Claire T Hope Photography

The California coast is packed with stunning beaches, and here are some of our favourites.  The pier at Capitola Beach, the rocks at Natural Bridges, and the beautiful rocks and colours at Laguna Beach south of LA.  Also loving the pier at Santa Monica, and the skate park at Venice Beach.   Perhaps the most unusual beach I have ever been to is the glass beach at Fort Bragg - beautiful.

California has both the world's tallest trees - the stunning Humbolt County Redwoods, and also the largest trees, the sequoias of Sequoia National Park.  My favourites are the scraggy, prickly Californian Oaks, and I have spent many hours hiking and biking in the foot hills of Mt Diablo in search of the 'perfect' tree.   

It's a long way... but really worth it.  We drove to Bodie via the stunning South Lake Tahoe.   Bodie is like nothing I've seen before, a cold windswept deserted mining town with over a hundred decaying buildings.    It's not so far from here to Mono Lake, which needs little introduction - simply beautiful.

Like the many middle eastern/ north African countries we have visited Jordan was an absolute delight.  The hospitality was spectacular, and the sights unforgettable.  

We were lucky enough to spend a long weekend on the Big Island - would love to have stayed longer..   I managed my first star shot, despite the full moon (which bleached out so many of the stars).  We also managed to see a bit of lava, although it was not properly flowing at the time of our visit.

We had the privilege of spending a month in Pakistan back in 2001,  One of the most beautiful places on earth, with genuinely warm and beautiful people.  Wish it was safe to go there now, as would love to take the children.  These pictures were taken in Peshawar, Chitral, the Kalash villages and the base of Nangaparbat.

This trip ranks among the best in my life.  Breathtaking scenery, amazing wildlife, Yellowstone really is a world-class destination.

Last October we won the lottery - the permit lottery, and got to camp two nights in the Grand Canyon.   Breathtaking...

Two separate trips, but both equally amazing.  Nicaragua was raw and packed full of so many amazing things.   Belize was more polished, a small gem with loads of things to see and do.  Would highly recommend both for a family trip.

One of my favorite places in the world ...

It was a beautiful cold April morning, my fingers were so numb I could hardly move the buttons on the camera, but the mist was amazing.

So those of you who know us, will know that we spent the first 9 months of our married life travelling with our backpacks in all sorts of amazing places.   Here are some of my favourite shots from Kashgar in China, Smarkand, Bukhara and Khiva in Uzbekistan, and also from Kyrgyzstan.  It really was like having a window into an ancient world.  These shots were taken in film and I have scanned them, so the quality is not quite so good.

Beautiful friends ....

From deserts to waterholes just beautiful. We gazed at the milky way, surfed the dunes on a tray and ‘glamped’ in the desert. I also won my first National Geographic published badge for my Giraffe pic!

What an amazing place Kathmandu really is a walking museum. We also managed to get up to a small bit of the Annapurna circuit. Stunning.

India is one of my all time countries to visit, with Rajasthan topping the list. The palaces, colours and food all inspire me. This time we were incredibly lucky to have an amazing experience with two tigers at Ramthambore National Park. If I never see a tiger again, I’ll not be sad after these two.

One small benefit of lockdown is that we are home to see the baby foxes - last year I missed the chance to photograph them, but this year I’ve been glued to the sofa…. All shot through our glass sliding doors. Just beautiful.