Top 5 travel destinations of 2016

2016 was my year of travel.  Thirty two flights, countless UK minibreaks and so many unforgettable experiences – I vowed to travel more at the start of the year and for once my resolution wasn’t lost.  I have narrowed down my top five but you can see the full shebang (what a word!) over in the Places tab if you fancy some wanderlusting…

5.  Archerfield, Scotland

You probably haven’t missed that Scotland has been listed at no. 2 in the Rough Guide’s top ten countries to visit in 2017.  I’ve spent a fair part of this year exploring this beautifully wild and wet part of the world and I honestly love it so, so much.  I live my weekends on the beach with my boys and feel so lucky to call this place home.  We were fortunate enough to visit many places this year but Archerfield, with my family, stands out for me as such a special place, right next to North Berwick which is truly one of the most adorable little towns around and then there was the spa…

   

4.  East to West, USA

This trip with the day job was pretty epic – three cities crammed into six days – landing East coast in New York before flying West, first to LA and then San Francisco.  That one glorious day off in Los Angeles really stole our hearts from the best healthy breakfast stop to shopping on Abbot Kinney and sunset bike rides through Venice Beach…  The funny thing about work trips is that you don’t get much time to see a place but those few hours combined with a super fun boss means that we maximised the ass out of our USA trip.

   

3.  Helsinki, Finland

A catwalk in the middle of a runway at Helsinki airport with the sun setting, models descending the stairs of a jumbo jet and planes taking off within metres on either side…  Helsinki was one of those once in lifetime trips. Match Made in Hel was, and possibly always will be, one of my most surreal, pinch me moments but what I hadn’t banked on was just how much I would also fall in love with Helsinki…

   

2.  Bordeaux, France

You guys know France has a really special place in my heart, we got married here after all, and I was lucky enough to visit three times this year.  Skiing in Val Thorens, harvesting grapes at the vineyard in summer and visiting Biarritz for my friend’s son’s baptism.  But it was that one night, after Biarritz, on the way home when we found ourselves deep in the Bordeaux countryside and in the absolute slice of heaven that is Les Sources de Caudalie that really felt like a fairytale.  Cycling through the vines and sleeping in a wooden cabin on stilts floating above a lake…  this place is just magical.

1.  Cinque Terre, Italy

When somewhere has been on your bucket list for so long you can only hope that it won’t disappoint.  And these four days in Italy were truly the best of the whole year.  Beginning in Sestri Levante, swimming in the Bay of Silence and watching the sun set over the ocean and day tripping in the crazy romantic Portofino before discovering the incredible Cinque Terre in all of its colourful charm.  This little part of Italy really stole my heart and I have vowed to return…

And now, moving into 2017, with the exception of one Scottish mini-break later this month, nothing is set in stone.  And I am so excited to see where I end up and to take you with me.x