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Friday, October 29, 2010

What did the Romans ever do for us, eh?

Well, apart from all the obvious (aquaducts, smoky eyemake-up, dormouse canapes), they kindly provided a wonderful fun day out for families in West Sussex, albeit unwittingly. One of our favourite places to go in the area if we fancy a wander and a cup of tea is Bignor Roman Villa.Nestled at the foot of the South Downs and conveniently close to the A29, Bignor Roman Villa was first rediscovered by the Tupper family in 1811 and they still run the farm and villa today, providing great tea and cake as well as an insight into one of the world's most beautiful Roman mosaics.

I first came here donkey's years ago as a trainee archaeologist, and now I like to bring my 2 year old for a bit of a jolly, as they are always putting on special events with lots of things for kids to do (the tractor rides are a must!).

This weekend sees the family host an Autumn Craft and Gift Fair, as they prepare to close down for the winter season; we will definitely be going, to gaze in awe at the remains, gasp in wonder at the beautiful landscape and thrill to the glory of a decent cup of tea and piece of cake....


Thursday, October 21, 2010

How to make damper, bannock and BBQ bread for your bonfire night party

Whether you’re off to a BBQ bonfire night party or heading for Oz, damper or bannock bread is a sure fire winner any time there’s a Barbie or a fire alight. It’s incredibly easy to make, and you can mix up all the ingredients in a ziplock bag and store somewhere dry until you’re ready to make it.

Simply mix together
2 cups of flour
a pinch of salt
a teaspoon baking powder
a teaspoon sugar
a tablespoon milk powder

When you feel like making it, simply add cold water a little at a time until the mixture forms a stiff dough. Now you will need to find a green stick as thick as your thumb (willow and hazel are best, though at this time of year you're not going to find a very green one!). Scrape away the bark to get the worst of the dirt and bacteria off, then pinch off a good sized lump of dough. Roll it into a sausage and pinch one end onto the stick. Now wrap it round the stick in a downwards spiral, pinching on the other end to finish it.

Now hold your stick over the embers (but not in the flames!), and keep turning so it cooks evenly and is golden all over. It should sound hollow when tapped when it is properly cooked. Fill the hole with butter or golden syrup and enjoy. You can even mix fruit and nuts, or even a little bit of sage and onion stuffing in with the dry mixture to add variety.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

How to choose and pack a rucksack

If you are off on your first great adventure and looking to buy a rucksack, there are a few things you should bear in mind. Your rucksack is going to be your home for the next few weeks, so it is worth investing a little time and effort into making sure it is as comfortable and well organised as possible!

Most people will never need anything bigger than a 60 or 65 litre rucksack, particularly as a female; some come with an additional 15 litre packdown daysack, and these are well worth having so you don’t have to lug all your stuff with you every time you want to go on a daytrip.

Ensure that the hip belt is well padded, and that roughly half the weight of your gear is resting on your hips, not just your shoulders. The shoulder straps should be adjustable, and the back section should not only be well padded, but also have adequate ventilation. There are few things nastier than a heavy rucksack on a damp back in high humidity, trust me! Try and buy one that can be accessed from both the top and the bottom, so that you don’t have to tip your gear all over the road in order to find something hidden right at the base. Remember the "first in, last out" rule, and keep your sleeping bag and overnight stuff in the bottom section.


Your heaviest items should always be as close to your back as possible but there are lots of theories about whether the heavy stuff should be at the top or the bottom. In my experience the general rule is that if you are walking over even terrain, heavy items packed towards the top can be kept over your centre of gravity just by leaning forward a little; if you are climbing a mountain put the weight closer to the base. This will slow you down and put more weight on your waist, but it will also make you more stable. The general weight should be evenly distributed across the width of your rucksack as well; try not to overload one side pocket with heavier stuff than the other, or your back will struggle to compensate!

Some packs come with their own raincovers, as few rucksack are truly waterproof. Either invest in a cover, or make sure you have always got a binbag in an easily accessible side pocket to act as an emergency rainshield. Keep all your gear subdivided into ziplock bags as well; not only will this keep your kit dry, you will be able to repack your bag faster and be able to separate dirty clothes from clean.

Make sure your loo roll is in a plastic bag, as once it is damp I find it starts to lose its structural identity! Keep it, your waterproof cagoule/poncho and any low value items you don’t mind being rummaged through in the easily accessible side pocket. I always make sure that the things I use the most, like suncream, tissues, lip balm and water are in these pockets too, as well as my first aid kit (keep this in a ziplock bag as well as damp plasters are next to useless). I try and keep my high value items in my daysack close to my hand, or wrapped up in socks and stuffed deep inside the back my rucky, just in case anybody does decide to have a poke about while I am dozing. It is also a good idea to make sure that you keep a few toiletry essentials in your daysack, just in case you do become separated from your main bag; a spare pair of knickers, a couple of tissues and a little packet of wet-wipes will ensure that you can feel refreshed and more comfortable while you wait for your bag to be returned to the right airport!

When you are putting your beloved rucky in the airplane hold, fold the waistbelt back around the pack and do the clips up, just to make sure it doesn’t get caught in the conveyor belt, and put luggage tags on both the inside and the outside. If the outer one gets ripped off by some brute of a luggage handler then there is still a good chance your bag can be identified.

Use elastic bands to keep loose items like flip-flops organised, and use them to secure clothes that have been rolled up (I am sure that rolled clothes takes up less space than folded ones, but have a go and see what you think!).You can always hang them up in the bathroom while you take a hot shower and let the steam take the crinkles out, while compression sacks are great for stowing away jumpers and cardigans that take up lots of room.

A plastic lunchbox is also useful; it does take up a lot of room but you can use it to store all your small, easily lost items (sewing kit, knife, Polos etc), and it is also great for keeping squashable tubes and bottles in. Surely I am not the only one to have had the greater part of a bottle of high factor Soltan splurged all over my Lonely Planet??

The trick to a well-packed rucksack is to not fill it up. You need much less than you think, and you can buy anything anywhere, generally for less than you can get it here. By all means take toiletries from home with you, but you don’t need three of everything. In Asia in particular many shops sell mini bottles of Western toiletry brands and these are brilliant for cutting down the weight of your bag.

Don’t go overboard spending money on kit and clothes before you go; you are only going to need half of what you think, and it’s much more fun to buy clothes abroad anyway as they are more likely to be suited to the local climate and etiquette, and they make nice souvenirs when you get home. How else are you going to sit in the pub on your return wearing a Cambodian headscarf, kurta pyjamas and a New Zealand Swan Dry jacket, regaling the locals of how you bartered for fabric in a remote hill tribe village with an opium smoking nonagenarian?

Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Girlstravelclub Christmas Shoebox Appeal


Yup, it's that time of year again when everyone here at GTC starts collecting toys and toiletries, gloves and hats for kids aged between 3 and 12 years of age, ready to be packed in Christmas shoeboxes by the wonderful Lisa.

Charlotte and the wonderful ladies at Slinfold and Cranleigh Country Club Creches are already collecting for us; if you would like to contribute, please let us have your gifts by the 5th November, so we can get them off to Lisa in good time! Below are a few ideas of what we need, please email us at girlstravelclub @gmail.com for delivery details.


Thank you very much,


Becci, Taba and the GTC team xx


Boys 3 ‐ 5 years old. Toy cars / Ball / Jigsaw / Picture Book / Soft Sweets / Crayons / Pencils / Soft Toy / Soap / Flannel / Toothbrush / Toothpaste / Hairbrush / Comb/ HAT / GLOVES.
Girls 3 ‐ 5 years old. Toy dolly / Everything else as above.
Girls 6 ‐ 11 years old. Toy Dolly / Skipping Rope / Jewellery / Ball / Playing Cards / Sweets / Book / Felt Tip Pens / Pencils / Paper / Soft Toy / Flannel / Toothbrush / Toothpaste / Soap / HAT / SCARF / GLOVES.
Boys 6 ‐ 11 years old. Toy car / Yoyo / Everything else as above.
Boys 12 ‐ 15 years old. Marbles / Travel games / Juggling Balls / Baseball Cap / Playing Cards / Geometry Set / Note Book / Pens / Pencils / Soft Toy / Sweets / Soap / Flannel/ /Toothpaste / toothbrush / GLOVES / SCARVES.
Girls 12 ‐ 15 years old Hair accessories / Jewellery / New make up / Perfume Stick / Talc / Deodorant / Dolly / Skipping Rope / Everything else as above.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Kate Humble urges travelling Brits ‘stuff your rucksack’


Broadcaster and travel writer Kate Humble has launched a website called
www.stuffyourrucksack.com.

Stuffyourrucksack.com acts as a message board between travellers and small charities and organisations that need things a traveller could easily bring with
them on their holiday.

Anyone travelling that comes across a small school, for example, that needs books or toys, can put the details on the website to alert other travellers who may be planning a trip to the same place and could bring those things with them.

Kate said, “I started the site out of frustration as I have travelled to many
developing countries and come across so many small projects that needed things I could have easily brought with me, had I been able to find out in advance. This is what Stuff Your Rucksack does; let’s travellers know before they leave home what’s needed where they are going. Our logo says ‘Pack a Bag, Change a Life’. It really does! And the traveller gets a unique experience that can’t be bought or found in a guidebook.”

How do charities or organisations register their needs on the site? Some have found out about it and registered themselves but most of the over one hundred projects on the site at the moment have been registered by travellers who have seen the projects for themselves and want to help.

The new-look site has been designed by Think Publishing and the team there will continue to host and run the site. Easy to navigate, it is extremely user-friendly, and encourages travellers to post their photographs and videos and share stories of their Stuff Your Rucksack experiences. This exciting new phase has been made possible by the invaluable and generous support of Aigle, the French outdoor lifestyle clothing and footwear brand that has existed since 1853.

The Stuff Your Rucksack Foundation was set up by Kate four years ago. With more than 180 charities/not for profit organisations now registered on the site Kate felt it was time to officially launch the site and broaden its appeal and urge anyone travelling abroad this year to log-on to the site and find out what they can pack to change someone’s life. Go and have a look and see how you can help!