Surfing in the Cornish rain

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 whatever the weather. This post is from Nicola (pic is of my surfing informant, George, 13)

Our house-sitting friends ring from Cornwall to say they are having a wonderful time: the surf is up thanks to this week’s bad weather which pleases the better surfers. The beginners aren’t missing out either because surfing lessons are run even if it rains. That's why you buy wet suits...

Mum and Dad can chill all day catching up on the novels they wanted to read (they recommend Salmon Fishing in the Yemen) until the teenagers turn up wet and hungry as night falls needing to be stuffed with pasta and tomato sauce. It just shows what a good time you can have when the crowds thin out thanks to bad British summer weather.