Interesting Places and Scenic Enchantment
The Bridgemere Show Gardens near Nantwich in Cheshire are part of a large plant nursery complex. They are composed of 15 separate gardens, including a Cottage Garden, a Victorian Topiary Garden, a Woodland Walk, a Pond and an Oriental Garden. The gardens include recreations of Gold and Silver Medal award-winning gardens from RHS Chelsea Flower … Read more
We visit the Quarry Bank Mill in Styal, Cheshire. It is said to be one of the best preserved textile factories of the Industrial Revolution. Built in 1784, the cotton mill is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II. During our visit, some of the cotton processing and weaving … Read more
Dunham Massey is in Altrincham, Cheshire. We were lucky with the weather as it was a hot and sunny day. The house is furnished with thousands of original items used by the inhabitants over the centuries. Visitors start in the kitchens and servants rooms. Then the trail leads upstairs to the magnificent rooms used to … Read more
We did the ‘Hidden Gems of the Saar’ cruise on the Saar and Moselle rivers in Germany in April. The 9-day cruise started at Schweich and visited Saarburg, Saarlouis, Saarbrucken, Luxenbourg, Zell, Bernkstel-Kues, and Tier. We travelled from the UK by Eurostar train to Brussels, followed by a coach transfer to Schweich in Germany. The … Read more
We start on ski run blue 6 in St Johann in Tirol, Austria, from the top of the Bauernalm gondola. We join blue 12 on a tree lined track, then blue 5a, which takes us down to the Hochfeldalm restaurant. The resort did a fantastic job of keeping the ski runs open considering the lack … Read more
We start on ski run blue 11 in St Johann in Tirol, Austria, at the Harschbichl gondola lift middle station. We join blue 6, then blue 6a, which takes us down to the Tauwiesen drag lift. We go up the drag lift and take blue 9 to the bottom of the Bauernalm gondola lift. The … Read more
We start on ski run blue 10a in Obertauern, Austria, near the top of the Kringsalm chair lift. We join blue 8a and finish near the Kirchbuhel drag lift. On the first two days of our holiday it snowed hard. For the rest of the week the snow conditions were fabulous. We even had a … Read more
We explore the art treasures on display in the North Gallery at Petworth House. Among the sculptures and paintings, we also see the oldest English terrestrial globe in existence. There are major works by the likes of Titian, van Dyck, Reynolds, Blake, Gainsborough, and JMW Turner on display at Petworth, and many of these can … Read more
Baddesley Clinton and Packwood House, in Warwickshire, are two-and-a-half miles apart by road. A traditional Christmas is the theme of the moated manor house at Baddesley Clinton. The Christmas trees are fabulous and there is a real log fire in the sitting room. It’s a 1920s Christmas at Packwood house. There is an enormous Christmas … Read more
We visit the 18th-century stately home at Hanbury. The house is decorated for a 1970s / 1980s Christmas, and it is like a trip down memory lane. Toys and games from that era were donated by the staff and volunteers at Hanbury Hall, with old favourites such as Monopoly and Mousetrap. The grand dinning table … Read more