Holiday notebook(s) to take away
Yes, of course it's a plural!
Several years ago (2019 in fact... heavens... have I been writing for Nero for that long?), I took some notebooks to Ullapool and Scalpay (off Harris) to road-test. The two I took were a Rite-in-the-Rain (that my hubby nicked), and an Alwych, that I used for notes on the holiday, and also notes on a potential book.
The book was never written, though the notes are all still there. It may get written one day (though more likely, I'll just steal bits of it for another book some time).
The Alwych was lovely - great size, and with the rain we had on that holiday, the "All Weather" cover was a bonus, but I didn't like my notes mixed up - having to go through book notes to find notes on walks and vice versa - so this year I will be taking two (or more!) separate books with me.
What to take?
Well, we are heading north again, to Thurso and then on to Orkney, and, as ever, we'll be doing a lot of walking, so "big enough to write in but not so big it's too heavy" is an essential feature, because believe me, walking in Scotland requires a fairly full backpack. Despite my love of the large notebook, a B5 is not the right option here!
I always promise myself that I'll sketch more while we're away. It never really happens, but it certainly won't if my journaling notebook is lined or dot-grid, so I'll be taking something with plain paper.
A great option would be a pack of three Coffee Notes in A5. These are slim enough (40 pages) to not have oodles of pages left after the holiday (whether that's journaling-wise or planning-a-book-wise), the covers are sturdy, they don't weigh a ton, and the three-pack is not only amazingly priced (just £15 for three books) but the books come in plain (sketching!), dot-grid, and lined (journaling/book planning can be done in either).
Not only would these be a great set to take away, they would also tick lots of other boxes for me (plastic-free, recycled, able to be recycled, and the paper is amazing!).
Let's just hope that the rain stays away this year.
