Travel
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Bolton Abbey Estate Guide: What to See, Walks & Parking
It was such a peaceful start to the day, being able to wake gently and admire the countryside views as we pulled back the curtains. Breakfast was served in the conservatory which was bathed in sunlight as we took our seats. We helped ourselves to some cheese, fruit and yogurt and then chose hot dishes…
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Marks & Spencer Company Archive on the Leeds Heritage Trail
Michael Marks, a Russian born Polish refugee, opened his first penny bazaar in a covered arcade in Leeds in 1884. His slogan was ‘Don’t ask the price, it’s a penny’ and after successful trading, went into partnership ten years later with Tom Spencer, creating the beginnings of the company we know today. To celebrate the…
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Rome City Break Walking Guide: How to Explore Rome on Foot
As we had booked an early morning flight from London Heathrow, we decided to stay overnight at the London Hounslow Travelodge which was easily accessible from the Piccadilly Line. We found a J.D. Wetherspoon pub nearby and took advantage of their Thursday evening curry night specials before returning to our room for a few hours sleep. It…
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Rome & the Vatican: Top Attractions and Must-See Sights
We woke at 8.00 a.m. and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant before catching the metro to Ottaviano S. Pietro station so that we could visit the Vatican. Since 1929 the Vatican has been an independent state and is located across the Tiber river from central Rome. It was a beautiful sunny morning…
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Rome’s Spanish Steps and an Afternoon in Bracciano: A Travel Guide
It was another bright, sunny morning as we made our way to Piazza di Spagna to climb the Spanish Steps. The square was already crowded with tourists around the fountain at the foot of the steps known as the ‘fountain of the old boat’. The fountain resembles a sinking ship and is thought to be…
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Rome Travel Guide: Gianicolo Hill and Trastevere Neighbourhoods
On our final morning in Rome we started the day with a visit to the Gianicolo Hill viewpoint, one of the highest hills in Rome. It’s located above the Vatican and Trastevere districts to the west of the Tiber. Our phone map suggested taking the train to S. Pietro station and following a path from…
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Quarry Bank Mill: Guide to England’s Historic Industrial Site
It was a sunny Saturday morning when we set off early to visit Quarry Bank Mill, one of the finest places to explore Britain’s industrial heritage. Quarry Bank is located on the Styal Estate in Wilmslow close to Manchester Airport and is now owned by the National Trust, further details can be found here. After finding…
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The Shipley Glen Cable Tramway: Visitor Guide & History
One weekend we decided to travel to Saltaire to take a ride on the oldest functioning funicular railway in the United Kingdom. Getting there by public transport was relatively easy, Saltaire having a railway station on the Airedale line with links to Leeds, Bradford and Skipton. Leaving the station by a short flight of stone…
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Our Moscow adventure
The thought of standing in a snow carpeted Red Square on a cold winter’s day seemed appealing, so we booked a few days in Moscow. It’s necessary to obtain a visa before arriving in Russia and this can dissuade potential visitors from travelling. To help demystify the process I’ll explain how we went about it.…
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Exploring Moscow
We opened the curtains to find that there had been heavy snow overnight, covering all the surrounding roof tops with a fluffy white blanket. After a leisurely breakfast we took the metro to Komsomolskaya station which was absolutely beautiful with its painted yellow ceilings and its platforms lit by chandeliers. The station was designed in…
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Sightseeing in Moscow
There had been more snow overnight but it was a reasonably bright morning. Our first stop after breakfast was Lubyanka, which is the next station on Line 1 from Red Square. Climbing the steps from the metro station we could see the former headquarters of the KGB across the square. Lubyanka was once a name…
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Exploring more of Moscow
After breakfast, we took the metro to the new central business district, known as Moscow City. Located at the Delovoy Tsentr metro stop, the station has a modern ‘high-tech’ feel to blend in with the skyscraper landscape above ground. Moscow City consists of several towers built in futuristic styles, each tower having its own distinctive…
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Sokolniki Park, Moscow
We woke to more heavy overnight snow, creating a winter wonderland panorama from our 23rd floor bedroom window. As it was our final day, we over-indulged with a large breakfast and then bid our farewells to the lovely restaurant staff who had looked after us all week. After packing our belongings together we set off…
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The Cotton Mills of Tampere and Manchester
My travels in Finland took me to Tampere, located 100 miles north east of the capital Helsinki. It’s Finland’s third largest city and takes just 90 minutes to reach by inter-city train from the capital. I’d wanted to visit Tampere for sometime because it’s often referred to as the ‘Manchester of Finland’ due to its…
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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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SS Great Britain & Aerospace Bristol
After the previous day’s glorious sunshine, we woke to grey skies but as we’d planned to spend the day visiting two of Bristol’s top cultural highlights which were both indoors, it didn’t bother us too much. So, after our usual cooked breakfasts and large cappuccinos we felt suitably nourished and ready for a day of…
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The Clifton Suspension Bridge & M Shed, Bristol
Our final day in Bristol, but still plenty of time for more sightseeing, so after checking out of the Travelodge and leaving our luggage to collect later in the day we once again caught the Bristol Ferry Boats 10.00 a.m. service. Unlike the previous day, when we disembarked at SS Great Britain, this time we…
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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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Historic Lancaster
A weekend visit to the historic city of Lancaster located in the north west of England was our plan, approximately a two hour drive from our home. I’d visited Lancaster before but not for many years and on entering the city, it was still congested through the one way system as we crept along until…
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The Ilkley Toy Museum
Tucked away on a side street yet only a few minutes walk from Ilkley railway station stands the Ilkley Toy Museum. This hidden gem has been located in a former Sunday School building in the attractive small West Yorkshire town of Ilkley for the past 16 years. The museum contains one of the finest private collections…
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A day at the seaside in Blackpool
It’s been a number of years since we last visited Blackpool, one of England’s premier seaside resorts, so we thought we’d return and see if it had changed. Blackpool is located in the north west of England on Lancashire’s Fylde coast. We travelled by train, arriving into Blackpool North station shortly before lunch. When purchasing…
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The Blackpool Illuminations
The Blackpool Illuminations is an annual lights festival which was founded in 1879. It started life with garlands of 10,000 coloured light bulbs strung along the seafront and was such a huge success that it continued as an annual event extending the tourist season by an extra two months. The Illuminations or ‘The Lights’ as…
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