As I mentioned in previous holiday posts, the entire area of NorthEast England is rich in heavy industry and particularly mining history. Despite there being centuries more material underground, most mines are now closed as it is somehow supposedly more economical to get raw materials from China or Australia. Just a 3 or 4 miles… Continue reading Day 5 of my holiday – Killhope Lead Mine
Category: Travel
Posts predominantly travel related.
Visiting the magical land behind a waterfall and underground caving!
So far on our holiday no two days had been the same and this was to be no different. After doing a soot of shopping in Alston, the highest market town in England, we headed east over the Peninnes and moors into neighbouring County Durham. Though perhaps common place in larger or less densely populated… Continue reading Visiting the magical land behind a waterfall and underground caving!
Castlerigg Stone Circle and the Lakes
Following my early morning walk to the abandoned mine, we headed out for a day of touring. We headed towards The Lake District, a large area designated a National Park containing many of England’s highest mountains and numerous large lakes as well as smaller lakes or tarns situated high up in the mountains as a… Continue reading Castlerigg Stone Circle and the Lakes
Fell walking and an abandoned mine
Early on Tuesday morning I decided to take advantage of the dry weather and walk up a Fell (the local term for the high moors in this part of the world). I really really like the outdoors and the lack of people, cars, planes and avoiding anything in anyway 21st century. The moors are generally… Continue reading Fell walking and an abandoned mine
Holiday day 3… The Beamish Open Air museum
It’s often said that one never visits the touristic places near to where one lives. I never went on the London Eye until a family from Chicago paid me too. The Beamish Open Air Museum is a likely unique museum dedicated to preserving and informing future generations about the special industrial heritage of working class… Continue reading Holiday day 3… The Beamish Open Air museum
Alston Holiday -Day 2 Hexham and Hadrians Wall
For day two of our holiday we visited the lively little market town of Hexham, notable for amongst other things its magnificent Abbey Cathedral. People have worshipped on this site for nearly 1400 years. On top of the moors and in my “home” county. Whitfield Church in an area known as Little Switerzland Hexham Abbey … Continue reading Alston Holiday -Day 2 Hexham and Hadrians Wall
Alston Holiday Day 1
I’m away on holiday for a few days and staying in an old farmhouse, 500 metres/ 1600 feet up in the northern Pennines, an official area of outstanding beauty towards the top of England near the border with Scotland. Going up the M6 motorway approaching the eastern fringes of The Lake District Hart… Continue reading Alston Holiday Day 1
Knebworth House – It was a dark and stormy night…
One of the houses that I enjoy visiting but don’t actually get to very often is Knebworth House. It is an extremely distinctive looking country house in northern Hertfordshire just above London. The house has been in the hands of the Lytton family since 1490 and over the centuries the house has evolved from a… Continue reading Knebworth House – It was a dark and stormy night…
Photos from St. Paul’s Cathedral
This Monday I had the chance to do something I don’t get to do very often and that is enjoy London as a tourist. It’s easy when you live and work here to get bogged down with the traffic congestion and crowds and not make the most of the place. So on MondaI went and… Continue reading Photos from St. Paul’s Cathedral
Visiting places from the movies or Shaken, not stirred – My new James Bond tour of London
Many of you know that when not writing my little heart out, I run and guide private guided tours with my company, Ye Olde England Tours. One of my most popular tours I run is one dedicated to Sherlock Holmes and particularly the BBC series Sherlock where I take fans of the super sleuth and… Continue reading Visiting places from the movies or Shaken, not stirred – My new James Bond tour of London