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…

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

The Angel of The North

Many cities and regions are defined by their buildings. statues and works of art.  Some such as The Great Wall of China, Leaning Tower of Pisa achieved this status despite being originally built for very different reasons.  Others like the Eiffel Tower or even the London Eye were only ever meant to be temporary structures and… Continue reading The Angel of The North

My first England Grand Tour

I’ve been very busy these last few weeks with my tours but wanted to share a little about one particular tour as it was a first, well at least for me.  The last 8 days or so I have been giving a guided tour to four lovely ladies from the USA.  I’ve now given over… Continue reading My first England Grand Tour

A Trip To Norfolk, A Pilgrimage To Walsingham

Not many people have heard of Walsingham in the U.K. and even less people know of it overseas and yet around 900 years ago it would have been one of the most famous pilgrimage points in the known world.    Situated only 130 miles from London but even today much more isolated and harder to… Continue reading A Trip To Norfolk, A Pilgrimage To Walsingham