Travel

Back from another Sunderland cat sitting experience whilst S&G undertook their annual family break, this time down Gloucestershire way. Not a massive amount to report on this occasion. We did part company with tradition and decided to stay at Aston Hall hotel for the one nighter on the way up – first time since I don’t know when. Good to report that the room, evening meal and breakfast were all excellent. Also called into the local pub (the Yellow Lion) for a pint but a once good pub for locals appears to have sadly gone wrong through poor management / service / facilities etc. etc. and we won’t be returning.

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The week after our Danube river cruise and we were back in Papworth for Mrs. No Names’ next appointment. I don’t share the background to the visits but needless to say we left the complex with a shed load of medication. To make the ordeal worthwhile we had also arranged a three night break at the Ickworth Hotel in Horringer, just outside Bury St. Edmunds, staying in the historic Main House for ‘classic elegance‘ (remember those words….)

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Back from a seven day Saga river cruise aboard the Spirit of the Danube, fulfilling an ambition both born and thwarted some years ago when a booked Emerald trip was cancelled as we were about to depart because of low water in the Passau area. So, accompanied by the Saga door to door service (excellent again) we set off hoping for better luck on this occasion,

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Just under a week ago, we returned from a trip up to the North East to complete the first of our catsitting duties for 2025, although we extended it to just under two weeks with a break in Derbyshire on our way back home. We again broke up the journey on the way up with an overnight stop at Wentbridge; however in startling news that may well rock the world of our core audience we stayed in a ‘Courtyard Room’, a first for us and a pleasant upgrade on the pre-booked accommodation!

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A little late as we have been back just over two weeks but here nonetheless is a brief resume of our Saga Cruise (our second Saga after our first in 2023) to Scandinavia. This was on the Spirit of Adventure, thus ensuring we’ve now travelled on both the company ships. As specified, there are subtle differences but the overall layout is in fact exactly the same and means we were very quickly comfortable with our surroundings. Of the subtle changes, the one we noticed most keenly was the Nepalese specialty restaurant, which we both thought was excellent and an experience well worth repeating. We had learned from the previous ‘newbie’ experience and ate mainly in the grill to avoid the ‘perils’ of anytime dining, although on the occasions we did eat in the main dining room we had no trouble securing a table for two, so in fairness maybe they had made minor adjustments to the set-up (i.e. more tables for two!!)

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This is a very specific post, aimed fairly and squarely in the direction of Mrs. No. Name, largely in response to her not too infrequent accusatory remarks that we haven’t really been anywhere. So, apologies to the vast general readership (oh the irony) but unless travel and lists are your thing, this one isn’t really for you…

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Or in this case, a trip to Sunderland last week to visit S&G that did not include catsitting duties, although it is still sad to report that any such future tasks will be to support two cats following the sad demise of the second of the older twins after more than twenty years of domestic ‘harmony’. Also, when I say Easter at Sunderland, it was more a three day break in the middle of a longer break with visits to Easby and Richmond on the way up and Baslow and the Peak District on the way back.

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Absolutely disgusting behaviour – hail the French Revolution and reintroduce the guillotine I hear you cry. Well as you know, I’ve always been a little conflicted by the Warners concept, as indeed I have by the poor relation that is Center Parcs. As I’ve probably mentioned before (I can’t be arsed to actually check), Warners specialise in large historic properties that have been upgraded and, significantly, added to with a swathe of more modern accommodation.

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