Enjoy a scone at every excursion destination in nature: The British Sarah Merker has now achieved this self-imposed goal, at least in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Over the past ten years, the 49-year-old Londoner has visited all 244 excursion destinations managed by the National Trust Foundation and ate a scone there - a typically British, sweet baked specialty that is traditionally served with tea, jam and "clotted cream". Merker documented her sweet adventure on a blog, which she shared in the early years with her husband Peter, who died of cancer in 2018.

"I don't even know what to call it, it's more than a hobby. It's taken a lot of time and effort over the past ten years and I'll really miss it," Merker told the British PA news agency. She spent her weekends and holidays with the tours and it was important to her to reach the destination, also in memory of her husband. There is now even a book with Merker's blog entries.

In 2013, the Briton became a member of the National Trust, which takes care of the preservation of nature reserves and historical sights. Scotland has its own foundation for this.

"The secret of a scone is that it has to be fresh," reveals Merker. As long as it's baked the same day, little can go wrong. She only remembers two bad scones - but prefers the best of her travels: the "Christmas pudding scone" with brandy butter in Yorkshire.