Category: Holidays (Page 9 of 13)

Iceland – Day 4

11 March 2024 / admin

Eyjafjallajokull volcano

Sunday 10.3.24

An optional tour today to the south of the island to see some different sights, there is a quite a bit of time on the coach as the distances are significant and although the roads are not busy nor are they motorways. We head off in a similar direction to yesterday initially but turning off and taking a different route through the mountains to see some different scenery. We eventually descend to closer to sea level and then more or less run along the coast in a south-easterly direction.

Our first sightseeing stop is at the foot of Eyjafjallajökull which, when it erupted in 2010 led to the suppression of flights in much of Europe due to the high ash content being considered potentially capable of shutting down jet engines. The current eruptions have far lower ash content so they have not impacted on flights.

The volcano is covered by an ice cap and without a decent zoom lens the photos are all very long distance.

We move onto the black sandy beach at Reynisfjara where we are warned that the wind is particularly strong. It is also apparently famous from a Justin Bieber (who he?) video from 2015 which was shot here and which merely adds to the visiting tourist numbers. However Westlife, The Saturdays and Take That also filmed here as indeed has Bjork – which is perhaps less surprising! The wind is particularly strong and whilst I do not feel the need for a partner others do and I wonder if it is a less windy day than some as I do not feel that I will be blown away – but it might easily be that others have. We are close to the Hálsanefshellir Cave at the eastern end of the beach.

We stop at a shopping centre at Vik which is I believe the southernmost settlement of Iceland. Like all of the locations outside the capital it is quite small. This provides an opportunity for some lunch. There is another small black beach here as well – but the winds mean that we do not really get that far.

Our return journey is via the Skógafoss waterfall – which is one of the main tourist attractions as there is a large parking space. It is still a bit of a hike to the waterfall and a viewing point – I certainly rack up quite a few steps today as I make it there and back (I am pleased to say).

Seljalandsfoss waterfall

We also stop at Seljalandsfoss – another waterfall – which in summer I believe it is possible to walk around behind the falls – but this is not possible today as it is considered too wet and therefore unsafe. There are several falls here but I only go to the nearest one.

Then it is a direct run back to the capital and as is often the case a bit of a snooze on the journey – it makes the time pass more rapidly!

Tenerife 28.12.22

5 January 2023 / admin

Aloe Vera Farm Tenerife 28-12-22

It is now possible to take a road trip around the entirety of Tenerife – and much of it is motorway apart from the corner between La Carrera and El Molledo which is not far from Los Gigantes – essentially the top North Western corner. Today we are on a grand circular tour to see parts of the island we have not previously visited. We also have some stops along the way commencing with an aloe vera farm as seen above.

Bananas Tenerife 28-12-22

The second stop is a banana farm where we are taken through the essentials of banana production which is an important export for the island. Somehow these bananas tasted better than any previously encountered – possibly because they had completed ripening on the plant rather than being removed and the ripening completed on their way to their destination.

San Cristóbal de La Laguna Tenerife 28-12-22 Copyright J M Whitbread

We move onto San Cristóbal de La Laguna and whilst I am sure I did take some photographs I can no longer find them hence the credit above. The town is the original capital of Tenerife and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is at the eastern end of the island but was supplanted by Santa Cruz as capital as the latter has the harbour and access to the sea.

We do stop for a look at part of the northern coast but the last part of the trip requires an ascent on some roads doing regular changes in direction and then on the way back down by the coast we did this:

Twists and turns Tenerife 28-12-22

Caught through the coach window hence the odd reflections but this was the road heading back down to the coast and Los Gigantes. Probably hairier for the driver than for us.

A pleasant day out and seeing parts of the island not previously visited.

Los Gigantes Tenerife 20.12.22 – 3.1.23

4 January 2023 / admin

Hotel Los Gigantes 22-12-22

Two weeks away covering Christmas and the New Year in the relative warmth of Los Gigantes, Tenerife seemed like a very good idea after having two Christmases at home. We did try to go away at Christmas 2021 – but this impossible when there was a minor resurgence of covid.

Our destination hotel, now known as Tui Blue, was the first development in this part of the island and in the reception there is a huge photo showing the visitors arriving by boat. The hotel opened ln 1963 but has been significantly facelifted in recent years and is presently adult only. So there should be no children, no squealing and no brats running around at meal times – instead it will be very civilised.

Cliffs Los Gigantes 22-12-22

The area around the hotel is not very flat so on the second day I take a short local walking tour with a group of other new arrivals to see the locality. This gives a chance to see the adjacent cliffs and the small harbour. Originally we thought we might eat out but events conspired against us. I do spot a couple of possibilities but we do not get there.

Harbour Los Gigantes 22-12-22

We took one day trip which I will record as a separate post. There are some stories which I shall record.

Event 1:
A typical day is a case study in learning how to do nothing. Many of our holidays down the years have involved being on the move and seeing things so to hardly do anything at all – apart from stretching out in the sun for the morning and then having a sleep in the afternoon seems unusual. The odd thing is that even with the afternoon nap, we still feel pretty tired in the evening and we are not staying up late at all. Quite a bit of reading is achieved plus a lot of listening so the outstanding pile of unread material does decline nicely which is pleasing in itself.

Event 2:
We both suffered bouts of illness. In my case it was a UTI which we felt needed medical intervention. A doctor arrived about 2 hours after we asked reception staff for help. Infection confirmed and prescription written, a quick visit to an adjacent pharmacy so within 3 hours I have taken the first tablet. The local dosage is also higher than the UK and the antibiotics soon knock the infection sideways. This happened on a day when to get a prescription in the Uk might well have needed a visit to a remote out of hours facility.

Event 3:
A decent Christmas lunch but no sign of any Brussels sprouts. The following morning there are green vegetables for breakfast as there are every morning; today there are some exquisite Brussels sprouts. Neither of us wants them for breakfast!

Event 4:
Every evening there was musical entertainment; somehow after a few numbers it seems to become a Motown run down, just like the previous evening. We went along most evenings but mainly for another drink not the music.

Cough medicine 28-11-22

Event 5:
If you get a bad throat then this is the stuff to fix it.

Event 6:
A phone call from the surgery insisting I need blood tests. I point out that I had a complete set of blood tests in September and consequently there should be no need as they tested everything under the sun. They went away but once I was back in the UK they started on again. Once again I pointed at the September results but the idiot could not be bothered to check and eventually ended up by cutting my prescriptions and simply would not listen to my repeated explanations. There are drawbacks to mobile phones and being permanently connected and this was one of them.

Brecon Mountain Railway 13.10.22

15 October 2022 / admin

Pant Loco No 1 13-10-22

This is a very short trip and we head along the M4 to Merthyr Tydfil where Jackie wishes to visit a clothing retailer whom she has been following online to enable her to see the product in person.

Sheep on the line 13-10-22

This enables me to take a trip on the Brecon Mountain Railway which utilises the trackbed of the Brecon and Merthyr Railway which later became part of the Great Western Railway on grouping in 1923. Freight services ended in the early sixties. Tony Hills bought 5 miles of the route and built a narrow gauge railway with the first services running in 1980 from Pant (which is a new station not quite on the site of the original Pant station) as far as Pontsticill. The route was extended in 1995 from the original northern terminus which was adjacent to the dam of the Pontsticill reservoir; after a further extension in 2014 the line is now about 4.25 miles long and provides an attractive run alongside the reservoir with the line terminating at Torpantau. There is a passing loop just before Dolygaer (the station is now closed although it was the terminus at one point). Torpantau is at the summit of the line some 1313 ft above sea level.

Torpantau Loco no 1 13-10-22

The line has been built to 1’ 113/4” gauge – so similar to some other lines in Wales. It is hard to believe that it has been in existence for very nearly 50 years and has seen a variety of locomotives over the years. The workshops have also undertaken work for other lines.

My visit is on a pleasant Autumn day with some wonderful sensorial colours as a backdrop. I have travelled on the line previously with the first trip being before the extensions. The line now appears to be mature and since our visit and the deaths of both Tony Hills and Peter Rampton, the line is now under the same management as the Vale of Rheidol railway which has seen significant investment, as has this line, over the years.

Pant after return 13-10-22

Operationally the train runs non-stop to Torpantau, a steady uphill climb. The BMR station is only a little way short of the former Torpantau station on a new track bed adjacent to the road which has been realigned. A little way on was Torpantau tunnel which was the highest tunnel on the UK network and the line then continued onwards to Talybont-on-Usk. At Torpantau he loco runs round and we return to Pontsticill where we stop and have time to inspect the shed and so on.

Santa Teresa Pant 13-10-22

We then complete the return to Pant which is on the alignment of L&NWR line / connection from Dowlais to Morlais Junction. A decent trip behind no 1 ‘Santa Teresa’ now a 2-6-2 rebuild (in 2019) of Baldwin which saw service at the Santa Teresa sugar mill. It returned to the UK in 1990 and moved to the BMR in 2002 before undergoing a heavy rebuild into the locomotive seen today.

It then seems to take an age to retrace my steps to Merthyr Tydfil just about as the rain is about to fall to collect Jackie. We then return along the M4 as we are spending the night at Lucknam Park to partake of the delights created by Hywel Jones in his restaurant of the same name. He has since upped his Michelin star count to 20 consecutively. We dine well and it is a fabulous place. One day I hope we will be able to revisit.

Lindos 30.9.21

6 October 2021 / admin

Lindos Fortress 30-9-21

One of the main historic sites on Rhodes is Lindos and we took ourselves there on what seemed to be an exceptionally warm day. Lindos was a major trading centre in the 8th Century BC but its influence declined after Rhodes came into existence in the 5th Century BC.

Lindos Harbour 30-9-21

The harbour is not particularly large hence leading to the decline as a trading centre. The acropolis was topped in about 300BC with a temple to Athena, later falling into disuse and then being partially covered by a 14th Century fortress by the Knights of St John.

Temple Athena remains Lindos 30-9-21

For many the way to top is using a donkey – but neither of us feel that being atop a donkey is the safest activity we can undertaken and Jackie elects to stay in the Square whilst I walk to the top. It is busy and there is a queue to enter so it takes a little longer than I had anticipated. I made it!

Athena Temple description 30-9-21

Just to provide the historical background.

Acropolis of Lindos 30-9-21

On our return journey it proved possible to get a different view to grasp the size of the town and the fortress. Whilst the town is busy during the day with visitors like ourselves we were told that it goes very quiet in the evening and becomes a very pleasant place to visit. I do know that it was an exceptionally warm day to walk up (and down again).

Rhodes Town 28.9.21

5 October 2021 / admin

Windmills Rhodes Harbour 28-9-21

Rodos Park is within easy (downhill) walking distance of Rhodes town. I might take a slightly different view of the return journey. Rhodes is situated close to Turkey and has been controlled by many different empires through the ages. Roman obviously, the Byzantine or Eastern Roman empire based on Constantinople, Islamic forces carried off the remains of the Colossus, then the Genoese and in the Crusader period the Knights Hospitallers who are responsible for much of the monuments which we visit today. The scale of the fortifications is enormous.

Fortifications Rhodes 28-9-21

Later the island fell into the Ottoman Empire for around 400 years then the Italians took control in 1912 with an agreement that it would be passed back to Turkey never being completed due to the First World War. German occupation commenced in 1943 after Italy was defeated which ended in 1945 and the island became part of Greece in 1947 with the Italian colonists returning to Italy. A hugely mixed history and the town is relatively flat as we wander around some of the back streets.

Suleymaniye Mosque 28-9-21

We see evidence of the various eras – the Knights Hospitallers for the fortification and the mosque originally built in early 16th Century once the Ottoman Empire had taken control of the island, but I think a large proportion of was reconstructed in 1808 and has been closed since 2014 awaiting further restoration.

Rhodes Town 28-9-21

A side street in Rhodes Town – I was lucky here as usually there were more people around!

Different levels Rhodes Town 28-9-21

What was obvious but which we did not investigate is that there appear to be higher levels with connecting bridges between buildings common around the town.

View opposite coffee break Rhodes 28-9-21

After all that walking we decided a break for coffee and people watching was in order as they wandered along the Street of the Knights (Odos Ippoton). We ended our visit to Rhodes Town with a rapid visit to the iconic Windmills of Mandraki as seen above. They were used to grind grain being offloaded from the ships in the harbour. There were once 12 – 18 mills along the harbour front.

Rhodes 26.09.21 – 3.10.21

4 October 2021 / admin

Rodos Park Pool 27-9-21

This was our first escape from the UK now that International travel is once again permitted as the risks relating to covid have been addressed. We have the pleasure of an EasyJet to Rhodes where we have accommodation and are organised.

Arriving at the airport is instructive. To travel at the moment one needs a passport (obviously), tickets (even more obviously) and then proof of covid vaccinations plus completion of a form for each person notifying the authorities of whereabouts at the destination and all of which has to be completed electronically. Precise requirements depend on the destination.

There is a queue for the check in at the airport and a young lady whom we can see is seeking to check the existence of the relevant documents for each traveller before allowing them to actually drop their baggage. Many of them are seeking to display the information on their phones – and inevitably there is a lot of swiping going on as they seek to find the boarding passes, the vaccination records and the relevant forms. Quite a significant proportion have no idea of the need for the form to be completed for the destination country and are being sent away to complete them online – which is not always the easiest thing to do in the timescale needed.

Needless to say we are prepared – it is all printed out in order and can be easily checked. It is noticeable that the older travellers prefer paper to their phones – and compared with most we progress very quickly and the lady thanks us for being organised. I wonder she maintained her composure given the lack of documents among some of the intending travellers.

Magpies Rodos 27-9-21

With the difficult bit done we are eventually off into the wide blue yonder and our destination was the excellent Rodos Park Suites and the best sight was the sunshine and the pool which greeted us the following morning. Plus some pretty large magpies trying to hide in the trees. The trouble is that they are bit big to actually hide.

A decent hotel and we were able to eat outdoors in the evenings. The team delivered some good meals and we were able to enjoy some very decent local wines which the hotel staff were keen to demonstrate the ability of the local wine makers. Greek wine has come a long way over the years and we had a good week. There will be some individual posts on other aspects of the island.

Cotswolds 1-3 November 2020

5 November 2020 / admin

Broadway Tower 2.11.20

2020 will be remembered as the year of covid – and we are once again lucky. With some freedoms currently in place we have been able to book a couple of nights at a hotel which has long been on my wish list to visit – The Lords of the Manor in Upper Slaughter. The hotel is one of the bastions of the Country House Hotel movement – with a reputation that was strong in the last century and whilst it might not currently meet the highest heights in those terms it remains a beautiful place to visit.

Bourton on the Water Model Village 2.11.20

Obviously we have the disbenefit of short days and that simply means we can spend more time in the comfort of the hotel. We only have one complete day and we drive over to Bourton-on-the-Water as it is probably half a century since I visited the model village and it is a pleasant way to spend some time wandering around looking at the detail – which includes a model of the model village which also includes a model of the model village.

The other local attraction is Broadway Tower which is open. However visiting numbers are limited and we are asked to wait outside – which would be well and good if it was not a very cold wind blowing. Jackie returns to the car whilst I do go around the Tower.

There are two dining rooms at the hotel – the Dining Room and the Atrium so we use the opportunity to dine in each of them once. Both excellent and our only concern is an individual coughing throughout the evening in the Atrium. But if covid germs were disseminated none reached us and laid us low.

Cumbria 1.10.20

2 October 2020 / admin

Red squirrel 1.10.20

Today is our final day in the Lake District before we return home. So some final experiences. There are some further passes to traverse. Heading via Keswick we then head south past Derwent Water and then over the Honister Pass – negotiating which is made interesting when we encounter a bus service coming from the other direction.

Our road then skirts Buttermere and Crummock Water. After another couple of miles we make a sharp turn to the right taking the B5292 which passes through Whinlatter Forest and the Whinlatter Pass.

It is a devious route to find our luncheon dining spot – the Cottage in the Wood. A well known fact is that whilst the foreign grey squirrels, introduced in 1876 from North America, have largely ousted the native red squirrel in most of the country one of the outposts where the red retain control is the Lake District. Until today, as far as I was concerned, this was unproven.

Squirrel in box 1.10.20

The management of the Cottage in the Wood have taken steps to encourage the local squirrels to entertain diners and there are a number continuously scampering around outside the restaurant and we have an excellent view of events through the window.

Peacock 1.10.20

On return to our lodge some of the local wildlife is wandering around between the lodges and whilst the peacock did not give a demonstration of plumage it remains colourful.

Come 2 October it was time to drive home – the usual progress along the M6 and the M40 to get ourselves home. Something like 300 miles and rather more than 5 hours whichever route we take.

Cumbria 30.9.20

1 October 2020 / admin

The holiday plan for this day indicated that we were going to travel on Lake Windermere and then on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. However I have absolutely no photographs of the day at all (and have double checked). After looking carefully I have reached the conclusion that as we had been busy all week we actually stayed in the Lodge during the day only going out in the evening.

In the evening we visited the Lake Road Kitchen which is another excellent restaurant. The only drawback is the relatively long drive back to our lodge at Calthwaite – it is about an hour and marks a slight drawback to this week.