From a return visit to British Columbia on a two-week road trip with one of my closest friends to a photographic assignment in West Africa, 2016 was a very memorable travel-filled year. Travel firsts included the Caribbean, with visits to the magical islands of St Kitts and Aruba, and a few firsts closer to home, with visits to Northern Ireland, Germany and Luxembourg.

I also overcame my fear of heights and zip-lined over the rainforest biome of The Eden Project in Cornwall, some 97 metres above the ground on the longest zip wire in England (you can see the video here). The train journey home was memorable too, as we hit a mammoth tree felled by Storm Imogen. It looked like the tree was exploding against my window. The train was too badly damaged to move, so we sat there and waited. And waited. In the end, my 7-hour train journey home took over 15 hours to complete as chaos reigned across England’s rail network. On the plus side, I did meet some very nice firemen and was seen that evening on the national news being helped out of the train and down a ladder in a manner that wouldn’t have been out of place in a Bridget Jones sequel.

The Pirogues of West Africa

You’ll find clusters of these colourful boats at small fishing villages dotted along the coastline of West Africa. The most famous fishing village is probably Tanji in The Gambia, which I’ve visited a number of times to experience the sights, sounds and smells of the bustling beach overflowing with people, fish and seagulls. I’ve taken some of my favourite travel photos and created some of my fondest memories here.

Frigate Bay, St Kitts

My first visit to the Caribbean landed me on the lovely island of St Kitts. This picture brings back memories of delicious seafood and clear blue waters, rum punch, and another zip-lining adventure, this time through the island’s rainforest.

Stanley Park and the Vancouver City skyline

I loved returning to Vancouver, one of my favourite cities in the world. I’d not had time to visit Stanley Park the first time round, so it was a must for this year. We squeezed in a visit before setting off on our road trip along the Sunshine Coast of Canada and then across Vancouver Island.

Sea anemones at the Ucluelet Aquarium

One of the highlights of my trip to Canada was the wildlife, but it wasn’t just the black bears and whales that I loved photographing. These colourful little sea anemones also really caught my eye at the wonderful aquarium on Vancouver Island. Follow this link to see more travel photos and read all about the wildlife of Clayoquot Sound.

 

Amberley Castle’s White Peacock

I first visited Amberley Castle in 2015 to celebrate both my own and Neill’s 50th birthday. It was during a return visit this year that I saw this stunning all-white peacock who loved showing off his fine feathers as much as I loved photographing them. I still can’t believe that Amberley Castle will be the setting for our wedding later this year. Neill insisted!

The Town Hall in Bamberg

One of the highlights of my first visit to Germany was the lovely historic town of Bamberg. Not only does it have many stunning buildings, like the town hall pictured above, it is also home to the scrumptious smoke beer, Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier.

November’s Supermoon

I didn’t have to travel far to catch November’s Supermoon. I took this photo standing outside my front door and was amazed by the detail. Supermoons actually happen more often than you’d think. While this was the brightest and closest that the moon will be for many years, the next Supermoon will be on December 3, 2017. To photograph it you’ll need the longest lens you have (this was taken with a 500mm lens) and a tripod to hold it steady during a long exposure. I had to stop my camera down about four stops to get this detail.

A misty morning in Venice

Another first last year was a visit to Venice, a city that I had heard so much about. It more than lived up to my high expectations – it really is unique. You can read about my visit in my post, 48 hours in Venice, and I’ll also be sharing some Venice photography tips soon too.

The Grand Canal

Another favourite shot from my weekend in Venice was this view of the Grand Canal. Timeless and serene.

The Christmas lights of Regent Street

The last series of travel photos I took in 2016 was of the glorious Christmas lights of London. While there were many wonderful displays, none could compete with the majesty of these giant angels suspended above the people, shops and traffic of Regent Street.

 

Where will 2017 take you?

To discover where this year will take me, you can follow my blog (you can get notifications for every post or monthly updates).

For live updates follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

My first flight of 2017 is tomorrow. There’s a pint of Guinness with my name on it. Do you have any travel plans for 2017?

Love it? Pin it!