Janice Horton's Blog, page 16
October 26, 2020
A Tour of Edinburgh Castle Scotland
Scotland is my homeland and yet, until recently, I’d never seen inside Edinburgh Castle. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to get tickets for Edinburgh Castle. I’ve certainly viewed the imposing and iconic landmark on Castle Rock many times over many years while I’ve been shopping on Princes Street. I’ve often gazed up at the battlements while sitting having my lunch on a bench in Princes Street Gardens.
I’ve walked up the Royal Mile towards the castle countless times. I’ve been able to set my watch by the boom of the mighty one o’clock gun still fired from the castle ramparts every day except on Sundays. I have also attended the famous Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on occasion. It’s held on the castle esplanade (normally used as the car park) at the top of the Royal Mile. So, technically not within the main castle walls.
But, in August this year, I decided to buy tickets for Edinburgh Castle for both myself and for my best friend as part of our girl’s weekend itinerary in Edinburgh. A weekend we had been promising ourselves since we last spent a weekend in Edinburgh seven years earlier when Edinburgh had been alive and bustling and noisy and crowded with people and with visitors from all over the world.
August is normally the time of the world’s largest arts festival – the Edinburgh Fringe and the Edinburgh Festival – and getting around the city means jostling through crowds to see the events happening on the street, to get tickets for the shows, a drink in a pub, or a seat in a restaurant. And, normally, lines of visitors hoping to see inside the castle would be snaking down the royal mile in Disney-esque style organised queuing lines before shuffling their way forward through the great gate and along the cobbled walkways within the fortified walls amongst the sheer numbers of people who want ‘to do’ the castle as part of their tour of the capital city of Scotland.
During our August weekend in Edinburgh, the weather was ‘dreich and dour’. This means that the Scottish sky was leaden grey and a cold wind was blowing in off the Firth of Forth. This is normal summer weather in Scotland, I’m afraid. It’s possible to experience all four seasons in one day in Edinburgh. Normally, this isn’t a reason for people not to take to the streets and explore the city. It just means you’d certainly need your boots, your raincoat, and your umbrella with you to stay warm and dry. Except, of course, this is 2020 and things are far from normal.
This year, all of Edinburgh’s famous festival events and planned celebrations have been cancelled. So, my friend and I explored Edinburgh at a leisurely and socially distanced pace, with umbrellas up, and our face masks on. We took advantage of there not being as many people on the streets or any foreign visitors lining up to take advantage of all that Edinburgh normally had to offer. We indulged ourselves and punctuated our itinerary by darting into the almost empty pubs on the Royal Mile for a warming dram and to avoid the worst of the rain showers.
Above: We dashed into a wee pub on the Royal Mile to escape the rain showers.
And, as we had done seven years earlier, we had a fabulous lunch together in The Secret Garden at The Witchery by the Castle – a favourite and fabulous restaurant at the top of the Royal Mile that is so gorgeously atmospheric and ancient.
Photos: The Witchery by the Castle is at the top of the Royal Mile. We ate lunch in The Secret Garden; a basement courtyard decorated in authentic Gothic style and built into the foundations of Castle Hill. The photo of us above left was taken in 2013 and the one on the right in 2020!
Then, in the late afternoon, we made our way across the esplanade (see photo below) to the castle entrance where once again there was no one queuing. In fact, there was no line of people at all. Our tickets (pre-booked online) were checked and scanned by an attendant and we made our way through the main gate, past the guarding statues of Robert The Bruce and William Wallace, Scotland’s freedom fighters, and into the castle.
This is where I first realised this was going to be a tour of Edinburgh Castle like no other tour in normal circumstances. We were going to see Edinburgh Castle as many people had never seen it before… totally devoid of any visitors and tourists.
Do come along on this personally guided tour of the most famous castle in Scotland via my photographs taken on that day. I do happen to think the heavy grey skies only added to the surreal atmosphere and to the incredible scenery on the castle battlements and the views over the misty visa of the sprawling city beneath and to the Firth of Forth beyond.
Standing so close to the guns – particularly the monstrously famous Mons Meg – was awe inspiring. Then, in the photos below, contemplating alone inside the almost bare and holy space inside St Margaret’s Chapel – the oldest building in the whole of Edinburgh and the only structure to be spared from the destruction by Robert The Bruce when he captured the castle in 1314 – gave me goosebump chills but in a good way because it felt like such an incredible privilege.
I’d set a romantic scene inside St Margaret’s Chapel in my book Bagpipes and Bullshot. It was where the hero and heroine of the story had married and yet I’d written the scene entirely from my online research. To stand inside a place where I’d already been in my mind but never physically held a special kind of ambient pleasure.
I was always acutely aware, during the entire couple of hours of leisurely time spent inside Edinburgh Castle in August 2020, that the whole experience that day was quite specially and wholly unique. To have the unexpected opportunity to explore these castle walls and it’s ancient building and spooky stone rooms while it was almost devoid of visitors, was a strange kind of luxury for the mere price of an entry ticket.
It was also incredible to stand in the Great Hall, where Mary Queen of Scots had once dined and where Kings of Scotland, including Robert the Bruce, and Scottish Noblemen had held court.
I gazed up at the giant wooden beams in the roof structure and then to the enormous and dramatic painting that echoes the castles role as a military base entitled The Fight For The Standard (Richard Ansdell 1815-1885) and then all around me at the armoury and artefacts that span thousands of years of Scottish warmongering.
Lining the wall along one long side of the hall there are exhibits of medieval armour and swords and shields and a huge and quite terrifying fighting axe. The opposite wall has large mullioned and beautiful stain glass windows and velvet covered window seats.
I stared in wonder at the enormous medieval fireplace at the far end of the hall, where I imagined many souls had once warmed themselves against the biting chill emanating from all the draughty windows and arrow slits in the castle walls.
The only disappointment of the day was to discover that the Crown Room, displaying the famous Crown Jewels, the oldest crown jewels in Britain – first used in a coronation of a monarch in 1543 when Mary Queen of Scots came to the throne – and known as ‘Honours of Scotland’, together with the iconic ‘Stone of Destiny’ (the stone was returned from Westminster Abbey in London in 1996) having been used for centuries to inaugurate kings and queens, was closed due to Covid safety reasons. I suppose this means I’ll have to go back one day to see these important historic treasures and symbols of Scottish independence for myself. And, no doubt I’ll have to accept joining the visiting crowds and waiting in long lines, the next time I do.
As you can see, I’ve taken lots of photos and I hope you’ve enjoyed them.
I also hope you’ve enjoyed seeing Edinburgh Castle in a way that not many people will ever have seen it before… empty and devoid of tourists.
Edinburgh Castle: Things To Know Before You Go.
IMPORTANT: Please check Scottish Government Guidance before travelling.
Edinburgh Castle has introduced limits on visitor numbers to keep everyone safe and so to visit Edinburgh Castle you MUST buy your ticket ONLINE and IN ADVANCE from the Official Castle Website. Opening times are 9.30- 5pm.
Six Interesting Facts About Edinburgh Castle:
Castle Rock was formed millions of years ago from volcanic activity.
There is evidence of human settlement on the rock from the stone age.
A fortress was built on the rock in Roman times, but the walls that form the foundation and structure that we see today, were first constructed by King David the First in 1130.
The Scottish crown jewels were lost in the castle for almost a century. They were found by Sir Walter Scott in 1818 – along with a mysterious silver wand – and put on display.
The One O’clock Gun has been fired from the battlements and has kept time for the citizens of Edinburgh and sailors on the Firth of Forth since 1861.
The castle is haunted by the Ghost of the Lone Piper.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo: Bagpipes, marching bands, military hardware and an ocean of kilts – the Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a colourful and spectacular show performed by the armed forces. It is held on the Edinburgh Castle esplanade every year during the Edinburgh International Festival. Tickets are limited for 2021 but they are on sale now. Find out more and how to buy your tickets from the official Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Website.
Sources of More Information:
BUY BAGPIPES AND BULLSHOT FROM AMAZON
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October 20, 2020
How To Plan A Romantic Wedding In Scotland
Because right now is the perfect time to dream of the future and plan your romantic wedding in Scotland!
The idea of a traditional Scottish Wedding at a typically Scottish Wedding Venue immediately conquers up imagery of men in kilts, a bridal bouquet of purple flowering heather, a misty loch, an old castle, a lone piper, and ancient Celtic traditions.
This is exactly the kind of wedding our eldest son and his lovely fiance had in mind for their own special day to be held near Edinburgh in October 2020. Except there were (and at the time of writing there still are) strict Corona Virus restrictions in place in Scotland. But, despite these setbacks and compromises on the date and the venue, and the number of guests in attendance, happily the wedding did go ahead. Although in not quite the same way it was originally planned, the beautiful bride wore her traditional white lace wedding gown and the handsome groom wore his Scottish Highland kilt.
As with many weddings this year, the originally planned grand celebrations with family and friends have now been postponed until the end of 2021. When, the married couple will hope to receive a blessing on their marriage beside a beautiful misty Scottish loch, followed by a fabulous dinner, emotional speeches, a whisky and champagne-fuelled reception, and music and Ceilidh dancing long into the night.
Photos of the happy couple – our son and his beautiful bride – on their wedding day
So, while the backpacking husband and I are living back in our homeland of Scotland in 2020, and with wedding fever still very much in the Scottish air and The Scottish Tourism Alliance enthusiastically reporting a steady trend in overseas couples still very interested in choosing Scotland as a their future wedding destination, I wanted to write this post specifically for all of you who are living elsewhere in the world with big dreams of coming to Scotland to get married sometime in the new future.
Perhaps at the famous blacksmith’s ‘marriage’ anvil at Gretna Green? Or, maybe you’re looking to renew your wedding vows on a special anniversary in a wonderfully romantic and typically Scottish setting beside a loch? Or, have you already Saved The Date with family and friends while planning a romantic fairy tale wedding in a Scottish castle sometime in the new future?
If that’s the case then this is absolutely the right place for you. Because, while we are all paused, right now is the perfect time to dream and plan for the future and for your romantic wedding in Scotland!
FIVE GREAT REASONS TO GET MARRIED IN SCOTLAND
Reason 1: It’s trending!
“ On average 20 per cent of weddings held in Scotland every year are between non-residents. Over 130,000 couples living outside the UK have chosen Scotland for their wedding over the last 20 years and wedding venues across the country are reporting an increase in enquiries from far flung places.” (Source: STA News)
Reason 2: In Scotland you can get married anywhere you please
“Over the years there has been a steady flow of couples from abroad choosing to get married in Scotland. Scotland provides the option of getting married anywhere you please, be that a mountaintop, a beach, a castle, or a zoo, and this is proving appealing to people both home and overseas.” (Source: VisitScotland)
Reason 3: Couples come to Scotland to marry as a nod to their Scottish roots
“Venues stated that American and Australian couples prefer traditional Scottish themes and touches like thistles, tartan, whisky and ceilidhs. Some grooms with no Scottish roots still choose to don a kilt when getting married here.” (Source: STA News)
Reason 4: Scotland can offer both history and ambiance
“Most people dream that the most important day of their lives will be matched by the most marvellous and memorable setting possible: in Scotland we can make that dream come true.” (Source: National Trust for Scotland)
Reason 5: A place to say ‘I do’ that will live with you forever
“Newly married couples will often spend their honeymoon in Scotland and it can be the beginning of another love affair, this time with our country.” (Source: National Trust for Scotland)
YES! It’s absolutely true that Scotland is one of very few countries in the world were people from all over the world, of all faiths and sexualities, can be married either indoors or outdoors whenever and wherever they wish in Scotland.
This wonderful advantage of this flexibility is the main reason that many couples from all over the world travel – or elope – to Scotland to be married and to have the kind of personalised and individual wedding they’ve always dreamed of for their special day.
Indeed, many couples from other parts of the United Kingdom, particularly England and Wales, wanting to create a unique wedding, will travel to get married in Scotland in a castle or on a mountain or a beach.
This is because, right now, Humanist weddings out with of a registered venue are not legally recognised in England and Wales but they are legally recognised and indeed regularly performed in Scotland.
There are FOUR TYPES of legal wedding ceremonies in Scotland
Civil – Conducted by an official from the local government office, appointed to you by them.
Humanist – Conducted by a non-religious person, chosen by you.
Religious – Conducted by a person of a religion of your choosing, who practices in Scotland.
Multi-faith – Conducted by a person who has respect for all faiths, chosen by you.
To be legally married in Scotland, you must meet the following marriage criteria:
You and your partner must both be single, divorced, widowed or have dissolved a previously legally recognised partnership. You must be over the age of sixteen. You must not be closely related to each other. You must be capable of understanding the commitment of marriage.
As a citizen of the UK, to marry in Scotland you will need to apply for a marriage licence locally. If you are not a citizen of the UK, to marry legally in Scotland, you do need a visitors marriage visa and a marriage licence (also known a marriage schedule) to comply with legislation.
You can find out more information about Humanist Weddings and Humanist Celebrants at the Humanist UK Website. Find current information on how to marry in Scotland on the Scottish Government Website and at Destination Weddings Scotland Website. Note currently Covid-19 restrictions may be in place.
TOP TIPS for choosing the perfect Scottish wedding venue
Get Married at Gretna Green: Couples have been marrying here since 1754. Historically, runaway young couples eloped to get married over the blacksmith’s anvil from the age of 16 when the marriage age in England was 18. More recently, most couples who marry here come from outside the UK.
To seal the marriage the blacksmith ‘priest’ would bring his hammer down on the anvil. Legend has it that whomever touches the marriage anvil then good fortune in the affairs of heart will be yours. I must tell you that Gretna Green is actually not too far away from where I live in Scotland and so I have indeed had the opportunity to touch the old anvil for luck myself. And, so far so good, as Mr Backpacking Husband and I will be soon celebrating our 38th Wedding anniversary!
Originally, the matrimonial tradition was of ‘handfasting’, in which the couple’s hands would be bound together with a rope, ribbon, or cord, to symbolise their commitment to each other (and this was the origins of the phrase ‘tying the knot’) which then enabled couples to be ‘legally bound’ and to legally marry in front of just two witnesses. You can watch a ‘handfasting’ in the 1995 movie ‘Braveheart’ in the scene where William Wallace secretly marries his sweetheart in the woods!
These days, thousands of weddings and hundreds of marriage blessings take place every year within the famous Blacksmiths Shop, which is still the original ‘marriage house’ built in 1713. And, you can still do a ‘handfasting’ ceremony at Gretna Green over the famous anvil as an informal gesture to celebrate a wedding anniversary or as part of your vows renewal or incorporate this special tradition into your Gretna Green wedding service from just £75. Find out more at Gretna Green Dotcom.
Tie the Celtic Knot in an Ancient Scottish Castle:
Imagine getting married in a Scottish castle? It really is the stuff of fairy tales and yet it is entirely possible. Imagine the wedding photographs and video with a backdrop of ancient stone walls, roundels and turrets, and a Scottish piper on the battlements playing the bagpipes. In Scotland, there are a huge variety of castles available as a wedding venue. Find out more at Visit Scotland.
You can even get married at Edinburgh Castle. What could be more romantic than saying ‘I do’ in St Margaret’s Chapel – within the most famous castle’s walls and in the oldest building in Edinburgh. Find out more at the Edinburgh Castle Website.
Marry in a Baronial Scottish Hunting Lodge or a Grand Stately Home – many have their own private chapel. Say your wedding vows in a Wild Scottish Landscape beside a humble stone bothy or an iconic loch or in a remote glen: all of this is possible in Scotland and you’d still be within walking distance of your wedding reception. Find out more at the National Trust for Scotland/weddings and also from Visit Scotland/weddings.
EIGHT GREAT IDEAS FOR A MODERN SCOTTISH WEDDINGAn Outdoor wedding: if you choose a ‘wild’ outdoor Scottish wedding on the hills or in the glen then you might want to consider wearing ‘wedding wellies’ instead of heels.Tartan: The bride and the bridesmaids might also want to wear tartan for gowns, shoes, sashes, or a warm wool wrap or shawl.Thistle & Heather: Theme your contemporary Scottish wedding on the thistle and wild heather for your save the day notifications and invitations, venue and table decorations, cake decoration, buttonholes, corsages, and the bridal bouquet.Sweet Gifts: Scottish ‘tablet’ (a type of fudge) in a gauze bag with a tartan ribbon makes a sweet wedding favour.Wedding Bands: Celebrate your Scottish nuptials by exchanging Celtic style wedding rings.Entertainment: Hold your own version of the Highland Games to entertain your guests after the ceremony. Host a tug-of-war for the men and welly throwing for the ladies!Traditional Food: Serve Scottish faire to your guests: Serve Cullen Skink, a taste of haggis, or a clootie dumpling. For dessert serve creamy cranachan filled with Scottish raspberries.Honour your Best Man and Matron of Honour: With a gift of Celtic or Mackintosh inspired jewellery and the gift of a hipflask filled with a single malt whisky!
EIGHT GREAT OLD TRADITIONS FOR A SCOTTISH WEDDINGThe Wedding Sark: The sark is an old and unique wedding traditions because it is gifted from the bride to the groom. The sark itself is the shirt worn by the groom during the wedding and bought by the bride. In return, the groom will pay for the bride’s wedding dress. This tradition is simple enough to achieve, making a great starting point, if you want your day to feel as Scottish as possible.The Luckenbooth: This is a brooch gifted from groom to bride before the wedding as a show of love and dedication to the marriage. The brooch is traditionally made of silver and usually incorporates heart symbols or engravings. Another simple gift option to make your day feel inherently Scottish.The Men Wear Kilts: Men wearing kilts are one of the most iconic parts of a traditional Scottish formal occasion and no more so than at a Scottish wedding. Many families will wear their own clan tartan but it’s not essential to do so as many men will choose a popular tartan instead. Full Highland Kilt outfits can be hired. Popular tartans are the Modern Douglas, the Hunting Stewart, The Black Watch. The grey and heather coloured tartan worn at my eldest son’s recent wedding in Edinburgh was called ‘Scottish Spirit’.Bagpipes will be played: Nothing say’s Scottish wedding like hearing the sound of bagpipes being played by a piper in full highland attire. Traditional song choices can include Mairi’s Wedding, The Highland Wedding and Lochanside. It’s traditional at a Scottish Wedding for the bagpiper to toast the Bride and Groom to bestow good luck upon their marriage. The groom with then in return toast the piper.Toast to the Piper: Once the piper has played the bride and groom to the top table, the bride will offer him a dram, for the piper to then perform a toast to the newlyweds. The groom will then toast the piper before he pipes out of the room.Drinking whisky from the Quiach. The newly married couple will each sip whisky from the Quiach (pronounced kway-k) which is the ‘loving cup’ to toast each other and to symbolise their trust in each other.Heather in the Bridal Bouquet: In Scottish tradition, one of the most familiar features of the wedding bouquet is the presence of heather – a wild plant that grows all across Scotland. This link with the Scottish identity has made heather an essential addition to any Scottish wedding.There will be Ceilidh Dancing. This is traditional Scottish Ceilidh (pronounced Kei-lee) dancing. The most popular dances at weddings are The Flying Scotsman, Gay Gordon’s and Strip The Willow. They involve a lot of stomping and spinning and skipping and are very energetic. Most live wedding bands will have someone willing and able to show you the moves and to get you up on your Ceilidh dancing feet.
I do hope, whether you are the new future bride and groom, or long-married and wanting to renew your vows, or planning to organise a special wedding anniversary blessing, that I’ve supplied you with wedding inspiration and lots of authentic Scottish wedding ideas. Haste ye back!
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February 8, 2020
Trafalgar Meets The Backpacking Housewife
Trafalgar are the world’s leading and most awarded travel brand, dedicated to bringing to life the unique moments that inspire you to leave with your own stories to tell. I was delighted to talk to them about my own story – the one about my husband and I finding ourselves with an empty nest and deciding to sell everything we owned – our house – our cars – his business – and all our possessions – to enable us to travel and to housesit around the world longterm.
“We’ve all dreamed of going on vacation and never coming home, but for most of us it remains just that – a dream. But not for Janice Horton and her husband. Otherwise known as The Backpacking Housewife, Janice is a travel blogger, an author of many romantic adventure novels, a mother to three grown-up sons, and the woman who decided to sell everything and travel the world. After her boys grew up and left home, this nomadic pair sold their house, cars and most belongings, swapping regular life for a life on the road. 6 years on, and they haven’t looked back. Inspired by Janice’s story, we caught up with her to find out what inspired the couple’s plunge into the great unknown…”
CLICK THE ON PICTURE BELOW TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEW
The post Trafalgar Meets The Backpacking Housewife appeared first on The Backpacking Housewife.
Trafalgar Travel meets The Backpacking Housewife
Trafalgar are the world’s leading and most awarded travel brand, dedicated to bringing to life the unique moments that inspire you to leave with your own stories to tell. I was delighted to talk to them about my own story – the one about my husband and I finding ourselves with an empty nest and deciding to sell everything we owned – our house – our cars – his business – and all our possessions – to enable us to travel and to housesit around the world longterm.
“We’ve all dreamed of going on vacation and never coming home, but for most of us it remains just that – a dream. But not for Janice Horton and her husband. Otherwise known as The Backpacking Housewife, Janice is a travel blogger, an author of many romantic adventure novels, a mother to three grown-up sons, and the woman who decided to sell everything and travel the world. After her boys grew up and left home, this nomadic pair sold their house, cars and most belongings, swapping regular life for a life on the road. 6 years on, and they haven’t looked back. Inspired by Janice’s story, we caught up with her to find out what inspired the couple’s plunge into the great unknown…”
CLICK THE ON PICTURE BELOW TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEW
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May 12, 2019
MYVLF – Interview with Janice Horton
Interview with Janice Horton
The Backpacking Housewife
I’m so very excited and honoured to be interviewed for MYVLF – the fabulous and free new global virtual literary festival venue that is taking the book world by storm and connecting readers with authors. Pop along to the MYVLF theatre to the Watch Now feature where I’ll be discussing my series of books published by Harper Impulse and inspired by my own travelling experiences. I’ll also be reading an exclusive extract from my next book The Next Adventure out on the 5th July but available to pre-order now from Amazon
Register now for MYVLF – It’s FREE!
Watch the full interview here at: https://myvlf.com
Navigate to The Theatre and choose the Watch Now Feature
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December 31, 2018
Name A Character In My Next Book in this easy to enter prize draw!
While I was writing my newly published book ‘Island in the Sun’ (January 4th 2019!) I ran a prize draw to name a character in the book and the competition was very popular indeed. The winner, who also got a thank you in the book’s acknowledgments, decided to name the character ‘Evie’ as the competition ended on New Year’s Eve!
While writing ‘The Backpacking Housewife‘ in 2017/18 (published by Harper Impulse in July 2018) I ran a competition on Facebook to name the male protagonist and hero. The winner chose the name Ethan!
So, in January and February 2019, while I’m writing the sequel to The Backpacking Housewife ‘The Next Adventure’ (published by Harper Impulse in June 2019) I thought I’d offer the same exciting opportunity to name a character in the story. The winner of this Easy To Enter Prize Draw (ends 28th February 2019) can choose any name of their choice for a character of my choice and will also get a formal thank you in the book’s acknowledgments. This draw is open worldwide.
CLICK TO ENTER THE PRIZE DRAW TO NAME A CHARACTER IN MY NEXT BOOK
Please Note: By entering this giveaway you are also subscribing to Janice Horton’s newsletter. Your email address will be used to contact you occasionally – approx every two months – as I only ever send out a newsletter when I have news to share with an email containing exciting book and travel news, news of price drops, special promotions, exclusive discounts and fabulous giveaways and offers to do with BOOKS and TRAVEL.
I respect your email address and would never share your information.
You will always have the option to unsubscribe from mailings at any time you wish.
Best wishes and good luck!
The post appeared first on The Backpacking Housewife.
November 8, 2018
Drumroll… Cover Reveal!
Escape to a tropical paradise in this epic story of hidden pasts and family secrets
‘Who doesn’t love an adventure? Especially when it’s set in the Caribbean!’ Linn B Halton
‘Who doesn’t dream about a vacation in the Caribbean?’ R is for Reviews
‘The author’s words will transport you to the beautifully sunny and warm Caribbean.’ Kate’s Book Spot
‘The author’s knowledge and love of the Caribbean shines through.’ Best Chick Lit.com
‘You feel like you are living the story.’ Netgalley Reviewer
‘Janice’s descriptive passages capture the very essence of the Caribbean.’ Carol E Wyer
‘I really enjoy Janice’s writing style.’ Mandy Baggot
Book Description
ISLAND IN THE SUN: When successful jewellery designer Isla Ashton unexpectedly inherits her eccentric Aunt Kate’s Caribbean island, she is obligated to return to the place she associates with heartache and regret. To where she grew up and fell in love with her childhood friend, Leo Fernandez. Fully intent on selling the island and finally putting the past behind her, Isla is soon compelled to put together the pieces of what really happened on a fateful night ten-years before. She begins to believe that in going to prison, Leo hadn’t only been shielding her from the same fate. She also starts to suspect that her late Aunt hadn’t been entirely honest in sending her away under the guise of recriminations. Who had they both been protecting and why?
I’m delighted and excited to share with you my latest novel – Island in the Sun
I’m thrilled to see this book being published at last as it had been put on the backburner for a while while I wrote The Backpacking Housewife (I’m currently writing the sequel to The Backpacking Housewife!)
Island in the Sun is an exotic sweepingly romantic and epic adventure novel set in the Caribbean.
I have to say that I rather fell in love with all the characters in this book and I hope you will too!
Island in the Sun is available for PRE-ORDER now on Amazon for Kindle
You can order it right now at the price of just 99p! A bargain! Publication date is not until January 4th 2019 and so you won’t even pay your 99p until then! Do PRE-ORDER your Kindle ebook copy now to get it at this special pre-launch price. Paperback coming at the end of January 2019.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR EBOOK COPY NOW FOR JUST 99p!
Do let me know what you think of the cover and the premise of this new book?
I’d love to hear from you and please feel free to ask any questions!
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November 1, 2018
Enter The FREE Prize Draw to win a turtle charm bracelet!
One of the most amazing and wonderful experiences in my life happened on a small island in Malaysia at a turtle sanctuary. I spent a week on the island, living in a rustic hut, on an isolated paradise beach, learning about and helping endangered Green Turtles.
It was an experience I’ll never forget and one that I have used in my novel The Backpacking Housewife. Reviewers have mentioned in reviews and readers have messaged me to say that the turtle sanctuary part of the story was one of their favourite parts of the book! You can read my full post on my turtle sanctuary experience HERE.
So I thought I’d offer a beautiful trio of beach inspired bracelets with a turtle charm as the prize in the FREE TO ENTER GIVEAWAY on my website during November and December 2018. The draw will end at midnight on the 31st December 2018. There is just one prize. UK & EU Only.
ENTER THE FREE PRIZE DRAW
Click Here For My Full Post On This Turtle Sanctuary Experience
I travelled to The Perhentian Islands off the northeast coast of Kuala Terrenganu State in peninsular Malaysia. There are two main islands and a scattering of smaller uninhabited islets. The islands are known for their warm crystal-clear waters, coral reefs, snorkelling, diving, and beautiful white sand beaches in a remote location.
Seeing baby turtles born and running to the sea…
It was a fantastic experience to attend turtle talks, watch what happens at the hatchery, see for myself huge female Green turtles coming up the beach at night to dig a nest and lay her eggs. I also got to witness several baby turtle nests erupting and to see them being released from the top of the beach to the sea.
Five Amazing and Interesting Turtle Facts!
There are seven known species of sea turtle. Green Turtles are classified as endangered. They are threatened by overharvesting of their eggs, hunting of adults, being caught in fishing gear and the loss of nesting beach sites.
No White Lights: On the beach at the sanctuary and hatchery and resort, only red lights are used at night, as turtles cannot see red light. White lights confuse the turtles coming up the beach and can put them off laying their eggs.
Green Turtles can live up to around 80 years old and they reach sexual maturity at around 30 years old. This means the female turtle coming up the beach to lay her eggs will be coming back to the same beach where she herself was born at least three decades earlier.
A turtle nest will contain either all male or all females depending on the temperature of the sand around the developing eggs. Cooler temperatures produce males and warmer temperatures produce females. I was told the best way to remember this is to say: ‘cool dudes and hot chicks!’
Turtle eggs are soft and papery and are around the same size as ping pong balls and they take two months to incubate in the sand.
Click Here For My Full Post On This Turtle Sanctuary Experience
Please Note: By entering this giveaway you are also subscribing to Janice Horton’s newsletter. Your email address will be used to contact you occasionally (approx every two months) with an email newsletter containing exciting book and travel news, special promotions, exclusive discounts and fabulous giveaways and other club member offers to do with BOOKS and TRAVEL.
ENTER THE FREE PRIZE DRAW
I respect your email address and would never share your information.
You will always have the option to unsubscribe from mailings at any time you wish.
Best wishes and good luck!
The post Enter The FREE Prize Draw to win a turtle charm bracelet! appeared first on The Backpacking Housewife.
October 29, 2018
Green Turtle Conservation Experience in Malaysia
One of the most amazing and wonderful experiences in my life happened on a small island in Malaysia at a turtle sanctuary. I spent a week on the island, living in a rustic hut, on an isolated paradise beach, learning about and helping endangered Green Turtles.
Newly hatched baby turtles running to the sea!
It was an experience I’ll never forget and one that I have used in my novel The Backpacking Housewife. Reviewers have mentioned in reviews and readers have messaged me to say that the turtle sanctuary part of the story was one of their favourite parts of the book.
We flew from London to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After a few days in KL we took a one hour flight to Kota Bharu over to the east coast and then a boat over to The Perhentian Islands. There are two main islands and a scattering of smaller uninhabited islets. The islands are known for their warm crystal-clear waters, coral reefs, snorkelling, diving, and beautiful white sand beaches in a remote location. The island we went to is called Palau Perhentian Besar. It’s worth knowing that the season for these islands is from April to October. November to March is monsoon season and due to high winds and rough seas the islands and many of the resorts and hotels and restaurants will be closed.
On Palau Perhentian Besar, we stayed at Bubbles Turtle and Reef Experience which is a PADI 5 Star dive centre and a turtle conservation sanctuary. It was a fantastic experience and valuable research for The Backpacking Housewife.
The beach and turtle sanctuary
The moment I set eyes on the tropical island and the turtle sanctuary I was enchanted. The water in the bay was so clear and the white sand beach looked so natural and unspoiled. The resort buildings were behind the natural line of the trees and surrounding jungle. The first thing I saw in the trees surrounding the open air reception area was a black-haired monkey with a long tail and big white eyes – it was the size of a small child. Apparently, these type of monkeys, unlike others I have encountered in Malaysia or Indonesia, are very shy and so for the rest of our stay, it remained elusive.
I also saw a lima for the first time ever. It was clinging to a tree above me eating leaves while its baby clung on and peered down at me. The lima looked to me like a cross between a fox and a bat – and it ‘flew’ from one branch to another in the tree using its loose body skin as wings. Amazing. I knew at once that this was my kind of place – basic in accommodation but clean and friendly and with a real focus on conservation and the environment.
We stayed at Bubbles Turtle and Reef Experience (aerial view)
Priority is given to the turtles who use the beach to lay eggs and guests are briefed on how to be ‘turtle friendly’ – no white lights on the beach from 7pm at night – no walking down the beach past the dive centre on the resort perimeter after 8.30pm. And, after 8.30pm, the common areas of the resort are lit with red light which won’t bother the turtles. This is because man-made white light confuses them as they use the white light of the moon to navigate to the beach to lay their eggs. Nesting turtles are instinctively careful about where they lay their eggs. Some will come ashore and dig several pits before choosing the perfect place to lay. Some, dissatisfied with the site, will abandon laying their eggs and try again another night.
No white lights on the beach from 7pm
Interestingly, a Green Turtle can live to up to around 80 years old and doesn’t reach reproductive maturity until it is around 30 years old and it will come back to the beach it was born to lay its own eggs. It will come to the beach over the season three to five times to lay with a period of several days between lays. Then, as the process takes so much energy, the turtle will rest for a couple of years before going back to the same beach to lay for another season. She will lay over 100 eggs each time. Each one is the size of a ping pong ball. It is soft and it feels papery and quite weighty in the hand.
After finding a spot high up on the beach above the tide line, the turtle will begin to dig with her front flippers, thrashing about until she is in a deep pit. Once she feels she is below the natural line of sand she will lay her eggs in a chamber within the pit. Once she starts to lay she enters into a trance-like state and cannot stop laying until she has finished. She then spends a considerable time burying them until, quite exhausted, she drags her considerable weight across the beach and back into the sea.
Each beach hut has a sign on its door the shape of a turtle with ‘yes’ on one side and ‘no’ on the other. This is for guests to be able to indicate to the beach patrol staff at the sanctuary whether or not they want to be alerted to any turtles coming ashore under the light of the moon. Of course, I had mine set to ‘yes’!
Throughout the week, I was lucky to see to see a huge female green turtle lay her eggs on the beach at night and to sit and wait quietly with her while she dug her nest, lay her eggs, and returned to the sea in the early hours of the morning.
A truly magical and memorable experience that I’ll never ever forget. Also, I got to see not just one but TWO nests hatch at the sanctuary and to watch the baby turtles I saw being born run from the beach and into the sea. Check out this cute video!
https://thebackpackinghousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Turtle-release-Trim.mp4
I learned so much about the work involved in running a turtle sanctuary on this tiny island. The staff and the volunteers patrol the beach every night to watch out for and deter egg poachers as turtle eggs are sold as a delicacy here in Malaysia. Sometimes staff will simply monitor and guard the nest and count the days of incubation until it is ready to hatch (around 60 days) or, if they think the nest might be at risk from vermin or from the incoming tides, they will painstakingly remove all the eggs and transfer them very carefully to their hatchery. It was in the hatchery that I saw the two nests hatch.
Moving eggs very carefully into the hatchery.
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Interestingly, a turtle nest will contain either all male or all females depending on the temperature of the sand around the developing eggs. Cooler temperatures produce males and warmer temperatures produce females. I was told the best way to remember this is to say: ‘cool dudes and hot chicks!’
While I was busy at the turtle sanctuary, my backpacking husband was scuba diving, and when I wasn’t monitoring turtles on the beach I was out snorkelling with my new island friends. We took a boat out to explore some small uninhabited islands with the most gorgeous beaches and clear warm waters and coral reefs teeming with life. Some of the best snorkelling ever because I got to swim with turtles too!
https://thebackpackinghousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Turtle-swim-sm-file.mp4
We took a boat out to explore small uninhabited islands…
I absolutely loved every minute here on Palau Perhentian Besar. We made lovely new friendships with the sanctuary staff and the dive centre staff. Special thanks to Holly, James, and Jorges for answering all my questions – and if you are reading this – I did mention you in my acknowledgments for The Backpacking Housewife!
Free To Enter Prize Draw: I thought I’d offer you a beautiful trio of beach inspired bracelets with a turtle charm as the prize in the FREE TO ENTER GIVEAWAY on my website during November and December 2018.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE FREE PRIZE DRAW
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October 12, 2018
Summer Culture Shock
After spending five months of Summer 2018 living on a very small rock in the eastern corner of the Caribbean Sea, it was a bit of a culture shock for us to have to leave. We’d been living a simple life – albeit with plenty of rum – wearing very few clothes and sleeping under the tin roof of a little house beneath a mango tree. Our diet had been nutritious but basic, mostly consisting of tropical fruits and rice and beans and fish, as fresh supplies only came to the island twice a week by boat. Our halcyon days on this beautiful island had all been spent dancing on the sand or bobbing about in boats, swinging in hammocks, swimming in the sea and scuba diving. Resulting in happy times, glorious memories, and a healthy weight loss.
Halcyon days spent swinging in hammocks…
After the first month in our third world paradise, we’d managed to lose our white skinned intolerance to the incredible heat and intense humidity of the Caribbean and we’d even stopped caring about being constantly drippy with sweat or having crazy hair (me not him). So, by the time carnival time came to the island, we were wearing our beads and knocking back rum shots with the best of them, having become blissfully dark skinned and bohemian. We’d even developed an immunity to the torturous bite of sand flies.
Happy times and glorious memories…
So, as you might imagine, by the end of summer, returning to Europe and the thought of the long winter ahead of us (never mind the concept of actually having to wear shoes again) was a little unnerving at best.
This was a bittersweet time. Saying goodbye to our island friends, while knowing once we were back in the UK, we would be able reconnect with our loved ones. Because we’ve been travelling so extensively, I hadn’t seen my mum and brothers and sisters and my very best friend in almost two years. Our youngest son too. Although, before we’d made our way from Asia across to the Caribbean, we’d been able to spend one week with our middle son, his wife and our grandchild, and our eldest son and his fiancée, in South Korea.
So, unreasonably early on a steaming hot Caribbean morning in early September, we took a taxi tuk-tuk to the island’s airstrip and a small plane over to the mainland. The mainland being Honduras in Central America.
We flew to the city of San Pedro Sula where we had a same-day connecting flight to Houston Texas USA.
Leaving the island for the mainland
In Texas, we took a pit-stop to eat big juicy Texas steaks and to drink American beer but the very next morning, we flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We planned to spend a couple of days here at the beach acclimatising (same heat/lower humidity/small time difference) before taking our flight over to London (lower temperatures/cold damp air/big time difference). We usually consider ourselves savvy travellers, having circumnavigated the earth twice in the past five years and have explored fifty-five countries, but it was while in Florida that we realised we’d left something behind on the island: our sundried brains.
Acclimatising on Fort Lauderdale Beach
Our first inkling of absent mindedness was when we left Fort Lauderdale airport in an Uber heading for our hotel without bothering to pick up our backpacks from the luggage carousel. We eventually realised our mistake and backtracked. Only to later leave our phone – and the only lifeline to the first-world as far as we were concerned – on the back seat of our Uber ride. Two days later, through luck and help and angst, we managed to get our phone returned. The third mishap involved our passports and what a heart-stopping drama that all was! Arrrggghhh!!
Anyways, after trying to enjoy a few demanding days in Fort Lauderdale, we flew to London. This would be the second time we have flown with Norwegian Air on their new Dreamliner aircraft (at amazingly low prices). The first time we flew with Norwegian was earlier this year when we left France via London to fly to Singapore at the start of our 2018 Round The World Trip – which you can read about HERE.
So back to the culture shock and theme of this post. After arriving back in Gatwick, bleary-eyed and exhausted after a night flight, we took the Gatwick Express to Euston Station and then a train up to middle England (Warrington) where (because we were wearing beach clothes and flipflops) we were pleased to find temperature in the mid 20s’s C and summer had not yet left the UK.
We had a wonderful if hectic time in the UK. It was fabulous to spend time with my mum again. Great to see my family and lovely friends. We ate all the food we’d missed and craved while away – in large quantities – and we travelled around a lot through England Scotland and Wales.
It was great to spend time with my lovely mum again…
We went up to Scotland to visit our family and friends too…
Wonderful to see my brother and his family and my sisters and our lovely friends again while we were back in the UK.
Unfortunately, I came down with a horrible flu/cold/chest-infection that I’d managed to pick up along the way. That mixed with the change in temperature, humidity, time-zone, and jet-lag, pretty much knocked me for six. I can only apologise to all the loved ones I might have coughed over and passed on germs to in exchange for their wonderful hospitality.
While we were in the UK I continued to work on PR for my recently published book The Backpacking Housewife and I had an interview feature out in The Sunday Mirror newspaper which I read on the train into London where we spent our final weekend in the UK. You can read more about this and other media features and press interviews I’ve done on my Media Page HERE.
Reading the Sunday Mirror feature on the train into London…
We had an exciting weekend exploring The Tower of London and the London Bridge area on The Thames where at The News Building on Monday morning I had an appointment with my editor at HarperCollins Publishers.
I was mega excited to be meeting with and having lunch with lovely Charlotte Ledger, who is my commissioning editor and editorial director of Harper Impulse to discuss how my book The Backpacking Housewife was doing. Then it was time to talk about new books for 2019. After which, we headed to Harper Collins HQ, where I was delighted to meet so many of the people whom I’d only been in email contact with over the past months and it was so lovely to put faces to names. I did a promotional video for my book The Backpacking Housewife. I signed some books. I admired all the books on show throughout the offices and ogled the names of so many famous and coveted authors. I gazed in awe at the dazzling views from the high floors of the iconic building and over the London sights while overhead the skies of London were clear and blue. You can read all about my fabulous visit to HarperCollins London HQ in my next post!
We had an exciting weekend exploring London…
I was excited to be meeting with my lovely editor Charlotte Ledger…
I said my goodbyes in a happy fug – to be made even happier when on route to Gatwick Airport my backpacking husband insisted on us stopping off to celebrate at The Ivy with a glass of champagne – a theme that continued onto the BA lounge and our evening flight to Bordeaux France.
We are now happily ensconced in France.
Our culture shock now defined by vin and fromage.
We could be here some time. I have new backpacking books to write!
What’s been your experience of culture shock?
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