ST PAUL’S MONASTERY IN JARROW AND THE OLDEST STAINED GLASS WINDOW IN THE WORLD

Recently when I was in the area for my Hadrians Wall walk, I took a detour to a place I had long wanted to visited.  Not too many miles from the ancestral home of George Washington which I visited on the same trip. Whilst sights such as the Holy Island of Lindisfarne and Durham Cathedral… Continue reading ST PAUL’S MONASTERY IN JARROW AND THE OLDEST STAINED GLASS WINDOW IN THE WORLD

Washington Old Hall – The Ancestral Home of George Washington

A few weeks ago when I was walking along Hadrians Wall, I took the opportunity to make a few deviations along the way.  One such side-trip was to the ancestral home of George Washington in the aptly named old village of Washington. Washington lies between the large cities of Newcastle Upon Tyne and Sunderland and… Continue reading Washington Old Hall – The Ancestral Home of George Washington

Vindolanda Writing Tablets

When I was recently walking Hadrians Wall, there were countless Roman sites to visit either on or just off the wall.  Having visited many all ready, the one I most wanted to visit was Vindolanda.   You can see my blog post on Vindolanda here.   Out of everything in Vindolanda, the objects I most wanted… Continue reading Vindolanda Writing Tablets

Thomas Harrison – Executed whilst cheerful!

Whilst walking around the City of London earlier this week, I came across a sign that I had seen several times before.  It had always made me smile, perhaps a little perversely given the circumstances but also as I admired the steadfastness of Major General Harrison… whoever he might have been. I’d always vowed to… Continue reading Thomas Harrison – Executed whilst cheerful!

Holding a nearly 2,000 year old Roman shoe at Vindolanda

I’ve been so busy with my tours that I haven’t had a day off since April 16th and so my blog posts are currently a bit shorter than usual.  Even last week when I would be walking for up to 11 hours a day, I still had to start and finish my day with what… Continue reading Holding a nearly 2,000 year old Roman shoe at Vindolanda

I met perhaps the most famous tree in the world at Sycamore Gap

If you think of how many trees are famous; there are quite a few of them but compared to the countless billions of trees on the planet they are really few and far between.  Some famous trees are no longer here such as the cherry tree that George Washington cut down or the famous Californian… Continue reading I met perhaps the most famous tree in the world at Sycamore Gap

The Memorial To Heroic Self-Sacrifice At Postman’s Park

One of the places I really enjoy visiting on my Secret Churches, Gardens and Ruins walk in the City of London is Postman’s Park. The small park was converted in the 19th century from being a cemetery for the adjoining church and is largely unvisited by the swathes of tourists to London.  Apart from the… Continue reading The Memorial To Heroic Self-Sacrifice At Postman’s Park

A visit to Clava Cairns

Everyone knows I like my history and the older it is the better.  I spend much of my time visiting prehistoric and neolithic monuments. Everyone knows of Stonehenge but there are hundreds of other stonecircles across Britain as well as countless other monuments.  In fact as I write, I am preparing to go to Avebury… Continue reading A visit to Clava Cairns

An Outlander Day Tour of Scotland

During my recent 9 day tour of Scotland with 7 lovely ladies from the USA, one of the top priorites was to see as many Outlander sights as we could.  For those who are unfamiliar with Outlander (and that is most people in the UK) it follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse… Continue reading An Outlander Day Tour of Scotland

All about driverless cars!

Today (or yesterday when you read this), I was taking a walk outside Parliament and I had the opportunity to jump in a driverless car!  More about that later but it made me think of how in just a few years, autonomous cars have gone from science fiction fantasy to reality or at least very nearly… Continue reading All about driverless cars!