This week say St George’s Day, the 23rd April, the patron saint of – among other places – England, and from where the English flag originates. Several English Heritage sites were hosting events to celebrate this weekend, and we headed off the the event for St George’s Day at Kenilworth Castle. The castle is impressive…
I’ve been in Barcelona – or, rather, near Barcelona – for a few days for Formula One Winter Testing, and as is often the case, the event times well with the Mobile World Congress. The Mobile World Congress 2015, or MWC15, is the annual gathering and trade show for those in the mobile industry. I…
Bolsover Castle is unsurprisingly found in the Derbyshire town of Bolsover, and is a sight familiar to many people, particularly those who use the M1 motorway on a regular basis. The castle is easily spotted by those passing by on this main arterial route through the county, and is a short drive from the motorway.…
I wrote recently about the 750th anniversary of Simon de Montfort’s great Parliament at Westminster, and to mark that event, I went along to the Worcestershire town of Evesham where de Montfort, the former ruler of England, is buried at Evesham Abbey. Evesham Abbey was founded by St Egwin around 700AD, with the legend being…
The Giant’s Causeway is one of the most famous natural landmarks in Northern Ireland, with the hexagonal basalt columns looking curiously man made, and giving rise to the legend that provides the name of the rock formation. The story goes that Finn MacCool, a local giant, built the causeway to meet Benandonner, a giant in…
The Dark Hedges is the local name given to part of Bregagh Road not far from Ballymoney in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The road has a series of beech trees that were planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century to impress visitors to their home at Gracehill House. The coach house and stable…
Sierra Leone is in the news at the moment for the wrong reasons, with the Ebola outbreak making headlines around the world. I thought it would be a good time therefore to write about a trip to Sierra Leone which was altogether more positive, in this West African state that I have found to be…
I realised that last time I wrote about the Donington Aero Park, the aircraft museum beside East Midlands Airport, I mentioned the Nimrod there but did not include any photographs of the aircraft. I took a trip back there at the weekend, and it seemed a good opportunity to take a few photos of the…
I have mentioned before that I grew up in the Northern Irish seaside town of Larne, so when I saw that BBC NI were showing a programme called “I Love Larne” on Monday evening, I was keen to see how they would promote my home town. However, it is fair to say that many of…
I mentioned recently that I was in Spain, and although I have spent plenty of time in Eastern Spain near Denia, I had never been to the most famous nearby resort, so I decided this time to take a trip to Benidorm to see what the fuss was about. For many, Benidorm conjures up images…
Anyone who has spent any time in Scotland will know that you do not have to travel far to find a castle, or at least a fortified building, and I have visited several and stayed in a few. However, I recently visited one that was slightly different from any other to which I had been.…
I mentioned recently that I was in rural Spain, and although staying near the sea, there is an impressive series of mountains near by. Driving on the mountain roads of Spain is quite an experience, with plenty of narrow roads filled with bends winding around the hills, frustratingly short of places to stop to enjoy…