Category: Holidays (Page 8 of 10)

Cumbria 29.9.20

30 September 2020 / admin

Lowther Castle 29.9.20

Having had a day of trains and road passes when I planned this today was intended to be no great drive. All will become clear.

Not that far from where we are staying is Lowther Castle – and from the angle above it may not be immediately obvious that it is a ruined castle. It was finished in 1685 but was closed by the owner in 1935, the contents were sold in 1947 and the roof removed in 1957. Hugh Lowther, the 5th Earl of Lonsdale, had no children and lived a fairly extravagant life selling off other properties to fund it.

The 6th Earl inherited on the death of Hugh in 1944 and this led to the forced sale mentioned of the contents. The next inheritor was faced with £25M in death duties which led to the removal of the roof and a concentration on the farming aspects of the Estate. In recent years a decision has been taken to rewild much of the estate.

Inside Lowther Castle 29.9.20The house opened to public visits following some restoration in 2011 – at a cost of £9m on conversation. That work continues and it is a fascinating site with much of interest in the gardens.

Rose Garden 29.9.20

There are various summerhouses, a Japanese Garden and a rose garden which has a huge number of roses – September is not a good time for seeing this but the area covered is hard to believe.

The Lost Castle 29.9.20

Deep in the Castle Grounds there is the largest wooden playground in the Country in the form of The Lost Castle which was added in 2016. it is a hand built playground and the timber was sourced from within 11 miles – and whilst not intended for adults it is an amazing walk.

Lunch today is at the Punchbowl Inn. And here is where my careful plans fell apart. It seems that there are two Punchbowl Inns. The famous one (and the one where we are booked for lunch is at Crosthwaite near Kendal. There is also one in Askham which is actually close to Lowther Hall. So when doing final checks I realise that we have to go something like 42 miles each way – much of it motorway. I was very grateful when my wife kindly offered to do some driving today.

Cumbria 28.9.20

29 September 2020 / admin

Northern Rock R&ER 28.9.20

There are other attractions in the Lake District – today we head along the main road through the Northern end of the Lakes – the hills are beautifully lit making it a very pleasant drive. Our first destination is Ravenglass as we shall be travelling on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. However the station at the far end of the line is Dalegarth (not Eskdale).

The railway opened in 1875 and was the first narrow gauge public railway carrying passengers from 1876. Formally it became preserved in 1959 when a preservation society took ownership part funded by the Wakefield family, local landowners who remain involved). The line runs for seven miles and the journey takes 40 minutes.

Northern Rock in action 28.9.20

Northern Rock provided the motive power. Northern Rock was built in 1976 a 2-6-2 and is painted in Highland Railway livery (apparently known as Muscat Green). It is the newest of the locomotives operating on the railway.

To return to our base means taking to the hills again and this time we visit the Hardknott and Wrynose Passes. Some years ago I took a Previa over this route – in excellent weather and today it is slightly damp for the TT but it is a lot easier with a smaller vehicle. Given the way the roads run it is impossible to do one without the other but I find Hardknott harder – there are some very interesting twists and turns on the climb. As I am concentrating on the opportunity to enjoy the scenery is a little limited. However apparently it is the last time Jackie is going over these two passes.

In the evening we go to 1863 a restaurant in Pooley Bridge which is at the northern end of Ullswater. Parking was a little difficult for some reason and sometimes when things get disjointed by a little thing like parking then it is more difficult to concentrate on the meal. As I recall this was the least liked dining destination – but others may feel completely different – perhaps we were tired after the earlier exertions.

Cumbria 27.9.20

28 September 2020 / admin

Aira Waterfall Ullswater 27.9.20

There are (of course) more reasons for visiting the Lake District apart from the excellent food which is available. So today we seek to combine some of these. Our first destination is the Aira Waterfall on the edge of Ullswater. We wander up and over the bridge and back down the other side – not the sunniest day possible.

The Struggle 27.9.20 Copyright J Whitbread

One of my personal reasons for visiting the area is to take the TT over some of the “challenging” passes which exist. So heading south from Ullswater we head up and over the Kirkstone Pass – a gradient of 1 in 4 reaching an altitude of 1489ft. It is a major A road (unlike some of the other passes we will be seeing) and is therefore relatively easy. Heading towards our intended destination we descend into Ambleside using the “Struggle”. In all honesty doing it all southbound is probably too easy – but it happens to fit our journey today. This is definitely one of the less scary passes to cover.

Drunken Duck Menu 27.9.20 Copyright J Whitbread

Our dining destination is not quite as fancy as yesterday as we are heading to the Drunken Duck at Barngates, Ambleside. As with most of dining destinations this can be recommended – after the driving this morning a decent lunch is most welcome. Being a Sunday we naturally have the Sunday roast.

And once back at the lodge there is a nice hot tub to use.

Cumbria 26.9.20

27 September 2020 / admin

Castlerigg Stone Circle 26.9.20

Given the time of year to find that it is a little grey and potentially damp this morning is no surprise. However our first visit this morning is Castlerigg Stone Circle which Wikipedia reports as having been erected in about 3200BC with around 40 stones making the circle. The reasons for construction and subsequent uses are unknown but given the size of the boulders no doubt a lot of manual labour was involved.

The stones were scheduled under an Act of 1882 and the site was the first to have a formal agreement between landowner and the State who became responsible for the stones but not the land and that duty has since been passed to English Heritage as the appropriate authority.

Our route is then south along the western edge of Thirlmere, rather than the main road with our destination being Forest Side Hotel in Grasmere where we enjoy an excellent lunch. We must return here one day.

Taster Forest Side 26.9.20 Copyright J M Whitbread

Grasmere is famous for many things including gingerbread so Jackie joins a not short queue (despite the rain). We are later able to decide that neither of us is actually that keen on gingerbread.

Cumbria 25.9.20

26 September 2020 / admin

Lodge Penrith 25.9.20 copyright J Whitbread

Late 2020 and most of the year has been lost to covid. At the moment the restrictions are limited and we have a week booked (Friday to Friday) at hot tub equipped caravan near Penrith with the intention of spending the week sampling some of the culinary and physical delights of the Lake District. Penrith is a little further from the area we usually visit – but we have never really been to the Northern end of the Lakes so this will be a little different.

The lodge is not available until 4pm and with past experience of the M6 we set off in plenty of time – indeed for once the traffic is not as difficult as it might have been – although I rather think we used the M6 Toll road to avoid some of the worst of the traffic which can occur.

So it is hardly a surprise when we arrive at the check in point (in the pub) well over an hour ahead of the magic opening time. Obviously in such circumstances we all hope for early access – but inevitably with the extra cleaning now mandated it is only a few minutes early that we are allowed to roll in.

View from Lodge 25.9.20 Copyright J Whitbread

This is a very nice upmarket establishment with peacocks wandering around between the lodges.

In the evening we dined at Allium at Askham Hall. The food was excellent but the sommelier seemed to think that trying to get Jackie to drink a reisling wine was a good idea and thereafter it did not go so well. There are things she does not like and that is one of them as she complains they all smell of petrol. As I am driving I am not drinking very much!

Morocco 11.11.19

12 November 2019 / admin

Saadian Tombs 11.11.19

Marrakech

The entire group of 11 gather steadily for breakfast; I am pleased to note that it is not all as sweet as on our last stay in a riad so I can live a little longer.

Our excursion today is a walking tour of Marrakech to see the sights we have not seen on our previous visits, which was a key element of booking this trip. One feature I did not recall from our earlier journeys are the storks nesting at high level around the city.

Our first stop is the Saadian Tombs which were the burial location of the sultans of Marrakech from 1570 onwards until around the end of the eighteenth century. Thereafter they were disused and abandoned being “rediscovered” in 1917 under the French Protectorate then receiving care and attention and this has continued providing the sight we can see.

Badii Palace 11.11.19

We then move onto the Badii Palace and here evidence of the storks at high level can be seen. It was commissioned in 1578 by the new ruler and following his death in 1603 it was neglected with the marble being stripped and re-used elsewhere.

Bahia Palace 11.11.19

We move onto the Bahia Palace which was built much later commencing in around 1860 and is lavishly decorated reaching completion around 1900. Although the contents were looted by subsequent rulers the building has been used consistently until it became a tourist attraction.

Lunch stop on the edge of the souk market – this is a surprise as it is not included in the published itinerary for today but ensures the group do not disperse before the tour continues with a walk through the market, certainly seeing parts which we did not see previously although again I am sure we only see a small part of the total.

Souk 11.11.19

I wonder how anyone ever chooses anything! We walk through the main square then go along the route to the riad used previously to reach our transport back to our riad.

We walk from the drop off point and as we turn the corner we can see that they are treating the faded woodwork of our window. Once in our room the varnish smell is overpowering! We open window and doors to the internal courtyard to maximise ventilation, to no great effect. As we are out for dinner we hope the impact will diminish whilst we are out

Dinner is taken at the main Angsana Road and the area we see is much better than our own riad. Dinner is a tagine as indeed was lunch. A template is developing!

We return to our Riad and formally complain about the odour, but all they can suggest is relocating across town which will be disruptive in the extreme tomorrow. Reluctantly we stay put, but the fumes certainly impact on our throats.

Morocco 10.11.19

11 November 2019 / admin

Morocco Bound

Like Webster’s dictionary as the joke goes. Our trip to Morocco commenced on Remembrance Sunday and Gatwick South Terminal came to an almost silent two minutes just as we approached the security gates. The silence was respected. The previous day there had been an observance at Southampton football ground but it was not silent as the Last Post was played but it kept the crowd largely quiet.

We are flying BA and knowing that Marrakech can be difficult in the evening we buy sandwiches and wine at the airport as well as lunching at the Grain Store which has a Bruno Loubet menu.

This is our third trip to Marrakech – however this time we are with an organised group holiday with the intention to see much more of the country than we have managed previously.

The flight arrives a little early and Jackie gets a decent wodge of Dirhams at an exchange 12 to the pound. We walk all the way out of the terminal and find our guide Rashid; the remaining party members slowly gather and then we are taken to the Angsana Riad which is deep in the old town.

We did attempt to stay in a Riad on a previous visit but did not feel comfortable and ended up spending most of the stay at Essadi where we had stayed previously. The riad this time has running hot water and so is likely to be more acceptable. We have one of the front rooms, so have windows over a little square whilst most do not have windows at the back of the Riad.

Leeds & Emmerdale 11-14 October 2019

20 October 2019 / admin

Emmerdale village 13.10.19

This was essentially a weekend trip to enable us to sample Leeds but in some ways more importantly to visit the locations where Emmerdale is made.

There are two Emmerdale locations. The internal sets are at the ITV Studios base in Leeds whilst the external shots are made on a purpose built set in the countryside. Our original plan was to visit the outside set on the Saturday and to visit the internal studio on the Sunday before heading back home. However not very long before we plan to set off we are contacted to be advised that the external location would not be available on Saturday. Panic!

The team in Leeds were very understanding. The Inside studio tour was rebooked to the Saturday and after some discussion it was agreed that we could drive ourselves into the external studio – normally you have to join a coach and be taken into the site so to be allowed to take our own car in was very understanding. Instructions were given and they took the registration number of the car and hopefully it will all work!

Apartment 1 Mill Cottage 12.10.19

At the time of our visit Apartment 1 at Mill Cottage was occupied by Aaron Dingle and Robert Sugden and inevitably the magic of television is to imply those stairs lead “somewhere” when we can all see that they go nowhere – so well done to those going upstairs! I have never worked out why they filled the space at the bottom of the stairs with half of a moped!

Hot Set Emmerdale 12.10.19

As with the Coronation Street tour we have visited previously we are led round by experienced guides with a pretty fixed script – but there are no restrictions or limitations on photographs on the sets that we see – and indeed in at least one case there is an explanation that the items visible reflect recent filming – a “Hot Set” where the items have been laid out for breakfast in the kitchen at Jimmy and Nicola’s house which is in the process of being filmed.

Jackie and David 12.10.19

The tour ends up at the props store where Jackie is able to get up close and personal with David – at least in picture form.

Dinner (and I liked it) was taken at Home in Leeds but the restaurant has since closed. The chef responsible, Liz Cottam, has since opened a gastrobar, emba, which may well be worth visiting.

Xmas at Emmerdale 13.10.19

On the Sunday on arrival in the village (we parked where the cast and filming team park normally adjacent to what was the factory and is now The Hop) and having walked down the hill we discover the reason for closure on Saturday – Christmas has come to the Dales with decorations everywhere.

Smithy Cottage Emmerdale 13.10.19

Some of the sets are dressed internally – Smithy Cottage adjacent to the vet’s practice in particular is very full furnished but the set is not identical to that seen yesterday as the layout of books on the shelves is different – I did check! A lot of the individual cottages house other resources for filming – rest areas and storage for equipment and so cannot be seen – this is one of the exceptions.

Emmerdale Graveyard 13.10.19

The tour does not quite conclude here – but it is the final resting place of a number of village residents who have finished their involvement in the Dales village.

Our visit complete we head for home.

Rhine 5.8.19

6 August 2019 / admin

TGV Belfort-Montbeliarde 5.8.19

We are moored in Basel and we have received disembarkation instructions. Given that we physically set foot on Swiss land as we leave the boat I can claim to have visited the country! (On one of my earlier “visits” we landed at the airport but immediately departed via the “French” side). We are transported by taxi across the border to Belfort-Montbeliarde from where we take a TGV service to Paris – eventually arriving in Paris at Gare de Lyon.

A taxi is needed to reach Gare du Nord – simply because with cases and changing trains is just not that simple. As ever with Eurostar things do not seem to be running smoothly and the passenger area becomes seriously crowded and there is very little information as to what is happening. Every interaction with Eurostar seems to demonstrate a complete inability to want passengers or to provide a proper service. Compared with my first visit to France at least we do not seem to be endlessly crossing northern France. Eventually however we are home.

One aspect which has stayed with us although not mentioned earlier is that a couple of the early evenings when we were passing the huge industrial complexes – I think in particular in parts of the Netherlands and then again passing possibly Krefeld-Uerdingen or Leverkusen with the Bayer factories we can see how much manufacturing those areas have retained which the UK has lost and how the economies of scale favour such factories – they just seem to stretch unending alongside the river as we progressed.

We would both like to try and do the Alsace wine route at some point – but the possibility seems unlikely as in general Jackie tends not to like German wines. Maybe one day.

Rhine 4.8.19

5 August 2019 / admin

Vogtsbauernhof 4.8.19

We are approaching the end of our cruise. Yesterday we visited France, albeit briefly but today we stay on the German side of the Rhine visiting the Black Forest, although there did not seem to be any gateaux in the wild. We are visiting the Black Forest Open Air Museum where they have preserved various buildings to represent farming in the area in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The centrepiece is the Vogtsbauernhof above which dates from 1612. Unlike the other buildings this one stands on its original site and the museum has been developed around it.

Basket Weaving 4.8.19

Internally there are scenes reflecting the lives of the residents and the various jobs and skills which were undertaken as there was a need to be self-sufficient. Looking at the pictures I think the residential depictions come from a much later period than 1612 eg the machine in the picture above – but then it is unlikely that much really lasts 400 years.

Hemp Mill 4.8.19

There is a mill (hemp) which dates from 1609 (above) and a sawmill (1673) below plus many other buildings which have been gathered here.

Sawmill 4.8.19

Back on board in the afternoon there is a galley tour which allows us to show our appreciation for the team who have been looking after us for the last two weeks and delivering decent food during our travels. Our thanks to them.