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…

Rugby World Cup 2015

Have you ever cheated at a game?  The chances are we all have at one time or other but perhaps our cheating didn’t have quite the same repercussions  as one day in the autumn of 1823 when William Webb Ellis who was playing the game of football such as it was then when this student… Continue reading Rugby World Cup 2015

Using Pinterest for Authors and Bloggers

Recently I became more aware of the social media platform Pinterest.  I must admit that I don’t have much time for Social Media both figuratively and literally.  Self promotion isn’t my thing and I’m generally too busy to complete what I want to do in my life let alone look at many others.   I… Continue reading Using Pinterest for Authors and Bloggers

How Shakespeare has influenced Pop Culture

How can I be British, a writer, yet have never really written about Shakespeare in over 3 years of blogging. Would you believe that when I was at Secondary School (High School), it was politically incorrect for us to learn Shakespeare as part of the generally, we can’t be proud of any of the good… Continue reading How Shakespeare has influenced Pop Culture