Easter Journeyings

Good Friday saw us on the road to visit family once again - setting off early  to avoid the bank holiday traffic, and arriving in really good time as a result.  

Had a couple of days then enjoying some family time, and helping out with stuff like shopping and furniture rearrangements - while our Marci found a quiet corner to hide in . . .

Goodbyes said, we were back on the road again on Easter Sunday, heading across country towards Stratford-upon-Avon where we were staying the night.

Took a break to revisit Kenilworth Castle - stretching our legs, and enjoying tea and a pasty - before moving on to Stratford itself, where we duly booked in to our Travelodge.

The weather thus far hadn't been inspiring, but at least it was dry (outside) - unfortunately the same couldn't be said for 'inside' where a dripping noise was tracked down to the light fitting in the bathroom!

After some to-ing and fro-ing, we were moved to a new room, and also offered a complementary breakfast for the morning to make up for all the inconvenience.

Now we could enjoy the rest of trip without fear of electrocution . . .  including a few drinks and a curry that evening, and a wander round Stratford in the morning.  By midday (still full of that complementary breakfast) we were on our way home.  

Took the opportunity to visit another English Heritage site - Witley Court - along our way.

This would have been a very impressive historic house in its day, but was gutted by fire in 1937 and is now an impressive ruin instead - but still with lovely gardens, an extremely ornate church, and a fantastic fountain.

Really enjoyed our couple of hours meandering our way round - although we did spend a lot of that trying to take a decent photo of the fountain in action!  

Luckily we found a sweet spot in the weather and got to enjoy some sunshine before a rather wetter journey onward to home.

North Wales Days

With a few days off, decided we'd make our way up to North Wales and see a few castles (among other things).

First stop - on our way to Caernarfon - was Porthmadog.  Weather was a bit grey, but we had a nice a wander round the town, checking out the harbour and steam railway (although we didn't take a train - too mean!).

On to Caernarfon itself - booked into our accommodation at the Black Boy Inn, and just made it to Caernarfon Castle for a quick look round before closing time.



The castle really is a monumental building - you can see why it's a World Heritage Site!

Its walls provide great views over Caernarfon, and its labyrinth of passages, staircases and towers offer plenty to explore. 

The interpretation is also nicely done, as you happen upon artistic sights such as this model of Edward I's head in the Black Tower - reflecting on how he used Welsh legends to reinforce his position of authority over Wales.


The next day dawned sunnier, and we crossed the Menai Strait to Plas Newydd - the ancestral home of the Marquesses of Anglesey, now in the custody of the National Trust. 

The house itself is a long almost low building, with stunning views over Snowdonia, housing a range of exhibitions linked to the family, including memorabilia from Waterloo where the first Marquess lost his leg.

It was the Rex Whistler mural in the house which really captured my imagination though, and in the gardens we were particularly taken by a fern rockery fountain pool, where I caught this picture of a thrush visiting for a quick drink.

We had a good wander round the house and grounds - walking out through the woods to the Rhododendron Garden (although unfortunately we were too late to see it in its full glory).

By early afternoon we were on our way back to Caernarfon with time to revisit the castle and take a proper look around.  Finished the day's activities with a walk up nearby Twthill which offered more stunning views over the town and surrounding countryside.

The next day it was home via Conwy Castle - smaller than Caernarfon, but just as interesting, linked to the main peninsula by a castellated Telford bridge, and with an adjacent railway bridge also disguised to fit with the medieval zeitgeist.

In addition Conwy has a fairly intact set of town walls, most of which can be walked.  It makes for a fascinating excursion, seeing how the town has been fitted inside the encircling walls, which in places are even incorporated into the buildings.

From Conwy we moved on to Llanrwst, where we indulged in toasted teacakes, swimming in butter at the iconic tearoom by the bridge.  Then the final stop on our journeyings took us to Trawsfynydd lake where we walked over the footbridge in glorious sunshine.

All in all a nice few days in the land of castles - although there is plenty more to see!

Long Weekend

Extra few days off either side of the weekend gone - time to visit my parents, do another parkrun, make the sunny drive home, have a Sunday in the garden, and a day out in Caerphilly while Martin was in work.

First off, a sunny Thursday afternoon / Friday with Mum and Dad, doing a bit of gardening, trip out to Houghton Mill . . .

. . .  Huntingdon Garden Centre for a bit of shopping, and a family dinner Friday night.  Nice to see everyone and catch up.

Saturday morning parkrun, before saying my goodbyes and heading for home - sunny drive, but a long one, getting back mid-afternoon  Pottered the rest of the day away, before settling on home-made fish and chips for tea . . .

We'd acquired a deep-fat fryer a bit back - which makes some very nice chips - and decided it was time to give battered fish a go.




It was all going very well, until we put one too many pieces of fish into the frying basket, and they got a bit stuck together.  The result looked a mess - but still tasted pretty good!

A day in the garden on Sunday, then a sunny Monday off (part of my new four-day week working pattern), so took the opportunity to accompany Martin to Caerphilly.

While he went to work, I had a lovely sunny morning wandering round Caerphilly Castle:

All in all a good - but busy - few days!

May Days

A few days off and a trip to Ludlow, calling in at Craven Arms and the Ludlow Food Centre on the way (egg custard tart - to die for!). 

Beautiful sunny afternoon in town, had a wander, a pint or two, and dinner, before the half hour or so walk back to the travelodge (with bottle of wine!).


The following day we re-visited Croft Castle - not the most memorable property, but nice grounds (even a vineyard) and with some Hafod connections.











Got back to Ludlow to find the fair had hit town in a big way - had seen some lorries arriving the evening before - it must have taken some really careful driving to squeeze those trailers through Ludlow's narrow roads to the market square!


Interesting that on our walk back to the travelodge we spotted this window where someone was celebrating the fair's arrival in model form :)

All in all a nice couple of days away - good food, a lot of walking, and a historic property or two!

September Travels

Still on holiday, and still plagued with less than brilliant weather, decided we might as well make the best of it and headed northwards to visit friends in the Lake District.

Started with a couple of nights in Chester - where we reasoned that at least there would be things to do if it stayed wet.


On our first afternoon / evening the weather was actually pretty good though, and we got to wander the walls in the sunshine, before revisiting some of our favourite pubs from our last visit.



The next day the weather was a little more mixed - did get quite wet at one point, but soon dried off.

Did some shopping, walked some more bits of the wall, and enjoyed a free falconry display in the Cathedral grounds (where the gyrfalcon being flown went off script chasing pigeons - although the falconer did eventually manage to entice it back!

Moved on, on a wet Sunday morning, to Milnthorpe in Cumbria to visit with friends (and belatedly celebrate another 50th birthday).  Arrived early afternoon, and after hellos and tea and stuff, decided that we would brave the weather  and go for a short walk in the Sizergh Castle grounds.

As it turned out it wasn't that 'short' - we were out for close to 3 hours - got a bit wet at the start, dried up around the middle, and took a short break at the Wheatsheaf Inn in Brigsteer for a pint.

The walk back to Sizergh took us up to St John's Helsington with its expansive views over the valley, before heading back, in the rain again.

We'd all got full waterproofs on, so the rain hadn't been that problematic - unfortunately one of the last gateways on the way back to the car park, was completely flooded to above boot level, so it was a bit squelchy getting back to the car.  (The boots were drying out with newspaper in them for the remainder of the visit!).

Had a very nice celebratory dinner out that night at the Black Labrador in Underbarrow - and a day pottering about Ambleside, etc.  Before saying our goodbyes, and making our way back to Wales.

Stopped off at Chirk Castle on our way home - hadn't been there for years, and had an enjoyable couple of hours or so wandering round the property and its gardens.

All in all a nice few days - despite the weather!

Bank Holiday Travels

Bank holiday weekend and we were on our travels - starting on the Friday with a trip to Portishead, where Martin was working, and I had time for a bit of a wander . . .

Made my way out to the boating lake, with its novelty paddle boats, and model boat enthusiasts.



Took in the 'coastal' views, walking along the shoreline, then headed up round by the Lido . . .



. . . complete with its Banksy-esque mural.  Finishing my morning with a cider, sitting outside the Royal Inn in the sunshine with a good book.

Once Martin had finished work we had a bit of lunch, then headed on to Stratford-upon-Avon for a night of cider and curry.  The next day we moved on again to visit family in East Anglia, but taking the opportunity for a return trip to Kenilworth Castle along the way.

It's a fair old ruin, but still fascinating - particularly the apartment 'block' built for Elizabeth I's visit, where English Heritage have put in staircases throughout to allow you to climb up to the accommodation levels, and even look out of her bedroom window!

Built of local standstone, there is a lot of erosion - but even more graffiti - from the 1700s to the modern day:

We had a good wander round the ruins and the Elizabethan Gardens - luckily this time it was in glorious sunshine not pouring rain!

The remainder of the weekend was spent catching up with family.

Didn't do anything major (avoiding the bank holiday traffic) - our only 'outing' was to the local garden centre (complete with some rather scary inflatable Star Wars figures!) - but it was good to see everyone.



Then it was home again, home again, on the Monday - travels over (for the time being).

All the Wonders of Warwick!

With a week's holiday ahead of us, we were off to Warwick for a couple of days - primarily to visit Warwick Castle (for which we'd managed to acquire a set of half-price tickets).

Arrived on a sunny Sunday afternoon, stopping at a new (for us) National Trust property, Charlecote Park.  Nice house, nice grounds, very very hot day.

On to Warwick itself, to book into our B&B, have a wander round the town, drink cider in the sun, and indulge in our first curry of the trip.

Day two took us to the Castle - we were already primed with what to expect - something much more along the lines of a visitor attraction than a historic property.  There were indeed archery demonstrations, a giant trebuchet, a 'Flight of the Eagles', and for families lots of opportunities to buy princess and knight outfits for small people . . .

It was also however a stunning property, very well-presented, with some innovative touches (such as Harry Potter style portraits telling the history of the castle).  The set pieces were all very well done too. 

On the downside . . . the sheer number of people . . .  and perhaps a little less attention to conservation aspects than we'd normally expect (no darkened rooms to keep light levels to a minimum here!).  All in all though, a good day out - probably even more so for family visitors.


On our last morning in Warwick we took the advice of a friend and visited St Mary's Church, most of which was rebuilt in the eighteenth century (following the Great Fire of Warwick), but which includes a medieval survival in its Beauchamp Chapel. 






This proved to be a real highlight for me (as an Elizabethan buff), as it contained the tombs of Robert and Lettice Dudley, and their 'noble imp'.

That wasn't the end of the trip, as we moved East to visit family, via a very wet Kenilworth Castle (will have to go back on a drier occasion).

Took the parents for a day out to another new National Trust property at Blickling Hall in Norfolk - lovely exterior, beautiful grounds and the sun was back with us. 


Then, on our final day, we returned to Wales via Attingham Park (a return visit this time).  A good break, and still some days left to get stuck into the garden!

Ancient Monuments

A week off, and a few days away enjoying some of Wales' ancient monuments courtesy of CADW and the National Trust.  Started with a visit to Tretower Court and Castle - the Court has some good interior reconstructions, and the Castle is an interesting small ruin.  Moved on from there to the extensive and much more impressive ruins of Raglan Castle, with its views over the surrounding countryside. 

Stayed in Tintern, so of course we visited Tintern Abbey.  Had a walk round Tintern itself (including the ruined and supposedly haunted St Mary's Church) and through the forestry at Symond's Yat Rock (where we just about spotted the nesting peregrines through our binoculars).

Also spent a day at a National Trust property Croome.


Interesting place, a mix of World War II exhibits, a historic house, and restored Capability Brown parkland.


As it was raining when we arrived started with the exhibition on the RAF base which used to be on the site, and the work they did to develop the early radar systems.

As the weather improved moved on to the landscaped grounds - the sun even shone briefly!

Finished with a tour of the house, which is still something of a work in progress, with rooms reflecting the changing ownership of the property (including one painted and decorated by the Hare Krishna movement, who were tenants in the early 1980s).

Finished with a trip to Chepstow Castle (which had the CADW dragons in residence), and Tredegar House.  Enjoyed a National Trust cream tea at the latter - although the local jackdaw population were keen to partake too:

There were also jackdaws at Tretower Castle, popping in and out of the walls, swallows in most places (here nesting in Raglan Castle) . . .


. . . and a baby coot keeping a low profile in Raglan's moat:

Weather could have been better on some days, but all in all a good birthday break - part of trying not to feel like too much of an ancient monument myself.

The wine helped!