Travels with my Wife – Holidays and Other Excursions

Amalfi Coast 2.9.26

3 September 2026 / admin / 0 Comments

ETR 090 at S’Agnello Station 2.9.26

The group welcome meeting is in Sorrento which gives me an opportunity to take the train from S’Agnello into Sorrento, which is only one stop and in this temperature far preferable to walking (about 30 minutes) and the bus timetable seems not to have heard of regular interval service and seems to be a complex set of routes. It is a climb up to the central part of the town and the station itself is up steps. The ticket machine works in English and accepts payment by phone at the bottom of the steps, so I make some guesses. When I get upstairs I find there is a staffed ticket office and then a delayed train. I almost certainly overpaid.

The railway is narrow gauge, 950mm, with 1500v DC supplied by overhead catenary. At S’Agnello the line is single towards Sorrento (one stop) but parts of the line which commences in Naples have been doubled. ETR 090 as pictured is an FE220 unit and dates back to the 1970s I believe with replacement rolling stock now being delivered.

The train is 11 minutes late but it is the service prior to the one I needed to catch, so time is not a concern. There is nowhere to scan the ticket to open the gate and so I wave at the individual in a uniform who motions me to come towards the gate and it magically opens – does no-one actually care about ticket validity in Italy as I remember it being the same in Turin?

ETR 221 at Sorrento station 2.9.26

The more modern ETR211 units were delivered between 2008 and 2009 and this one has the number ETR221 on the solebar – so not sure how the numbering actually works! These are rather more modern as can be seen and they provide the limited stop services.

Sorrento Harbour 2.9.26

I then walk through the town to the top of the cliffs above the two ports, one is for leisure use and the other for trade use as far as I can establish. I return to the café near to the station and listen to the instructions for the week, sending edited highlights to Jackie. I also mention our concern over the food and potential walking distance tomorrow in Pompeii. It appears there are no benches on which to sit within the area so it could be difficult.

Sorrento Old Town 2.9.26

The day is hot and I decide that I am not keen on exploring Sorrento any further and decide to take the train back, it is a different design but an incoming train has even more graffiti than usual.

Graffitied trains Sorrento 2.9.26

Once back in the town of S’Agnello I stop and pick up a large quantity of water, some of which I am keen to consume once back in the hotel. We lie on beds by the pool, but in the shade, for a while and then retreat for an afternoon snooze.

Vesuvius from Vesuvkio Sky Bar 2.9.26

In the evening we wander down to the top of the cliffs to survey the waterfront which is at a much lower level. We then enter Hotel Vesuvio and visit the Sky or in reality the Ruiart Bar where the DJ is already pretty loud but the views of Vesuvius are magnificent! After starting a bottle of Ruinart we descend one floor to the restaurant where we are shown to the prime table from which to watch the sunset. Dinner is excellent. I have venison tartare and then rabbit. The rabbit had a very colourful presentation which I found distracting but it was great to eat even if it did not delight the eye.

For the record the Newmarket description of the day:
Today you’re free to rest and relax, either enjoying the facilities of the hotel, or perhaps venturing into the centre of delightful Sorrento. The town, perched upon its cliff-top, seems built between the sky and the sea, and offers everything you might need for an enjoyable stay. Its colourful heart is the Piazza Tasso, pedestrianised in the evenings, when the bars and cafés that surround it become a perfect place to watch the locals meeting friends and strolling through the city on their nightly passeggiata.
On the shore, Sorrento’s two tiny ports are backed by even tinier beaches and several boardwalks dotted with beach huts and sunloungers. Out on the water, pleasure-craft of all shapes and sizes (and the occasional cruise ship) add to the colourful scene.

Amalfi Coast 1.9.26

2 September 2026 / admin

T5 Pod Parking 1.9.26

Up early to get loaded and depart for Heathrow T5 via the wonderful Pod parking. We are early so have a wait which is extended due to our aeroplane having undergone maintenance overnight and in consequence was at the wrong end of the airport.

We board and take off at 08:50 so should not be too late on arrival. BA524 and G-NEOP which is an Airbus A321. It is not quite full and yet we hear BA staff moaning about suitcases again within our earshot, I despair at the training being delivered these days, no consideration of passengers at all, simply just customers not passengers going on a journey with the airline.

BA524 flight – data from Flight Aware

The flight is smooth and the lost time recovered with touch down 5 minutes early. That was the end of the good news as it then took a shade under 2 hours to complete passport control. We pointed out that we are registered but apparently all British passports are being rejected, hence the queue, which snakes around a large holding pen and which has clearly been in place for sometime so this is very much not a one off. It seems that once the queue exceeds 45 minutes they revert to manual processing and stamping of passports. To be honest it now looks as though it is purely and simple a device with orders from on high to prevent British entry as plane loads of Americans are waved through rapidly. Most of the others in the queue have also registered before – so why not get us through the e-gates?

Vesuvius 1.9.26

Some 2.5 hours after landing we are finally on the coach, driving past Vesuvius which dominates the landscape. Then through three tunnels and then a drive down towards Sorrento (which I must have traversed in the opposite direction and of which I have no memory) and we are delivered to Hotel Eliseo Parks in the adjacent town of S’Agnello. Book in and unpack.

Sorrento Peninsular 1.9.26

This is from the coach window as we wind down a twisting road into the five towns which occupy the coastline with Sorrento being in the far distance.

After a shower and then it is time to eat the dinner requested as we booked in. Yes it is the little known cost reduction philosophy or phenomenon of having to know what you want to eat hours before dinner time. Normally we are told that on future days we have to decide at breakfast what we have to eat in the evening. I do realise that some cost control is necessary but somehow my brain just rejects the rationality of making such decisions. How do I know what I might fancy some 8 or more hours hence.

When dinner is served we are not exactly impressed. The initial linguine is not too bad but the hake delivered to Jackie looks like nothing on earth and certainly not some form of fresh fish caught overnight and delivered to the hotel this very morning. My piece of pork is not too bad in itself but the accompanying vegetables probably saw better days once upon a time, before they were cooked to near inedibility. Not a wonderful start. Given that the hotel is an upgrade on the three star in Sorrento we are a little surprised. Visually the hotel is attractive – but the food does not feel 4 star style.

Not being amused with dinner an online search brings up Hotel Vesuvio with a sky bar and impressive looking restaurant where a booking is made for tomorrow night.

For the record the Newmarket description of the day:
Arrive in Italy, meet your tour manager and board our coach for the scenic journey to the Bay of Naples, and on to your chosen hotel, in or close to Sorrento.

Yorkshire 18 – 21 June 2026

22 June 2026 / admin / 0 Comments

Mother Shipton 20-6-26

We had a long weekend visiting Loughborough, staying at the Hammer and Pincers again (in a quieter room and with a decent meal) then travelling onto Yorkshire where we were attending a family wedding in Harrogate and at the Sportsman’s Arms.

Good Lady Wife Knaresborough 20-6-26

On our outward route we passed through Knaresborough seeing signs directing us to Mother Shipton’s cave a well known and long standing tourist attraction. With time to invest in this on Saturday 20 June we retrace our steps and head into the gates. The lady is very kind and no doubt aware of our advancing years grants us free car parking in the lower car park – most welcome as we would have struggled with the walk back.

Even from the car park it is still quite some way to the location of the cave which also has various attractions along the way. It is a sunny day and no doubt as they day progresses it will get a lot busier. Mother Shipton was a sixteenth century soothsayer or perhaps according to some accounts a witch. Allegedly born in the cave and to which she returned later in her life there are many stories surrounding her existence. Without a time machine no-one will ever know the truth.

Mother Shipton in cave 20-6-26

We then head towards the Peak district and a visit to Peak Rail which along with my journey on the Great Central are recorded on the railways blog.

We spend the night at the Cavendish Hotel on the edge of the Chatsworth Estate. Heading home on Sunday morning we retrace our steps intending to photograph Chatsworth House and discover that when we passed yesterday there is a wonderful view of the House today it is entirely screened from our view and we have driven onwards before realising it had vanished. A wonderful deception.

Menorca 5 June 2026

12 June 2026 / admin

Statue El Toro Menorca 5-6-26

On the Friday we have a booked trip around a part of the island but it actually turns out to cover quite a bit of Menorca. We are picked up reasonably early and visit a couple of other resorts to collect other participants – we come to the conclusion that we are doing well from what we see elsewhere.

Sanctuary Virgen del Toro Menorca 5-6-26

Our first destination is El Toro which is the highest point on the island 1175 ft above sea level. The name derives from the Catalan for height – it is not linked in any way to the Spanish term for a bull. it is roughly in the centre of the island and is Menorca’s only significant summit. At the summit there is also a statue of Christ and the Sanctuary of the Virgen del Toro, which is a Gothic church dating from 1670.

Marina Ciutadella Menorca 5-6-26

We descend from the mountainous heights (well that might be an overstatement) and head towards the old capital of the island, Ciutadella de Menorca, which is pronounced as far as I can determine as “Citidella” and simply derives from being a citadel which is at the western end of the island. The modern capital is at the far end of the island but Mahon became the capital during the period of British rule in the Eighteenth Century. Mahon is where mayonnaise was created.

Ciutadella Fish Market Menorca 5-6-26

We are able to wander around the town centre and then find ourselves an ice cream until it is time to return to the hotel. I spy a new handbag as my old one is showing signs of wear so I am able to obtain a replacement at a reasonable price. We shall see how long it lasts.

Ciutadella streets Menorca 5-6-26

We visit an important house which is open and the photographs are in the usual place on my Flickr page – but there are enough here to give a flavour of the place I hope.

Menorca 3 – 10 June 2026

11 June 2026 / admin

Tui Gatwick 3-6-26

Wednesday 3 June 2026

Jackie had the pleasure of travelling to Menorca many years ago and promised me that we would go one day – the day finally arrived on 3 June. As we have an evening flight from Gatwick we can eat a beautiful meal before we go. Sorrel at the time of writing this has closed which is an immense pity. For us it was a convenient pre-Gatwick stopping point for a Michelin starred lunch and then a wander by the back roads to the airport. It seems the economics did not work and the residents of Dorking do not know what they have lost.

We are bussed to the far side of the airport (almost back to Dorking) to actually board the plane – literally up against the far boundary.

We arrive in Menorca late in the evening and Cala’n Bosch is almost at the other end of the island from the airport. Added to which the only spine road is being rebuilt in places to cope with the traffic so it does not speed our journey.

Cala’n Bosch Harbour copyright J Whitbread

Thursday 4 June 2026

Virtually every other day on the holiday will be the same as this one. Wander across the complex to the dining room for breakfast. The first morning we manage to sit outside, but it is a bit of a bunfight and on future days we gravitate inside. Breakfast consumed we migrate to the sun beds around the pool. We make ourselves comfortable and then stretch out for a few hours. I may manage some listening or reading or nothing at all quite often. The hotel dispenses some light snacks and some fruit is picked up at breakfast for lunch and we might have a drink. Once we have had enough sun for the day we retreat to our room and maybe have an additional sleep. Or some reading. Very gentle.

In the evening some exercise. The hotel is adjacent to a harbour and around at least three sides of the harbour there are restaurants of all descriptions and they seem to ensure that they reflect as many different eating possibilities as they can achieve.

Friday 5 June 2026

We had a trip out – so I will do a separate post.

Saturday 6 June – Tuesday 9 June 2026

Tuna Godai copyright J Whitbread

Honestly largely a revisit Thursday so rinse and repeat. The main differences were the restaurants. On the final evening we visited GODAI which was a Japanese / Menorcan restaurant under the control of a Michelin starred chef for an excellent meal. Another evening was spent in Thai Garden within the Lago Resort Menorca which has a marvellous view over the Marina but at times the music being played by the hotel pool is perhaps not quite to my taste. We dined in some of the other restaurants – but there are at least as many to go again. Many residents may be on half board but we do like to try out the variety locally and there was plenty of it. The two restaurants are part of a Gastro Hub which seems to list about 12 establishments and we only went to 2. There seems to be good reason to return.

Wednesday 10 June 2026

We have a late flight and not wanting to be too sticky we leave the room as late as possible and at lunchtime go out to a different restaurant for a decent lunch. We still have about 5 hours to kill before the coach to the airport – but at least in daylight we see some of the rest of the island. Tui whizz us back to Gatwick and it does not take long to clear border control tonight, collect our bags and re-united with the car we can head home – with no motorway hold ups.

Cornwall 21 – 24 May 26

25 May 2026 / admin

Mussels Renmor 21-5-26

Thursday 21 May 2026

The focus today was a visit (in vastly improved weather) to the Bodmin Railway which has been immortalised in the linked page with the photographs and fuller descriptions. From there we returned to Newquay to spend two nights at the Headland Hotel, famous for its appearance in the film of Roald Dahl’s “The Witches”. We dine tonight in Renmor the Hotel’s own restaurant where amongst other items I consume the above plate of mussels – and that was just a starter. Photograph by and copyright of Jackie Whitbread.

Menu Ugly Butterfly 22-5-26

Friday 22 May 2026

After the improved weather yesterday Cornwall reverted to being cold and windy which is disappointing as we had planned to spend much of the day in the pool area of the hotel, part of which is outdoors but after a few minutes in the outdoor area we retreat into the indoor area. This is a lot warmer but has the inevitable drawback of being noisy.

Adam Handling 22-5-26

We consume no lunch but decide on a very early tea (one cream tea for two is plenty given everything else we are going to eat today. The menu above (again copyright Jackie Whitbread) shows that we are amazingly well. Adam Handling was in the kitchen and we were lucky enough to obtain a photograph at the end of the evening. Having eaten at all his establishments I can confirm that they are all good and worth experiencing.

Saturday 23 May 2026

We start our journey homewards today but take a slightly devious route as it is a number of years since we visited the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway. Sadly it does not serve either of the places named with the service based at Woody Bay. Again this is documented on the linked web page.

We then push onto South Molton where we stay at the George Hotel. I feel this deserves a special mention as we only stayed and did not eat there. However the place has clearly been looked after, the staff were friendly and helpful and a very decent breakfast was served. South Molton also looked like a quiet country town with a decent range of shops and a high street that looked as if it was still alive. A lovely place.

Our daughter Katie came to drive us to dinner at the Masons Arms Knowstone. It had been in the Good Food Guide for absolute aeons and I was aware that it had been on the market for a while. I have subsequently become aware that on 20 June 2026, just a month after our visit the team served their last meals. I had wanted to go there for many years; a Michelin starred restaurant in the more traditional style (the chef trained with the Roux brothers amongst others and was at one stage the head chef at the Waterside) and maintaining that quality as we now know until the last. May they have a long and happy retirement.

Sunday 24 May 2026

A shared drive back – to the M5 and then we pick up the A303. As we are coming back on the Sunday (it is a bank holiday weekend) we feel lucky when we hear how slow and difficult the journey back on Monday was. One decision we did get right.

Our lunch stop was The Hub 303 at Tintinhull which we discovered on an earlier trip back from Cornwall. It is roughly mid-journey for us. The home made fresh cakes are amazing and the coffee is pretty good. It is not an obvious stopping point as it is not really shown as anything more than petrol station – but it is there and it damn good. One day I hope the timing works to get a proper meal there – and it is only available on the eastward journey – but it is likely to be revisited.

Cornwall 20 May 26

21 May 2026 / admin

Tortoises Newquay 20-5-26

The weather has not improved so we are looking for an alternative destination today and hit upon visiting Newquay Zoo. We load up the car and leave the caravan which has been pleasant and convenient just lacking some sunshine and consequent warmth. We are not alone in not wanting to be up and about this morning. On our first trip past their enclosure there was no sign of any tortoises. On our way back first one emerges, then another and eventually there were four or five of them wandering around!

Penguins Newquay 20-5-26

In some of the enclosures there spotting the residents proves difficult on the pictures I have taken (things all seem smaller in the actual shots) but the penguins were visible I am pleased to say. There were quite a few hiding somewhere.

Philippine spotted deer Newquay 20-5-26

As this was stood on the high ground it was easy to spot the spotted deer from the Philippines. He was larger than many of the residents.

Pigs Newquay 20-5-26

For a while we could only see one little piggy and thought it might be lonely and then a number of others slowly emerged from their hiding places presumably for breakfast – just as we are starting to think about lunch. Being Cornwall it is time for the regulation pasty – one has to be concerned whilst visiting the county!

Our residence tonight is the Watergate Bay hotel which has had a few changes since our last visit and has a new dining facility Zacry’s restaurant where we have a a good dinner and then totter back up the hill into the hotel to our room which has a sea view. There has been quite a bit of change – the restaurant at the top closed and has been turned into apartments over looking the beach. Time moves on.

Cornwall 19 May 26

20 May 2026 / admin

Trelissick House 19-5-26

Today we actually follow at least part of the itinerary; it is not actually raining and it is not entirely dry either. We head to Trelissick House and Gardens which is located at Feock (and no I do not know how it is pronounced). It is already busy when we arrive as it has extensive gardens around which to walk. Knowing how we like slopes I ensure that we stick to the almost flat level around the house.

Gardens Trelissick 19-5-26

The house has an imposing view over the Fal river. John Lawrence originally identified the site and built the first part of the house, ground floor only, in the 1750’s. The Daniell family of mine owners bought the house and added architectural features during the nineteenth century, until their occupation ended in insolvency. Further owners added the second floor and outbuildings. In the twentieth century a director of Harrods saw the house from the river and then bought it in 1918 eventually passing it onto his step-daughter Ida Copeland who was married to the chairman of the Spode Copeland china company using it as a summer house and passing the estate to the National Trust and retaining the house as a residence until 2012. The Copelands are primarily responsible for the gardens as they are now although earlier occupants also had an input into them.

Flowers Trelissick 19-5-26

As we were wandering the grounds we came across this little one who seemed to not feel any need to run away from us at all.

Squirrel Trelissick 19-5-26

I thought we might find a nearby pub but fail and we return to the Chiverton Arms, Blackwater which is just behind the holiday park. We are told that we must order now or wait some time as they have a large party in – which is slowly assembling. We order the lunchtime only senior specials’ fish and chips – which is still a decent size and we do not feel short changed at all at £8 each – portions can easily be too large. I fear that the diversion of the A30 has probably robbed them of business so worth seeking out.

At least we were out and about today. In the afternoon the reading pile actually fell further – so something has been achieved.

Cornwall 15 -18 May 26

19 May 2026 / admin

Friday 15 May 26

Having not long returned from Lyon we were off again, this time on a domestic holiday with the hope of some sunshine and the TT providing the transport using the A303 as our way west as is usually the case.

We break the journey this time at Restaurant Osip near Bruton in Somerset. The restaurant is deep in the countryside and a wrong turning takes us a little too far in the wrong direction. Since our last visit they have opened rooms and so this time no taxi and we can stay put.

Merlin Labron-Johnson is present this time and as last time we have an excellent meal and a very quiet breakfast the following morning as we are the first downstairs. Strongly recommended, certainly good as we have visited twice in about 12 months which is unusual for us.

Saturday 16 May 26

Time to head further west along the A303 and then the A30 to our first stopping point – the supermarket on the edge of Bodmin where a bite to eat takes about 30 minutes to arrive; I will leave out the name.

Jackie has just about finished shopping by the time I have managed to eat. Our final destination is the St Agnes Holiday Park adjacent to the A30 and not overly far from Truro. So far the weather is not very attractive – normally when we come west the sun shines but at the moment it is actually cold and we have not removed the top on the car at all so far.

The satnav is completely defeated by the A30 rebuilding – the holiday park has not moved of course but the A30 has been extensively altered around here since the last map update (2020 I believe) so I am glad that my nose seems to be able to find our destination.

Nice caravan, it feels pretty new. Access to the hot tub requires going out, down and then up so not the easiest but otherwise fairly standard. Hopefully the weather will improve!

Sunday 17 May 26

When preparing the itinerary for this week we had looked at places to visit and booked restaurants to suit depending on the destination. The plan for today was to visit the Lizard – the most southernmost point of the mainland. However the weather is not that nice again today and so it is unlikely that the driving will be attractive or the views worth viewing.

We have lunch booked for the Square in Porthleven and we do make the journey there. Parking is not easy although we eventually manage to get a space. We later find that the restaurant seems to have changed hands since our searching out decent places to eat and the experience is disappointing. Nothing wrong apart from an excess of gravy on our plates and very restricted choice. Disappointing day and we return to the caravan. Still no sign of the weather improving.

Monday 18 May 26

Our plan today was to visit Trebah Gardens but once again it is raining and cold. Neither of us feels like walking around the gardens in the rain as there is no pleasure in getting wet and we stay in our caravan. At one point we contemplate using the hot tub – but it starts raining as we go out and so we retreat inside as we simply do not want to get a cold.

Dinner is booked for Mine a restaurant in Falmouth. Whilst it is a bit of walk from the car park and it is raining intermittently the meal here was a lot better than yesterday’s and things are starting to improve. In addition the restaurant is full on a Monday evening – so hopefully doing well.

On the way back to the car we see the local drug dealers in action. A car with two occupants is approached by another scrote on a bicycle who stops by the car and then they do not even wait until we are out of sight before (I am guessing) drugs and money are exchanged. I wonder where the police are? it is impossible to report the event despite all the modern technology which exists as I do try – but there is no simple form to fill in – almost as if they do not want to know about potential crime.

We return to the caravan and hope tomorrow will be an improvement.

Lyon 9.5.26

10 May 2026 / admin

Lyon Funicular F2 9-5-26

A return to more mundane territory today, indeed a slightly bigger drop than we had wished in some respects. Our first target today was to visit the two funiculars which I suspect I traversed on my previous visit to Lyon in 1982 but my memory of that is dimmed by time. Both funiculars commence at Vieux Lyon Cathedrale Saint Jean Metro station in the old town. We take the F2 line first which goes up to St Just with an intermediate stop for the Roman ruins. It is very warm in Lyon today so we do not feel like walking around Roman ruins and return to the starting point.

Lyon Funicular F1 9-5-26

There are significant queues for the second funicular – it all seems busier than I had anticipated. At the top of this funicular is the Cathedral named in the metro stop from which our journey commenced.

Cathedral St Jean 7-5-26

This photograph shows the Cathedral from the river level when we were walking around earlier in the week as none of the photographs taken up there actually demonstrated the full majesty of the building – it looks far more impressive from a distance as it is an elevated position over the city.

Lyon City 9-5-26

However from the elevated position the city can can be seen with the Saone river in the foreground and a little further back is the Rhone.

We had planned to walk down through the adjacent gardens but the route appears closed. We are walking as our destination is allegedly 5 minutes – although as it is steep and indirect it is a lot further before we reach La Table de la Villa Florentine which has recently re-opened following extensive refurbishment. However despite a Michelin recommendation our view was that it was slightly disappointing and unlike yesterday not really value for money.

In the evening we get to eat some of that cheese we bought and drink some more wine.

We travelled home on 10 May 2026. No fuss over getting through passport control (we go out on an early tram just in case there is a disaster) and as it is there we have a Burger King in the airport. Once back it is then pod to the car park and home with very little to report.