Five escapes from the winter gloom

February 16, 2025February 16, 2025 / mikeosbornphoto / 5 Comments

The European winter is long and hard with freezing weather and dreary days.

Here in Manchester, we’re enduring a spell of really cold torpid days instead of hopeful signs of Spring.

This makes February and March a perfect time to get away and inject some sunshine and warmth into our lives.

If you’re fortunate enough to be able jet off, jumping from winter into an early summer is worth the journey. Here are five places you might consider for an injection of Vitamin D – and much more.

1. AGADIR

Feb/March temperature: 20-23C

This Moroccan seaside resort has been welcoming European visitors escaping the winter for decades and is a four-hour flight from the UK. It has a broad stretch of Atlantic beach and a host of hotels and restaurants. The old town comes with a souk and a splash of North African colour to complement the warm seaside vibe, while there are other lovely coastal towns to visit.

Tap/click image to see more of Agadir

2. HAVANA

Feb/March temperature: 26-28C

This sunny destination is more long haul, but well worth the journey. This legendary city with its colourful, tumbledown buildings, vintage cars and salsa rhythms is a real experience which will erase all memories of winter. If you want to sip rum cocktails on the beach, then head to Varadero to soak up the sunshine and also consider visiting some of Cuba’s other delightful cities.

Tap/click image for more about Havana and the island of Cuba

3. CAPE VERDE

Feb/March temperature: 22C

This African island archipelago adrift in the Atlantic Ocean, around six hours flying time from the UK, boasts a very pleasant all year round climate. The arid islands of Sal and Boa Vista have become popular beach holiday havens. But you can visit the other islands for a different flavour, such as rugged, verdant Santo Antão which is a great place to get your hike on.

Tap/click image to explore the Cape Verde islands

4. ABU DHABI

Feb/March temperature: 25-28C

The futuristic city of Dubai is a huge draw for winter tourism with a party vibe, but just up the Gulf coast is Abu Dhabi, which is less about staggering skyscrapers, feels more lived in and less of a showcase. It boasts a delightful corniche and sandy beaches, while a visit to the stunning Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque is an absolute must.

Tap/click image to see more of this waterfront city

5. CAPE TOWN

Feb/March temperature: 25C

One way to virtually guarantee a successful escape from the European winter is to head to the southern hemisphere summer. This South African city is perched on the edge of the continent with invigorating beachscapes and the majestic backdrop of Table Mountain. The multi-coloured district of Bo-Kaap lifts the soul. Cape Town is a great starting point for exploring more of South Africa.

Tap/click image for more on Cape Town

✈️ Do you seek the warm sunshine in winter? If you have any destination suggestions, please leave a comment below. Thank you!

A year of travel

November 3, 2019April 16, 2024 / mikeosbornphoto / 10 Comments

It was a big decision taking a year out to spend travelling. Those 12 months passed very quickly and I’ve had time to take stock of places visited, people met and what’s next.

I came back with a lot of photographs and set myself the task of choosing one image to sum up every trip and country. They’re images I’m proud to have captured, but also are the most evocative of each place. It’s sometimes a strong personal memory, other times a striking impression.

The journey hasn’t finished for me. Travelling has sparked a desire to see more of the world and change my life.

Please share your memories of travel, particularly the ones that have stayed with you forever.

Click first image to see gallery

: Namibia

: Japan

: Iceland

: Kosovo

: Cuba

: Portugal

: Azerbaijan

: Easter Island

: Santorini, Greece

: Cape Town, South Africa

: Armenia

: Dead Sea, Israel

: Albania

: Georgia

: Fiji

: New Zealand

: Switzerland

: Ethiopia

: Hong Kong

: Atacama, Chile

: North Macedonia

Cape Town flavours

April 18, 2019April 16, 2024 / mikeosbornphoto / 5 Comments

Cape Town is an excellent place to start your travels around South Africa. I arrived after a tour of amazing Namibia, and it proved to be a tonic after that country’s unrelenting climate and vast desert terrain.

It’s a city that has it all, sitting by the ocean and bounded by a rugged mountain backdrop dotted with breathtaking viewpoints.

There are also little coastal towns on the Cape Peninsula, beautiful botanical gardens and the irresistibly photogenic neighbourhood of Bo-Kaap. And don’t forget the cute Boulders penguins.

Cape Town is geared up for tourists but it’s plain to see why visitors flock here. It’s well worth following the herd.

Click first image to see the gallery

South African beauties

February 14, 2019January 9, 2021 / mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

The Protea is South Africa’s national flower. There was no better place to see them than on a recent visit to the wonderful city of Cape Town.

The botanical gardens of Kirstenbosch have the most amazing backdrop of one side of Table Mountain, boasting a treetop canopy walk among its acres of well-manicured grounds.

I made a beeline for the Protea garden with my macro lens, realising there are numerous varieties of the flowers, beautiful with blooms and after they’re gone.