Growing up in Northern Ireland in the 1980s, local sports stars on the world stage were relatively limited in number, but among the small band that there were, there were three who were among the greatest in their sports not just among their contemporaries, but in the recent history of the sport. They were football’s…
On my recent trip to Poland, I went to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine, near Krakow. I was aware of the mine as a key tourist attraction, although had never been on any of my previous trips to the city, and as we were driving more or less by the entrance, it seemed a good opportunity to…
Today sees the end of the 2015 Heather Scarecrow Festival, so I went along yesterday to look at this year’s collection of displays. For those not familiar with the event, the villagers of Heather in North West Leicestershire fill their gardens with homemade scarecrows, whilst visitors can go on a hunt for them around the…
On my recent trip to Poland, I went back to visit Wawel, or Krakow Castle again. I have been there a few times, but even in a city with so much impressive architecture and grand buildings, the castle that dominates one end of the old town is a must see. There have been buildings on…
I was in Poland recently, which involved flying to and from Lublin airport in the east of the country. Although there has been an airfield in Swidnik – the town near Lublin that is home to the airport – since 1939, and an aviation factory building helicopters since 1956, there has only been a commercial…
Last weekend saw the Return of the Garrison event at the National Space Centre in Leicester, where the UK Garrison are on show for visitors to see and meet. The UK Garrison are a group of volunteers who appear as characters from the Star Wars films, in fantastically movie accurate costumes. I had asked my…
I’m a regular at my local village festival, and after writing about the 2013 and 2014 events, I went along last Saturday to the Heart of the Forest Festival 2015 to see what was going on. The festival takes place in the Leicestershire village of Measham in the middle of the National Forest, hence the…
Given that many cities and towns in the UK were once fortified through the addition of city or town walls, it may be a little surprising to hear that only one – Londonderry in Northern Ireland – retains all of its walls in tact. However, if you add consideration that these walls would either have…
The ancient city of York is filled with impressive buildings, mainly dating back many centuries, like Clifford’s Tower, which I wrote about recently. However, one of them stands out above the rest and can be seen not just from most of the city, but even when entering and leaving York. The grand cathedral church that…
I’m in York today, and one of the outstanding monuments in the centre of the city is Clifford’s Tower. The tower is the remainder of the Norman keep that formed part of York castle that was built under orders from William the Conqueror to stamp his authority on the formerly viking city of York. The…
Last weekend saw the Moira Canal Festival 2015, on the Leicestershire / Derbyshire border, at Moira Furness. I have been going along for the last few years, and have written about the 2013 and 2014 shows, which were, like their predecessors, great fun. This year saw the return of some favourites, including Morris Dancing –…
As the name may suggest, the Leicestershire town of Coalville has an industrial past that includes mining, and one of the former pits in the area now forms the centre of Snibston Discovery Museum and park. Visitors can learn about how technical innovation has changed the lives of people over the last five centuries, and…