In a canoe

Nicola, Pete, Lola and Nell want to travel the world with a difference. We hope to get a taste of many countries without adding to climate change (with needless emissions from aeroplanes) or having to waste hours of holiday time in airport terminals. We hope our adventures inspire you to take a Grand Tour of your neighbourhood. This post is from Nicola

We're not ready to go miles in a canoe yet, but during our wet camping Lola, Nell and I had lots of fun taking the canoe out on Ullswater. I like paddling for a "walkabout", as it was known in the Solomon Islands, in the early evening, but on our last day we just had time before breakfast to go for a quick jaunt down the lake. The rewards were a close-up of a cormorant sitting in the top of a dead tree by the lakeside. For once it wasn't drying its wings, instead it looked hunched and impressively tropical. As we glided by a kestrel got up and circled around us. It was so close we could see its golden brown back and yellow beak.

We wouldn't have been able to do this if Tom hadn't kindly dropped off some life jackets to fit us all. So many thanks to him for yet more generosity.