When Germany created a €9 ticket for unlimited train travel in June, July and August almost 52 million were sold, with a reduction of 1.8 million tons of CO2. The increase in free public transport in Europe is most apparent in Luxembourg hasseen less busy rush hours on the roads, although overall traffic on the roads has increased (no data available yet for 2022).

Several countries in Europe have now either experimented with, are about to launch, or have permanently introduced free public transport. Whether this is to ease the pain of increased costs or to help the environment, it’s good news for those travelling to these countries.

FREE train tickets in Spain

Although designed to assist commuters during the cost of living crisis, tourists can also take advantage if they’re taking numerous short hops by train. For travel in and between Asturias, Bilbao, Cadiz, Madrid, Malaga, Murcia/Alicante, Santander, San Sebastian, Seville and Zaragoza you’ll need the Cercania pass, for Valencia and Catalonia you’ll need the Rodalies pass. Longer distance trains (Avant) are also discounted by 50% until 31 December.

FREE buses in Malta

Malta has a population of 500,000 and yet there are over 400,000 cars on its roads. Encouraging even more people onto its extensive bus routes is therefore vital, and is of course great news for visitors for whom, apart from hire cars and boat taxis, buses are the main way of seeing the islands. This map shows you exactly where you can go and which buses to take.

FREE public transport in Luxembourg

No information box needed here; all you need to do in order to take free public transport in Luxembourg is step aboard. Trains, trams and buses are all free no matter where you go in the country. For an idea of how best to use this amazing resource, have a read about my recent trip to this country at the heart of Europe.

FREE public transport in European cities

It’s not just countries which are offering free public transport, there are many cities in Europe where you can travel for nothing, including these tourist favourites:

• Ærø, Denmark
• Akureyri, Iceland
• Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Basel, Switzerland
• Bern, Switzerland
• Dunkirk, France
• Lausanne, Switzerland
• Livigno, Italy
• Manchester, UK
• Mariehamn, Finland
• Tallinn, Estonia
• Velenje, Slovenia

Queen Anne
Capitol Hill
South Lake Union
Ballard
Fremont
Bellevue
Belltown
West Seattle

Home to Frasier, this wealthy and historic neighbourhood, named after the Queen Anne mansions found here, has some of the best views of the city, particularly from Kerry Park. At the top of the hill on which it’s situated there’s a cute high street with upscale coffee bars and organic food retailers. Yep, it’s that sort of place. On the other side of the hill large houses overlook the Union Canal.

If you don’t like to confirm to societal norms you’re gonna love Capitol Hill. Here are coffee shops with live music, LGTBQ+-friendly bars and clubs, many microbreweries, and more than a few tattoo parlours. Named in the hope that Washington’s capital would be located here (it’s actually Olympia), this neighbourhood often hosts festivals and protests, and has some gorgeous old houses .

The engine of Seattle’s recent growth, South Lake Union is an Amazon neighbourhood. Locals have long been priced out of the area and it’s now home to wealthy tech workers and shiny new buildings. Thankfully visitors can still access Lake Union and kayak, lounge at the water’s edge, watch float planes take off and land, or visit the excellent Steamer Virginia V and Museum of History and Industry.

Oh-so-trendy Ballard sits towards the city’s northern edge and is where to come if you like small live music venues. The Duwamish favoured this area for the salmon fishing, as did later Scandinavian settlers. My favourite thing to do here is visit the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks where you can watch, for free, salmon swimming to spawning areas, as well as large vessels passing along the Washington Ship Canal.

Fremont used to be where locals could find affordable accommodation, until Amazon…well, you know the rest. This neighbourhood does, however, retain heaps of character, evidenced in its immense troll, quirky street art and Summer Solstice Parade & Pageant. If you must do one thing in Seattle, then do a tour of the Theo chocolate factory, and try ALL the samples. Yum.

Ah Bellevue. Shiny, shiny Bellevue. As suggested by the name, you can get some beautiful views from this neighbourhood (particularly from Chism Beach Park), which is across Lake Washington from Downtown. Home to perfect malls, upmarket eateries and corporate skyscrapers, Bellevue is a great place to find good value accommodation and top-notch cuisine.

Recently renovated Belltown is on the edge of both Downtown and Puget Sound. It has some really lovely bars, plenty of great dining options and a thriving nightlife. You’ll find boutique accommodation here, as well as the 9 acre Olympic Sculpture Park. I love the old red brick warehouses and walking along Centennial Park, where trains travel to Canada and California. You’ll probably pass through Belltown on your way to the Space Needle.

And now for something slightly different. West Seattle feels far removed from the frenzy of Pike Place Market, and has perhaps one of the best beaches in the area; Alki Beach. From this wealthy neighbourhood you can enjoy relaxed beachside dining, as well as views of the city, Puget Sound, and the grand Olympic Mountains. Alki Point is believed to be where the Denny party first settled, and the Log House Museum is bursting with Seattle history.

A note about the Duwamish

Before all these neighbourhoods grew out from the Denny party’s initial settlement at Alki Point, the areas they now occupy were inhabited by Native Americans for at least 4,000 years. In fact, Seattle is named after the tribe’s leader, Chief Si’ahl. The Duwamish Tribe is not recognised by the US government, due to the government not honouring the Point Elliott Treaty, although a May 2022 appeal hopes to change that.

Duwamish members are involved in United Indians of All Tribes, and I strongly encourage you to visit their cultural centre in gorgeous Discovery Park, as well as their gift shops (one of which is in SeaTac Airport). The Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center also makes for a fascinating visit, and is located just southeast of West Seattle – take bus 21 from Downtown and then walk 20 minutes.

I’ve been fortunate to be well acquainted with the New Forest National Park in southern England for all of my life. It’s a place that feels like home to me, where I’m familiar with the tracks and the trees and the lifecycles of its animals. Here you’ll find the Three Bs – three key places which, if you visit them, will ensure that you’ve seen the best of the New Forest.

Beaulieu

Named after the ruined abbey which was founded by French monks, Beaulieu is a small village blessed with cute cottages and with a large palace just the other side of a bucolic river. The palace is the home of Lord Montagu, and can be visited by anyone going to the National Motor Museum (full of motoring exhibits plus loads of fun rides for kids).

TOP TIP: Take the easy 7.5km walk along the Beaulieu River to Buckler’s Hard, where shipbuilding thrived in the 18th century

Brockenhurst

There’s much more to write about Brockenhurst. Most importantly; it’s the easiest place to reach in the New Forest thanks to its direct and frequent train connections to London (1h30m from Waterloo, at least two departures/hour). When you arrive you have the choice of hiring a bicycle, embarking on a horse riding adventure, chilling out at a spa or choosing from one of the many excellent hikes.

I’ll make a separate post about hikes from Brockenhurst, because there are quite a few and, because they deviate from the beaten path, I’ll need to include maps. But you should know that there are hundreds of miles of tracks and paths which lead to or around Brockenhurst, going deep into the woods, over marshes, past plains full of deer, over rivers, along disused railway tracks…it really is an amazing place for hikers.

As for bikers, there are a few places to hire cycles in Brockenhurst and the national park authority has mapped out a good range of routes from the village. Because the New Forest is relatively flat the going is easy, but it can be easy to get lost so do bring a map.

Brockenhurst has been described as the New Forest version of Monopoly’s Mayfair, thanks to the high prices of property here which reflects its place as the very best of the New Forest. With this fairly recent influx of wealth has come fine dining options such as The Pig on the edge of the village, plus a wine bar and upmarket hotels. For spa lovers there’s a choice of either Carey’s Manor or the New Park Manor. If you really want to splurge then Rhinefield House is just a few minutes’ drive from the centre and located in the depths of the forest.

Burley

Some believe that witchcraft has existed in the New Forest for many centuries. What we do know is that, in the 1950s, a White Witch named Sybil Leek lived in the cute village of Burley, which is nestled in a little valley surrounded by woods and plains. Walking in the depths of the New Forest you can sometimes see markings associated with witchcraft, but Burley is much more obvious about this association.

A Coven Of Witches is a delightful shop named by Leek, and it’s where you come for crystals, candles and other such paraphernalia. Burley’s other shops and tea rooms are sure to charm, and if you want to splurge then Burley Manor is a good place for afternoon tea with views across a field of deer. If you’re travelling by public transport then the New Forest Tour bus may be of interest.

A railway line once stretched from Brockenhurst to Bournemouth via Burley. Nicknamed ‘Castleman’s Corkscrew’ (after a railway planner, plus the shape the tracks take), it was usurped by the line you may have arrived by, and so it’s now abandoned. This is good news for cyclists and walkers who can follow the disused railway from Burley to Brockenhurst. It’s a very picturesque route and there’s even a tearoom in the old railway station halfway along.

Getting to the New Forest

The New Forest’s best accommodation

PLEASE NOTE: A lot of time has gone in to researching this Best of the New Forest post. Some of the links above are to my affiliates’ sites and any purchases made via these links will help me to keep this blog going. The use of these links has not in any way influenced the recommendations I have made.

“Not all those who wander are lost” (JRR Tolkein), but if you find yourself more lost than wandering here are some useful tips on how to navigate a city which have served me well in the past:

Get high

Something I try to do early on in a city visit is get to a high point, such as a hill or observation platform. This helps me to figure out the layout of the city and to commit to memory where key landmarks are. Note that this isn’t particularly useful if you don’t have a great memory, or if you’re in a particularly labyrinthine city such as Venice (where getting lost is part of the fun anyway).

Get down

If you’re in a city with river/lake/sea frontage then, if the streets are sufficiently steep, you can make an educated guess that they will generally point down towards that waterfront.

Ignore subway maps

Although subway maps can be useful in figuring out which line to take where (although some aren’t all that useful…New York), they are rarely an accurate reflection of how a city is laid out. Although the London Tube map shows you the different stations on a particular line, the distances and locations of those stations are in no way mirroring what’s happening above ground.

Rush hour roulette

During rush hours see if you can figure out where the crowds are heading. Chances are they’re all aiming for the nearest bus stop, train station or subway. If you’re lost, get swept up in the crowd and no doubt they will guide you to where you want to be.

Seek god

Did you know that the main entrance to a church or cathedral faces west, with the apse and altar facing east? This may not be true of some Christian buildings, but this knowledge can help you navigate, if you know where on the compass you want to be heading.

Go wild

Wilderness survival tips can apply to city navigation too. Seek out the sun or moon and figure out where they’re rising or setting. Unless the wind changes direction, look up to the clouds to see where they’re flowing: if you don’t want to go around in circles then keep following the direction of the clouds.

Ask

If you feel safe enough doing so then simply ask where the nearest station is, or how to get to a particular street. It can be useful learning a few local words for asking directions, and if you don’t understand the answer people can at least point you the right way.

In need of a mild adventure, I booked a train ticket to Kemble, in the English county of Gloucestershire. At my side was my dog Bounty, in front of me was a 52 mile walk along the Thames, from its source to Oxford.

Day 1: Kemble to Cricklade

My train arrived at 08:39 and we set off straight away for the source of the Thames. 20 minutes later we arrived at the Thames Path, which runs 185.2 miles to the Thames Barrier in London. Our destination was to the right, but we turned left and walked about a mile to the source.

The Thames begins at a remote point beside a forest, and entirely underground. Having reached this point I turned around and retraced my footsteps to the edge of Kemble. All along the way I followed a ditch, I believe that the ditch fills with the Thames during rainier months but when I was there it was empty.

Day 2: Cricklade to Rushey Lock

At Radcot Bridge I stopped at an old pub to re-energise before the final push to Rushey Lock, where I set up camp for the night.

Day 3: Rushey Lock to Farmoor

There are a lot of old stone bridges carrying traffic over this part of the Thames. There are also a lot of attractive footbridges. The path passes through forests, lakes, meadows, and more than a few fields full of cows and sheep. In retrospect, 52 miles in 3 days with 11kg on my back was a bit too much, and I was grateful to hop on a bus to Oxford from Farmoor, and then a train home to London.

My post about the next section of the Thames Path – from Reading to Oxford – can be found here.

Britain is home to many famous pagan sites, including, of course, Stonehenge. These sacred sites are dotted throughout the land, including London.

Primrose Hill

Druids have been climbing Primrose Hill to mark the equinoxes for 305 years. At the top of the hill, along with breathtaking views of the city, you’ll also find a stone plaque which commemorates the Welsh Druid priest who organised the first ceremony here in 1717. Ley lines – invisible lines demarcate Earth’s ‘energies’ – are believed by some to run under the hill.

Thorney Island

Druids once devised laws on this island, which was between the streams of the River Tyburn. The island disappeared along with the Tyburn, but you can visit the location at Thorney Street, a few blocks west from the Houses of Parliament.

Temple of Mithras

This Roman temple was discovered in 1954 during the construction of a building. It dates back to the mid-3rd century and is dedicated to Mithras, a cult which had feasting as one of its rituals.

London Stone

Although probably originally part of a building (the Roman Governor’s Palace), this ancient stone is shrouded in pagan myth.

Ludgate Hill

A pagan temple stood here until 597. Now all you’ll find there is St Paul’s Cathedral.