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Showing posts from November, 2018

In Donkey heaven on the Isle of Wight

I haven't talked much about my time on the Isle of Wight so far...just my top t en favourite things  on the island.   When I read there was a donkey sanctuary on the island I knew I had to go.  So my very first day on the island saw me hopping the #3 bus from Shanklin to Newport - there was a stop right outside the sanctuary .  I knew I was in the right place when I saw this!  I was shaking with excitement - honest!  So this will be a post short on words but heavy on pictures because...DONKEYS!!!!  I had never been around this many donkeys and they were all so adorable.   Donkeys...productive donkeys!  The sanctuary is set on over 60 acres of countryside and hosts over 100 animals at any given time.  There are usually close to 100 donkeys as well as horses and ponies.  The goal is to rehome the animals but for those with special needs or elderly,  the sanctuary becomes their forever home.  And if I was a donkey I'd say it would be a

An Easter Sunday walk around Rottingdean

Where the heck is Rottingdean and what's with the weird name I can hear you ask.   Good question. Rottingdean is a short distance outside of Brighton on the south coast of England in the county of East Sussex.  East Sussex is one of my favourite areas of the country.  Rottingdean is a weird name for sure - it actually means "Valley of Rota's people" and has been around since Saxon times.  How the heck did I end up here?  After arriving back into Portsmouth from my week on the Channel Island of Guernsey I needed a place to stay for two nights before my flight to Budapest from Gatwick airport. It was also Easter weekend which meant crowds.  For obvious reasons I wanted somewhere close to Gatwick airport but not in London - I wanted somewhere different. With Gatwick airport a half hour train ride away, Brighton seemed the logical choice but I have been there loads of times.  I started searching Airbnb's around the area and my eyes fell upon one in Rottingdean. O