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Travel

  • Leeds Liverpool Canal in Leeds

    Discovering Waterside Leeds: Explore the City’s Revitalised Waterfront

    I’d heard that there was more to Leeds than city centre shopping so one sunny morning I took the train there to have a look around.  Leeds is located in West Yorkshire and is only a two and a quarter hour rail journey from London King’s Cross station.  Instead of leaving Leeds Railway Station from…

  • Bugibba, Malta

    Travelling to Malta

    Finding a good deal online for a winter week in Malta seemed irresistible and as it’s somewhere we haven’t already visited it’s an opportunity to explore a ‘new’ country.  Flights during the winter are infrequent, so we opted for an early morning departure from Manchester. Rather than risk the weather and drive to the airport…

  • Grand Harbour, Valletta

    Exploring Valletta, Malta: A Complete Guide to the City’s History, Culture, and Attractions

    After a good night’s sleep we enjoyed a hearty breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant and then walked the short distance to the Bugibba bus station to catch a bus into Malta’s capital Valletta.  It’s possible to take the 31, 45 and 48 buses and the journey takes approximately one hour on each service. Valletta is…

  • Gozo, Malta

    One Day in Gozo: The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Gozo by Ferry from Malta

    Drawing back the curtains we were dismayed to find it was raining heavily and a strong wind was blowing.  Not to be deterred, we kept with our original plans and caught a bus (No.221) to the Gozo ferry terminal at Cirkewwa, taking approximately 30 minutes. During the winter months ferries depart for Gozo at 45…

  • Sliema, Malta

    Sliema Travel Guide: Explore Malta’s Premier Resort Destination

    Thankfully, we woke to a bright, sunny morning after yesterday’s heavy rain and strong winds so after breakfast in our hotel we caught a bus to the large resort of Sliema situated in the north east of the island.  Buses are frequent but don’t expect to arrive at your destination very quickly as roads are…

  • Mdina, Malta

    Travel Guide to Mdina: Discover Malta’s Silent City

    This is what we had been waiting for – clear blue skies and a warm sunny morning, just perfect for our visit to Mdina which is easily accessible by bus (No.186 taking 45 minutes) from Bugibba.  As vehicular access is limited to residents in Mdina, buses stop alongside the Howard Gardens in Rabat which are…

  • St. Julian's Bay, Malta

    How to Spend a Perfect Day in St. Julian’s Bay, Malta

    Fortunately the warm sunshine is continuing so after breakfast we took the Sliema bus (No.212) as far as Spinola Bay located in St. Julian’s.  This charming, photogenic small bay with traditional fishing boats is lined on one side with numerous bars and restaurants and contains the largest proportion of 5 star hotels on the island.…

  • Valletta, Malta

    Complete Guide to Valletta, Malta – What to See, Do & Eat

    A dull, breezy morning for our second visit to the island’s capital, Valletta.  Buses from Bugibba run at approximately 15 minute intervals taking about one hour to reach Valletta.  Roads are both narrow and congested and the constant stop start motion of the bus always seems to make us feel drowsy. It was bustling as…

  • Swimming pool at DB San Antonio Hotel, Malta

    Our final day in Malta

    As we had arranged a late evening flight back to the UK we still had a complete day to relax in Bugibba.  Check out time was 11.00 am so we popped down to the spa for a post breakfast sauna before vacating our room.  We were pleasantly surprised to be able to retain our wristbands…

  • Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), London

    Exploring the V&A: What to See at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum

    The start of another long weekend in London.  Arriving in the capital around lunchtime, I decided to take the Underground to South Kensington so that I could visit the Victoria & Albert Museum which is on Cromwell Road. The Victoria & Albert (V & A) is the world’s leading museum of art and design housing many of…

  • Big Ben and Houses of Parliament at dusk

    Exploring London’s Hidden Gems: The Faraday Museum & The Wallace Collection at Hertford House

    A much brighter morning and gladly somewhat milder than yesterday.  After taking a train to Victoria from Clapham Junction, the country’s busiest railway station we rode the Underground one stop to Green Park as we wished to visit the Royal Institution on Albemarle Street, just off Piccadilly. In the basement of the Royal Institution you…

  • Chinese Lanterns, Chinatown, London

    Visiting the Imperial War Museum & Experiencing Chinese New Year in London: A Complete Guide

    I’ve visited the Imperial Museum North at Salford Quays, Manchester a couple of times but had not visited the main site in London so on this cold, dreary morning we decided to take a look.  The nearest underground station is Lambeth North but this is currently closed whilst the lifts are being replaced so as an alternative,…

  • Chinese Lanterns, Trafalgar Square, London

    Chinese New Year in London

    To round off our weekend in London we headed to Trafalgar Square where a huge festival to celebrate the Chinese New Year (Year of the Rooster) was taking place from 10.00 a.m.  No visit to London should take place without visiting this iconic square with Nelson’s Column at its centre surrounded by four lions.  Getting…

  • A Dalek at MediaCity UK, Salford Quays

    Explore the BBC Studios: MediaCityUK Tour Experience in Salford

    On a recent visit to Salford Quays we noticed that it was possible to take guided tours of parts of the television and radio studios – so when we returned home we visited the BBC website and booked online.  Tours last 90 minutes and cost £11 per person with concessions available.  A maximum of 22 visitors are…

  • TheStudios and MediaCityUK, Salford Quays

    Salford Quays & MediaCityUK Day Guide – What to See, Eat & Do

    Salford Quays, Greater Manchester’s waterfront destination is situated just a 15 minute tram ride away from the centre of Manchester, our destination today.  An adult return from Piccadilly costs £3 see Metrolink for details and passengers need to take the Eccles line for MediaCityUK.  If you are planning on travelling by car there is a large car…

  • Carriages at The National Railway Museum, York

    National Railway Museum York – Explore Britain’s Iconic Locomotives

    Doesn’t everyone love a steam train – we certainly do, and when an opportunity arose to visit the National Rail Museum in York, we were thrilled!  The museum is located behind York’s railway station, just cross the footbridge over all the platforms and you will see the museum on leaving the station.  A large car park is…

  • Prague Clock

    Prague City Break – Day 1

    After taking an early morning flight from London Gatwick to Prague’s Vaclav Havel airport we transferred to the city centre by bus and metro.  Arriving into a winter wonderland of thick snow we made our way to the Best Western Hotel Pav, our home for the next three nights. Settling in to our room, we…

  • Prague old town square in winter

    Visiting Prague in Winter 

    After a hearty breakfast in the Hotel Pav’s modern restaurant, we wrapped up well to protect us from the below freezing temperatures and set off to visit the castle. Overlooking the Vltava river stands the magnificent Prague Castle, the largest medieval castle in Europe and today the home of the President of the Czech Republic…

  • Weir on Vltava river, Prague

    Winter at Petřín Hill and a Vltava River Walk – Prague Travel Guide

    After breakfast we decided to visit Petrin Hill and Observation Tower.  Getting there was by funicular from Ujezd Street in the Lesser Town.  The funicular railway forms part of the Prague public transport system so our day ticket covered this journey. On reaching the summit of Petrin Hill we saw a replica of Paris’s Eiffel…

  • Vltava river, Prague

    A Riverside Walk in Prague in Winter – Scenic Winter Strolls Along the Vltava

    The sun was shining this morning so we headed across the river to the Badeniho district and into the Letna Park as we had read that some of the finest views of the Vltava river and its bridges were from here. Climbing the flight of stone steps we came to a giant metronome and spotted photographers…

  • Yorkshire Dales National Park Centre, Malham

    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…

  • Illuminated Santa 'Zippy', Manchester Christmas Market

    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…

  • River Ouse, York

    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…

  • Edinburgh Castle at night

    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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