As I work in a school I get long summer holidays. These were great when the children were younger, but now they’re grown up with lives of their own I have a lot of spare time. One of the ways I’ve kept busy this year is by walking to the coast from my house in Oxfordshire.
Author: cjreardon21
Visit 10 UNESCO sites: 1-5
I’ve rarely been disappointed by a UNESCO heritage site, hence my quest to visit more of them. There are over 1200 World Heritage sites across the world – they are designated for their cultural, historic, scientific or other form of global significance.
See 20 theatre shows or plays: 1 to 5
I love the anticipation of a trip to the theatre – finding the seats, watching the audience filter in, checking out the stage setup and (sometimes) listening to the musicians tune up. It’s such a treat!
Visit the Arctic
There are a few definitions of the Arctic but for the purposes of this challenge I’ve defined it as the area north of the Arctic circle.
Join a protest
I hadn’t expected to join a protest on holiday, but sometimes you just go with the flow!
See 10 bands or singers: 1 to 5
Whilst this may seem strange to many people, music doesn’t play a large part in my life. I don’t use Spotify or own a pair of AirPods and I’m quite happy to sit in silence rather than listen to music. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy music. I do, but I tend to be quite set in my ways as to what I like. My music tastes would immediately single me out as middle of the road and middle-aged!
Go to the Proms
The Proms are a summer tradition at London’s Royal Albert Hall, featuring a wide range of classical concerts. Most people know the flag-waving finale of the ‘Last Night of the Proms’, but there’s so much more to the season, with a surprising variety of musical genres.
Make something from wood.
When I thought of this challenge for my 60 things to do before I’m 60 list I envisioned making something using a hammer and nails. A bird box or similar.
Sadly, the carpentry courses I found were out of my budget. Instead I was happy to discover a free “Carve a wooden spoon” workshop offered by Oxford Wood Recycling.
Go interrailing
Whilst I’ve travelled on trains across Europe, this was my first time using an Interrail pass since the late 1980s. Interrailing has changed significantly since then. It’s no longer the preserve of youngsters as anyone can buy a travel pass now. Although sadly it’s often not as simple as jumping on the next available train.
Attend 20 talks: 1 to 5
There’s a definite trend in the type of talks I enjoy. My favourite are adventures set in far flung places or extreme challenges. It seems that I prefer to listen to other people’s hardships rather than experience myself!