What was here first?
Discovering history wherever I travel
Welcome!
Have you ever been to an old, derelict castle and tried to picture what it used to be like, or imagined who lived there? I do that too, but not just for derelict buildings. I do it everywhere I go.
I want to know the history behind everywhere I visit, because if I don’t, then I don’t really feel like I’ve been there. Castles, mountains, villages… everywhere has a story waiting to be told. And I’m going to do my best to tell them.
So let’s get exploring, shall we?
Jenni
Who is Jenni?
Hi! I’m Jenni, a 30 year old based in Bournemouth, UK. I work in Internal Communications but I spend as much time in the great outdoors, whether that’s hiking and exploring or travelling around the world. I always carry a notebook with me to make little notes, as well as my Sony a5000 camera. Oh, and my selfie stick. I never leave home without my selfie stick.
Adventures
I LOVE to set myself challenges that push me out of my comfort zone. Solo skydives, open water swimming, wingwalking, paragliding, running a marathon… I’m always in search of the next adventure!
History
One of my biggest passions is history. I’m talking complete nerdgasm – if there’s something to learn, a fact to find out, a castle to visit, I’m all over it. I want to know everything about everything that’s happened before us. AND I want to share it with you.
Why travel if you’re not going to learn along the way...?
Photo taken January 2018 in Wanaka, New Zealand on my Sony a5000
That time I went to Thailand to teach English and ended up on National Thai TV
The flood It was a sticky evening in Thailand, and I was laying on my bed reading my book. Well, I called it a bed, but it was just a wooden plank with a sheet over it . On the beds next to me were two of my University friends, Cara and Gabi, and an American girl...
My first ever wild camp: NYE 2018
My first experience wild camping on New Year’s Eve 2018 along the Jurassic Coast
Scafell Pike and the Underwater Gnomes
Ah yes, Scafell Pike. Perched in the west of the Lake District, it holds the title of being Britain's highest mountain. It may not seem like much of a mountain, especially compared to the Alps, or the Andes, but it is a mountain nonetheless. The threshold for when a...
Abandoned London Underground – the secrets of Aldwych
It was a rainy Tuesday in January 2016. The year hadn't been going well for me so far, if I'm honest, and this particular day wasn't going well either - it was one of those days where everything was going wrong, and all you want to do is shut yourself in the toilet...
Piano in Canons Ashby
I found myself in rather an usual predicament today, whereby I had a day off and I was 200 miles from my home in Bournemouth. The day started reasonably well. I was in a hotel having an all you can eat buffet breakfast with my colleague, Dajana, a lovely girl from...
Did you know why Poole has scallops on it’s coat of arms? No, me neither.
My first grievance with the town of Poole is the name. 'Poole' is not the easiest name to say to people when describing where you live. It either comes out as Pewl, and you sound like you're trying to be posh, or it sounds like you're just talking about your dear...
Dorchester: “Would you like tea before you’re sentenced to death?”
It was a Monday, in August, and it was raining.My mum and sister had come down from Essex for a long weekend to stay with me in Dorset, and, as usual, I'd made a plan of all the things we could do. All of them, however, unfortunately banked on the weather being...
What has Tutankhamun got to do with Downton Abbey?
I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I agree.If Tutankhamun was still alive now, then Downton Abbey would undoubtedly be one of his favourite TV programmes. And let’s face it, Downton has hooked the world. Who couldn’t be entranced by the goings on of the social...
Mudlarking along the Thames
I was brought up by my parents to be very much in touch with nature. We lived about a two minute walk from East Beach in Shoeburyness, Essex, and on brisk, sunny mornings, we'd put on our thick coats and trainers and stroll to the beach.In all honesty, it's not the...