End of the London Living

So it’s come around fast but after about 9 months in London it’s time to move on and check out the rest of the UK. I know I could just stay in London and use it as a base for travelling around, considering I have the security of a good job and accommodation, not to mention a great bunch of new friends…but as my visa is for just two years I think I’ll see and experience a whole lot more by moving on. I don’t want to end up having to cram the whole of England or Scotland for example into a couple of weekend getaways when I can get work off; I think I’ll see things a lot more in depth by living and working in a couple of different cities and areas longer term.

I’ll be finishing up at my job here at the end of March before heading out to start Help Exchanging for a couple of months, while the weather warms up over spring. I know no-one knows what Help Exchanging is – if you’ve heard of World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOFing) it’s pretty much the same as that. Basically it’s helping people out with odd jobs for a few hours a day, for about 2 or 3 weeks at a time or more. In return you get food and board. Generally the hosts you stay with are on small (organic or not) farms, lifestyle blocks and ‘small holdings,’ though there are quite a few B&Bs, hostels, guest houses and plain homestays (plus a few hippie communes and ‘alternative lifestylers’ haha).  You can help with all sorts of stuff, from cleaning, cooking and housekeeping to mowing lawns, weeding, feeding/cleaning animals, and painting fences. Any projects the people have on the go that they need a hand with really.

I’m very excited about starting these help exchanges, as I think it’s a great way to see little pockets of the countryside that you would never see otherwise, and forces you to go out and see these places rather than just stay in the cities. Plus it’s a different way to meet loads of people. The first exchange I’m doing when I leave London will be in North Devon, which is a massive, mainly farming region kind of in the South West of England. I’ll be there for a couple of weeks before heading to the south more to the apparently stunning Cornwall coast, helping out in a B&B there. I basically hope to work my way up to Scotland for the summer,  and find a job and live there for a few months.

I’ll definitely miss London, it’s been fantastic!! And I’ll be coming back at some point, especially to catch up with friends here. It feels very strange to be leaving…but can’t wait for whatever’s next!

http://www.helpex.net/