It’s hard to believe that the summer holidays are almost at an end and that the children will be going back to school next week.
The month started incredibly well with the amazing news that Suitcases and Sandcastles has made it into Vuelio’s Top 10 UK Family Travel Blogs. I’m really excited about this and looking forward to sharing more of our family adventures with you.
Our August has been filled with fun days out, lazy days in the sunshine and long evenings spent watching sunsets and eating delicious Greek food in local tavernas.
After a brief stop in Santorini, we spent two fabulous weeks exploring the picture-perfect Greek island of Folegandros and fell in love with its easygoing charm, stunning views and secret beaches.
Back in the UK we discovered some of the fascinating secrets and stories on a Houses of Parliament tour in London. We watched knights jousting and let the boys get soaking wet in the water maze at Hever Castle in Kent and had a picnic on the beach at Durdle Door on the Dorset coast.
For me, one of the joys of a summer holiday is the chance to indulge in some reading time. My suitcase is always packed with books and this month I spent many happy hours reading while basking in the Greek sunshine. I travelled to 18th-century Australia in Kate Grenville’s ‘The Lieutenant’, to Detroit in the wonderful ‘Middlesex’ by Jeffrey Eugenides and relived the horrors of London during the Blitz in Kate Atkinson’s ‘Life after Life’. All three books were fantastic reads and I thoroughly recommend them.
I’ve also enjoyed reading about other people’s travels in some of my favourite blogs. As a travel writer I’m always thinking about the next trip and looking for inspiration for where to travel next. These are the blog posts that have really given me itchy feet this month:
Pretty Towns of the Italian Riviera – Untold Morsels
Top Family Beaches in Nantucket – Fifi + Hop
Do Denmark in the Fall – Oregon Girl Around The World
Must See Scotland – the North East Coast – The Smalls Abroad
In September I’ll be writing about Greece: the wonderful island of Folegandros and the more well-known Santorini. My boys remain as obsessed as ever with royal palaces so we’ll be visiting Windsor Castle and a couple of London’s museums as well as exploring more of the English countryside.
And finally, here are this month’s blog posts in case you missed them:
The Best Things to do with Kids in Paris
The UK’s Best Castles for Families
Nine Reasons You Should Visit The Lisbon Oceanário
Eleven Things to spot on the Houses of Parliament Tour
The Best Things to do with Kids at Hever Castle
Thanks so much for reading. What have been your best trips and reads over the last month?
suitcases and sandcastles 
A perfect month Clare 🙂 Congratulations on your award – well deserved.
I also thoroughly enjoyed Life after Life but I haven’t read A God in Ruins (telling the story of Ursula’s brother Teddy). I’ve read mixed responses from bloggers.
My first day back at school today (our children come back Monday) and the early start has worn me out already!
Look forward to reading your September posts.
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Thanks so much, Shaz! I was so delighted to get it. Sounds like I should give A God in Ruins a try although I’ll probably wait a year or so – I never read authors back to back as there are so many other wonderful books and authors waiting to be read. It’s funny when you love a book by one writer and have such high expectations of the next book only to be disappointed. I adored Behind the Scenes at the Museum but was so disappointed by Human Croquet that it’s taken me a decade to read another one of hers. Thankfully, I loved Life after Life so I might go back to a few more of hers after this.
My two go back on Monday as well. Can’t say I’ll be sorry!
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congrats on your award!
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Thank you so much, Tanja 🙂
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I’m finally able to read your article in its entirety as we’ve been traveling. If I didn’t mention before – congrats on the award! Well deserved! Thanks so much for including fifi + hop, and looking forward to reading the other posts as well. Sounds like you had a perfect August full of travels and can’t wait to read more about beautiful Greece!
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Thanks so very much, Corey. I honestly loved your post about the Nantucket beaches! The boys are back to school on Monday so I’ll have time to do some more writing.
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I hear you – girls back on Tuesday – ready!
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Congratulations on the Vuelio list – very deserved! I can’t believe how fast August has flown, still need to catch up on some of your travels.
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Thank you so much, Cathy. That means a lot coming from you.
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Congratulations on the award, very well deserved indeed! It seems you guys had such a good month together! Same as you have been using the holidays to catch up with my reading, it’s always good to disconnect from everything and just navigate through the pages of a book. I guess that must be harder once you have kids. For now also have been stocking books for my little one, so once she’s born I can read to her 🙂
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Thank you so much! It’s so special reading with your children and lovely that you’re looking at books for when your baby is born. Thanks so much for your lovely comments.
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Sounds like you had a wonderful summer holiday! Congrats on making the top bloggers list!
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Thanks so much, Melissa!
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