Almost everyone knows what a Cockney is or at least they think they do. Famously they are the original Londoners known for their cheeky banter, no nonsense approach to life and perhaps being a bit rough. Actually a lot rough. The amount of London gangster films has given to a film genre in… Continue reading All About Cockneys & The 150 Top Cockney Rhyming Slang Phrases
Category: Cool Britannia
Cross Bones Graveyard – A resting place for the ‘Single women’ of London
Today whilst conducting a private Charles Dickens Walking Tour with a colleague, I took a little detour through the back streets of Borough and Southwark to visit two very special and unique places. This area of London lies just south of the River Thames and since Roman times (like Whitechapel) has been something of the armpit… Continue reading Cross Bones Graveyard – A resting place for the ‘Single women’ of London
Stonehenge At Dusk
I don’t usually do simple photo posts but in Thursday on one if my guided tours, we happened to be at Stonehenge at dusk. Due to the latitude of the British Isles, dusk can be anything from about 11pm in mid summer to 3pm or earlier in mid winter. Around 1.5 million people visit Stonehenge… Continue reading Stonehenge At Dusk
The home of Beatrix Potter & the wonderful world of Peter Rabbit
Following my exertions in the early part of my holiday a few weeks ago, I thought it would be a good idea to have an easier sort of day. That didn’t mean it wouldn’t be a very full one however, just a little less strenuous. The first part of my day was set aside with… Continue reading The home of Beatrix Potter & the wonderful world of Peter Rabbit
Hardknott Pass & Hardknott Fort – Perhaps the most remote Roman outpost in the Empire.
Following my climb up Skiddaw on the first day of my holiday, I fancied something a little bit more sedate, though at times no less hair-raising. After visiting Castlerigg Stonecircle and in keeping with my both laid back approach and fiercely testing idea of approaching my first days off in the year, I decided that I would visit the… Continue reading Hardknott Pass & Hardknott Fort – Perhaps the most remote Roman outpost in the Empire.
A close encounter with a Brocken Spectre
Fear not, this isn’t an early Halloween posting though the word ‘Spectre’ is accurate in the spooky image that it relates to. In my last post on climbing Skiddaw, I neglected to mention that I was lucky enough to see a Brocken Spectre. These are rather rare natural occurrences though I am fortunate to have… Continue reading A close encounter with a Brocken Spectre
I climbed Skiddaw – Englands 6th tallest peak
For the week of October 1st -8th, I actually had my first days off from giving tours since February. I was exhausted and quite ill, and a week on, I still am though slightly less on both counts. Longer time readers will remember that I like to escape London to go to the quietest and… Continue reading I climbed Skiddaw – Englands 6th tallest peak
Talking on the Tube… has the whole world gone mad?
For a huge city, London is quite a friendly place. We didn’t even make the list of the most unfriendly cities of 2016 and Londoners are many things but they don’t have a reputation as being eternally grumpy like Paris or Moscow or entirely lacking in concepts of personal space and good manners like others.… Continue reading Talking on the Tube… has the whole world gone mad?
Since I’ve been gone…
If you’re reading this then you may have noticed that I have got a little behind with my blog posting. I’m hugely sorry about that. Something has been tapping at my window demanding my attention and sadly that thing is called the real world. I’ve been extremely busy with my guided tours and have given… Continue reading Since I’ve been gone…
Why does the Queen have 2 birthdays?
Today Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 90th birthday. Reaching 90 years of age is reason enough to celebrate for any of us but this is the second time the Queen has reached 90 as she also had a birthday back on 21st April which was the day she was actually born. In… Continue reading Why does the Queen have 2 birthdays?
Stephen Liddell 