Travel
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Leith and rugby at Murrayfield
After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, we bought day tickets for Lothian’s trams and buses costing £4 each and after taking a look in the beautiful Jenner’s department store, we caught a bus along to Leith. There was a small market taking place so we glanced round the stalls and sampled some…
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Edinburgh Christmas
Our final morning in lovely Edinburgh and the time has sped by so quickly. we’ve had so much fun. After checking out of our hotel, the Queen Street Travelodge, we left our luggage to collect later in the day and went off to a nearby pub for breakfast. A little later on, we returned to…
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A late autumn visit to London
A cold morning at home so before leaving the house I donned my winter coat and woollen scarf for my journey to London. I find long distance train travel relaxing and, once on board, I settled down to reading ‘Mr. Gandy’s Grand Tour’ by Alan Titchmarsh and happily spent the journey with my book, some…
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A walk along the Thames Path
Leaving our hotel in Clapham Junction we walked the few steps across to the railway station in order to board a service to Putney in south west London, just 10 minutes away. We then enjoyed a hearty breakfast on the high street before wandering round the shops and making our way towards the river. Strolling…
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Scenic Walk from Kingston-upon-Thames to Richmond: Riverside Views, Parks & Historic Sights
A 20 minute rail journey from Clapham Junction lies the south west London town of Kingston-upon-Thames and our starting point for today. The large town has some attractive Tudor buildings and a small market selling fruit and vegetables takes place in the central market square at weekends. The town has a good range of shops including…
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Top Attractions to Visit in Greenwich and Along the Thames
We woke to clear blue skies and sunshine but needed to wrap up warm on this November morning. After checking out of our Travelodge, we left our luggage and made our way to Greenwich taking the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) from Canary Wharf. Please remember if using the DLR that there are no ticket barriers…
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A week in the Algarve – Day 1
An early start this morning for our 7.00 am departure to Faro airport. Our three hour flight was with the budget scheduled airline Monarch which arrived on time, the flight passing quickly for us as we managed to catch up on some sleep for most of the journey. After reclaiming our luggage we transferred to…
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A Boat Trip from Lagos, Algarve: Admiring Stunning Sandstone Cliffs and Sea Caves
After sleeping soundly for almost ten hours, making up for yesterday’s lack of sleep we felt refreshed and looked forward to the day ahead. Just after 8.00 am we enjoyed a hearty breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant. It’s decorated in typical Portuguese style with dark wood furniture, a terracotta tiled floor and traditional artefacts displayed…
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How to Spend a Day in Praia da Luz from Lagos: Sun, Sea & Coastal Charm
Yet another warm, sunny morning so after breakfast we wandered over to the nearby Lagos bus station about five minutes walk away to take a 20 minute journey in a westerly direction to Praia da Luz. Tickets are very cheap on the Onda local service costing €1.60 for an adult single journey payable from…
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How to Spend a Day in Silves by Train from Lagos: History, Castles & Riverside Charm
I woke up briefly during the night to what sounded like hailstones out on the terrace but when we opened the curtains at 8.00 am we discovered our tiled balcony and white patio furniture were coated in a mixture of mud and grit. It must have rained heavily and as our room is on the…
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Taking the Train to Faro from Lagos: A Perfect Algarve Day Trip Guide
Although we flew into Faro airport last Saturday we didn’t see anything of Faro itself and as it’s an historic city as well as being the capital of the Algarve we thought it would be a good place to visit. Trains from Lagos to Faro take 1 hour 50 minutes and an adult return journey…
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How to Visit Alvor from Lagos, Portugal: What to See and Do in This Charming Coastal Town
Our plan on this warm, sunny morning was to visit Alvor by bus. It’s less than 30 minutes away from Lagos but buses are infrequent so we decided to enjoy a morning sauna before heading to the bus station for the 12.00 noon service. Buses to Alvor are on comfortable express coaches run by Eva…
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Walk Around Lagos, Portugal: Discover the Top Sights and Hidden Gems on Foot
Our last complete day in Lagos so we decided to complete our tour of this charming town. Starting by the marina we strolled along the seafront to the municipal market hall which was bustling with locals buying fresh produce for the weekend. Unlike other markets we’ve come across in the Algarve, this one has a…
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Our final day in the Algarve
There was plenty of time to relax over breakfast before checking out of our hotel the Tivoli. We’d arranged a transfer back to Faro airport as it wouldn’t have been possible to return by public transport on a Sunday morning. This has been our first holiday in the Algarve, would we return? Yes, we certainly would.…
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How to Enjoy an Autumn Stroll Around Burley-in-Wharfedale
Burley-in-Wharfedale is a village situated in the beautiful Wharfedale valley in West Yorkshire. It’s located eleven miles north west of Leeds and two miles from the market town of Otley. I arrived by train as Northern run regular services on the Wharfedale Line from both Leeds and Bradford, the journey taking around 25 minutes. The…
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Ilkley Street Circuit Cycling Evening Review: What to Expect and Highlights
An evening of town centre cycle racing first took place in Ilkley in 2014 as part of a festival of cycling prior to the Tour de France cycle race passing through the town. The evening was a such a huge success it was decided to make it an annual event in the town. There are…
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Guide to a Day at Beningbrough Hall, York: History and Gardens
This year Beningbrough is celebrating its 300th anniversary, it’s an 18th century Italian styled country house and we thought it might be a good opportunity to visit. Located 8 miles north of York just outside the village of Beningbrough we found ample parking on the day of our visit. The inspiration for Beningbrough Hall originated…
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Bournemouth Air Festival Review: Highlights, Tips, and What to Expect
The Bournemouth Air Festival takes place in August each year featuring air displays over four days. There is no admittance charge to the festival and thousands of plane lovers flock to this Dorset resort on the south coast of England to watch the extravaganza, so this year we decided to join them and take a…
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My Journey to Helsinki
The start of our summer holidays and whilst most Britsh families head south to the Mediterranean we always head north to Finland. You may find this somewhat strange but actually southern Finland generally enjoys warm sunny weather during the summer months, warm enough for trips to the beach and for swimming in the crystal clear…
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Travel Guide to Tapiola, Espoo: Finland’s Garden City
A leisurely start to the day after arriving here late last night. Waking to warm sunshine after so many cold days at home was just what was needed. Our holiday home overlooks a sheltered bay where the air is fresh and all around it’s so peaceful and green. I call it my ‘summer paradise’ as…
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How to Spend a Day in Tallinn While Visiting Helsinki: A Quick Guide to Estonia’s Capital
During the night we experienced a thunderstorm with heavy rain but thankfully it had passed by morning although it was a dull start to the day. After an early breakfast we travelled into Helsinki in order to take the 8.30 am Eckerö Line ferry across to Tallinn in Estonia. Over the years we’ve made many…
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Walking the Oulunkylä to Arabianranta Nature Trail in Helsinki: A Scenic Urban Escape
After taking the bus into Helsinki this morning we walked across to the Central Railway Station and travelled the short distance to Oulunkylä from where we started our nature trail (local trains are included in the regional travel pass). The gravel path passes the ornate pink Oulunkylä Seurahuone (a cafe, but currently closed for renovation)…
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Exploring Helsinki
A brighter start to the day so after breakfast we took a bus into Kamppi and our first stop this morning was to the Laituri museum just across the square from the bus station. This museum houses Helsinki City Planning Department’s exhibitions and on display at the moment is an exhibition on cycling in the city…
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How to spend a day on Lauttasaari Island, Helsinki
Back to sunshine this morning so we decided to take a walk around Lauttaasaari Island which lies between Espoo and Helsinki. Lauttasaari means ‘ferry island’ but nowadays the island is connected to the mainland by a series of bridges and causeways. On National Poet’s Day, and whenever it’s a National Day in Finland, Finnish flags…
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