Travel

North Yorkshire / Bakewell

by

Just back from an eight day break in Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Spent the first three nights at a lovely hotel between Skipton and Settle and although the weather was mixed, we were lucky to avoid the worst. Skipton and Settle both worth a visit, as was the lovely village of Grassington. Then dropped down to Bakewell (via a stop off at the lovely Bolton Abbey …

Continue Reading…

Ten Days In Malta

by

Just returned (in the early hours of May 27th) from a ten day break in Malta, where we were blessed with the usual sunny weather, perfect for both a relaxing and interesting holiday. Although we’ve been to Malta on a couple of occasions, we were astonished when looking back that the last time was way back in 2004. So, it was good to return, this time using Sliema as a base.

Continue Reading…

Aldeburgh Long Weekend

by

Just back from a three night stay at the Wentworth Hotel in Aldeburgh for Denise’s birthday. This is something we did last year and we enjoyed it so much we decided to repeat it. Another excellent stay, lovely food and comfortable country house feel. Managed to get in a couple of reasonable walks as the weather was a little better than 2015, which made us …

Continue Reading…

Antipodean Holiday (December 2015)

by

After a couple of abortive attempts to organise a trip “Down Under” we finally managed to get there for the last week or so in November, arriving back in the uk on the 20th December. Originally, we were going to tour, but after our indifferent experiences in Japan we decided to spend a significant period of time in one city and then cruise to various other points of interest.

Continue Reading…

Last Minute Sunderland trip – August Bank Holiday

by

A flying visit to Sunderland for Denise on Bank Holiday weekend, to be at the official opening of the new Keel Square and the Propeller monument structure. Inspired by Sunderland’s shipbuilding and industrial heritage, the maritime-themed art feature is set to be a new focal point for the city and will host a number of events in the future. The Propellers of the City sculpture …

Continue Reading…

Sunderland Sojourn – August 2015

by

Just back from a short trip back to the North East, combining a three day stay with Scott and Ginnette and a three night break in Durham. Astonishingly, blessed with reasonable weather throughout. Never needed a coat, unheard of in this part of the country (unless you’re a Newcastle supporter of course)!

Continue Reading…

Puglia, Italy

by

Just back from a lovely week touring the Puglia region of Italy. Although this was an escorted coach tour and there were around fifty on the trip, it proved to be a reasonably relaxed affair. Normally, this type of travel would not be a preferred option for an old grump like me!

Continue Reading…

Japan In A Hurry (April 2015)

by

Not long returned from a two week tour of Japan (or the main Honshu island at least). This was a trip we had been promising ourselves for a while, and decided that a tour was on balance probably the best way to get a sense of Japan in the time we had available. On reflection, we both agreed that the ratio of travelling to ‘experiencing’ was a little off kilter and might be improved by extending the length of the tour, but more on that later.

Continue Reading…

London Rubens Palace Hotel Bash – 6th to 9th February

by

It’s not just the monarchy that gets two birthdays! On Denise’s “official” birthday (actual birthday last week), we indulged in a three night break in London at the Rubens Palace Hotel. First afternoon we had an excellent afternoon tea at the hotel and, following the leaked news that the break was a delayed birthday bash, the hotel very kindly provided a couple of glasses of champers, a ‘birthday cake’ and happy birthday in chocolate in the tea selection (and a birthday card). Lovely service and a pretty good reflection of the hotel generally.

Continue Reading…

Aldeburgh Break

by

Excellent weekend at the Wentworth House Hotel at Aldeburgh to celebrate Denise’s ‘big birthday’. Been threatening to sample this hotel for a while and, although certainly not cheap, it was definitely worth the money. Excellent food (although sad to report that a big cream tea followed by a three course dinner in the evening is now seemingly beyond us) and lovely public spaces, it’s possibly best …

Continue Reading…

×