My 2011 travels so far..

It’s been a busy year of travels for me, so much so that my blog has been neglected – poor thing. Here’s a round-up of what I've been up to, to get us kick-started again…

Feb 2011: Sainte Foy
After spending my early twenties skiing and working in Val d'Isere, I'd always made a bee-line straight for my favourite ski-resort, without so much as a sideways glance to the umpteen other resorts I passed on my four hour journey there from the airport. This year however, I stopped half an hour before hitting 'Val', at the tiny station of sainte-Foy. Staying at Premiere-Neige's brand new hotel-chalet, 'The Peak', I shuushed down empty pistes, explored silent summer hamlets and feasted on fresh legs of lamb roasted over an open fire at Ma Maison. Find out more about this addictive resort in my upcoming article in the Independent on Sunday, this season.

March 2011: Malaysia
Anna - one of my bestest ever friends - lives and works in Kuala Lumpur. When she announced that she was getting married to a diving instructor on a tropical island in the South China Sea, I had my ticket booked within a week. A family and friends reunion in KL was followed by driving north in convoy for 6 hours and then slamming and smashing across a stormy sea to the wedding island in a tiny speed-boat, whilst clutching onto champagne flutes, tea-light holders and a very pregnant wedding guest. Anna made me promise NOT to write an article about her wedding day, so I swapped the pen in my hand for a glass of bubbly and just about managed to restrain myself.

April: Philippines
After weeks spent pouring over a map of the Philippines and picking out which of its 7107 islands to attack, we decided to stay put. Saving on the domestic flights and ferry rides, we travelled a few hours north of Manila to the Cordillera Mountains and stumbled across a lesser-visited and fascinating kingdom, where back-doors open out onto vertical drops, ancient Ifugao tribes cultivate 2000 year old rice terraces and freshly ground coffee is enjoyed with home-made yoghurt and wild strawberries. Get a taste for this spectacular region in my winning entry to the Telegraph’s ‘Just Back’ competition, Festival Time in the Philippines.

August: Menorca
For the second year running, my other half’s family and I returned to a stunning villa that teeters on the cliff-tops over Mahon harbour (right opposite Branson’s place!). We spent two decadent days floating in the infinity pool, paddling around the harbour in our much-loved inflatable kayak - and peering into the port-holes of the super yachts – before I strapped on my backpack and boots and set off to explore Menorca’s recently re-opened ancient bridleway, that circumnavigates the island’s coastline for around 185km. Find out all about my hiking, biking and horse-riding escapades in my Independent on Sunday article: All along the Watchtowers in Menorca.

July-August: Peru
Working as an expedition leader with BSES, I travelled to the Pacaya Samiria national reserve in Peru for a three week adventure, with a bunch of hormonal teenagers. After 4 days of travel, my group, or ‘fire’ and I paddled, padded, stomped and sliced our way along piranha-filled back-waters, transects teeming with tarantulas and cochas alive with crocs. Read more in an article I wrote for the Guardian: 'Taking a baby crocodile's vital statistics...'

September:
Sailing, fishing, rowing and ringo-riding in Newton Ferrers, surfing and mussel-collecting in Bigbury, autumn hikes and freshly-baked bread in Slaithwaite, riverside walks and Sunday roasts in Cambridge, Roald Dahl’s writing shed and woodland walks in Great Missenden, a steamy spa-day in a converted textile mill in Huddersfield, mountain-biking in the South Downs, white-night in Brighton…often some of my favourite trips are closest to home and I wonder why I feel the need to travel so far for adventure. Never the less, my next big trip is to....

Antarctica!
Travel dates: 11 Jan - 30 Jan 2012
Travelling with: Gap Adventures: The Spirit of Shackleton

Free Extreme Arctic Talk in Newcastle

The British Schools Exploring Society (BSES), based at the Royal Geographical Society London, takes young people aged 16-23 to extreme locations to learn essential survival skills and carry out research projects in some of the most sensitive areas of the world.

BSES will be visiting Newcastle at the end of January, to speak at schools and youth groups across the North East about expedition opportunities in the Arctic, Himalayas, Amazon and Desert.

The week will kick off on 23rd January at 17:00-18:00, at the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle, where wannabe explorers will have the opportunity to try out Arctic equipment, such as ice-axes and crampons, and find out how they could join a BSES expedition this year.

Young people in the North East can also apply for a £2500 bursary towards expedition costs for an Extreme Arctic gap-year trip, or for a £1000 bursary towards a 3 or 5 week summer expedition - find out how by coming along to the Sunday afternoon talk.

The talk is free and open to all, but it's recommended that you book a seat by emailing lucy@bses.org.uk.

Schools or youth groups that would like to find out more or book at talk should contact lucy@bses.org.uk

For travel journalism and copywriting services visit www.lucygrewcock.com

£2500 BSES bursaries available to the North East

In addition to offering bursaries in the Channel Islands, The British Schools Exploring Society (BSES), based at the Royal Geographical Society London, has also secured funding of £2500 for young people aged 18 and over, who are residents of the North East.

Lucy Grewcock, a marketing coordinator with BSES will be speaking at schools, colleges and youth groups in December and January to inform students of how they can get involved and apply for a bursary. Offered on a first-come-first-served basis, the bursaries are available to residents of the North East, who apply for BSES Extreme Arctic 2011.

This two month long 'Gap Year' trip is open to anyone aged between 18 and 23, and gives young people the opportunity to learn essential Arctic survival skills such as polar bear defence, ice-axe arresting and cravasse rescue whilst staying in the comfort of a guest-house in Norway's Svalbard archipelago, before heading deeper into the Arctic wilderness to complete adventure and research phases of their expedition.

The expedition departs the UK on in April 2011.

If you're up for the challenge, check of the finer details of the trip at www.bses.org.uk or contact lucy@bses.org.uk.

Schools or youth groups that would like to find out more or book at talk should contact lucy@bses.org.uk

For travel journalism and copywriting services visit www.lucygrewcock.com

£2500 BSES bursaries available to Channel Island Students

The British Schools Exploring Society (BSES), based at the Royal Geographical Society London, has secured bursaries of £2500 for young people aged 18 and over, who are residents of the Channel Islands.

The bursaries, offered on a first-come-first-served basis, are available to residents of the Channel Islands, who apply for BSES Extreme Arctic 2011.

This two month long 'Gap Year' trip is open to anyone aged between 18 and 23, and gives young people the opportunity to learn essential Arctic survival skills such as polar bear defence, ice-axe arresting and cravasse rescue whilst staying in the comfort of a guest-house in Norway's Svalbard archipelago, before heading deeper into the Arctic wilderness to complete adventure and research phases of their expedition.

The expedition departs the UK on in April 2011.

If you're up for the challenge, check of the finer details of the trip at www.bses.org.uk or contact lucy@bses.org.uk

For travel journalism and copywriting services visit www.lucygrewcock.com

Places available for gap-year students on BSES Svalbard Expedition

Gap-year students with a lust for adventure and a passion for environmental science are urged to apply for the last few places for The British Schools Exploring Society’s Extreme Arctic expedition to Svalbard this Spring. The young explorers will be working alongside highly qualified scientists to conduct glacial geomorphology and phrenology studies, contributing to long-term projects concerning the measurement of key indicators of climate change.

BSES’ press release:

Last few places available for Arctic adventure of a lifetime
November 18, 2010

Gap-year students with a lust for adventure and a passion for environmental science are urged to apply for the last few places for The British Schools Exploring Society’s Extreme Arctic expedition to Svalbard this Spring.

Svalbard, a far-flung snowy archipelago on the edge of the Arctic Ocean, is just 600 miles from the North Pole. At 78 degrees north, the average temperature on arrival in April is -20C, with the islands already experiencing 24 hour daylight.

Living in tents and snow caves in sub-zero temperatures, the young explorers will be taught how to survive in the extreme cold before venturing further afield as weather improves, allowing access to unspoiled landscapes as far as the eye can see. Mountaineering, cross-country skiing and travelling with pulks across the mountain tops, valleys, and tundra, the team will experience the vast expanse of astounding natural beauty, with the freedom, under the guidance of world-class leaders, to explore wherever they choose.

The young explorers will also be working alongside highly qualified scientists to conduct glacial geomorphology and phrenology studies, contributing to long-term projects concerning the measurement of key indicators of climate change. In addition, an ornithological survey will also be undertaken, gathering and collating data on some of the indigenous species.

Those taking part will have to be physically fit, enthusiastic and resourceful in order to comfortably live under canvas for the duration of the expedition and to bear the mental and physical hardships of such an adventure.

The young explorers will benefit from contact with highly experienced volunteer leaders from the fields of education, industry, medicine and the armed forces, who will ensure that the expedition works to a professional standard so that ambitious scientific and adventurous training objectives can be safely undertaken.

Any young people inspired by this opportunity, brave enough to take on the challenge and keen to experience the adventure of a lifetime should see www.bses.org.ukfor more details or contact Lucy Grewcock or Charlie Masding at lucy@bses.org.uk/ charlie@bses.org.uk.

For travel journalism and copywriting services visit www.lucygrewcock.com

BSES Himalayas on youtube

Footage of the British Schools Exploring Society's 2010 Himalayas trip is now available for public viewing on youtube: click here to view.

The British Schools Exploring Society's Himalayas 2010 expedition witnessed the devastation caused by heavy rains and flooding in Ladakh. This meant that, in addition to conducting field work in the Thanglasgo and Palzampiu valley, hiking with Sherpas in the Tanjarta valley and summiting the 6000m mount Dawa, the young BSES volunteers worked on several successful projects, run in conjunction with local villages:

One set up a medical clinic [to care for victims of recent flooding]; a second assisted with repairs of the local water supply; the third project made visits to schools in nearby villages; and the fourth involved transporting stones for the repair and rebuilding of damaged bridges. All projects are proved a fantastic success and are provided the Young Explorers with a personal development opportunity potentially more significant than any summit attempt would provide them.

To discover more about the 2010 expedition take a look at footage of this year’s team or read the expedition blog.

To find out how to get involved with the 2011 expedition, email lucy@bses.org.uk, or take a look at www.bses.org.uk and choose ‘exploring’.

www.lucygrewcock.com