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Sarah groves AUCTION

22/5/2014

Back in April 2013, whilst in Morocco, I received some shocking news from home. A friend of mine had been, for no apparent reason, brutally murdered on a houseboat on Dal Lake, Kashmir. Sarah Groves was just 25 when her life was tragically cut short. The news came a couple of months after I’d received information that my friends Pete and Mary had also been killed cycling in Thailand. Like Pete and Mary, Sarah was a truly inspirational person; she lived life with a smile.

I painted this painting, entitled ‘The Queen Gets Owned’ (approx 100x122cm) back in 2009 and hung it in my friend’s bar, The Town House, incidentally where Sarah used to work.

It seems fitting that now we’re auctioning off the painting, that has hung on the wall of the bar for the last 4/5 years, that 50% of that money goes towards Sarah’s charity. The remaining 50% will be put towards our chosen charity projects.

Sarah always strived to make the world a better place, especially for those less fortunate than herself. The Sarah Groves Foundation is a charity set-up to honour and keep her memory alive through her passions and interests in life - Children, Art, Fitness and Adventure.

Due to the size and weight of the painting the auction is only open to residents of Guernsey. If you’d like to place a bid on the painting please leave a comment on this blog post below. The highest bid over £200 secures and the winner will be announced on Friday 30th May.

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Inland Spain – escaping the hordes

10/5/2014

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Spain is a country of contrast and often unjustly reputed as a haven for holidaymakers seeking competitive tanning, cheap lager and meals from photo-board menus. But escape the coastal concentration of package tour masses and head inland where an unspoilt, wild and tranquil reward awaits.

Our crossing into Spain was through the rarely visited Northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria. We headed south towards Leon and into the breathtakingly beautiful Picos de Europa National Park where dramatic, jagged limestone peaks form a backdrop to canyons and ravines.

Despite being only 120km from the bustling Port City of Santander you can still find the Cantabrian brown bear and the Iberian Wolf hidden deep in these forests.

We meandered our way along the Rio Sil, a magnificent drive skirting turquoise blue reservoirs and forested hillsides, again rarely passing other vehicles.

Venturing North from Algeciras on the Costa de la Luz we entered the Parque Natural Los Alcornocales. Visited mainly for its atypical Andalusian whitewashed hillside villages, this rolling countryside of flower meadows, oak woodland with roaming deer and waterfalls is a hidden gem.

Winding back down towards the Costa del Sol, we weaved our way round hairpin bends through the Sierra de las Nieves park. We crossed several old stone bridges over clear, rocky rivers; the isolated road flanked by pine-covered slopes.

We veered northwards from the coastline again towards Granada and the Sierra Nevada National Park and into Cazorla National Park, the largest protected area in Spain and second largest in Europe. The scenery was breath-taking; river valleys surrounded by white rocky Mountains and pine forest.

An early morning stroll along the riverbank was rewarded with the flash of Golden Oriole flying amongst the trees, Griffon Vultures circling overhead and fish shoaling in the shallow margins.

So give the Costa’s a wide berth and instead chuck some camping gear in your car boot and enjoy a leisurely drive and some beautiful sights and siestas through natural Spain, you might even spot some deer!

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80 Days until 800 days!

1/5/2014

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In 1873, Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg set off to circumnavigate the earth in 80 days on a £20,000 bet.

141 years later and we're taking a more leisurely approach, giving ourselves 800 days to travel around the world. More or less. Hopefully more.

Ironically, his wager matches our budget for the 2.2 year trip; in today’s money this would equal £2million but who needs 5 star travel temptation when you have a roof tent, tailgate restaurant and a 360° choice of bathroom location.

We leave in 80 days and are pleased to launch our new website and new plan. Bigger, bolder, brighter (yet naturally still in Bee-bee) the new 800 days promises to valiantly continue our overland adventure.

Setting off from England on July 21st, we’ll weave our way down through South-Eastern Europe; Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey and Cyprus (phew!). By early 2015 we should be venturing into the lesser-travelled Caucasus region through Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Crossing the Caspian Sea by ship we’ll arrive in Kazakhstan and pick up our original route through the ‘Stans and Iran before voyaging into Asia.

Let the 80 to 800 days countdown begin…

Emma

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Sarah groves AUCTION

Inland Spain – escaping the hordes

80 Days until 800 days!

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