Christmas
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Exploring Rockingham and the Giants of Mandurah: A WA Coastal Adventure
After enjoying days spent in Perth city centre, Fremantle, Rottnest Island and the Perth Hills we turned our attention southwards opting to explore Rockingham and Mandurah. Rockingham is a coastal town located 50 km south of Perth, the journey taking us just 45 minutes along the Kwinana Freeway. As it was a Monday morning we…
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Christmas in Valletta, Malta: A Festive Travel Guide
Malta is a small Mediterranean island that’s popular for its pristine beaches and guaranteed sunny weather between Easter and October. You might not be aware though that in December, Malta transforms into a wonderland full of festive events, dazzling Christmas lights, and plenty of seasonal cheer. Getting there: Ryanair, EasyJet and Air Malta all offer…
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Christmas in The Hague: A Festive Guide
I’ve just returned from the most wonderful weekend in The Hague celebrating the opening of the Royal Christmas Fair which is one of the largest and most beautiful Christmas markets in The Netherlands. The visit really got me into the festive spirit and I hope you will enjoy following in my footsteps around this enchanting…
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Wrocław, Poland: The Perfect European City Break Destination
Poland has become one of my most visited countries, I enjoy spending time there so much. After selecting Poznan for a festive break last year, this time we decided to head to Poland’s fourth largest city Wrocław. It’s located on the Oder River in the Lower Silesian region of the south west of the country.…
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Review: The Adventures of Peter Pan, Manchester Opera House 10-31st December 2022
Christmas wouldn’t be the same without an evening at the theatre and I can’t think of anything better to get myself into the festive spirit than a night at the panto. After being enthralled with the top notch production of Aladdin last year at the Manchester Opera House I couldn’t wait to return to see…
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A Guide to Poznań Old Town: History, Highlights & Hidden Corners
It was our final day in Poznan and at last the sun had decided to put in an appearance, enhancing the beauty of the tall and colourful former merchant’s houses surrounding the Old Town Square. Many of these buildings were reconstructed following heavy damage during the Second World War and are exact replicas of the…
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A Day in Poznań: Visit the Palm House and Lake Malta Ski Slope
It had been snowing throughout the night leaving a glistening white blanket covering everything as we ventured outdoors. After walking down to Wroclawska we caught Tram 5 to Park Wilsona so that we could visit the Palm House. This park is located in the Lazarz district and dates back to 1834 when the city’s first…
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Festive Fun in Poznań: Christmas Market and Must-See Museums
After a hearty breakfast in our hotel we took Tram 3 to Citadel Park in the Kmieca district, just north of the city centre. There had been a light sprinkling of snow overnight which had given the park a winter wonderland like appearance. The park sits on Winiary Hill covering 89 hectares and was a…
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Explore Poznań in Winter: Christmas Markets, Culture & Cosy Cafés
To coincide with the introduction of Ryanair’s new route between Manchester and Poznań we decided to check out another of Poland’s city break destinations. Poznań is the capital of the Wielkopolska region and noted for its Renaissance Town Hall as well as being being home to Poland’s oldest cathedral. Our flight the previous afternoon departed…
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A Festive City Break in Derby: Christmas Markets, Museums, Pantomime & Local Charm
A surprise invitation dropped into my inbox inviting me to enjoy a festive break in Derby on the weekend before Christmas. It’s always fun to visit somewhere new and with the prospect of some sightseeing, shopping, eating, drinking and a night at the panto it took me less than a minute to decide to say…
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Manchester Christmas Market and Pantomime: The Perfect Festive Combo
It wouldn’t be a proper Christmas for me without a visit to Manchester as it’s a city that knows exactly how to put on the Yuletide cheer. Christmas markets are to be found all over the centre and when darkness falls the charming little wooden huts take on even more of a magical charm with…
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A Festive London Break
It’s always fun to spend time in London especially at Christmas and with exceptionally good timing we just managed to squeeze in a short break days before the Government announced stricter COVID-19 measures. Hotel rates had dropped significantly in recent months meaning that we were able to book a bargain stay in the affluent borough…
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Discover Scotland’s Industrial Heritage at the National Mining Museum Scotland
The rain clouds of the previous day seemed to have vanished but had been replaced by a strong wind so we wrapped up warm and after coming to life with bacon sandwiches and coffee, we wandered along Princes Street to visit Jenners. This famous department store has been part and parcel of Edinburgh’s history since…
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Edinburgh’s Christmas: A Festive Guide to Markets, Lights & More
It had been exactly three years since my last visit to Edinburgh and as it’s one of my favourite cities, that was far too long. So, to remedy the situation, we managed to squeeze in a short break to the Scottish capital just before Christmas. We travelled on a Cross-Country train that was over-crowded all…
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Lotherton Hall Christmas Experience: Magical Festivities for the Whole Family
The weather may have been dull and dreary but what better way to get into the spirit of Christmas than to attend a festive event. When an invitation dropped into my inbox to preview the Lotherton Hall Christmas Experience, I was excited to find out more. The Lotherton Estate is situated in the north of…
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The Kremlin, Moscow
Another surprise awaited us when we went downstairs for breakfast, as on giving our room number we were diverted to the Executive Lounge which was a raised area along one side of the restaurant. Here we found lots to tempt us, setting us up for the day ahead. Using the coffee machine initially appeared problematic…
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Bristol City Break – Day 1
After enjoying city breaks in London, Edinburgh and Birmingham we decided to head to the south west of England for our next weekend away. My journey on board a CrossCountry train was pleasant, having an interesting conversation with an Edinburgh green keeper, learning about life on one of Scotland’s premier golf courses as we journeyed…
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Exploring Bath
We were up bright and early as we had planned to spend the day in neighbouring Bath, 10 miles (16km) from Bristol. Getting there was easy as trains depart frequently from Bristol Temple Meads taking just over 10 minutes to Bath Spa station, adult off-peak day return fares are £8.60. From the moment we left…
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Harewood House at Christmas
As we’d recently had the pleasure of viewing the exquisite toys and dolls on display at the Ilkley Toy Museum we couldn’t resist the temptation of seeing them once again whilst they were on loan to Harewood House. Harewood is a stately home in North Yorkshire, located mid way between Harrogate and Leeds and it’s…
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RHS Harlow Carr Glow Winter Illuminations
What better way to lift our spirits on a dark, damp evening than with a visit to the RHS Garden Harlow Carr to view their Glow Illuminations. It’s the first year that lights have been installed in the gardens, and as we have visited Harlow Carr on numerous occasions in daylight we were eager to…
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A winter’s day in Malham – a scenic walk and a cosy pub lunch
Boxing Day walks are popular to work off the excesses of Christmas Day but as we entertained family visitors then, our bracing walk took place the following day. Setting off from home towards the Yorkshire Dales National Park it was a bright morning but as we approached Gargrave we encountered fog which made driving difficult…
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Exploring Manchester’s Magical Christmas Markets
It wouldn’t be Christmas for our family without a visit to our beloved Manchester, a northern city that certainly knows how to put on the sparkle over the festive period. Christmas markets are to be found all over the city centre and when darkness falls the little wooden huts take on even more of a…
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An afternoon in York on my way to Edinburgh
On my way north to Edinburgh for a pre Christmas weekend away with one of my sons, I decided to spend the afternoon in York as that was where I needed to change trains. I hadn’t visited this historic northern city for several months so on this bright but chilly afternoon I started with a…
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Exploring Edinburgh
Waking up to bright blue Scottish skies we started the day with full Scottish breakfasts then took a look inside ScotlandsPeople near Waverley Station on Princes Street. This beautiful building is the official Scottish government resource for genealogical research and despite not having any Scottish ancestors ourselves it’s still an interesting place to visit in the city…
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