Travel

by Katie Isham. Could it finally be summer? What better to do on a summer’s day than to wander by the seaside?  However, for a city on the coast, Southampton only has a few spots to actually be beside the seaside, and even then, there’s no sand for comfort. We Sotonians are built of tougher

by Anna-Maria Bauer. Paths are created by walking. I have heard this phrase so often that I normally don’t even think about the meaning when I say it. But then, I started walking and had to admit to myself: It’s true. The first step was taken a year ago. The flight ticket to Australia had

by Nathan Goldsmith.   “The spring is sprung, The grass is riz. I wonder where the boidies is. The little boids is on the wing. Naa, dats obsoid; The little wings is on the boids”   There are different variations of this poem – and a number of different people said to have written it

by Katie Isham. Don’t tell too many people but, a mere skip from Southampton General Hospital, tucked away at the back of a 1960s housing estate, down a road guarded by the endemic sight of Tesco that used to be a pub, there’s a gateway to a hidden woodland. These woods may be named after

by Katie Isham. Well, everyone else is doing it, so I suppose we’d better jump on the bluebell bandwagon! If you glance at social media, the whole country has been skipping through ancient woodland in the last few weeks. Bluebell photos  have been outnumbering Line of Duty theories, and that takes some doing.  Yet despite

by Katie Isham. Meet you at the bridge?  Fellow eastsiders will be all too familiar with the hassle of crossing the mighty River Itchen to get into Southampton city centre. And as a teenager, it was a trek comparable to crossing the Sahara. But cross it we did, every Saturday to migrate to the teenage

by Nathan Goldsmith. Bursledon has always been a place that has meant a lot to me. It’s a place I’ve journeyed to since I was a child – with my family and family friends – and now, exploring on my own or taking my friends with me, I still feel that childhood buzz. Crabbing on

by Katie Isham. Restrictions are lifting, travel is allowed and so the time has come. We’re visiting the Solent shoreline.  A trip to the beach is not just about the destination: it’s about the feeling of space you get by the sea. It’s that feeling you get nowhere else, and after another long lockdown, we

by Katie Isham. The recent Spring Equinox has lifted me out of my winter slumber. I took this as a shot in the arm (not the one I’m after, but this’ll do for now) to take a more positive view. Time to fling open the doors and spend an afternoon sprucing up the garden.  But

by Katie Isham. Last weekend I went on holiday. Hold on, you might scream, we’re in lockdown. How did you wangle a holiday? Okay, you got me; I didn’t actually go on holiday, but I felt like I did for an hour.  I embarked on a fifteen-minute drive (hedonistic, I know) to the town of

by Katie Isham. If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise. Or not. You’re sure to find trees. Don’t roll your eyes – I saw that. Of course there are trees, but over at Telegraph Woods there is a colony of beautiful, breathing, heaving trees to meet; you’ll feel

by Katie Isham. What better way to spend Valentine’s weekend than by rekindling your love for an old favourite? Sometimes in life we take for granted what we have. We take for granted the beauty we wake up to. We take for granted the sights we see every day. We don’t always take the time

by Katie Isham. At the risk of ruffling some feathers, this Suburban Safari includes minimal movement. In fact, it’s best to stay as still as possible for the duration. You may be permitted a twitch or two.  When was the last time you spent a solid hour in your garden? I know it’s not really

by Katie Isham. In the current lockdown and amid rising fear in this wave of the pandemic, we are torn. Torn between staying away from other people or finding some space outside to get some fresh air.  Obviously we all want to stay safe and distance ourselves from others as much as possible, but it’s

by Katie Isham. On New Year’s Day, I’ve taken to undertaking a “Big Walk”. One involving a big drive followed by a long walk, preferably by the sea, incorporating a stop for a hefty calorie intake before going home to warm up in the way you can only when you’ve been outside cavorting with nature

by Katie Isham. In a year as dark as 2020 has been, it’s no wonder people are keen to bring light into their lives. The streets of Southampton are ablaze with twinkles; this is the year everyone has raided The Range for more rope lights and flashing neon than you’d find in Vegas. Southampton has

by Katie Isham. Pulling on my walking boots I felt like I was embarking on a legitimate walking mission. Not many Suburban Safaris have necessitated this level of commitment. Yet for this adventure, I dug the old clunkers out the bag for life and laced them up with bits of dried mud to remind me

by Katie Isham. At least once a week I treat myself to a walk to work through Woodmill in Southampton. Sometimes more when the roadworks are rampant. But it’s never for very long. So I thought I would give myself time when I wasn’t racing the clock for a short wander along the River Itchen. 

by Katie Isham. As Halloween is almost upon us, I thought it would be apt to go on a spooky Suburban Safari – a Cemetery Safari if you will. And the largest, and if I may dare to say, the most dramatic cemetery in the city is Southampton Old Cemetery.  Located in the south-west corner

by Katie Isham. There are a good few Country Parks adjoining our fair city, so I thought it was time to visit one of them. I’ll be honest with you, I’m not usually a fan of a Country Park. It’s a little too prepared for my tastes. You have a brown sign to lead you

by Katie Isham. The days are getting shorter (and wetter by the current forecast) so it’s time for a snappier safari. Sometimes you don’t have whole day to wander and discover; sometimes you want to escape the daily grind and pop to a nearby location where you can immerse yourself in nature and treat yourself

by Katie Isham. Join our travel writer on her close to home expeditions. Southampton is bisected by the glorious River Itchen and so it’s a city of two halves. The mighty East Side and its marginally less mighty cousin, the West Side. I couldn’t possibly disclose which side I hail from for fear of impartiality.

by Katie Isham. Join our travel writer on her close to home expeditions. I don’t know about you, but I get a little antsy if I haven’t visited some type of shoreline for a while. So it was time to dip into the joys the Southampton Water can offer – although I draw the line

by Katie Isham. Join our travel writer on her close to home expeditions. As I mentioned when first embarking on the Suburban Safari venture, a holiday is just a break from the routine. Doing something different for enjoyment. It could be relaxation, or it might be exploration. In an ideal world, it would be a

by Katie Isham. Somewhere nestled between where the tarmac triceps of the M27 and the M3 lock in an arm wrestle, is an unexpected oasis of calming activity.  Lakeside Country Park, Eastleigh, is a mere mile from the M27’s junction 5, but it seems like lightyears away from the angry driving of reality. If you

by Katie Isham. Join our travel writer on her close to home expeditions. I love travel. My summer months are usually filled with adventures: far-flung holidays, long weekends immersed in a festival, a few days by the coast, or up-at-the-crack-of-dawn day trips to bustling cities. This year, my passport is languishing in the kitchen drawer whilst