Discover 50+ surprising things about the Falkland Islands, from penguins, whaling and wildlife to quirky laws, local life, FIGAS, postcodes and the stories I discovered while living there.
Duart Bay: Sea Kayaking into a Scottish Corner of Baffin Island. There are famous places in the Canadian Arctic – names such as Beechey Island, Lancaster Sound and Pond Inlet that appear repeatedly in books about exploration, wildlife and the search for the Northwest Passage. And then there are places that barely appear on a conventional map. Duart Bay, tucked away in Dexterity Fiord on the spectacular eastern coast of Baffin Island, is one of them.
There are moments when travelling when a landscape on the other side of the world suddenly feels strangely familiar. Our first paddle near Maniitsoq in West Greenland was one of those moments. We had come to Greenland expecting huge fjords, glaciers, icebergs and unmistakably Arctic landscapes. Instead, as we paddled beneath steep rocky mountains rising from the sea, I kept thinking that I had seen this place before. It looked like Torridon.
Dundas Harbour: Ghosts in the Fog on Devon Island. Under different circumstances it would have been ideal weather for getting ashore, launching the Zodiacs and exploring one of the most fascinating historic sites in the Canadian High Arctic. There was, however, one rather significant problem. Fog.
Croker Bay: Paddling Beneath the Glaciers of Devon Island
There are few things that make you feel smaller in a sea kayak than a glacier. Mountains can be enormous. Icebergs can dwarf you. Whales can surface alongside your kayak and make a five-metre boat suddenly seem ridiculously insignificant. But a glacier is different. A glacier is a landscape that moves.
Beechey Island: Three graves beside a barren Arctic beach mark the place where the first men of Sir John Franklin’s doomed expedition died. We visit Beechey Island and follow the extraordinary story of Erebus, Terror and the search for the Northwest Passage.
Kayaking with Arctic Wildlife: Polar Bear, Walrus & Whale Safety
Kangerlussuaq Fjord: Sea Kayaking Among the Icebergs of West Greenland. There is something particularly special about paddling a sea kayak amongst icebergs. They transform an otherwise familiar seascape into something completely different. The water is moving, the kayak is moving and, importantly, the ice is moving as well. Every piece has a different shape, a different colour and its own story of how it broke away from the Greenland Ice Sheet and eventually found its way towards the sea.
Learn how to make thick homemade yoghurt with just milk and live yoghurt. This simple recipe creates delicious, creamy yoghurt that’s almost like ice cream, using an overnight method and a little patience.
A tiny stone watch house at Old Petty Church reveals a dark chapter in Scottish history, when families guarded fresh graves against body snatchers and resurrection men.