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Cornwall 3.5.25

4 May 2025 / admin

Killerton Park Music Room

We partake of breakfast and then before departing survey a little more of Lympstone Manor – we visit the pool and the pool house – all of which looks beautiful. We also see more of the statues and other sculptures and art installations round the hotel – all of which looks very lovely. We see a tennis court and see signs for a croquet lawn – so no doubt catering for a wide variety of tastes.

The car decides this morning that it will talk with a female voice – which has been changed from the usual male voice without human intervention. Also at one point it gives an instruction to go to one destination – which I spot on an overhead sign – so get in that lane – but she then starts recalculating as I am not on the route she anticipated! A little later I am following the brown signs to our first destination – but then I am told to turn off to the left – but there is an extra left turn whilst the real route is straight ahead. The turning I have taken proves to be a dead end. I am not a happy bunny at this point. The male voice was re-instated later.

We eventually get to Killerton Park and once parked we head to the house and find that our timing is perfect as the main house is about to open. We will not be doing the grounds today as we walked far enough yesterday. After a brief introduction we are encouraged to go upstairs first. On the first floor there is an extensive fashion collection from the 1920’s which makes for something different and then downstairs they are showing the house as it would have been in the same time period first with the music room. Then a little way round a corner there is a room setup for dancing the Charleston which then leads to a library for a quiet time later in the evening when a breather might be needed. Finally the dining room is laid up for breakfast to enable the guests to recover after the excesses the night before. All rather well done and with the usual room guides filling in details for visitors.

Killerton Park Breakfast

As we arrived a herd of cattle were being let out into one of the fields and whilst I am not sure they were skipping as they went they were certainly going faster than normal cow walking pace and the three leading animals could be seen heading across to the far side of the field which the herd had been put in and it looked as if they were assessing the eating available, the shade (it is another warm day) and would later be reporting back to the remainder of the herd later.

We now return to the M5 briefly and the A30 through Cornwall. It is some years since I have been this way and until we turn off at Bodmin it is now all dual carriageway and I note at least one section I can tell is new and elsewhere it certainly seems that it flows better than I remember. However although I drove to Launceston a few years ago to visit the railway we have not been deeper into Cornwall. I had anticipated having to ignore the satnav to head into Bodmin to find a supermarket but somehow the man (we hit it with a hammer, found the right setting and got rid of that terrible woman) seemed to know that I wanted to go into Bodmin and was telling me to turn off at the right turning – and luckily Aldi was right where it needed to be for Jackie to do some shopping.

We then proceeded onto Piran Meadows through the middle of Bodmin which was not quite the preferred route, having been advised that our caravan is available earlier than expected so can go straight in. Goods put away. Cases unpacked and then it is time to use the hot tub for the first time this evening.

Hopefully a better night’s sleep tonight.

Cornwall 2.5.25

3 May 2025 / admin

Stourhead 2.5.25

The room in the Nog Inn, Wincanton is a decent size and we were forced to have the window open because of the high temperatures – some of the warmest ever days to start May. Consequently we also discovered that Wincanton has some pretty noisy birds as the sunrise bird song was impossible to ignore, added to which people in one of the adjacent rooms were very early departures and were not as quiet as they might have been.

However breakfast is excellent and was a great start to the day. Car loaded we then headed ever so slightly east as we finally make it to Stourhead. We had been due to visit it at the end of July last year but our plans fell apart when we encountered a pub room that was not a patch on the excellent quality of the Nog Inn and decided to drive home rather than to endure two nights in a less welcoming environment. No names – but we had intended to visit Stourhead then but headed home instead.

We had never been to Stourhead before, although have obviously seen pictures of the gardens and one or two appearances on television programmes, so the views are known – but until one is actually standing there it is perhaps hard to visualise the reality – which is beautiful. We did most of the main walk – taking one shortcut at the expense of a steep gradient to leave out some of the meander.

The house was reconstructed by the Hoare family with monies originally derived from goldsmithing and banking until such time as more difficult periods were suffered as is often the case with later family generations. The grounds have been maintained and have now matured perhaps beyond what the originators could ever have imagined. Visitors to the Hoare family were required to navigate the full garden walk – but I suppose it was a good way of developing an appetite.

The inside of the house is currently open only at ground floor level – but perhaps the most stunning room for me was the library. However the picture gallery on the other side of the house again has a size and contents which were intended to prove to the visitors of the wealth and standing of the family in a fashion similar to that demonstrated by Bess of Hardwick and Hardwick Hall which we visited a few weeks ago.

Leaving Stourhead we then took to the A303 and traversed the Blackdown Hills. I first remember driving this road with an uncle in 1973. There was one particularly sharp curve at Barton which I struggled even then to believe should be allowed on an A road. In the intervening 52 years the curve has been eased a little through road widening, but it remains a huge surprise on an A road. Much of the remainder of the route (except at Stonehenge) has changed significantly over the intervening period and indeed this trip encountered a completely new section a Sparkford (opened in November 2024) which was unknown to the satnav as it tried to tell me which exit to take at a now non-existent roundabout.

Our destination today is Lympstone Manor which is almost in Exmouth even if it is called Lympstone. Road works slow our final approach as we are diverted around the countryside and then get caught in particularly slow traffic due to an invisible set of lights for the road works (invisible in that we turn off before reaching them).

Lympstone Manor is a gorgeous hotel, owned and run by Michael Caines. He has developed the property and it has some wonderful views out over the Exe estuary and with the clear fine weather we can see large numbers of little boats in the estuary.

Pre-dinner we sit on the terrace in the sun – it feels warmer out there than in the lounge and sup a glass of the hotel’s own sparkling wine from the vineyard in view between us and the water. And a great start to the evening. Unusually we decide to go with the fish only menu – most of which is local.

Lympstone Manor menu

Regrettably something goes wrong and we get the courses in the wrong order and that takes the shine off the evening slightly. Apologies are made and charges reduced – so the right things are done but it is a shame that it was not right. The ravioli lobster course and the rhubarb soufflé were both excellent but perhaps because of the mix up we felt it was not quite as good as last night.

Cornwall 1.5.25

2 May 2025 / admin

Osip menu

As we are going to spend most of the time we are away on this holiday utilising a caravan we are taking the large car as we will need the space – we have undertaken similar trips in the small car before but it is easier to get shopping in the large car as well as the cases and other bags. This is also an ever increasing holiday. Initially only a week away was planned and then we added a stop off on the way down to break up the journey and as our final stop insists on two nights over a weekend. It eventually became 11 days when we read about another highly rated restaurant which turns out not to be too far off the A303 (our preferred route west) so we added a further extra stop on the outward journey and that enabled an additional location to be visited without having to rush around.

Having filled up with petrol it is the M3 first and then the A303 as we head towards Wincanton where we are stopping at the Nog Inn for the night. We arrive and spot the inn on the right but completely miss the car park on the other side of the road which the staff confirm exists when we phone them – however at the second circuit of the one way system we find it with a member of staff able to direct us and so we get parked.

The reason for staying here is to enable a visit to Osip – a restaurant now located in a former pub nr Bruton. A taxi has been arranged to take us from the pub to the restaurant so we wait outside the pub and it is on time. Which is just as well as the destination appears to be in the middle of nowhere – it is definitely physically not in Bruton itself – although that may be the nearest town.

We are a little concerned as the initial vibes feel similar to those engendered at Restaurant Jericho in Nottinghamshire which we experienced a few weeks ago and did not enjoy. Tonight was a completely different ball park and was enjoyable from start to finish plus the pairing wines were excellent as well – really complementing the taste of the food – something which does not always happen with tasting wines. (Photo of menu copyright Jackie Whitbread).

Ali the taxi cab is also able to get us back to the Nog Inn at the end of the evening safely. We are able to navigate the cobbles and the steps back to our room, where we settle down to sleep.

Lisbon / Sintra 4.3.25

6 March 2025 / admin

National Palace Sintra

We have a quieter day today – a walk up the hill (if you visit Sintra hills are inevitable) – to the National Palace which is adjacent to the main square.

Wikipedia says that it is the best preserved medieval royal residence in Portugal as it has been in near continuous use from the early 15th century when the Islamic Moors ruled the region until late in the 19th century. None of the Moorish construction survives with a part of the building being dated to the early 14th Century and much of it was erected in the early 15th century.

Externally the most striking aspect of the building are two enormous conical chimneys which extracted the fumes and smoke from the kitchens as there are two large banks of ovens and stoves for the cooks to be able to feed the royal family and the inevitable entourage.

There was further construction in the early sixteenth century as Portugal gathered wealth from the expeditions being undertaken across the world at that time. Inevitably the earthquake of 1755 led to damage but it was restored in the same fashion. Following the creation of the Republic in 1910 it became state owned and was the subject of significant restoration in the 1940s becoming a tourist attraction.

Magpie Room National Palace

The magpie room was decorated by King John 1 (ruler from 1385 to 1433) who had apparently been caught kissing a lady in waiting by his wife Philippa of Lancaster (daughter of John of Gaunt) and sister to the later Henry IV (of England). A woman not to be crossed I suspect. She married as part of the famous Anglo-Portuguese Alliance which commenced in 1386 (marriage in 1387) – making Portugal the longest of our allies and the alliance remains in force to this day.

As previously mentioned we had a light lunch in Café Paris and having spent the afternoon doing some reading in the evening we go the nearby (to our B&B) Romaria de Baco which looks slightly unprepossessing from the outside but inside we are again warmly greeted and enjoy a good meal, partly enlivened by a party of three (parents and a teenager) who were clearly having a somewhat serious argument as everyone is clearly quite fired up. Sadly with no knowledge of the language we could only guess what the upset was.

On the Wednesday (5 March 25) we have to return home. I had originally planned to take the other rail line back into Lisbon and then changing onto the metro for the last couple of stops out to the airport. Jackie insists that we book and take a taxi as she does not want anything to go wrong. At one point on the motorway we are moving very slowly and I get close to saying something but the jam clears after about twenty minutes and I have managed to restrain myself. However it would have been less stressful (probably) by rail, although I am not enthused by the metro and their lifts / escalators not being there when needed. Then the usual hanging around the airport until we have a plane and back to Heathrow and recover the car and head home.

Lisbon / Sintra 3.3.25

4 March 2025 / admin

Sintra Pena Palace 3.3.25

Our destination today is the Pena Palace and we already know where to catch the bus – it comes down the hill and stops at a particular bus stop. It is a circular service and just goes round and round and I have previously researched the price. What I did not expect was that the driver does not want to sell us the basic ticket. They have been told to sell a rover ticket at a higher price – not the simple return ticket. We do eventually get it. The price difference is a couple of Euros but I dislike being “ripped off” in this way. I suspect for those doing both palaces it might make some sense – but it is a “norty” bus company.

We pass the Moorish palace first and then reach the Pena Palace. As yesterday we are significantly early as the instructions make it clear that there is a need to be present at the time the tour is timed (every half hour). So we are able to walk around the outside parts of the castle and then watch a couple of previous timed entries enter. It becomes clear that if you are given an 11 am timing you can enter over the next 25 minutes. So rather than join a queue and be in the hustle we wait for 20 minutes after our allotted time and then we enter behind the main pack and are not being hustled along by those behind us. And potentially able to get photos without too many people in the way. (Some months later we encounter a very similar problem at St Michael’s Mount and I suspect it has all been born out of covid and no-one has quite managed to relax since).

The Palace is externally an almost glorious clash of different styles representing the contributions from various sources over the life of the palace – the heading picture struggles to convey these variations.

Pena Palace Interior

It takes about 35 – 40 minutes to go around the Palace and hopefully I will have some decent photos of it. The original monastery was destroyed in to earthquakes – the second being the one which also devastated Lisbon in 1755. In 1838 the Ferdinand II acquired the lands and set about turning it into a suitable summer palace for the royal family. A German architect was employed with construction being finally completed by 1854, although it was largely complete in 1847. The Royal family had significant input into various elements of the design. In 1889 it was bought by the State from the Royal family and after 1910 it became a museum. At the end of the 20th Century it was restored to its original colours.

In the evening we eat at the Café Paris which is immediately opposite the National Palace which we are visiting tomorrow. An excellent meal so we will have a light lunch here tomorrow as well. Decent food and well looked after which is always welcome.

Lisbon / Sintra 2.3.25

3 March 2025 / admin

CP Lisbon unit 2414

Luckily having checked yesterday we do actually know where to go to find the train to Sintra. No great problem buying tickets or finding the train. The timetable implied that there is a more frequent service than is actually the case – it turns out that there are two distinct destinations in the area and one of them is not really in Sintra where we need to be. Quite why the timetable implies they both go to Sintra I struggle to comprehend.

As with the tram yesterday the loading on the train is high – we were there early so were able to claim seats but many stand for the journey which is a slight surprise. As ever the fares are unbelievably low – far below any UK fares for similar journeys. And of course it is electrified.

We cross paths with a pair of people who were also on our food tour a few days ago as they are also going to Sintra – but intend to fit in far more (being American) whilst we are simply making the journey today and seeing sights over the next two days.

Once we have arrived in Sintra we stay close to the station as lunch is booked in a restaurant so we want to get a coffee to bridge the gap. We sit outside a coffee shop but they seem to have a crisis inside and initially refuse to serve us. As we have cases we do not wish to go inside and somehow our existence appears to be completely forgotten so instead of being warmed by coffee we are actually getting colder.

The restaurant is down the hill and unlike most diners we go for the full three courses. So we actually see people pop in, eat what is almost less than a snack and depart. It seems very odd compared with normal UK Sunday behaviour which is to consume a full roast. Indeed in a few cases they order one plate and share it.

Regrettably we have to go all the way back up to the station (up a hill) to find the taxi rank to take us to our next B&B which is centrally located – but there is an awkward one way system for cars to get into the main town.

In the evening we take a wander around the town and having had a lunch we feel a pizza might be a suitably light meal and there is little choice – but the place we use is difficult to recommend so disappointing. We have a meal booked in one place for Tuesday – externally it looks less than great but we shall see it inside when we get there.

Lisbon / Sintra 1.3.25

2 March 2025 / admin

Belem Tower

We wake and find it is a much brighter morning. The breakfast room in the hotel looks out over Restauradores and it is also interesting to watch the other residents coming and going. A decent breakfast as well.

Having been displaced from yesterday this morning we head down to Praça do Comércio intending to take the tram 15 to Belem. There is a long queue and no tram 15 appears although it is supposed to be frequent. I eventually walk to the tram stop shelter (we are at the back of lengthy queue) and there is a notice which informs me that tram 15 is truncated at some point on the route and it seems it will not be serving this stop (as it is in Portuguese I am guessing at the content to a certain extent – but the names of the roads do not mean much to me and trying to find them on Google Maps does not help a lot either).

There is an adjacent taxi rank and so we take the obvious step. A very helpful and chatty taxi driver is happy to get us to our planned destination and explains how to walk between the Tower, the monument and the Jerónimos Monastery for which I am grateful.

At the Tower the wait to enter looks like it is about 30 minutes long – but it is getting warmer so we decline the opportunity to stand around in the sun and decide to walk along to the monument. We are both sure we visited this briefly on a coach trip when moored here on a cruise a few years ago but we have a little more time to take photographs today.

Jeronimos Monastery

The Jerónimos Monastery Is the other side of the main road and so we make use of the passenger underpass emerging the other side. We have a pleasant walk through some gardens and then have trouble finding the ticket booth, hidden away in a corner of the gardens behind trees. However I can see that there is a long queue into monastery which the we overhear a discussion and it is taking a couple of hours – which is even less attractive in the sun than the wait at the Tower.

We determine we will return someday perhaps – the area is struggling to cope with the number of visitors which have appeared in the sunshine and today is not the day for us to be standing around. Having closely watched the trams moving I work out where we need to be to catch a tram for most of the return journey which we then take back towards the town centre.

The station we need to use tomorrow is immediately behind the hotel and yet the entrance in an adjacent building lacks any branding or recognition that it is an entrance – it appears to be a Starbucks. When we go in we see signs directing us upstairs to the trains – but externally it is bereft. It is fair to say that we have not seen as much of Lisbon as I would have liked due to a combination of limited opening hours, non-existent trams and simply far too many people. Frustrating to be honest.

Lisbon / Sintra 28.2.25

1 March 2025 / admin

Prado menu

Originally we had planned to visit Belem today and maybe some other parts of Lisbon but the weather continues to be less than ideal and lacking waterproof clothing may be a real drawback if it continues much longer.

So we head to the terminus of the historic tram – no 28 – which covers (normally) much of Lisbon which is ideal on a damp day. Before leaving the UK I was already aware that the tram route is not currently running the entire way to the west due to road works but instead terminates in a square on the far side of the hill to the hotel. We do not particularly wish to cover the rest of the route (it has been through the really historic part of the town by the castle) and do not use the minibus onward but wait for our tram to shuffle off, reverse and then pick up passengers for the return trip to our starting point.

Lisbon tram

I had thought about taking the Santa Justa lift to the higher level and visiting the former convent which contains various artworks. However there is a lengthy queue for the lift and there is a limit to patience and ability to stand around waiting. Watching the queue for a little while it did not seem to be moving at all – so no idea how long the wait would be.

In the evening we walk down through the main area to the Se Cathedral. However this closes an hour earlier in winter than in summer – so has just closed as we arrive. This is unfortunate as we now have an hour of time to waste before we can go the restaurant we have booked. Not one of my better moments.

Restaurant Prado (due to a recommendation by Edible Reading) was the destination this evening. It is an excellent meal. The place is also fairly busy and this is an excellent place to eat and I have put the menu above as given the weather this was the highlight of the day!

Lisbon / Sintra 27.2.25

28 February 2025 / admin

Hanging Hams

This morning the weather does not look bright but I get down to Rossio which is adjacent to the hotel to find that the battery in my big camera is flat. I have time so return to the room and pick up my portable charger and start recharging it in my pocket. By the time I return to Jackie it is starting to spit and the rain then continues the rest of the time we are out of the hotel.

Our guide – of Chilean origin and a lawyer who decided to change his life post covid and has resettled in Lisbon – gives us a little history of Portugal and Lisbon before taking us around some local outlets to show us the food.

Up first is a pork sandwich and so far the rain is not too bad. Tasty pork – which has to be taken with the famous piri piri sauce – Jackie feels I am adding too much – but the drops are very small and only about half the recommended eight drops – so just enough for a taste rather than drowning the pork. The pork is accompanied by some white wine – so the morning is off to a good start, well it is five o’clock somewhere after all.

We keep passing the Bastardo fish restaurant – but it is not one we visit – I have to hope it has a different meaning in Portuguese. Our next stop is another glass of wine to accompany the cod fish balls which are cod and potato. The rain continues to fall.

Lisbon alcohol

A stop for some port is only to be expected in Portugal and whilst this is before lunch it proves acceptable – although we stand outside we are just about undercover – sadly the rain keeps on raining down.

Now time for something a little more substantial as we need to soak up some of the alcohol and therefore lunch.

Around the corner it is time for Ginjinha – which is not gin but is in fact a sweet cherry liqueur from a bar with that name which is just across the way from our hotel. A lot of people appear to stop off for a quick one on their way past. This time we shelter in the miniscule space in front of the bar – that rain is still falling.

We have one further stop – which is some distance away and requires the use of a lift. Without realising it the rain is worse and it is now penetrating my light jacket to the point that when I arrive at the final stop for cheese and meat boards I am completely soaked. I remove my coat and as we are there some time I have time to dry out a little. Until we return to the hotel and am soaked through again. That coat has lost all water-proofing and is little use in the rain in future.

I hang up my shirt to dry out as well.

Lisbon / Sintra 26.2.25

27 February 2025 / admin

Heathrow T5

This morning we head off to Heathrow and once again we are using the pod parking, for the first time in daylight and because it is pretty full this morning we park close to the B station. Car parked we trundle along the podway to Terminal 5, this is just such a simple way of accessing the airport. Bag drop is relatively quick but security less so. Then an interminable wait until we are told we are departing from B gates, so take the underground transit out to the B gates.

A nearly full flight but we load well and are ready to back off the stand seven minutes ahead of expected departure time, not that we do although we are soon away. A good flight down to Lisbon where we are terminated on a stand away from the main building so it is a bus into the terminal.

Bags collected we head outside to the metro terminus and descend to the departure platform of the metro which provides a good service into the City Centre. We travel to the end of the red line at Sao Sebastien and then change to the blue line for Restauradores. The lifts are a bit of a pain when we change (as we have cases) and it is worse at Restauradores – both the upward escalator and the lift are out of action. Even worse there are no lifts from the underground ticket hall to street level so we have to slowly ascend the stairs. It was obvious in Turin that at the main station (and there is a main station just around the corner which we shall use later in the week) that there were lifts from the metro to street level – their absence is surprising.

Bonjardim

Our hotel is immediately adjacent to the exit rom the station which is welcome and we are soon in an excellent room in the Avenida Palace Hotel. It is now late afternoon so some unpacking and then we have planned to go to a very local restaurant – Bonjardim – which has been serving spit roast chicken since the early fifties if I remember correctly. Potentially the original peri peri chicken came from here and they certainly provide a peri peri sauce to add to the chicken. We arrive and almost immediately a significant queue forms up behind us so very lucky timing. Many of the later arrivals are accommodated indoors whereas given the warmth we are able to sit outside and enjoy the entertainment provided by a dancer who appears and does a couple of dances and then goes round making a small collection to which we add funds.

An excellent meal and an interesting discussion with the tables either side – Americans who have moved to Portugal in one case and a Canadian on his travels around Europe.