Beautiful cities and a huge variety of cultures packed into a small continent. Not to mention the food!
We left Langley Castle wishing we could have stayed for longer, but we had even more castles in the beautiful county of Northumberland to explore. The weather was picture-perfect with blue skies and not a cloud to be seen, most unusual for England. On leaving Langley...
Have you ever wanted to stay overnight in a castle? Langley Castle is a medieval castle hotel located in Northumberland, England. First built in 1350 during the reign of Edward III, it has changed hands a number of times down the centuries and is now a luxury hotel...
We left the Lake District the next morning, driving over the stunning Kirkstone Pass to Ullswater. This was a beautiful drive with epic mountain scenery, but the roads were very narrow. Typical of rural England. We made a quick stop at Aira Force waterfall which is a...
The Lake District is a national park in the northwest of England. With dramatic landscapes thanks to its 200 fells and 16 lakes the scenery is stunningly picturesque wherever you look. Here are my favourite Lake District things to do if you have a few days to spend in...
We left Chatsworth and kept driving north towards the Lake District. We had a blue sky day and the countryside looked glorious in the sunshine. In no time at all we had arrived in Blackpool. In case you're not familiar with Blackpool, it's a seaside resort town on the...
Chatsworth House is a Grade 1 listed house and estate in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire, England. With a house packed full of priceless art and history, majestic rooms to explore and grounds full of pretty gardens and a maze there is no shortage of...
It was a relief to extricate ourselves from the busy built-up sprawl of the West Midlands and finally get out into the rolling hills of the English countryside. We drove north, enjoying the views over the Peak District countryside and making good time. We pulled into...
St Albans is a small city in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Home of Britain's first Saint and with an incredible amount of Roman and medieval history you'll find no shortage of things to do in this affluent commuter city. St Albans is a special piece of my own...
Dudley is a market town in the West Midlands, England. Located right next to Birmingham and part of a large urban sprawl in the Greater Birmingham area there are plenty of things to do in the area. Here's 12 things to do in Dudley and Birmingham to get you started. 1....
From the nostalgia of Welwyn Garden City it was straight into more nostalgia in the West Midlands. We made an early start and with a hop, skip and a jump we were on the M1 motorway heading north towards Birmingham. Birmingham is a very large conurbation of endless...
The Ritz is the grand old dame of afternoon tea in London. This outrageously lavish and opulent hotel has been open since 1906 and afternoon tea has been a …
Located in the county of Hertfordshire, Welwyn Garden City is a lovely town known for its tree-lined streets, parks and town centre. Founded in 1920 by Ebenezer Howard, it is both a garden city and new town and home to approximately 50,000 residents. I'm a proud...
From Harry Potter world we drove around the M25 to Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire. This was my hometown, where I was born and lived for 30 years so lots of memories here. We had a couple of days in the area seeing family and friends as well as my old favourite...
Why not explore London on foot with the some of these great walks in Central London. London is well known for its world-class public transport system. The tube is an underground metro system that allows you to get between places quickly and easily. There's no doubt...
We left London the next morning - me relieved and Rich sad to go - and got in a taxi to take us to Gatwick airport to pick up our rental car. This was a long and unpleasant journey through rush hour traffic but we finally made it. Gatwick is a long and arduous journey...
Our last day in London was another busy one. Starting with one of my favourite buildings in the city - the Natural History Museum. Built in 1873, the architecture of this building is mesmerisingly beautiful. Natural History Museum Gone are the days of just strolling...
After a jam-packed first day in London it was time for a jam-packed second day in London. We were up and out early again and made a beeline for Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. The kids were not as impressed with Big Ben as I had thought given how excited they had been...
Verona is a foodie paradise. With so much excellent food on offer, here's a complete guide to what to eat when you're in Verona. Pasta Ok, this is an obvious one given that we're in Italy. But the standard pasta dishes in Verona are uniformly excellent. This also...
In September 2024 we left Australia and went on a month long trip back home to England with a quick stop in Italy on the way home. This was the first time I had been to England in seven years and boy was I missing the place! Here is the full trip report. We arrived in...
Situated in the north of Italy, about an hour on the train from Venice and Milan and less than a two hour flight from London, Verona is a compact city and very easy to explore. A perfect choice for a quick Italian getaway. Here's how to spend your time in Verona. Walk...