Author: worldwidewalkies

Lockdown Life – Into thin Air: Hiking the Valle di Salza

salza_four_dogs_mountain_behind — The Fab Four on our last ‘big’ (& dry) walk in Monte Rosa, with the Rothorn behind

“The Valle dei Principi (the Valley of the Princes) or the Loo Valley are both really beautiful,” Ezio from the ski shop Ambaradanspitz in Staffal told us.

He pronounced it ‘the Low Valley’, but, since I am childishly drawn to places with slightly rude names, Loo had already been on my radar for a while.

Although lockdown in Italy had lifted, a relentless fortnight of heavy rain put paid to most of our more grandiose hiking plans. Continue reading “Lockdown Life – Into thin Air: Hiking the Valle di Salza” →

The Deadly Dozen – 12 Poisonous Plants Which May Be Common In Your Back Yard

Recently, we were contacted by tenants who believed there to be Giant Hogweed in the communal garden of our property. They were worried, because the sap from this plant can cause severe burns and blindness. We consulted with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) at Wisley, who verified that the plant in our grounds was definitely neither Native Hogweed nor Giant Hogweed. However, they identified it as another poisonous plant, Hemlock Water Dropwort. Continue reading “The Deadly Dozen – 12 Poisonous Plants Which May Be Common In Your Back Yard” →

Travel Insurance in Post-Covid Times

image-from-rawpixel-id-401700-jpeg — Travel Insurance is more important than ever, but are you sure that you’re covered?

As borders open and cabin-fever gets the better of us, many are considering booking a trip. However, coronavirus has not gone away and there are risks, which makes having adequate travel insurance more important than ever.

When Should I Take Out Travel Insurance?

Experts agree that the time to take out travel insurance is as soon as you book, so that you are protected from cancellation.

However, the policy is not worth the paper it’s written on if it does not cover you in the event of an emergency.

Continue reading “Travel Insurance in Post-Covid Times” →

10 Tips For a Safe & Stress Free Post-Covid Road Trip

image-from-rawpixel-id-2319238-jpeg — The first thing to remember when planning a trip is that coronavirus has not gone away

1. Coronavirus Has Not Gone Away

The Number One thing to remember as borders open and life begins to return to some semblance of normal, is that Coronavirus has not gone away. There is still no vaccine, so there is nothing to halt the spread of the virus other than keeping up social distancing, hand washing and wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as masks.

Such precautions are all that stands between each one of us and infection.

Keeping infection free is all that stands between each country and a dreaded second wave and re-instatement of lockdown. Continue reading “10 Tips For a Safe & Stress Free Post-Covid Road Trip” →