Stoke-on-Trent doesn't always spring to mind for a short break in the U.K. but reading about its industrial heritage as the world capital of ceramics tempted us to spend a few days exploring the city. Stoke is located midway between Manchester and Birmingham and has direct rail services to London taking only 90 minutes. In …
Continue reading Day 1. Visiting The Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent
I've always enjoyed woodland walks and when it was suggested that we visit an arboretum I was eager to explore Thorp Perrow Arboretum, which boasts one of the largest collections of trees and shrubs in the north of England. These include the national collection of Ash, Lime, Laburnum, Walnut and Cotinus. The Arboretum is located …
Continue reading A visit to Thorp Perrow in the Yorkshire Dales
On our final day in Riga we woke to clear blue skies enabling us to experience Latvia’s natural beauty outside the capital. After enjoying our final breakfast at the Ibis Riga Centre we gathered our belongings together and left our bags at reception, as our flight home wasn’t until late in the evening giving us …
A dry start to the day after the previous day's torrential downpours meant that we could return to our planned activities. So, after a leisurely hotel breakfast we crossed the road to the nearby railway station and purchased return tickets to the coastal town of Majori. Single tickets for the 30 minute journey cost €1.40 …
Our hearts sank as we drew back the curtains to see torrential rain beating against the windows, causing us to rethink our plans for the day! First though, it was off to breakfast which is served in the basement of the hotel. The cellars have been tastefully converted into two eating areas with a third …
Having enjoyed visiting Tallinn in Estonia on numerous occasions, we decided to explore its neighbour Latvia for the first time. We booked flights with the low cost carrier Ryanair from Leeds Bradford airport which were very reasonably priced. It was an early start to the day as we needed to get up at …
What could be nicer on a warm, sunny spring day than to enjoy a leisurely wander along a canal towpath. With this in mind, we jumped in the car and drove to Newbury, a market town in West Berkshire. The town is approximately 30 minutes drive from Oxford and about an hour by train from …
Continue reading A walk along the Kennet & Avon canal in Newbury
After enjoying our visit to MediaCityUK in Salford we decided it was time to take a look around the National Science and Media Museum based in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The museum is devoted to Film, Photography and Television and the science of light and sound, which is part of the National Science group. The museum is …
Continue reading Exploring the National Science & Media Museum in Bradford
A bright, sunny morning to start the final day of our short break in Warsaw so after breakfast we took the bus to the old town which was looking so much nicer than on our earlier visit. We started our tour in the old town market place with its Dutch inspired houses. The pedestrianised cobbled …
Continue reading Day 4. A final day of sightseeing in Warsaw
We woke to heavy overnight snow which was surprising for late March, leaving the city looking beautiful in the sun. We started the day with a visit to the Museum of Life Under Communism located on the left bank of the river in the Praga district. To get there, we took Tram 22 from Centrum. …
