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2015 Memories - Brief recollections – a full daily written diary was maintained throughout 2015

Norfolk in March

We spent a couple of days at Warners Gunton Hall, where we had stayed before, some years back. A reasonable establishment made that bit more enjoyable in the fact that we can play indoor bowls, for free. Entertainment was provided on the evenings that we were there and as usual, a good standard of food put before us at breakfast and dinner. I like our stays at Warners for the fact that we partake our meals on our own, at a table for two, not having to mix with other people.

We ventured out during the daytime with a nostalgic visit to Great Yarmouth, which was just as bad as the last time we can recall being there. It’s amazing how this place attracts folks, year in year out.

Played as many bowls as we could and both of us thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent on the green mat.

On our way home, we decided to stop off for a visit to Norwich. We used one of the city’s park & ride facilities, which dropped us conveniently in the centre of the city. We didn’t have a long time to explore but, what we did see we liked and intend to come back another time to explore more thoroughly.

Alderley Edge in March

This was a visit to this area and to a particular Certificated Location (CL) that had been recommended by Barry Gardiner, as a site that could be used for a Waggoner rally. The site is conveniently located close to a number of attractions, several National Trust property’s, Jodrell Bank and nearby Manchester for the Trafford Centre, Salford Quays and the City itself.

The CL was ideal and yes had numerous fields on which, a rally could be held. After communication with the club President, whilst on site, it was agreed that I should book the venue for a rally to take place in 2016.

We made the most of our National Trust membership, gaining free access to three properties, Quarry Bank, Tatton Park, and Dunham Massey. It took two attempts to see Dunham Massey as we were sadly turned away on our first attempt. The Trust had decided that due to the high winds that we had been suffering over the last 24 hours and, the damage that had caused already, with fallen trees, that it would be safer to restrict access on health & safety grounds. Not daunted we changed our intended venue for the day from Dunham to Tatton. We had been to Tatton Park before, but not to visit the house but to attend the RHS Tatton Flower show. We found the house and gardens fascinating and ended up spending the rest of the day exploring; partaking of lunch at the venue, eating in part of the old stables, suitably cleaned up for the occasion.

Dunham Massey was the stop the next day as the weather had considerably improved and on arrival at the gates found no closed signs this time. It was important that we visited Dunham at this time as the Trust had prepared areas of the house as it was during the First World War when it was converted into a convalescence home for wounded soldiers. Although serious operations did take place in very much makeshift facilities. No more makeshift than under a hall stairway, where an operation on a soldier’s head was performed.

The re-creation of the rooms as shown in pictures of the time was first class, however, the addition of actors performing roles as patients, nurses and doctors made the whole re-enactment unbelievably perfect. To be there when discussions took place between soldier and medical staff brought the experience to life. Well done the National Trust – a brave step, but, one which in our eyes clearly worked and showed the true character of the event which, pictures alone could not hope to achieve.

If Dunham was brilliant, then Quarry Bank was magnificent. A remarkable collection of buildings, in simply wonderful gardens and grounds. A day very well spent, learning the history of the mill and the efforts of its owner Samuel Greg to provide adequate working conditions and opportunities for his workers. A truly remarkable piece of manufacturing history, with floors packed with facts, many given by eager volunteers, and working machinery of the period. Add to this the opportunity to witness up close, the large and impressive mill wheel, in action, which drove the manufacturing process was a real plus.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit Styall, the area close to the mill that Greg built for his workforce, perhaps another time.

Durham in April

We visited the area, Birtley to be precise, to have work carried out on the motorhome at Marquis Caravans. We towed the car with us this time so that we could at least get out and about during the time that the work was being carried out.  Ben accompanied us and that was one of the reasons that we decided to visit Beamish Museum which was just a short drive away. Pam & I had been before on a couple of occasions but, for Ben, this would be a first. Our visit coincided with a steam rally which added greatly to the already numerous attractions; although the word attractions aren’t the word to adequately describe the work and effort that has taken place to create this historic living museum.

We couldn’t have chosen a better day to visit if we had tried. Spent ages roaming around the steam and traction engine displays as well as making visits to the numerous recreated properties. All in all, a really great day out with so much to see and all enjoyed on a perfectly dry day.

Yorkshire in April

Pam, Ben & Me decided on a short break in York, staying on the Caravan Club site on the outskirts of the City. We had towed the Aygo so had transport to get us into the City as and when we liked as well as the added option of exploring further afield if we felt so inclined, which we did.

The first venture for Ben and I was to visit York and to traverse the entire length of the City walls, well, what’s left to traverse.  Rather than parking the car in York and having the hassle that this can often entail, we decided to catch the Park & Ride service; the terminus is conveniently located not far from the Club site.  Our walk, on the walls, started and ultimately ended at the Red Tower, with us making our way south. We had picked an excellent day, weather-wise and enjoyed blue skies with the occasional sunshine throughout the day. We made a number of photo stops on the way, especially near to the train station, where you get wonderful views of the Minster, incorporating images of the walls also.  We stopped and ate our picnic lunch in the York museum gardens, which broke our walk up nicely. Whilst in the gardens we paid a visit to the museum, which at the time of our visit was showing an interesting taxidermy display of local wildlife. Several miles later and with numerous pictures under our belts we returned to our start point and then to the P&R bus for our journey back to the van. The next day all three of us paid a visit to the Yorkshire Air Museum, which I would recommend as being well worth a visit, with a varied display of vintage and more up to date aircraft. In addition to the static aircraft, they have excellent displays of aircraft and both WW1 and WORLD WAR 2 memorabilia. It’s not just aircraft, which made it that bit more interesting for Pam.

We all made the trip the next day back into York and having decided earlier that morning, that, as I am coming back up to York, this time by train and with Jacob, specifically to visit the National Railway Museum, that we would not visit today. So today was set aside simply for a  walk around York itself, especially the Shambles. What a change in the weather. Today it’s cold and extremely windy, so much so that outside the Minster Ben had to resort to holding on to one of the security bollards to stop himself from being blown over! I don’t know how many times we have visited York, must be into double figures, it still has an appeal, there is always something new and different to see or do. The people within the city are always fascinating, there is always some activity or event taking place throughout the City, well at least when we’ve been there.

My return journey with Jacob was specifically to witness the special display that the museum had put on, depicting Sir Winston Churchills funeral journey by train to Handborough, which was the closest station,  prior to his internment at the parish church at Bladon,  the village close to his ancestral home at Blenheim Palace. The museum had set centre stage locomotive number 34051 Winston Churchill, a former Southern region, Battle of Britain class locomotive,  named after the Statesman in 1947, and actually used on the day of the funeral. Along with the train was the immaculately restored hearse carriage, again used on the day of the funeral, in which the Statesman's body was respectfully carried. A fitting tribute to an event that occurred 50years prior and which, sadly, even to this day, I can not recall actually watching: as the solemn event was covered by the BBC, on the day. We obviously made full use of the free entry to the museum and spent a full day exploring once more the amazing trains, rolling stock and numerous railway artifacts that the museum contains.

Hampshire in May

Pam, along with her Derby school friends, traveled to Bournemouth, by coach, for a couple of days away together, staying in the delightful seaside resort of Bournemouth.

France in May & June

Our holiday in France covered a number of weeks and incorporated a Waggoner rally, the clubs first ever rally abroad. We had decided to travel out to France prior to the rally, having two weeks away prior to joining up with the rally, at its start, in the town of Airvailt. We traveled down to Dover, staying overnight at a local Caravan Club Certificated Location (CL) prior to the next day catching our ferry to Calais. From Calais, we motored down to a site that we had visited some years back in the town of Jumieges, which is situated on the banks of the River Seine. We spent a couple of nights on site, and having the car in tow, this gave us the opportunity to visit nearby Rouen. Having the car with us, even though it cost us more on the ferry, was deliberate as we wanted to explore a number of towns and cities as we made our way south to our sunshine destination of Bois Soliel on the Vendee. We found Rouen an interesting city, consisting of fine old buildings and a very impressive cathedral. Alas, we were unable to visit the latter as there was a service in progress and access was being denied to visitors. However, what we did see of the city, especially the very ornate, gilt, Tour du Gros-Horlage (The Big Clock Tower)  made up for this slight disappointment. I found it easy to get into the city from Jumieges but boy, did I struggle to find our way out. Needless to say, we did make it. On leaving the site heading for our next destination of Nantes, I entered the details into the satnav, which came back with two options: one via the ferry the other not. I thought that the satnav still had us back in the Uk and opted for the via ferry route, how wrong could I be. The route did take us via ferry, one across the Seine, which all though longer than I had planned was nevertheless very scenic. Taught me a lesson, to look before we drive.

Our next destination, having traveled through parts of Normandy was to stay near to the magnificent Les Mont St Michel, which Pam & I had visited many years back, but, which neither of us can really recall fully to memory. The site that we had chosen was excellent, quiet and well maintained with more than adequate facilities. It was also only a short drive away from Les Mont St Michel.  St Michel is an extremely developed location, extensive car parks, modern reception facilities, toilets, and exhibition area, as well, as we found on traveling in on the bus from the carpark, also in the growth of hotels, restaurants and gift establishments. First, let’s clarify the bus. I can just recall, vague as it is, that you used to park near to the mount on the causeway. This is not the case now, with the only parking in front of the Mount, reserved for the police, military and site workers. As I said earlier, the car parking is now vast and, some way out from the Mount, in fact, you can see it in the distance as you park. Having made your way to the reception area you are directed towards the bus terminus. The busses are unique in the fact that they operate from each end. The driver, having arrived at the terminus, makes his or her way to the other end to drive the return journey to the mount. The bus, unique in their driving positions is also in the concept of their design.  You alight from the bus on what appears to be a newly built causeway and make your way, the short distance,  on foot to the entrance to the Mount.  Once inside the outer walls, its magic, it could be the set for Diagon Alley, from the  Harry Potter film, so closely packed are the ancient buildings, the colours that meet the eyes, the numerous old-fashioned signs, and the crowds, create an amazing visual impact.

Pam was amazing, really determined to make it all the way to the top and that is what she did. Even she admitted having reached the top that the views out across the estuary and back inland were well worth the effort. The Mount is remarkable in the scale of the religious buildings which, thankfully we paid to explore. Access just to the Mount is free, you only pay to access the religious buildings and for the car park. The workmanship in creating the church, and the numerous large scale rooms, as to be seen to be believed. It is only when reaching the top and then wandering through the maze that is the church and monastery do you realise the exacting level of workmanship that was available all those years ago in its creation. We had lunch at one of the many, overpriced restaurants on the Mount, which neither of us particularly enjoyed, before making our way back to the carpark courtesy of the coming-going bus. An excellent day in a remarkable place, no wonder the French have spent so much money developing what must be one of the countries finest and most visited locations. A day of rest followed, with just a short trip into the local town for supplies.

Next stop will see us heading south making our way eventually to the outskirts of Royan and the site we have used before and thoroughly enjoyed called Bois Soliel. First, stop on the way to the sun, or so we hope, is to visit Nantes.

We arrived at the site in Nantes, without incident and got ourselves set up, with time to explore what the site had to offer, and to venture out into the local area looking, unsuccessfully, for somewhere to eat. As with Jumieges, we have planned to be at the site for a number of days, enabling us to explore Nantes, to visit the amazing creative location of “Les Machines de Lile” specifically to see and ride the amazing mechanical elephant. Having researched the area and the site we didn’t need to use the car as outside of the site entrance was a tram service which took us into the centre. This was extremely convenient and gave us both the chance to take in the views of the city and its outskirts. On arriving on our first day’s venture into Nantes we made immediately for the riverside and the location of “Les Machines de Lile”.  Our priority was to secure our tickets to ride the elephant which we did with time in hand before our adventure, sufficient time to enable us to look around this amazing creative establishment. The craftsman and ladies create large mechanical, moving objects, mostly animals or birds, out of metal. The elephant, which we could see, being readied for its day’s activities, is huge. We climb the stairs within the building to the second floor in readiness for boarding, eagerly anticipating the ride. Being close to the front of the queue meant that we were able to go on board the elephant at the front and take our place in the metal and wood Howdah, mounted at the very top of the beast. This gave us tremendous views of the fascinating workings of this mechanical marvel. Our journey was one to remember as the elephant walked its way around the site, with its ears flapping and its trunk swaying from side to side. An incredible piece of engineering which we would both highly recommend visiting.

The rest of that day we enjoyed sightseeing, in and out of shops, plus a visit to a local eatery for lunch. We have planned another day in the city so there was no need to cram all of our sightseeing into the one day, so we left our visit to the Botanical gardens and the castle to the following day. Although, we did return to “Les Machines der Lile” to pick up souvenirs and to have another look at the elephant, so fascinated was the pair of us with the creature.

The next day we traveled again on the tram and on our arrival back into the city made our way to the Jardin des Plantes. An interesting laid out area with meandering pathways which followed the undulating contours of the park, which in turn twisted their way through the extensive mix of trees. On one pathway we encountered a row of benches, which is not surprising for a park, other than these benches grew in scale, finally reaching the size that the path and you passed underneath. Despite the lack of colour in the flower beds what was on display was still worth the visit, as was the array of species of ducks which frequented the pool. From here we walked back into the centre and against our better judgment decided on McDonald's for lunch. Suitably replenished our next stop was to view the Cathedral and the nearby statue of Marechal Foch, which stands proudly in its own square in the centre of the wide treelined walkway on the Rue Henry IV. We were lured away from visiting the cathedral by the Petite Train, which was parked in the square adjacent. The tour was interesting, taking in, as they do, all of the local sites, including the castle, come chateau, that we intended to visit next.

An interesting City, clean as most French locations are and with plenty to see and do. The highlight of the visit undoubtedly our trip on the Grande Elephant. An experience in seeing the beast and then riding him, never to be forgotten.

The next day we set out to journey still further south and shock horror it’s raining, well drizzling, that’s not allowed. It did stop by the time we were ready to depart, but we did encounter periods of rain throughout the journey. Arrived at Bois Soliel with an ideal pitch reserved for us, large in area and not too far into the site and convenient for the shop and toilet facilities.  We spent six nights on site, enjoying the closeness of the site to the beach. The location of the site is ideal, for touring the local area, which we had not been able to do on previous visits through lack of transport, we holidayed here previous with just the motorhome. Spent days exploring the local town of St Georges de Didonne, Meschers, and Talmont sur Gironde and of course the picturesque Royan. We spent our last night eating out and decided on “Buffalo Grill” which we had noticed when driving around the area.

We both love this area, and the site, especially for the fact that the period we prefer to holiday, it’s a very quiet location with a beautiful beach on which to promenade and with the virtual guarantee of the sun. Should we be third-time lucky only time and that third visit will tell.

We set off on Monday 8^th June to move north to join the Waggoner rally at Airvault, which was officially starting today. A steady journey, following the Satnav, added too by my map research, to arrive around midday, with 4 vans already set up. Airvault turned out to be an interesting area in which to explore and, which, we made full use of.  We visited seven chateaus, numerous churches and cathedrals, and towns, plus, an unforgettable visit to the French theme park “Puy de Fou”, all of that comfortably accomplished through our two-week stay.

At the end of the two-week rally rather than travel home, we decided to spend more time exploring the Normandy area, staying at a small location called Martragny, which was located between Bayeux and Caen. Neither of us had seen the Bayeux tapestry so this was the first planned visit. So, pleased to have seen first-hand this wonderful handcrafted chronological record of history. Bayeux as a location also interesting, especially the Cathedral. The town has a significant connection to WORLD WAR 2 being the first major town secured by the Allies. Located on the outskirts is the British War Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth forces WORLD WAR 2 cemetery in France. The cemetery is located on Freedom Road, so aptly named by the local people.

During our stay, at Martragny, we visited a number of the WORLD WAR 2 locations, most notably the town of Arromanches, where the famous Mulberry harbour was built to enable the movement of vital supplies to the allies. Other special commemorative areas that we visited were Pegasus Bridge: the site of the airborne landing, the Canadian museum and memorial and off course into Caen. A moving few days, reminders of the horrors and the sacrifices of WORLD WAR 2.

We traveled back to Calais to catch our ferry, staying a couple of nights at a site within easy reach of the port. On arriving in the UK, we traveled directly home, with only a stop for lunch at the services at Bishop Stortford.

Norfolk & Suffolk in July

A holiday with our eldest grandson Jacob to his favourite county Norfolk. An action-packed few days with Bird Watching at RSPB Minsmere, along with visits to Leiston, Snape, Aldeburgh, Thorpeness (Twice), Orford, Woodbridge, Sizewell and, the National Trust property at Sutton Hoo. Several places that Pam & I have visited in the past, but always eager to return too. However, Sutton Hoo will be a first for us all. Again, a place that we have wanted to see and learn more about this fascinating area, of its past history, pre-discovery and of the discovery itself. Our first visit naturally was just Jacob and me to Minsmere for a day’s bird watching; not Pam’s cup of tea, sorry coffee. Not the best of days observation wise, with no new sightings to record.

The visit to Sutton Hoo and one of our ventures this holiday into Suffolk was very interesting. The work that The Trust has carried out to make the visit as stimulating as possible is a credit to their ingenuity. It appeals to all ages. Equally interesting and, also in Suffolk, was our visit to Orford and in particular to the Castle which is maintained by English Heritage. Our visit here inspired us to join this organisation. The Castle, not in ruins, as I had expected, was fully accessible and full of interesting facts about why the castle was there and the role that it had played through its long history.  Woodbridge was our third Suffolk location and sadly, somewhat disappointing. From images, mostly TV and the visits made by documentaries, the picture of Woodbridge that we saw didn’t equate. I had imagined a quaint village with old historic buildings, some bordering the river Deben, but we couldn’t find it. We found the river. We found the town centre but neither conjured up the picture that I was expecting. Never mind at least thanks to Suffolk we have ticked off another three firsts.

A great few days away, made that bit more special being in the company of our fast-growing grandson. He like his brother Ben, make time away with them thoroughly enjoyable for both grandparents.

Northumberland in July & August

This was, along with the continuation part of the holiday, into Scotland, a most thoroughly enjoyable holiday, which even the problem with the motorhome, which thankfully occurred as we made our way home, didn’t mar.

Pam & I started out in Bessy traveling to Richmond “Hargill House” Caravan Club site, where we stayed for one night before traveling to our main site, again a Caravan Club site this time at Powburn in Northumberland. Our aim in traveling to Northumberland being to meet up with a Waggoner rally taking place later in the month at Warkworth also in Northumberland. We chose Powburn for its proximity to a number of places of interest that we wanted to return to, or in a number of cases, visit for the first time. Our potential firsts being two National Trust properties at Cragside and Wallington and an English Heritage site at Belsay Hall & Castle, all of which we achieved, and if time permitted a visit to Alnwick. In addition, to the firsts, a visit to Budle Bay for a spot of bird watching and to the nearby Bamburgh Castle was also achieved. Despite the active program of visits, we did find time to relax, enjoying the tranquil surroundings amid the Cheviot Hills of the remote Powburn site. The visits to Wallington and Cragside were most interesting. The artwork in Wallington, depicting local historic events, especially so. The display of soldiers wasn’t bad either, I could have gladly found a home for them as I’m sure Pam could have done with the huge dolls house. Cragside is remarkable through a number of reasons, its grand location, the scale of the building and especially through the ingenuity and creative genius of its owner Sir William George Armstrong. Known as the man who helped make wars, as a result of his manufacture of armaments, he is also remembered for his development at Cragside of the world’s first hydroelectric power.  Belsay Hall, after these two impressive buildings, wasn’t even in their league. Although the Hall is still standing, its huge cavernous rooms stand empty bare of all furnishings, making it difficult to visualise the building in what must have been its original grandeur. The redeeming feature of the visit was the walk to the castle through the quarry gardens. Although the quarry gardens were not at their best; the profusion of Rhododendrons and azaleas must have been magic in spring, it still impressed with the array of moisture-loving plants, with ferns, and gunneras in profusion, so at home in the damp confines of the towering quarry walls. The quarry path leads you into a small forest which in turn opens out to reveal the picturesque castle and surrounding outbuildings.

We paid a visit to Budle Bay and nearby Bamburgh but resisted visiting the castle as we preferred to go later in the holiday when Ben is with us. Ben is due to join us later in the week when we travel down, from the rally at Warkworth, to pick him up at Whitby, where he is currently on holiday with his parents and Jacob. We moved on from the Caravan Club site, moving south to meet up at the start of the Waggoner rally at Warkworth. It’s a few years since we last visited the town, which is dominated by its medieval castle, with both town and castle sitting in the loop made by the river Coquet. This used to be the home of our friends Trish and John Kent, whose house was on the main street of the town. The Waggoner rally is for five days, a couple of which will be taken up in traveling further south to Whitby to pick up Ben, however, we will still have time to visit Bamburgh and to make a courtesy meeting with Trish, who now lives at Hazelrigg, a small town outside of Newcastle. We plan to meet up with her at a local country park.

An easy run down to Whitby, where we stayed overnight with Kirsty, who had room for us in the apartment that they had rented. Left the next day for the journey back to Warkworth. Arrived back in sufficient time to have lunch at the site and then to explore Warkworth and its castle in the afternoon. Castle in ruins but still worth visiting, especially as we don’t have to pay as it's under the control of English Heritage. Pam and Trish had arranged that the next day we would meet up at Bolam Lake, where we had a pleasant walk and a spot of bird watching thrown in as an added bonus. Trish drove back with us to the outskirts of Warkworth, where we parked on the estuary of the river once more bird watching.

With only one day of the rally left, we decided that we would get up early and managed through the day to visit Bamburgh, going inside the castle this time and on the way back to the rally a visit to Seahouses. We tried to visit Alnmouth, which we had to pass to get back to the site, but without success, as we failed to find anywhere to park. Bamburgh is as impressive on the outside as it is in. This was our first visit to the castle proper even though we have been in the village on a number of occasions. Pam & I and I think Ben glad that we had finally put that right. A considerable amount of money has been spent on bringing the castle back to its former glory and the man largely responsible for its transformation, being Sir William Armstrong of Cragside fame. A relative of Sir Armstrong still takes up residence in the castle. It’s difficult to pinpoint any one room as being special, as they were all beautifully restored, but for me, it has to be the grand hall, which stood out, thanks to its huge space and impressive wooden roof structure. Short stay in Warkworth, but it brought back some very happy memories of my old workmate John – rest in peace.

Next stop Scotland.

Scotland in August

From Northumberland to the Caravan Club site at Yellowcraig, just a short drive from North Berwick and Scotland’s Capitol city Edinburgh. Only staying on this site for 2 nights, just sufficient for us to break up our journey further North into the Scottish Highlands and a chance to visit North Berwick, famous for its views of the iconic South Stack, home to thousands of seabirds. We would have liked to have traveled out, by boat to the island, but had missed the days sailing, a real pity. En route to our next site, I had planned our route so that we would pass the Falkirk Kelpies, two enormous sculptures of horses heads,  as tributes to the Clydesdale workhorses that worked in Scotland. The sculptures are made on a steel form with stainless steel cladding. An impressive sight.

Next stop the idyllic Caravan Club site of Bunree, which Ben and I nicknamed Bumwee. I say idyllic, without any prior knowledge of the site, our thoughts derived from the pictures, in the club guidebook, and on the internet. We were not disappointed, the site will forever remain firmly in all three of our minds as being just perfect. We had excellent weather,  which contributed to our opinion - sunshine every day, the best the area had had all year, according to the local Loch Linhe ferryman.

We thoroughly enjoyed the time exploring a number of locations and attractions close to the site. We climb part of the Nevis Range, by cable car, explored Fort Augustus and in Bens case dabbling his hands into Loch Ness. We watched the mixed size range of boats negotiate the locks on the Caledonian canal both at Fort Augustus and later on in our holiday at the famous Neptunes Locks. Sadly we missed seeing the “Jacobean”, the steam train that runs from Fort William to Mallaig, despite visiting Fort William on a number of occasions. We did witness a cruise ship in the harbour and later, sat on the Bunree site, enjoying a drink, relaxing in the sun as said cruise ship passed on its way out to the sea. An impressive sight, captured on camera, as the cruise ship sailed the calm waters of the Loch, with the backdrop of the mountains.

Shropshire in September

A visit to the outskirts of Much Wenlock for a 5 day Waggoner rally at which we are Marshalls. A nice, well-maintained, site greeted us as we arrived prior to the official start of the rally, as did a very overly efficient husband and wife team of site wardens. We had little or no choice in planning who or what went where. They did gradually mellow as the days went on and they realised that we knew what we were doing, all of us being experienced caravaners and ardent ralliers.

The site was within walking distance f the town although a bit much for Pam. Wenlock is the town which helped instigate what we know today as the Olympic Games.  Games events started here many years prior to the idea of the Olympics. You may recall at the London 2012 games one of the strangely shaped mascots was called Wenlock in recognition of the fact. The town, not too large, but with a nice variety of local shops; no multiples and a large priory, in ruins, of course, thanks to Henry 8. I had sussed out a local hostelry in which on Saturday evening we spent a pleasant time together partaking of the local food and drink. In addition to the town, there were a number of places of interest around and about, of which, we tended to target the National Trust and English Heritage properties, especially when they are free to members. In total, we managed to visit four in the short time that we were in the area.

Later in the month, we returned to the area to Shrewsbury, this time with Ben to visit the “Brick City” exhibition taking place in the Citys town hall. “Brick City” is a touring exhibition, ironically some months later to appear in Nottinghamshire, consisting of a number of well-known landmarks created in Lego. An amazing display of small and large-scale buildings. Small-scale reproductions no larger than two or three inches (50 – 75mm) in height to the impressive 4ft 7in high (140cm), 11ft 6in long (350cm) and 4ft 11in wide (150cm) St Pancras station and frontage hotel – awesome and consisting of 180,000 bricks. Ben in seventh heaven, being a very keen Lego builder and collecter. After the exhibition, we had a pleasant walk around the City, especially our visit to the castle and the panoramic views over the railway that it as to offer.

Lancashire in November

Not as bad as you might think. Yes, it was cold but still enjoyable both our stay and visit to Liverpool and ditto t Southport. We stayed just outside Liverpool, giving us the opportunity to spend a day exploring what we could of this much improved City. One target for the day was to travel to the top of the Radio City tower, which was amazing, to obtain this birds-eye view of the city. Spent time walking the large shopping area that the city as created doing our inevitable window shopping.  A cold and overcast day, with rain, which would appear to be the weather whatever time of year we come to the city. The next day we traveled to our official destination of Southport and our stay at the Prince of Wales hotel for a weekend of square dancing. A pleasant weekend, good food with the occasional dance.

Birmingham in December

Our train trip to the west midlands to enjoy, despite the cold weather, the city's German Market. A fine display of products and food spread as it does from the distance from the Bullring shopping centre at one end of New Street, through to the Victoria Square at the other. Always worth visiting for the atmosphere and this year to buy those last minute Christmas gifts. Traveling by train always the best and probably the easiest way to visit the centre of the city.

Thursford in December

Some people may say that Thursford is Christmas. Some may say that Thursford starts off the Christmas festivities. To which we would agree. This is a most spectacular show, with lashings of  colour, music and good old-fashioned entertainment performed by a young cast, to the highest professional standards. What more could you want; but there is more, there’s the fascinating Winter Wunderland a magical trip through a display of animal and people animation, with such amazing backdrops. If that wasn’t enough then there's the historic collection of steam engines, some so beautifully restored they look brand new. Add performing fairground carousels and organs and your visit is well worth every penny and you are well and truly in the mood for Christmas.

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