Doorstep Exploring

There's a truth in the idea that we take what we know for granted; a truth in the concept of not knowing what you've got until it's gone, which I feel as though is a common theme running throughout the year 2020.

Growing up, London was on my doorstep. The capital city of England. A place where people flock to, every year, in their millions, to marvel at the city-living, the grand buildings and, of course, the Royals (all of you The Crown fanatics, I'm looking at you).

I was 18 when I moved to Manchester, 200 miles from London and 200 miles from the city that I, for sure, took for granted. Don't get me wrong, I soon fell in love with the city of Manchester -- after all, it's not too disimilar to London and it's vastly cheaper at that -- but I couldn't have imagined how much I would miss a city that I hadn't even realised that I loved. It's only now that I can appreciate London for what it is. When I go home, I see things in the city that I was blind to before; the grandeur of the capital city and the thriving sense of culture that comes with that. The love of a fast-paced, always exciting lifestyle of the capital city is one that I hadn't realised was such an element of my being.

My love of London wasn't the only thing that I realised when I moved away; I also became embarassingly aware of how little of the UK, and England at that, I had visited, or even knew anything about. The problem with growing up in and around a capital city is that the country is often so capital-centric, or at least it is in England. Unless you force an awareness of other parts of the country, you'll likely never be exposed to them.

My family are from Northern Ireland but it wasn't until the last five years or so that I really spent any time there, which is a great example of how little I had travelled within the UK, regardless of my ties there. In this world that we're living in now, travelling within the UK is becoming more appealing to me than ever before. My recent trip to Northern Ireland confirmed that for me: beauty is apparent and accessible everywhere, and it's never far from your own front door.

The Northern Irish beaches are something to be marvelled at, and probably the reason why so many of your favourite films and TV shows have been filmed there (Game of Thrones, most notably). And beaches aren't all that they have: the abundance of nature walks and mountain views decorate the outskirts of the bustling towns - my favourite of which, Portrush, hosts not only an array of mountain-like terrain, but it's a gorgeous seaside town, home to habours and ice-cream shops.

I'm still excited to travel the world, don't get me wrong, but this year has really made me consider the exciting possibilities within my own country. There are so many English towns and cities that I've never even heard of, let alone explored, and that's before we start to consider the fact that I've never seen any of Scotland or Wales, either.

In 2021 and the years to come, I want to make more of an effort to explore England and the rest of the UK, and if you are able to travel in the coming months, maybe join me in considering travelling within your own country, or to your neighbouring towns, cities and boroughs. It's easy to get lost in the idea of escaping to a foreign country, but there's always room at home for exploration.