such lovely people and share this special place I call home. The greatest gift being that we leave this time together as friends. 

 

Each trip further ignites a deep passion to create evocative and transformative travel experiences for you. Next weekend, I release three new tours for 2024. I am beyond thrilled for the new tours I've designed.

 

 

Here you'll find my round-up of European travel-related news, tips, and tricks so you can be in the know:

 

I am often asked what Airbnb properties I recommend in any given European city. If you've booked a travel consultation call with me – you've heard me say this in response to this question: I don't. 

 

I do not recommend Airbnb properties. At least, I don't recommend Airbnb properties when staying in major European cities.

 

This is for a myriad of reasons. Mostly because 1) the options are endless and constantly changing 2) I do not recommend properties I have yet to visit or stay at myself. 

 

3) The number one reason I don't recommend airbnb properties: I encourage my clients stay at independent hotels, inns, and B&B properties as a way to support the local community.  

 

When you travel, your money counts as a “vote” for what you care about and support in the place you are visiting. Your tourist currency helps to employ many people, like cleaners, front desk staff and restaurant workers therefore doesn’t go to one person’s pocket.

 

 

Airbnb rentals can make a positive impact on communities, primarily on areas that don’t have housing shortages… which rules out most major cities. 

 

If you are spending a week in one location, traveling with a family or larger group, here is a list of my go-to platforms for self-catering accommodations: 

 

This month's photography challenge: Photograph a recently empty space where you or others were recently present – but have just left or is now empty. There is a tendency to photograph people in their space OR an unoccupied space where there is no remnant that someone was present. I particularly love documenting moments such as the aftermath of a dinner party, a messy table after everyone has left. These images remind me of what still lingers and the joy felt. 

 

I find capturing a once occupied space tells the story of what just happened – maybe a heartfelt conversation, laughter with a dear friend, a revelation had while wandering the space or simply a moment to document where you just were. It's a different way to remember a moment. 

 

A few ideas to shoot:

If you take an image you're proud of, let me know. Tag @suddenjourneys when you share your images.

 

Chocolate-box Cottages - Storybook Villages - Climbing Roses - English Gardens - Country Gastropubs - Market Towns - Countryside Walks - Afternoon Tea - Used Bookshops and Antiques - Candlelit Dinners - William Morris Inspired Spaces - Fabled Landscape - Medieval Castles

 

 

There is no better time to visit England than when the countryside is in full bloom. Journey with me as we explore hidden corners of The Cotswolds, Wiltshire and Somerset. Each day is carefully curated to invite you into a beautiful story. 

The experience is personal and authentic, with time to immerse yourself in local culture, discover gorgeous scenery, meet lovely people and time set aside for your own exploration.

 

When you cross the threshold of The Bradley Hare, it is as if you are being welcomed into someone's home. The interiors, by James Thurstan Waterworth (former Soho House designer), are a triumph, combining the cozy familiarity of a traditional pub with flashes of contemporary verve. Persian rugs blaze with color among the otherwise neutral Farrow and Ball-painted décor. The bar is low key, with rustic wooden shelving and a log burner that also serves a snug reading room. The garden is used to its full potential, with a fairy-light strewn canopy and fire pits that are lit at dusk on fine evenings. 

There are 12 rooms in total – seven bedrooms in the main house, and a further five in the Coach House, with the predominantly cream-colored walls and fabrics have a soft, cosseting effect which contrasts with the dark French antique furniture. Decoration is simple, with jute rugs, dried foliage and framed modern art. Understated elegance at its best.

 

The candlelit nooks on the restaurant side of the bar provide a relaxing space for diners, and the kitchen aims to create zero waste. On my recent visit, the local mushrooms and Wiltshire truffles had been recently foraged, with the latter adding an earthiness to a plate of silky risotto, girolles and mounds of shaved Berkswell cheese. A veg starter of garlicky broccoli rabe hit the mark – as did the succulent pork main. The drinks list intrigues with its local keeved cider, alongside excellent wine list. 

The continental breakfast features wild berries and thick yogurt, plus fresh pastries, local cheese, cured meats, muesli and toast. 

 

Double rooms from £145 ($180) in low season; and from £165 ($200) in high. Breakfast included. Free Wi-Fi.

 

The last several months, my reading has focused on studying for my English Countryside Tour. Topics ranging from Northamptonshire history, local travel accounts, rural village life and 17th century English migration. 

 

A charming guide to the story of the English village, celebrating this beloved heart of the countryside. The village remains a quintessential and much-loved treasure that is often representative of England. This rural idyll has inspired generations of great poets, novelists, and artists including the likes of Constable, Hardy, and Wordsworth. The English Village champions all that is unique and loved about a typical village—the pub, the green, the school, the church, the pond, the local shop, and more—as well as exploring how the village has changed over the centuries, and how it has adjusted to modern-day life. A fascinating compendium of interesting details, facts, customs, and lore, this is an unabashed toast to the English village, as well as a record of a disappearing world. I absolutely loved reading this account.

 

I have a personal interest in this book as Layla is not only a dear friend but we also worked closed together to shoot the cover image for the book. We couldn't be more thrilled with the results. Her book, Coming Home is due to release this November. You'll discover Layla shares the details of her circuitous, hard-fought journey, and through soul-suffusing stories, inspiring imagery, curative quotes, helpful research, and restorative family recipes. Anchored in hope, Coming Home bravely demonstrates how you can overcome adversity, soften to your whole self, build a place of belonging, and live fully alive.

 

Diane Purkiss invites readers on a unique journey through the centuries, exploring the development of recipes and rituals for mealtimes such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, to show how food has been both a reflection of and inspiration for social continuity and change. Purkiss uses the story of food as a revelatory device to chart changing views on class, gender, and tradition through the ages. Sprinkled throughout with glorious details of historical quirks – trial by ordeal of bread, a fondness for ‘small beer’ and a war-time ice-cream substitute called ‘hokey pokey’ made from parsnips – this book is both an education and an entertainment. English Food explores tea, to the icehouse, the pantry, and the beehive. You learn that toast is as English as the chalk cliffs. A rich and indulgent history, English Food will change the way you view your food and understand your past. A fascinating read!