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Conversant Traveller - Adventure by day, Luxury by night Adventure by day, Luxury by night
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Peter Cole

Hi, I'm Peter, and you'll usually find me hiding behind the camera whilst her ladyship steals the limelight. I have a bit of a thing for wildlife and the great outdoors, and used to be an adventure activity instructor here in the Lake District. These days I concentrate on the blog photography and gear reviews, and generally leave the trip organisation to Heather. As long as it involves orangutans and steers clear of raw fish dishes then I'm happy. I once got my head stuck through the railings of Buckingham Palace and have vowed never to ride a camel again.

Man standing by car outside an airport terminal
Conversations, England, UK

PremiAir – Manchester’s Luxury Airport Lounge

I like cake and I like carrots (I have fond childhood memories of eating freshly dug up carrots from dad’s veggie patch) yet put…

Aerial view of banana shaped beach with rainforest to the left and ocean to the right
Sao Tome & Principe

What they don’t tell you about São Tomé and Príncipe

We chose São Tomé and Príncipe (STP) as a destination purely by flicking through the pages of the ‘Lonely Planet Guide to the World’…

Conversations, Tenerife

Is travel insurance worth it?

Travel insurance. One of those ‘must haves’ that you pay for hoping that you’ll never have to actually use it. You trawl through the…

Bracelet with coordinates on perched on a purple flower
Gear & Giveaways, Guatemala

Travel Co-ordinates Bracelets – Giveaway with Life Less Ordinary

It’s been a little while since we’ve done a giveaway, so to celebrate our six year blogging anniversary, we’re delighted to be partnering with…

lake district glamping pod on a farm will hills in the background
England, Rural Luxe

Lake District Glamping – hot tubs, pods & yurts

Glamping in the Lake District is one of life’s greatest pleasures. You get to enjoy the great outdoors, live a rural lifestyle and explore…

Sao Tome & Principe

São Tomé and Príncipe Holiday – things to do, where to stay

We’re about to head off on a São Tomé and Príncipe holiday, an adventure to tropical islands off the coast of west Africa, visited…

Hiking the Pico Viejo route 12 trail on Mount Teide in Tenerife
Conversations, Tenerife

Tenerife didn’t steal our hearts, just our passports!

“They’re gone!” Two simple words, said in a fraction of a second. Two words that caused me so much pain. Okay, possibly not the…

Tipping in Morocco
Morocco

Tipping in Morocco – how much to tip who, and when

Tipping in Morocco is a headache, as it is all over the world for those of us who don’t come from a tipping culture….

Tagines in the Marrakech souks - how to navigate
Morocco

Marrakech souks: Top Tips for Navigating Your Way Around

Marrakech. A heaving, bustling, vibrant city where the honeycomb alleys of the old walled medina have changed little since the 11th century. We didn’t…

Scams in Marrakech - how to avoid them
Morocco

Top 10 Scams in Marrakech, and how to avoid them

Wherever you go on holiday, there will always be someone willing to scam you. Whether it’s traffic officers in South Africa trying to fine…

Columbia clothing review - Mens Alpine Traverse Jacket
Gear & Giveaways

A Summer Columbia Sportswear review and giveaway

We think it’s safe to say that the typically short British summer has finally arrived. For a change the Lake District (have we mentioned…

Vrsic Pass drive, Triglav National Park, Slovenia
Conversations

Top tips for planning a road trip

One of our most precious commodities when travelling is our independence. Readers of Conversant Traveller will know that Heather doesn’t like being told what…

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Being jungle explorers at Abbotsbury Subtropical G Being jungle explorers at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens!

#Dorset #abbotsbury #visitdorset #visitengland #exploredorset #dorsetgardens #abbotsburygardens #abbotsburysubtropicalgardens #englishgardens #tropicalgardens #dorsetcoast
The final stop on our Dorset adventure was the sub The final stop on our Dorset adventure was the subtropical gardens at Abbotsbury. Yes, we've reached that age where we're actually quite interested in gardens!! This one came with several themed areas, including camellia groves, a Victorian garden, and swathes of hydrangeas dotted about the woodlands. There was was a rope bridge too, and the whole place reminded us of the Lost Gardens of Heligan down in Cornwall. 

#Dorset #abbotsbury #visitdorset #visitengland #exploredorset #dorsetgardens #abbotsburygardens #abbotsburysubtropicalgardens #englishgardens #tropicalgardens #dorsetcoast
One of the more unusual stops on our Dorset trip w One of the more unusual stops on our Dorset trip was Abbotsbury Swannery. I'm not a fan of swans, having been bitten by one when I was young, so to be surrounded by hundreds of the things was quite daunting. But they were pretty well behaved and not interested in us in the slightest!

The swannery is the world's largest managed mute swan colony, and has been here since the 1040s, when the local Benedictine monks started farming swans for the dinner table! Today it's all about conservation rather than consumption, and there are over 600 birds nesting and living here. 

You can wander independently around the trails, seeing the swans up close, but the best part is feeding time, which happens twice a day at noon and 4 PM.

#abbotsburyswannery #abbotsbury #abbotsburydorset #dorset #visitdorset #exploredorset #dorsetcoast #chesilbeach #swanfeeing #swans #visitengland #travelpr #travelstoke #unusualtravel
Another little gem on our Dorset travels was the p Another little gem on our Dorset travels was the pretty historic village of Abbotsbury. There's an old abbey ruin, a quaint church, heaps of flowers and rolling countryside scenery all around. Highlights include walking up to the 14th century St. Catherine's Chapel which was once a famous pilgrimage place. Our own spirits weren't feeling very devout as it was about 35 degrees C during our visit, so we skipped that hike! But we're reliably told that there are great views of Chesil Beach from the chapel! 

#Dorset #abbotsbury #visitdorset #exploredorset #flowergardens #visitengland
Our cottage even came with its own hot tub terrace Our cottage even came with its own hot tub terrace...

@fordscroftcottages

#somersetcottage #somersetcottages #luxuryselfcatering #stayhere #luxurytravel #farmstay #ukcottages #luxurycottage #visitsomerset #travelpr #hottublife #hottubcottage #hottubholiday
This is where we stayed during our week in Dorset This is where we stayed during our week in Dorset - a converted self-catering barn on a rural organic farm in the middle of the glorious countryside near Crewkerne. (It's at this point that Hubbie will point out that Crewkerne is in fact in Somerset, but I'm ignoring that for now seeing as we spent our days out in Dorset)!

It's called the Hideaway, and comes with its own hot tub, private terrace and heaps of space. The interiors were modern and the view from the loo was epic! It was really private too, and we didn't see another soul on site during our stay, just the resident cows, deer, and birdlife. 

📍 @fordscroftcottages They have a few other stylish self-catering cottages and a handful of glamorous shepherds huts and yurts on site too. Plus a secret woodland sauna which you can book if it's not hot enough already outside!

#somersetcottage #somersetcottages #luxuryselfcatering #stayhere #luxurytravel #farmstay #ukcottages #luxurycottage #visitsomerset #travelpr #hottublife #hottubcottage #hottubholiday
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