Travel
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Exploring Luxembourg City Centre: Top Attractions and Hidden Gems
Luxembourg is one of the world’s smallest countries, similar in size to the county of Dorset in south west England. It’s located in north western Europe and bordered by Belgium, France and Germany. It may only be small but it certainly packs a punch as we found out during our recent visit. The previous afternoon…
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Leonardo Royal Hotel, Nuremberg Review
Hotel Review Location: Nuremberg is situated in Bavaria, southern Germany and is a delightful place to enjoy a city break with its impressive old town, Imperial castle and wealth of museums. The Leonardo Royal Hotel is a newly opened hotel (2021) located in the city centre just a few steps from the railway station. As…
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A Walk Around Prague Centre: Exploring the Heart of the City
Our final day in Prague had come around all too quickly but as we were booked home on an evening flight we still had plenty of time to enjoy the city. After checking out of the lovely Mama Shelter hotel we took a short tram ride to Letna Park, located in an elevated position in the…
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Discover Prague’s Hidden Gems: Off-the-Beaten-Path Attractions
Our day started with a visit to Prague Planetarium located close to the hotel in Stromovka Park. It’s dome is one of the largest in the world and measures 23.5 metres in diameter. It’s free to view the permanent exhibition of optics and to explore the numerous interactive astronomy displays. For those interested in star gazing, tickets…
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Prague Castle and National Museum: Must-Visit Historical Landmarks
After enjoying a hearty breakfast in the lovely restaurant at Mama Shelter we boarded a tram to Wenceslas Square so that we could visit the National Museum. This square is the largest in Prague and takes its name from St. Wenceslas, the Czech patron. It’s actually more of a rectangle than a square and was formerly known…
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How to Spend a Perfect Weekend in Prague
The previous afternoon we’d taken an EasyJet flight from Manchester over to Václav Havel airport in Prague to enjoy a short break in the Czech capital. Getting into the centre was inexpensive as 90 minute transport tickets cost only 40czk (£1.38). For visitors aged 65+ travel on public transport is free of charge and no…
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Blenheim Palace Afternoon Tea Review: Elegance and Taste
Blenheim Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the family home of the 12th Duke of Marlborough, as it has been for all the Dukes in the past 300 years. It is the only non-royal house in England to hold the title of a palace. Location: Blenheim Palace is located in Woodstock, Oxfordshire 8…
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Bartons Mill, Old Basing, Basingstoke Review
Location: Bartons Mill is located in the picturesque village of Old Basing in Hampshire, just two miles east of Basingstoke. Easily accessible by road Bartons Mill lies 43 miles south west of London and is less than 10 minutes drive from junction 6 of the M3 motorway. For guests arriving by train, Basingstoke is on…
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Exploring Basingstoke’s Past: Old Basing and Milestones Museum
After a good night’s sleep we started the day with a delicious cooked breakfast at the lovely Barton’s Mill on the outskirts of Basingstoke. It was a bright, sunny morning as we set out on foot to explore the picturesque village of Old Basing. From Barton’s Mill we followed a short section of the Basing…
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How to Enjoy a Weekend Getaway in Basingstoke
We planned a short break in Basingstoke, the largest town in Hampshire, located close to the West Berkshire border. The town lies 30 miles (48 km) north east of Southampton and 48 miles (77 km) south west of London. It is easily accessible by road being just a few minutes drive from Junction 6 of…
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The Wensleydale Hotel, Middleham, North Yorkshire Review
Hotel Review Location: The Wensleydale Hotel is located in the delightful small town of Middleham nestled on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It’s just two miles from the bustling market town of Leyburn and 10 miles from Richmond. For those travelling from London or the south, Middleham can be reached by taking…
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Discover the Beauty of Hawes in Wensleydale
Our stay at the Wensleydale Hotel had been lovely and before checking out we enjoyed another of their delicious breakfasts to set us up for the day. We then packed up the car and headed off to explore more of this beautiful part of Yorkshire. Our first stop was at Aysgarth Falls just a 25 minute…
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A Leisurely Walk Around Richmond, North Yorkshire: What to See
Our day started in the best way possible with a delicious breakfast at the Wensleydale Hotel, Middleham and this set us up nicely for the day ahead. We’d planned to spend the day exploring the historic market town of Richmond, noted for its Norman castle, elegant Georgian architecture and riverside setting. It took us just…
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How to Spend a Perfect Weekend in Wensleydale
We were up bright and early for our road trip to scenic Wensleydale in North Yorkshire. The area is famous for the cheese to which it gives its name but for lots of other interesting things too as we were soon to discover. Our first stop was to the village of Masham (pronounced massham) to…
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Hotel Indigo Bath Review
Hotel Review Following a multi-million pound restoration project taking four years, the 166 room Hotel Indigo Bath finally opened its doors in September 2020. It’s set in a beautiful honey coloured Bath stone Georgian terrace laid out in the 1740’s by renowned local architect John Wood the Elder. Location: The hotel is perfectly situated on…
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Discover Bath’s Roman Baths and Nearby Attractions
Our final day in Bath had come around all too quickly and after enjoying a delicious breakfast at the Hotel Indigo Bath we checked out of the hotel and set off to visit Bath’s number one attraction, namely its Roman Baths. The baths are located in the centre of Bath next to the abbey and are open daily…
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A Guide to Exploring Bath and the Jane Austen Centre
After a leisurely breakfast our day began with a visit to the Bath World Heritage Centre on York Street. The centre is free to visit and features interactive exhibits and displays. UNESCO added Bath as a cultural site to its World Heritage list in 1987 and from reading an information board we learnt that it had…
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A Guide to Bath’s Hidden Gems and Lesser-Known Attractions
After sleeping soundly in our lovely room at the Hotel Indigo Bath we popped downstairs to start the day by tucking into a delicious buffet breakfast in the attractive Elder restaurant. Ready to go after a couple of cappuccinos we ventured south east of the town to visit the American Museum and Gardens (standard adult admission £14.50,…
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Exploring Cheddar Gorge and Wells, Somerset: A Perfect Day Trip
We began our four day break centred around Bath by visiting Wells in Somerset which lies 22 miles to the south west of the city. I’d long wanted to visit Wells, as it’s England’s smallest city, nestled on the edge of the Mendip Hills with its roots dating back to Roman times. The name of…
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The Fleece Hotel, Cirencester Review
Hotel Review Overview: The Fleece is a 5 star, grade II listed coaching inn set in the heart of the Cotswolds. The property’s history stretches as far back as 1651. Following defeat at the Battle of Worcester in the same year, King Charles II is believed to have used the building as a hiding place…
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Luxury Glamping at Gisburne Park, Lancashire Review
Overview: The Ribble Valley is an idyllic part of the north of England located in north east Lancashire and covering 212 sq. miles of the Forest of Bowland, an area of deep valleys and peat moorland. It’s an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty but despite booming tourism with ever increasing numbers of visitors, it’s still…
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The Great Yorkshire Show 2022
The Great Yorkshire Show (GYS) was back with a bang this year with all 140,000 tickets selling out in advance of the 2022 show. The 163rd show took place between 12-15 July in Harrogate, North Yorkshire with fine weather and mostly sunny conditions each day. The show is England’s premier agricultural event organised by the…
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Lapland Hotels Saaga, Ylläs, Lapland, Finland Review
Hotel Review Location: Lapland Hotels, Saaga is a year round resort hotel situated 175 km north of the arctic circle in Ylläs, Lapland. The Ylläs area comprises the two villages of Äkaslompolo on the northern side of Ylläs fell and Ylläsjarvi to the south which are connected by a scenic road. Although it sounds remote,…
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Hotel Levi Panorama, Levi, Lapland, Finland Review
Hotel Review Location: Hotel Levi Panorama is a luxurious resort hotel located on the slopes of Levi Fell, 110 miles north of the arctic circle in Lapland, Finland. Getting to Levi is quite easy as there are daily connecting flights from Helsinki international airport to Kittilä with Finnair (journey time 1 hour 20 minutes). Levi…