As we were preparing to leave Devon, we made a final stop at the Canonteign Falls near Exeter. Home to England’s highest man-made waterfall, Canonteign Falls is a magnificent example of a Victorian folly set in a magical natural paradise. The waterfalls themselves descend for over 70 metres. The falls were built in 1890 The … Continue reading Canonteign Falls
My goddaughter and her family invited us recently to spend a few days with them at a cottage in rural Devon, on the eastern edge of the Dartmoor National Park. It's not an area of the UK that I know, so I was imagining chocolate-box cottages and cream teas galore. Chocolate-box cottages The cottages were … Continue reading Devon Delight
Polesden Lacey Polesden Lacey is near Dorking in Surrey and around an hour's drive from West London. It was the weekend party house of Margaret 'Maggie' Greville, a popular and powerful socialite in the early 1900s. Margaret Greville's desk Mrs Greville bequeathed the estate to the National Trust after initially having planned to leave it … Continue reading Polesden Lacey
Northala Fields is an award-winning country-style park located in Northolt, just down the road from the Polish War Memorial. It was opened in 2008 and consists of four artificial hills standing next to the Western Avenue, a major road in/out of West London, as well as several fishing lakes and a large field area. The hills were constructed using … Continue reading Northala Fields
Having introduced The Boy Child to the delights of Oliver and Hardy during our Northern Road Trip in the Summer of 2018, we were subsequently delighted to realise that their story was coming to the big screen. Laurel & Hardy statue, Ulverston, South Lakeland Stan and Ollie stars Steve Coogan as Stan Laurel and John … Continue reading Stan and Ollie | A Mini Review
Happy New Year to you and yours!Throughout 2018, one thing was crystal clear, I absolutely write for me, and for me alone. That you, a reader, may have found something of interest is always a bonus. (I have a post about my thoughts on 10 years of blogging going live later this week.) Becoming more … Continue reading Blog Review | 2018
Two miles from beautiful Broadway lies Snowshill Manor. We visited recently (at our third attempt) and met up with my God Daughter and her family.I've only ever heard good things about Snowshill and it didn't disappoint. It's a sixteenth century country house, best known for its twentieth century owner, Charles Paget Wade, an eccentric man who … Continue reading Snowshill Manor
A few miles down the road from Stowe is Claydon House. It belonged to the Verney family for around 300 years (the current descendants still have a flat within the house) and passed to the National Trust in 1956.The exterior of the house hides a lavish interior filled with oddities, stunning carvings and Verney family … Continue reading Claydon House and Gardens
Stowe is home to an astonishing 250 acres of gardens and 750 acres of parkland. That's what you call gardening on the grandest scale. The mansion is now home to Stowe School which, thanks to the Stowe House Preservation Trust, is still open to the public. The last family to reside in the house had extravagant tastes … Continue reading Stowe Parkland and Gardens
October has been and gone in a blur of crisp and clear days, sunshine and chilly evenings. Let's see how the numbers look:15 pieces of Happy Mail sent. One black eye (and a whole host of other bumps and bruises). 330 lengths in the pool at the gym. £8.80 won on the Euros ... not … Continue reading Month in Numbers | October 2018
