Travel
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Narrowboating on the Thames to Eynsham
The day started with an autumnal mist over the river, but gladly the sun soon broke through. After enjoying a leisurely breakfast on board our narrowboat we walked back to Sandford lock to take a photo of the pub where we’d tucked into dinner the night before (The King’s Arms). It was 9.50 a.m. by…
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Boating on the Thames to Sandford Lock
Drawing back the curtains from our mooring on the Thames, we were greeted by clear blue skies and after a leisurely breakfast on board we decided to take a stroll around Clifton Hampden as it was too dark to see much the night before. Both the village and the Barley Mow pub (where we had…
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Narrowboating from Oxford to Abingdon
We’d enjoyed a peaceful first night’s sleep tucked up in our comfy beds on board Cunningham, our 65ft narrowboat on hire from Drifters Waterways Holidays, Anglo Welsh base in Eynsham. Up first was David, my husband who performed the daily engine checks which had been demonstrated to us during the previous afternoon’s handover. He then turned…
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Narrowboating on the Thames
I’ve spent many a happy hour strolling along canal towpaths and riverbanks enjoying watching narrowboats pass by. I’ve even seen 3 of the 7 ‘Wonders of the Waterways’ yet had never been on a British narrow-boating holiday, that is until now. Our adventure started one bright and sunny October morning when we drove to the…
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Clarion Hotel Aviapolis, Helsinki Airport Review
Hotel Review Location: The Clarion Hotel is the newest of the airside hotels at Helsinki Airport, Finland. It’s located a 20 minute walk from the terminal in the tranquil Aviapolis district, an area largely home to aviation offices and the Finnish Aviation Museum. The hotel is 30 minutes by train from Helsinki city centre (trains I…
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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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How to Spend 48 Hours in Ghent: Top Things to Do, See & Eat
Ghent is Belgium’s fourth largest city and one of the country’s most beautiful. It’s easy to reach from the UK without the need for flying as we took the Eurostar service from London St. Pancras to Brussels. The journey takes only two hours with regular onward connections to Flanders cities on Belgian Railways. Trams 1…
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Top Things to Do in Mechelen, Belgium in Just 2 Days
Mechelen is one of Flanders art cities and a hidden gem located midway between Brussels and Antwerp. We travelled there by train from Leuven, taking just 30 minutes, with Brussels even closer at 15 minutes for easy onward connections to Eurostar or flights from Brussels airport. The perfect two day itinerary Day 1: We’d arranged…
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What to Do in Leuven in 48 Hours: Best Sights, Food & Tips
The Flemish region of Belgium lies to the north of the country nestled between the Netherlands and France. Most visitors head to Bruges or Ghent but Leuven is equally beautiful and less crowded than its more famous neighbours. The city is home to one of Europe’s oldest universities (KU Leuven) with many of its historic…
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Park Plaza Vondelpark, Amsterdam Review
Hotel Review Location: The Park Plaza hotel is located on a tree lined quiet street in the upscale Oud-Zuid district of Amsterdam, just steps away from the beautiful Vondelpark. Tram 2 serves the hotel making it easy to get around as it takes just 20 minutes to Central Station passing many of the city’s attractions…
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A Day in Hamburg: Explore Chocoversum and Miniatur Wunderland
There were more foodie treats in store for us to experience during our Hamburg city break with a morning visit to Chocoversum, the city’s chocolate museum. It’s located in the Kontorhaus district with the nearest U-Bahn station being Meßberg on the U1 Line. We joined one of their 90 minute chocolate tours which are offered…
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Hamburg’s Best Eats: A Culinary Tour Guide for Visitors
After a good night’s sleep in my lovely room at the Scandic Hamburg Emporio I enjoyed breakfast along the corridor in the hotel’s ‘Living Room’ which is for the exclusive use of guests staying on the upper two floors of the hotel. Here I enjoyed a selection of cold cuts of meat, mackerel and smoked salmon…
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Hamburg City Guide: Top Attractions, Food & Things to Do
With three days to explore a world of culinary delights and top sightseeing spots in Hamburg I couldn’t wait to get off the plane! I’d travelled with KLM from Leeds/Bradford connecting via Amsterdam and with direct flights available from both London and Manchester, the city is easy to reach for a short break from all…
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Holiday Inn, Winchester Review
Hotel Review I was recently invited to stay at the Holiday Inn, Winchester which underwent a major £2.5m refurbishment programme in 2019 to expand its lobby and dining areas and add a luxury spa. Location: The hotel is located on the outskirts of Winchester in southern Hampshire, south west England. The city lies 60 miles…
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A Walk Around Winchester: Exploring the City and Its Stunning Cathedral
After enjoying a hearty breakfast at the Holiday Inn Winchester we decided to leave our car behind and take the bus into the city centre. With a stop at the end of the drive it couldn’t have been easier as the journey only took 7 minutes. (Bus 64, day tickets £4). The bus terminated close to…
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Winchester Weekend Getaway: A Short Break Guide
We planned an autumn break in the historic city of Winchester, located in Hampshire, south west England. The previous night we’d stayed with family close by allowing us two full days to explore the city. On arrival in the city, we left our car in the Chesil Street multi-storey car park just a couple of…
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Day trip from Helsinki: Nuuksio National Park
Within easy reach of the Finnish capital lies Nuuksio National Park, an area of crystal clear lakes, forests and rugged crags. Getting there by public transport from Helsinki city centre takes just over an hour with a car journey taking around 40 minutes. We bought Helsinki Day Cards €12 (£10.45) allowing unlimited travel in zones…
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How to Spend a Day in Tapiola, Espoo on a Helsinki Day Trip
There are so many lovely places to visit in Helsinki and the surrounding area and one of my favourites is to spend a day in neighbouring Tapiola. With the opening of the western extension of the metro it’s now possible to reach Tapiola from the city centre in only 15 minutes. A one day ticket…
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Tallink Megastar Review: Helsinki to Tallinn Ferry Experience
Spending time in the Finnish capital of Helsinki is absolutely lovely and one of my favourite places to visit. As well as enjoying the city and surrounding area taking a ferry across to Tallinn in Estonia for a day is a very popular excursion as the journey time is only two hours. On our recent…
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Holiday Inn Express Derry-Londonderry Review
Hotel Review Location The Holiday Inn Express Derry-Londonderry is Derry’s newest hotel and is located in the heart of the city centre on Strand Road just a 20 minute taxi ride (fare approximately £12) from City of Derry Airport. Derry is Northern Ireland’s second city and has so much to offer not only as a city…
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Explore Luxembourg’s Moselle Valley: A Scenic Wine Region
Our final day in beautiful Luxembourg had come around all too quickly but with a late afternoon flight back to the UK we still had ample time to explore. Our plan for the day was to drive to Luxembourg’s wine growing region in the Moselle Valley just 40 minutes from the city centre. We made…
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Discover Luxembourg’s Müllerthal Region: The Little Switzerland
From our base in Luxembourg’s city centre it was just a 40 minute drive to the Müllerthal region which is often referred to as Little Switzerland due to its hilly landscape and beautiful hiking trails. Our first stop was at the Scheissendempel Cascade located on road 121 close to Müllerthal. We parked in a small…
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The Best Castles to Explore in Luxembourg
After spending the previous day exploring Luxembourg’s industrial heritage we turned our attention to its beautiful Ardennes region. This is located in the north eastern part of the country and home to several magnificent castles. We drove along some winding roads and made our first stop at Bourscheid Castle, a 40 minute journey from the…
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A Guide to Luxembourg’s Industrial Heritage Sites
After exploring the sights of Luxembourg City centre the previous day, we turned our attention to the country as a whole with a plan to spend the following days touring Luxembourg’s four distinct regions starting with the industrial heritage of the south west. As public transport is totally free throughout the entire country we did…
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