Travel
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Birmingham: A Travel Guide to the City’s Best Experiences
It might not be well known, but Birmingham has been referred to as the ‘Venice of the North’ as it boasts more miles of canals than Venice. It sits at the heart of England’s canal network with around 35 miles (56 km) of waterways. Getting there: As Birmingham is located in the centre of the…
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Bristol Travel Guide: How to Plan the Perfect Trip
Getting there Bristol is ideally situated with excellent transport links and enjoys good road access being at the intersection of both the M4 and M5 motorways. For visitors preferring to travel by train, Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the largest rail hub in the west of England with direct services from London, Scotland, Manchester…
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The Rock Hotel, Gibraltar Review
Hotel Review Location: The Rock Hotel is an historic hotel built in 1932 in art deco style located in a commanding position on the Rock of Gibraltar. It quickly became a magnet for the rich and famous and is considered to be one of Europe’s iconic hotels so we were looking forward to following in…
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A Scenic Walk Around Camp Bay, Gibraltar: Beaches, History & Coastal Views
Our final day in Gibraltar gave us an opportunity to explore more of the territory. From our base at the Rock Hotel we took a morning stroll all the way around to Camp Bay, a small rocky beach overlooking the Bay of Gibraltar. Due to its location at the southern end of the bay, it…
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Top Spots to Go Paddle Boarding and See Dolphins in Gibraltar
It was such a warm morning that we were pleased to find tables had been laid for breakfast on the sun bathed terrace, which was such a delight during the winter and definitely the nicest possible way to start the day. After feeling recharged with an extra croissant and more coffee we headed to Sandy…
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Guide to E-Biking Around Gibraltar: Scenic Trails and Bike Hire
After a delicious breakfast at the Rock Hotel we were all set to go for another fun filled day exploring Gibraltar. First on the agenda was something totally new to us, a morning of e-biking up to the top of Rock. EBike Gibraltar are based at Ocean Village and from there one can take a…
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Exploring the Garrison Library and Spirit of the Rock Distillery in Gibraltar
What more could a girl wish for – our planned morning activities were to visit a heritage library and a gin distillery both of which I love dearly! After a hearty breakfast at the Rock Hotel we headed into town to explore the Gibraltar Garrison Library. Founded in 1793 as a military library, it became…
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Exploring the Rock of Gibraltar: Skywalk and Siege Tunnels Guide
We started the day with a visit to the Gibraltar National Museum on Bomb House Lane in the centre of town. Standard admission is £5 with a combination ticket being available at £8 to include a visit to the Gorham’s Cave complex viewing platform near Europa Point. Galleries cover the history of the Rock starting…
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The top of the Rock, Gibraltar
Pulling back the curtains we witnessed the most beautiful sunrise over the bay and it made me so happy to be spending time in wonderful Gibraltar. Breakfast at The Rock Hotel takes place in the Terrace Restaurant where we tucked into a large buffet selection of fresh fruit, cold meats, cheese, bread and pastries. Eggs…
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Top Gibraltar Highlights: Best Things to See and Do
What better way to escape the bitterly cold British winter weather than to spend a week in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. At only 3 miles (5km) long and 0.75 miles (1.2km) wide it’s a tiny relic of the former British empire but with more than enough to keep us entertained during our stay.…
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A Thames Walk Along the South Bank to Westminster
After breakfast at our hotel in Kensington, we took the District Line to East Putney with the intention of taking a stroll along the Thames Path towards Barnes. However, our plans were dashed as it started to pour with rain just as we left the underground station. Instead, we decided a morning’s shopping was more…
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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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The Harrison Chambers of Distinction, Belfast Review
Hotel Review The Harrison Chambers of Distinction is a newly opened hotel and formerly a Victorian merchants’ residence dating from 1879. Owner Melanie Harrison has expertly woven past and present into a celebration of all that is great about Belfast. Carpets are from Ulster Carpets, the company who fitted out the ill fated Titanic, Victorian…
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Exploring the Belfast Peace Walls and Titanic Experience
Our long weekend in Belfast was drawing to a close but gladly we still had a full day of interesting activities planned for our final day. After a delicious breakfast at the Harrison Hotel we packed up our belongings and we reluctantly checked out of our lovely rooms which had been home for the last…
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How to Visit the Giant’s Causeway on a Day Tour from Belfast
We were up bright and early as we’d booked tickets (£25 each) for a full day excursion on a combined Giant’s Causeway and Games of Thrones tour with McComb’s Coach Travel. The meeting point was outside the Europa Hotel for our departure at 8.30 a.m. The company seemed very organised as we set off on…
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Belfast: The Best Bits to See and Do
We woke to another bright morning and after starting the day with my favourite bircher muesli, fresh fruit and pastries at the lovely Harrison Hotel we were soon ready to walk into the city centre. Belfast is a great walking city as it’s relatively flat and quite compact. It only takes about 20 minutes to…
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Best Belfast Walking Tours to Take for Exploring the City
We woke to a bright sunny morning and after enjoying a delicious continental breakfast at The Harrison, the lovely hotel where we were staying, it was then just a ten minute walk to the Ulster Museum. Entrance to the museum is free of charge but it is recommended that visitors pre-book a timed slot to…
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Weekend in Belfast: Staying at The Harrison Hotel
When considering where to go on holiday in these uncertain times, Belfast ticked all the boxes for us. We’d still be travelling by air, feeling as if we were actually going abroad but with the security of knowing that we couldn’t be quarantined on our return as Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. …
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A Day Exploring Espinho, Portugal: Top Attractions and Experiences
Our original plan had been to set a day aside to visit the Douro valley but as organised trips were not operating, this proved problematic. It’s possible to take a train from Porto to Pinhāo from where one can connect to boat trips up the Douro valley. However, with a journey of more than two…
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How to Spend a Day in Vila do Conde from Porto
We decided to spend a day along the coast in the town of Vila do Conde, a seaside resort 25km north of Porto. It’s a town favoured by locals though perhaps not on the day of our visit as it was cool and overcast. Lying at the mouth of the Ave river, it was historically…
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How to Spend a Day in Coimbra from Porto
We were interested to visit Coimbra as it was the medieval capital of Portugal for just over 100 years from 1145-1255 when King Afonso moved his court to Lisbon. The city is also home to one of Europe’s oldest universities. Trains from Porto to Coimbra depart from Campanhã station which is on the main north-south…
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How to Spend a Day in Aveiro from Porto
There’s little need to hire a car whilst staying in Porto as there are numerous interesting places to visit which are easily accessible by train. So, for the third morning in succession we took the now familiar route to the São Bento station, this time for a train to Aveiro. Return fares are priced at…
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How to Spend a Day in Braga from Porto
After breakfast in our hotel, it was back to Saō Bento station again with its beautiful blue tiled concourse. Our destination was to be Portugal’s third largest city, Braga, return day tickets €7 each. The train was reasonably quiet and we enjoyed looking at the passing scenery from the carriage windows during the 75 minute…
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How to spend a day in Guimaraes from Porto
After spending the first two days of our holiday exploring Porto we were ready to travel further afield so after a hearty breakfast we headed off to Saō Bento station where we marvelled once again at its exquisite blue and white tiled concourse. From the ticket office we requested return tickets to Guimaraes with discounted…
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