A round-up of my trips this year

So far, 2012 has seen me swimming in Antarctica, riding waves in Morocco and walking on Wight. 

Here's a quick round-up of my 2012 trips so far:

January

Antarctica: I spent three weeks at the end of the world, travelling onboard the M/S Expedition with G-Adventures - see January and February's Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica, blog posts for the highlights. The trip was a prize for winning The Guardian's Adventure Travel Writing competition 2012. An article about my experiences 'down south' will be featured in the Guardian's travel pages later this year.

February

Dorset and The New Forest: Having thawed out from Antarctica, I took a group of A-level Geography students to two of my favourite UK travel destinations: Studland Bay and The New Forest. White-sanded beaches, unseasonally warm weather, New Forest Ponies and the smell of pine needles... there really is no need to travel to the ends of the earth to feel completely contented. Highlights included afternoon teas at Acres Down Farm and cream buns in Lyndhurst - both cake-related activities, I know.

March

Northern Ireland: On commission with The Mail on Sunday I visited Belfast to celebrate the official opening of Titanic Belfast - now the biggest Titanic experience in the world. Read my full article at The Mail Online: Putting Northern Ireland's Capital back on the Map.

April

Morocco: Writing for TNT Magazine, I spent a week at Surf Maroc, in Taghazout, as a member of a 'girls only' surf camp. Alongside surfing down the face of double-overhead waves and soaring through barrels (yeah, right), the complete package included souk shopping, Moroccan hammams and massages, traditional teas and film evenings - pretty much my ideal holiday! To find out more, read my article at TNT online: Babes on Boards; or flick to p70 of the TNT emag.

French Alps: Travelling with the superb YSE Chalets and catching a lift back to the airport with the super-efficient Snowdrop Transfers, I spent a long weekend in Val d'Isere, chasing 'fluro-onesies', straight-skiers and mono-boards around the mountain. To find out more, you'll have to wait to read my article in Ski and Board Magazine in one of next season's magazines.

May

Isle of Wight: Popping over for the Isle of Wight Walking Festival, I'm in the process of testing-out a stack of shiny new gear from Berghaus. So far, my Exterra Trek walking boots have stomped from Yarmouth to The Needles, and tried to catch up with the end of 'Walk the Wight' - a 26 mile yomp from Bembridge to the Needles.  

Upcoming trips...

May: Next weekend I'll be journeying down to Devon for a weekend of surfing in Bigbury Bay and rowing up the River Yealm, at Newton Ferrers.

June: Fingers crossed for the weather, as I'll be exploring my home city of Brighton, as well as Canadian canoeing down the River Wye, stepping out on the brand new All Wales Coastpath and, if time permits, popping over to Northern Spain to check out the early summer swells.

July: It's off to the Scilly Isles for me this summer. I'll be discovering how to do the 'Scillies on a shoestring', experiencing the more extreme side of the isles, as well as exploring the uninhabited islands of one of England's largest archipelagos. I'll be writing for The Online Travel Journal and am looking to take on more commissions - feel free to contact me for content.

August: On my annual pilgrimage to Menorca, I'll be looking forward to seeing the Cami de Cavalls footpath restoration one year on, as well as exploring as many of the island's hidden beaches and coves as  I can via kayak.